1001 Albums Summary

Genres: Ethereal wave, dream pop Formed: Grangemouth, Scotland in 1981 Run time: 10 songs, 41 min, 35 sec The third studio album by the band. I had always assumed they were an Irish band, but apparently they are Scottish. As I’ve never listened that carefully, I had also assumed that they were singing in Galic but it is in fact English. The least popular song on the album is track 8, “Cicely” with almost 1.3M plays, whilst the most popular is track 2, “Lorelei” with over 20M plays on Spotify. Overall the album has a beautiful, calm and ethereal feel to it. If you’re analysing the lyrics, then you will be missing out on the feel of the thing. The songs all seem quite profound in dealing with various aspects of life, love, loss and so on. Listen Again?: Yes My Rating: ****

Genres: Rock Formed: Muswell Hill, London, in 1963 Run time: 12 songs, 48 min, 37 sec The seventh studio album by the band. On the whole, the album is a social commentary on 60’s Britain. A few songs are about the war which doesn’t seem very contemporary, but I’m guessing at the time those who remembered it are at loggerheads with the younger generation who didn’t have any idea of the sacrifice made by many. The narrative of these songs, written by Ray Davies, is fantastic. He is very good at picking out the quirks and foibles of the British public. Spotify: Least popular song: track 11, “Nothing To Say” with over 500k plays Most popular song: track 1, “Victoria” with almost 20M plays. Eight tracks with over 500k plays and three with over 1M plays. Track 3, “Some Mother’s Son” is quite profound, discussing the effects of war on the families of soldiers. My favourite song is track 1, “Victoria”. Who knew a song about Queen Victoria could be so catchy? I enjoyed listening to the album, but this is the only song I clicked on the “like” button. Listen Again?: No, but I will listen to a Best Of… My Rating: ***

Genres: Madchester, baggy, rock Formed: Salford, England in 1980 Run time: 15 songs, 1 hour, 12 min The third studio album by the group. They were big in the Manchester scene and are synonymous with 90’s Raves. Spotify: Least popular song: over 292k Most popular song: over 47.5M plays. I didn’t like their music at the time and most of it I still don’t. Due to prolonged exposure, I do enjoy a couple of tracks: Track 1, “Kinky Afro” and track 8, “Step On”. Most of the other songs didn’t receive much airtime (because they are bland album fillers). Some of the songs were very significant in the 90’s Rave scene. On the whole the lyrics aren’t very profound and don’t always make sense. You could call that poetic licence but I suspect it was due to being “off their faces” on Ecstasy. The tunes are quite chilled, relaxed and very laid-back. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Experimental pop, post-rock Formed: Run time: 13 songs, 57 min, 19 sec The fourth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. Some songs are sung in English, others in French and some contain both. The album is named after the 1971 experimental film Emperor Tomato Ketchup by Japanese author and director Shūji Terayama. Their song lyrics have been described as politically and philosophically charged. A deep philosophical idea delivered in a pop wrapper is an interesting juxtaposition. Spotify: Least popular song: 348k Most popular song: almost 1.3M I loved track 1, “Metronomic Underground”. The lyrics for most of the song are “Crazy, sturdy, a torpedo. Crazy, brutal, a torpedo”. Sounds great sung by a woman with a French accent. It is so hypnotic, you could listen to that one track on repeat for a whole day. My French is not good enough to follow the French songs, but it doesn't matter because again the lyrics are rhythmic and hypnotic and the music is ethereal. The rest of the album looks at heavy topics such as the meaning of life and the evolution of society and the effect individuals have on it, what holds it together and its fragility. Listen Again?: Possibly. I will look for other albums by Sterolab. My Rating: ****

Genres: R&B, soul, quiet storm Formed: 1983 (solo) Run time: 8 songs, 36 min, 17 sec The second album by the vocalist. With only 8 songs and a play time of 36 minutes, it’s not much “bang for the buck” as the Americans would say. Spotify: Least popular songs have just over 1M plays and the most popular song: track 1, “Sweet Love” with over 95M plays. The first song is great, very catchy and upbeat. Most of the album is quite restrained and bland (if I’m honest). It doesn’t showcase Anita Bakers’ fantastic powerful voice. The production team needed a kick up the arse for making this record. It’s like they took a Ford Mustang out of the garage to nip round the corner to the shop. It needs to be let loose on the open road, i.e. she needs to be letting rip, not talking quietly. What a waste. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Calling the album "IV" was clever, suggesting they were an established band, when in fact it was the first album. This was reinforced by the consistent sound throughout the album. Choose any track, and you know you're listening to the Stranglers. I was unfamiliar with all the tracks apart from Peaches. It does have a Punk sound without sticking two fingers up to "the man"; perhaps in 1977 when it was released, it was considered edgier. (I did listen to the sanitised version without the explicit content.) Some tracks are (imo) better than others and the Spotify play statistics would suggest others agree. I enjoyed: Hanging Around, Peaches, (Get A) Grip [on Yourself] & Go Buddy Go.

I heard of Muddy Waters but I've never listened to an album of his. You go to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster. It's got special effects, explosions, bells, and whistles. You come out thinking, that's two hours of my life I won't get back. Then you see a movie with no special effects, actors who can act and a plot. You come out of the cinema and feel that your soul has been nourished. That's how I felt after listening to this album. Great musicians performing songs that tell a great story in a few minutes. What an experience. You can understand why so many rock musicians list Muddy Waters as a significant influence. Even the album cover if straight forward, with no frills; just Muddy Waters looking as cool as you’d expect. I enjoyed the whole album and loved at least half of it, particularly Mannish Boy, which has over 7 million listens on Spotify, so apparently other rather enjoy it too.

This Country music is easy to listen to, but it just doesn’t do it for me. Lots of Country songs tell a tale and have a bit of grit to them, however, this is just pleasant background noise.

Genre: This Byrds material is Folk/Rock. I love the Byrds, but nothing on this album really hit the spot for me. There was nothing wrong it, but it wasn’t “Mr Tambourine Man” or “Turn, Turn, Turn (earlier releases). I won’t be revisiting this album.

Genres: Britpop Formed: 1978 in Sheffield, England. It wasn’t until the release of the 1994 His 'n' Hers album, that they made it big. I wasn’t a Pulp fan back in the day; however, they have grown on me over the years. I enjoy the social commentary present in the song lyrics.

Genres: Rock This is his seventh studio album. His first two albums were released in 1973. I first became aware of Springsteen in the eighties, but he has been performing since the mid-sixties. As well as being a singer and musician, he is a prolific and very successful songwriter providing hits for many other artists. This particular album sold 30 million copies worldwide and is one of the most commercially successful albums of all time. I loved half the tracks on the album. For me the other (less popular) tracks were OK. Clearly the album is well loved; the least played track has over 10 million plays on Spotify! Perhaps the other tracks will grow on me after listening some more.

Genres: Rock Formed: 1986, Blackwood, Wales???. I like the Manics but this album didn’t do it for me. Presumably it’s the later stuff I’m familiar with.

Genres: R&B, soul Formed: mid to late 50’s Run time: 11 songs, 31 min, 33 sec James Brown a.k.a. "The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business", "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother No. 1". Spotify: Least popular song: 285k plays Most popular song: 730k plays. James Brown was an amazing, entertaining singer with boundless energy on stage. This album captures none of that. While there is a hint of what’s to come, there are none of his trademark hits. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Heavy Metal Formed: Leyton, East London, in 1975 The Number of the Beast is the bands third studio album. Within a few seconds of any song, it is recognisably Iron Maiden. The album only contains 8 tracks running at less than 40 minutes, which is disappointing and a bit short by today’s standards. I enjoyed four of the eight tracks; the others were OK. I love Iron Maiden, but I don’t think I’ll listen to the album again, I’ll stick to the Best of… All the tracks have over 1M listens on Spotify, the best three have over 100M listens which is incredible. My Rating: ****

Genres: Alternative Rock Formed: Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985 The Bends is the groups second studio album. All the tracks have over 10M listens on Spotify, and two have over 200M listens. Although the album contains 12 tracks, the running time is less than 50 minutes. By 1995 CDs could hold 74 minutes of audio, so I don’t know why this album is so short? Being a tight Yorkshire man, I would have felt short changed! This album was touted by reviewers as being significantly better than the previous one. I loved the track “Creep” from the previous one, so I expected more from this. It is very different to what I listen to, so maybe it’ll grow on me. I enjoyed the track “Just”, I’m keeping an open mind on the rest.

Genres: R&B Formed: 2019 I’m not an R&B fan, but I enjoyed this album. I really liked the song “Don’t Shoot, Gun Down”. The songs are elegant in their simplicity, the vocals are angelic, and the lyrics are profound. Being a middle-aged white man, I can’t relate to them, but I’ve seen it too many times on the news. I guess the album is a bit experimental with songs ranging from less than 1 to almost 5 minutes. 20 songs, runtime 56:35

Genres: Rock Formed: It’s OK. Nothing outstanding for me.

Genres: Folk rock, baroque pop, avant-garde Formed: 1967 Run time: 10 songs, 45 min, 8 sec The debut solo album and second studio album by German singer Nico. She was a model, actress and singer. Andy Warhol took her under his wing and insisted she sang on a number of songs by the Velvet Underground. The album has some very popular and influential contributors: Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, John Cale, Bob Dylan, and Jackson Browne. Although Cale and Reed didn’t consider her to be part of Velvet Underground they obviously liked her work and style, hence the contributions they made to her solo work. Many of the songs are very introspective. Her work was generally obscure but influential and musically she remained on the fringes. Her deadpan style and lyrical content gave her music a baroque feel. The arrangement of her song was generally minimalistic, with few instruments and a very gentle style. The result is calm and reflective. You wouldn’t listen to her music to cheer you up! Spotify: Least popular song: over 800k Most popular song: over 88M plays. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Alternative Rock Formed: Athens, Georgia, in 1980 Run time: 12 songs, 48 min 36 sec Some great songs with impressive Spotify statistics: the least played song on this album has nearly 5 million plays, whilst the most popular has well over 300 million plays. I loved a third of the album and enjoyed most of the other songs. My favourite is “Man on the Moon” about the American entertainer (comedian), Andy Kaufman. The instrumental “New Orleans Instrumental No.1” is two minutes of pure relaxation. The album is great if you just want some pleasant background noise, and though provoking if you wany to listen to the lyrics.

Genres: New wave, Punk, Rock Formed: New York in 1980? Run time: 16 songs, 56 min 55 sec (12 tracks on the original release) Debbie Harry has an unmistakable and fantastic voice. This album was responsible for their mainstream success in the UK, US, and Australia. Some accused them of selling out when they infused Disco in the single “Heart of Glass”. As the song had been performed by them since the mid-70s, I’d say they adapted to the times. Most groups who achieve a long career, don’t do it by standing still. The album contains numerous hits that are instantly recognisable to this day. They have earned their place in music’s history books.

Genres: Soul Formed: Chicago, Solo Career 1957 Run time: 10 songs, 36 min 33 sec What a wonderful velvety voice! This live recording shows what a great rapport he had with the audience. Great energy and fantastic material. There is a long list of great songs from this and other albums. What a gift he shared with us. In 1964, the great man’s career was cut short when he was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in LA. The courts ruled Cooke's death to be a justifiable homicide. I can’t help but feel if he was a successful white singer, it would have been a very different ending. Being part of the civil rights movement probably didn’t help.

Genres: Industrial metal Formed: Run time: 9 songs, 44 min 43 sec ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (commonly known as Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs or simply Psalm 69). Someone has spent far too much time incorporating the number 69 into the name and album. Very clever and all, but really? You’ll get a snigger from a teenager (perhaps) but no one else is going to give it a second thought. I bet this sounds amazing with the volume cranked up high. The bass, the speed and energy are incredible. I imagine the fans are called hardcore and drink Red Bull. I can see it would be great to listen to if you had shit to get done and no time to do it! Or perhaps to accompany a high intensity work out. I’m afraid Industrial metal isn’t something I’m interested in. I can’t even imagine it being an acquired taste. I suppose it like any type of music, it’s either your thing or it isn’t. That said, I’ve listened a second time and am enjoying it more…

Genres: Pop Formed: Solo 1963 Run time: 20 songs, 55 min 39 sec What a great first solo album, full of hits. Whoever chooses the songs Dusty covers, does a great job and she certainly does the song writer’s credit. She was a great pop singer for many, many years. I loved the album, despite being more poppy than I generally like.

(At this point in time Alice Cooper was the name of the band, not the singer.) Genres: Hard rock, shock rock, glam rock, heavy metal Formed: Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964 Run time: 10 songs, 41 min 12 sec Some great tracks: Elected, Billion Dollar Babies, No More Mr. Nice Guy. The other tracks are ok. They are all very Alice Cooper; unique and made to shock.

Genres: Folk Rock Formed: London in 1966 Run time: 11 songs, 36 min 48 sec I haven’t listened to the whole album, but the first half was very chilled and relaxing.

Genres: British folk rock Formed: London, England in 1967 Run time: 10 songs, 55 min 6 sec Many traditional English folksongs with an electric twist and a number of their own compositions with a traditional English folksong feel. The songs are all beautifully crafted and executed. The result is a very chilled album to listen to. I could imagine live, it would be a whole lot more raucous with a large degree of audience participation.

Genres: Folk, chamber folk, folk-pop Formed: 1967 Run time: 10 songs, 41 min 11 sec Very chilled music. Poetic lyrics. Very reminiscent of Bob Dylan. It’s sad that mental health got the better of him. His career only lasted seven years, which was still longer than many in the music industry, but it was far shorter than it should have been. My Rating: ****

Genres: Desert rock, stoner rock, hard rock Formed: 1997 Run time: 14 songs, 60 min I enjoyed the instrumental Hispanic Impressions, although I don’t know what was Hispanic about it. I was expecting something Santanna like. The last track "I Was a Teenage Hand Model" starts very chilled and relaxed then ends with some electronic sound effects straight from 70’s sci-fi. It certainly wakes you up and brings you back to reality. The least played tracks have over 2M plays on Spotify. The most played are almost 20M, so they’re a popular band. My Rating: ****

Genres: Blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal Formed: 1966 solo Run time: 18 songs, 1 hour 10 min The heavy rock treatment of Blues tunes has led to this album being considered a seminal heavy metal album. I don’t really agree, I think it is still clearly blues-infused rock. It might be a precursor to heavy metal, but it’s not there yet! What a career. Starting in the early 60’s in various groups, then ending up in the Yardbirds to replace Eric Clapton. That’s some shoes to fill, but he did it and more than proved himself. This album was released in 1968 and he was still making record in 2020 (“Isolation with Jonny Depp) and performing in 2022. Sadly, Beck died from a bacterial meningitis infection in hospital 10 January 2023, at the age of 78. You know he must be good when the Jeff Beck group has Rod Stewart singing and Ronnie Wood on bass. I assume this album has similar roots to early Led Zepplin as there are similarities in style. The only song on the album that I’m familiar with is "Hi Ho Silver Lining” although I could have told you it was a cover by Jeff Beck. I enjoyed all the songs which were an eclectic mix: some covers, some new and some reworks. My Rating: ****

Genres: Americana, alternative country Formed: 1979 Run time: 13 songs, 51 min 47 sec Although I’m not a fan of Country, I did enjoy the whole album. My Rating: ***

Genres: Acid rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock Formed: San Diego, California, in 1966 Run time: 6 songs, 36 min 10 sec There are similarities between Iron Butterfly and The Doors, including the use of an organ. Both groups started about the same time and followed a similar musical path (and drugs?). Considering how many people came and went in the bands first two years, it’s amazing that (barring a couple of breaks) they still around today. Their members have remained fluid throughout their history. The tracks: "Most Anything You Want" “"Flowers and Beads"” aren’t at all acid/psychedelic. In fact, they are quite bland, easy listening, if anything it’s pop. Tracks "My Mirage" and "Termination" could have been influenced by some mushrooms (nothing stronger). Then final track on side A, “Are You Happy” is a bit more Rock than the other songs. Side B consists of one epic track “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”. This track undoubtedly is where the label acid rock originates. The track is very cool and reminiscent of the psychedelic scene at that time. I’ve never heard of the group, but I recognised the title track “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (which is over 15 minutes long). The single version was edited down to just under 3 minutes and proved to be a commercial success. My Rating: ***

Genres: Country Formed: 1959 Run time: 11 songs, 28 min 41 sec It’s what you’d expect from 70’s Country. It isn’t my cup of tea (and never will). Whinging about what you’ve lost, instead of asking yourself what you did wrong and how to put it right. Self-pity probably did it for 70’s listeners, it won’t hold a modern audience. My Rating: *

Genres: Hard rock, heavy metal Formed: Run time: 8 songs, 41 min 5 sec Awesome album full of tracks we all know. My favourite song is “Smoke on the Water” which is probably the best-known track on the album. You could easily assume that this song was written after consuming an excess of drink and drugs, but no, they really did watch the Montreux Casino burn to the ground across lake Geneva. I loved the whole album, particularly “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin’”. My Rating: ****

Genres: Glam punk, hard rock, punk rock Formed: Oslo 1988 Run time: 15 songs, 54 min 5 sec Although I enjoyed the album, none of it really made me think wow. It’s got plenty of energy and the musicianship is good. I probably won’t listen again, but I may give some of their other albums a try. I did like the nod to Alice Cooper’s “Billion Dollar Baby”, with their song "Zillion Dollar Sadist". On Spotify, seven songs have less than 1M plays, six 1-2M and two over 6.5M. They have a good following but its not massive, as you’d expected for a group that was considered underground. My Rating: ***

Genres: Hard rock, blues rock Formed: Boston in 1970 Run time: 9 songs, 37 min 7 sec This is certainly a popular album on Spotify. The least played track has over 2M plays. “Sweet Emotion” has over 300M plays and “Walk This Way” has almost 400M plays. I love Aerosmith’s music. Some of the tracks on this album are amazing, some are OK and some are just filler. They can certainly write great songs, but not everything they wrote was great. As was the case with many 70’s albums, getting it released was more important than filling it with great content. If I listen to an album I want to like every track on it and I’m very disappointed and annoyed when I don’t. Today we just hit skip and move on but back then, you either put up with the mediocre tracks or you had to get up and physically do something to get to the next track – mix-tape anyone? I like songs that tell a story. Aerosmith doesn’t shy away from a difficult tale. “Uncle Salty” is about a girl taken away from her parents and put in “care”. She is abused and subsequently follows her mother’s career as a sex worker. The material is hard to deal with and it won’t be the last such song Aerosmith releases (“Janie’s Got a Gun”). The band became infamous for drug taking and the problems that caused almost ended their career. I don’t know what catalysed their clean-up, but whatever it was, it probably saved their lives. They were down on their luck until the Hip-hop group Run-DMC sampled “Walk This Way” and invited them to record a music video together. The result was responsible for the revival of Aerosmith. There old material was brough to a new generation (me included) and allowed them to go on a make many more great recordings. I still prefer the Run-DMC version of the song. Will I listen to the album again? No. I’ll play the ‘best of’ to listen to the good tracks. My Rating: ***(*)

Genres: New Wave Formed: Birmingham in 1978 Run time: 9 songs, 42 min 41 sec Some great songs: "Rio" (Spotify 63M plays), "Hungry Like the Wolf" (Spotify 308M plays) and "Save a Prayer" (Spotify 58M plays). "Lonely in Your Nightmare": Verses are contrived, but the chorus is catchy. "Hold Back the Rain": Meh. "New Religion": Nonsense. They sing alternate lines over each other and it’s incomprehensible. "Last Chance on the Stairway": Rubish. It doesn’t flow because they stretch some words to fit them in and then they squish others. I know that sometimes happens in songs but this one has no consistency. "The Chauffeur": Good tune ruined by crap lyrics. We often talk about quality over quantity. Well this album delivers some good stuff, some crap and filler and it doesn’t make up for quality with quantity. It should have been four songs on an EP! My Rating: **

Genres: Pop, Rock Formed: New York in 1970 Run time: 14 songs, 54 min 13 sec The album is elegant in its simplicity, and it is unmistakably Paul Simon from start to finish. Great story telling throughout. I enjoyed the album, but I probably would not listen again. He have created some fantastic songs over the years, but not on this album. My Rating: ***

Genres: Alternative country Formed: ? Run time: 9 songs, 48 min 14 sec I’m not into Country but I didn’t mind this album. It’s very calm and almost ethereal. The sound is clean and simple with the focus on the lyrics. My Rating: ***

Genres: Southern soul Formed: Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1966 Run time: 14 songs, 41 min 26 sec The tenth studio album by the singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", Rolling Stone twice named her as the greatest singer, and listed her as the ninth-greatest artist of all time. The least popular song is track 5, “Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream”, with over 1.6M plays. The most popular is track 1, 12, “Respect” with almost 500M plays on Spotify. She has such a powerful voice that is as clear as a bell. She could sing the contents of a newspaper and it would be a hit. As well as being a great songwriter, she has some fantastic covers on this album. Not only can she cover Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, she makes the song her own and probably does it better than the original. Listen Again?: Yes and then some. My Rating: *****

Genres: Punk blues, garage rock, blues rock, alternative rock Formed: New York in 1991 Run time: 32 songs, 1 hour 19 min Vocally, Jon Spencer reminds me of Mick Jagger with a hint of Elvis Presley. Musically the Blues Explosion is mix of punk, rock and very much alternative rock. It’s eclectic and unique. My Rating: ***

Genres: Punk rock Formed: Olympia, Washington in 1994 Run time: 13 songs, 36 min 34 sec 36 minutes is a short album. I enjoyed the album. It was well written with excellent musicianship. It’s on the list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die. If it came out 20 years earlier, it would be considered revolutionary. While it is a good album, and the group are talented, I wouldn’t personally have included it on this list, but then again most of the albums on the list aren’t that revolutionary or trailblazing. I will probably listen to this and other Sleater-Kinney albums again. My Rating: ***

Genres: Punk rock, mod revival, new wave Formed: Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey in 1972 Run time: 12 songs, 37 min 45 sec Yet another short album. It’s an eclectic mix of songs: love, work, and life in general. “English Rose” has over 13.5M plays on Spotify. It’s a very poetic love song but it doesn’t match the feel of the rest of the album. It’s nowhere near as good as “Down In The Tube Station”, which only has 3.4M plays - Strange. As for the rest of album, three of the tracks have less than 1M plays, the others have 1-4M plays. I will not play the album again, but I will be trying other Jam albums. My Rating: ***

Genres: Ska, 2 Tone, post-punk, lounge, avant-pop, northern soul Formed: Coventry in 1977 Run time: 11 songs, 42 min 33 sec It’s an eclectic mix of tracks and styles, but you can tell it’s the Specials you are listening to. The social commentary that the Specials have become renowned for is present in songs such as “Hey Little Rich Girl”, Pearl’s Café” and Stereotype. I enjoyed the album, but I probably will not the play the album again. I will be listening to the best of… A great “2 Tone” album. Only half the tracks on this album have over 1M plays on Spotify. My Rating: ***

Genres: Folk rock, rock, pop Formed: Liverpool in 1960 Run time: 14 songs, 35 min 32 sec I love some Beatles songs, some are too poppy for me. This album fits that. Despite being only a 35 minute album it crams in 14 songs, all of which are concise and perfectly formed. As song writers, Lennon and McCartney are amazing. They might be equalled, but they won’t be surpassed. The track “The Word”, which I have never heard of and don’t recall ever listening to has over 15M plays on Spotify. Unbelievable! Most tracks have over 10M plays, and three have over 100M plays. I enjoyed the album, and it’s great to read about the tracks and their origins, which is possible because they are so well analysed. My Rating: ****

Genres: Soul, funk, progressive soul Formed: Chicago in 1969 Run time: 8 songs, 38 min 35 sec The lyrics are simple and straight forward. Add that to a funky back-beat and you’ve got some great funk. The harmonies are excellent and the contrast in voices between Bailey's falsetto and Maurice's baritone add great depth to the songs. I loved the super funky instrumental track “Africano” and "That's the Way of the World". I could imagine sitting in the sun with a drink and listening to this album, while contemplating the meaning of life. Very relaxing and easy on the hearing. I don’t think I’ll listen again, but I will check out a best of Earth, Wind & Fire. My Rating: ***

Genres: Psychedelic rock, hard rock, acid rock, blues Formed: London in 1966 Run time: 17 songs, 60 min I really love 10 of the 17 songs on this album. The other tracks are OK. “Purple Haze” which is probably the best-known track has almost 300M plays on Spotify. Even the less popular tracks have around 5M plays. It’s hard to image that this is the debut album. His lyrics are amazing, and his guitar work must have seemed like wizardry at the time (and still does). I will continue to listen to this and other Hendrix albums. My Rating: *****

Genres: Space rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, proto-punk, hard rock Formed: London in 1969 Run time: 21 songs, 2 hours, 12 min Two hours, now that’s an album. Does the quality a match the quantity? If you’re looking for deep meaningful lyrics, this isn’t the place to find them. The album explores space and our place in it. The lyrics are very basic, almost childish in their simplicity. The original was shorter, and this reissued/remastered version was expanded. I suppose it gives fans more of what they want, but for the rest of us it’s a bit self-indulgent. Instrumentally good, lyrically poor. If you like Prog, you will probably like this. I’m not in that camp. It drags on for me and some of the sound effects are jarring and unpleasant. I know some groups like to experiment and push boundaries, but this album is too much. Four tracks are close to or over 10 minutes. Half the tracks have less than 500k plays on Spotify and the rest are less than 100k. I like the Hawkwind track “Silver Machine” but found nothing comparable on this album. I will never listen to this album again. Two hours I’ll never get back! I may listen to a “best of”. My Rating: **

Genres: Merseybeat, rock and roll, pop, R&B Formed: Liverpool in 1960 Run time: 14 songs, 33 min 6 sec Great pop songs. Plenty of covers on this album. I loved more than half the tracks and liked most of the others. My Rating: ***

Genres: Post-rock, dream pop, ambient, art rock, shoegazing Formed: Reykjavík, Iceland in 1994 Run time: 10 songs, 1 hour, 11 min Sigur Rós means “Victory Rose” and Ágætis Byrjun is Icelandic for, “A good beginning”. I don’t speak Icelandic so I’ve no idea what they are saying. (They could be talking about muck spreading.) The overall sound is very chilled, relaxed, and ethereal. The least played song on the album has almost 2.5M plays on Spotify. The most played over 33M. My Rating: ****

Genres: New wave, synth-pop Formed: Sheffield in 1977 Run time: 10 songs, 40 min, 53 sec I haven’t heard the first track before, but Philip Oakey’s vocals are instantly recognisable. A couple of tracks have less than 1M listens on Spotify, but most are well over 1M listens. “Don’t You Wany Me” has almost 400M listens. It’s a great album, well worth a listen. My Rating: ****

Genres: Cool jazz, funk, jazz fusion, soft rock, soul Formed: Los Angeles in 2011 (solo) Run time: 23 songs, 51 min, 35 sec I liked the vibe of the album. The lyrics are extremely eclectic. The track “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II) is all about being a cat… It’s certainly different. Other lyrics were far from deep and meaningful, e.g., “Beat your meat, and go to sleep” from the Track “Captain Stupido”. I enjoyed the track “Inferno”. As chilled background noise it’s great but I won’t be listening again. My Rating: **

Genres: Psychedelic rock, hard rock, art rock, psychedelia Formed: Los Angeles in 1965 Run time: 11 songs, 44 min, 11 sec As far as first albums go, it’s unique. It must have been quite shocking at the time. Obvious drug references, profanities, references to incest and murder; it’s got it all. How did they get published? “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” and “Light My Fire” both have over 250M plays on Spotify which makes it very popular. They are probably more popular today (over 40 years later) than in their hay day. The least played track has over 15M plays. I enjoyed most of the tracks and loved four of them. Yes, I will be playing this album again in the future. My Rating: ****

Genres: Folk rock, folk jazz, progressive folk, blue-eyed soul Formed: 1967 Run time: 8 songs, 47 min, 12 sec There are plenty of great Van Morrison songs. This album doesn’t include any of them. Despite that, all the tracks have over 3.5M plays on Spotify. Three tracks have 10, 36 and 78M plays. It was a disappointment to me and I will not be giving the album a second play. My Rating: **

Genres: Folktronica Formed: 1993 Run time: 10 songs, 50 min, 38 sec On Spotify the least played track of the album has 4.5M plays, while the most played is “This Years Love” with 171M plays. I’ve listened to this album hundreds of times. He has a great voice, and his song writing is fantastic. It is interesting when a singer-song-writer choices a track to cover, they tend to pick something quite amazing. That is certainly the case with “Say Hello Wave Goodbye”, the Soft Cell song. He certainly does it justice. Most of the songs on this album, I absolutely love and the rest I like. I don’t know if this is a revolutionary album, but it is fantastic. If you’re looking for food for the soul. I would highly recommend it. This is the first album in the list of 1001 albums, that I have given five stars to! My Rating: *****

Genres: Garage rock, rock and roll, proto-punk, proto-grunge Formed: Tacoma, Washington in 1960 Run time: 12 songs, 29 min, 20 sec I assumed garage/grunge were from the 1990’s, so I was surprised to see this 1960 album labelled as such. In keeping with the time, all songs are between two and three minutes long. All songs have over 300k plays on Spotify. A couple have over 1M plays and the most popular, “Have Love Will Travel”, has over 33M plays. The album features four original songs "The Witch", "Psycho", "Boss Hoss" and "Strychnine". The others are rock and roll and R&B covers. Most of the covers are famous because they were already well known or have been covered by other bands. “Do You Love Me” Brian Poole and the Tremeloes in 1963 and Dave Clark Five. “Money (That's What I Want)” The Beatles in 1963 and The Flying Lizards in 1979 Listening to the track "Walking the Dog" reminded me of the sound of the Rolling Stones. I wonder why the Stones became massive and The Sonics didn’t. They both sound similar and both drew from the same pool of rock and roll and R&B songs. I loved just about every song on the album and will listen to it again. My Rating: ****

Genres: New wave, synth-pop Formed: Oslo, Norway in 1982 Run time: 10 songs, 37 min, 10 sec Despite my growing love of rock in the late eighties, I did enjoy a-ha. For a first album there are some phenomenal hits on it: "Take On Me" with almost 1.4B plays on Spotify (WOW), "Hunting High and Low" 68M plays, and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." 70M plays. Most of the other tracks are OK. None of the other less popular tracks made me think I’ll hit skip, but I wouldn’t listen to the whole album again. My Rating: ****

Genres: Art rock, canterbury scene, progressive rock, psychedelic rock Formed: (Solo) 1974 Run time: 6 songs, 39 min, 33 sec There is only six songs, but they are all over 5minutes in length. Track 1 “Sea Song” is about a mermaid. The lyrics are ‘out there’! “Partly fish, partly porpoise”, and “Your madness fits in nicely with my own”. There is at least 2 minutes of nonsense noises at the end of the track. Track 2 “A Last Straw” talks about seaweed and “Your rocky bottom”. Another ‘out there’ song with lyrics like “We’ll not grow fat inside The mammary gland”. There’s a minute of nonsense in the middle. Track 3 “Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road” starts with almost 3 minutes of instrumental and then continues with lyrics that are utter nonsensical drivel. Track 4 “Alifib”. The lyrics can only be described as utter rubbish. “Burleybunch the water mole”, “Hellyplop and fingerhole”. Track 5 “Alife” follows the previous track with no gap. More of the same… “Nit nit folly bololy” and so on. Much of the lyrical content is almost inaudible. Probably for the best. Track 6 “Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road”. Same title as track 3 but a different song. I can’t imagine how strong the marijuana and mushrooms must have been to create this album. I don’t normally give negative reviews, instead I opt to say nothing, but this was forty minutes of my life wasted! Thank God there are no more tracks. My Rating: *

Genres: Progressive soul Formed: Memphis in 1968. (Previously a session musician at Stax Records. Run time: 15 songs, 1 hour, 9 min Track 1: “Theme from Shaft” has over 65M plays on Spotify. It’s fantastic lyrically and musically. You know after listening to this track that the character John Shaft is a badass! Whilst listening to the track "Soulsville" I was sure it must now be playing a Gregory Porter song. I wonder what (if any) influence this album had on his style. Apart from "Soulsville" with 900K plays and the theme, none of the other tracks have anywhere near 1M plays, which is surprising considering the album won numerous awards. Most of the album is instrumental tracks, apart from "Soulsville", "Do Your Thing", and "Theme from Shaft". It’s a great album and it turns out I really like Soul. I will probably listen again, and I will be looking for other Soul to listen to. My Rating: ****

103 U2 War (1983) Genres: Post-punk Formed: Dublin in 1976 Run time: songs, min, sec Track 1 “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is a great and poignant song. Everything else is Meeh! Instrumentally excellent, Lyrically it’s boring. My Rating: **

Genres: Rock, psychedelic rock, pop Formed: Los Angeles, California, in 1964 Run time: 17 songs, 58 min, 11 sec An album of nearly one hour duration is unusual, especially for the late 60’s. 1. "Artificial Energy": I loved the tune. The warning of amphetamine abuse is clear. I didn’t like the composition because I hate when lyrics are squeezed or stretched to make them fit. 2. "Goin' Back" is a cover of a Goffin–King song. A beautifully crafted song, delicately performed. 3. "Natural Harmony": another beautifully performed song with great harmonies. 4. “Draft Morning”: Contrasts life as a civilian to action as a solder. It does this amazingly well in a song of less than 3 minutes. 5. "Wasn't Born to Follow" is another Goffin–King composition. Country influenced. Although it provides contrast to the electric guitar, I found the pedal steel guitar a little jarring in places. 6. “Get to You” 7. "Change Is Now": A positive song suggesting we seize the day. It has a country feel to it. 8. "Old John Robertson": Another country influence song. 9. "Tribal Gathering": A track about a “Hippie” gathering, although it isn’t a psychedelic track. It has a jazz influence. 10. "Dolphin's Smile" is another chilled-out jazzy track. 11. "Space Odyssey", is a musical retelling of Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Sentinel". The opening line reads “In nineteen and ninety-six We ventured to the moon”. Could they have imagined they would only have to wait a year before we went to the moon? The story telling of the song is great, but I didn’t particularly like the song. (The following are 1997 bonus tracks.) 12. "Moog Raga" is an instrumental track. It is a bonus track on the 1997 album reissue. They shouldn’t have bothered. 13. "Bound to Fall" is another instrumental bonus track. This is a more chilled track. 14. "Triad", a song about a ménage à trois. Two girlfriends would be hard enough to deal with, but this greedy man says “And in time maybe others”. Here’s someone who is going to end up alone! 15. "Goin' Back – Extended Version" 16. “Draft Morning – Alternate Backing Track”. Contains a load of studio chatter. I don’t feel it added anything, but I suppose it gives an insight into the creative process. Overall, I enjoyed the album. It is very chilled a relaxing. If I were prone to lying around listening to music I would probably listen again. My Rating: ****

Genres: Experimental rock, electronica, alternative rock Formed: Run time: 11 songs, 43 min, 57 sec All the tracks have at least 8M plays on Spotify, many have over 30M and “Pyramid Song” has over 60M plays. They have a very good following! This album is so depressing. I can’t imagine who the target audience are. If you weren’t down before listening, you would be by the end. If you were already depressed, it would tip you over the edge. I can see they aren’t afraid to experiment and they are blazing there own trail, which is commendable in a world of commercialised crap. It’s just not for me. My Rating: ***

Genres: Psychedelic folk, indie folk, chamber pop, indie rock, psychedelic pop, baroque pop Formed: Brooklyn, New York in 2002 Run time: songs, min, sec The tracks all have at least 2M plays on Spotify, so they are popular. “Two Weeks” has over 230M plays. I listened to the first few tracks then gave up. They produce some great harmonies, but the lyrics have no depth. It’s just pleasant noise to me. My Rating: **

Genres: Ambient, electronic Formed: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1983 Run time: 13 songs, 1 hour, 8 min Listening to this reminds me of some of the Doors songs. Nick Cave’s voice has a very similar sound to Jim Morrison’s. The songs are very poetic and melodic – very relaxing and atmospheric, but not my cup of tea. My Rating: ***

Genres: Jazz fusion Formed: 1970 Run time: 11 songs, 1 hour It’s Jazz, but not the kind that feels torturous to listen to. It was a pleasant enough experience. I think it was mostly instrumental. Track 1 “Birdland” has over 15M listens on Spotify. Another five tracks have over 1M listens and the rest is less than 1M. My Rating: ***

Genres: Art rock, alternative rock, progressive rock, space rock Formed: Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985 Run time: 12 songs, 53 min, 41 sec The least popular track on the album has over 22M plays on Spotify. The most popular “Karma Police” has nearly 4.5M plays and “No Surprises” has over 430M plays. While they aren’t as popular as Taylor Swift they have an enduring popularity and fan base. The lyrics are great, but the tunes are a little melancholy for my liking. The name ”OK Computer” is a Hitchhiker's reference and “Paranoid Android” is a reference to Marvin the depressed robot from the same radio series and subsequent book. I won’t listen to this album again but I may try some of their other material. My Rating: ***

Genres: Funk, R&B, funk rock, disco, black prog Formed: Late 1960’s Run time: 8 songs, 41 min, 12 sec As the title suggests, this album has a loose Space theme throughout. The lyrics are far from deep and meaningful, but they are upbeat and catchy. This is FUNK as the lyrics and song titles state repeatedly. Apart from one track, all the rest have over 1M plays on Spotify. Track 1 "P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" has almost 15M plays, and track 6 "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" has over 63M plays. Track 6 is the best known and commercially most successful. It’s a very easy album to listen to and you will find your hand (or foot) tapping along. My Rating: ***

Genres: Contemporary folk, folk rock, roots rock Formed: 1987? Run time: 11 songs, 36 min, 9 sec It’s a great album with many accolades and awards. Three singles were released from the album: Track 2, "Fast Car" (677M plays on Spotify), Track 1, "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" (153M plays) and Track 5, "Baby Can I Hold You" (266M plays). All were successful. Every other track on the album has over 9M plays. Tracy sings about life (in general and sometimes specifically black lives). Singer songwriters generally create songs with great stories and meaning and Tracy Chapman is no exception to that rule. I loved the three singles mentioned above. The others are good, but didn’t capture me in the same way. I probably won’t listen to the album again, but I will look for other songs by her. When Spotify finishes an album it plays something equivalent. It chose Neil Young and David Grey, which is quite good company to be in! My Rating: ***

Genres: Progressive rock Formed: London, England in 1968 Run time: 11 songs, 59 min, 13 sec I enjoyed Track 1, “Roundabout” which has over 115M plays on Spotify. The other tracks are nowhere near as popular, however, they all have over 2M plays. Tracks range from a 35 second instrumental to a couple of 10 minute epics. The album features five solo pieces by each band member. The good news is they are all relatively short and not too self-indulgent, unlike some later Yes tracks. The album isn’t my taste so I will not be listening again, My Rating: ***

Genres: Progressive rock, folk rock, jazz-rock Formed: Run time: 6 songs, 34 min, 25 sec Track 1, “Glad” is an upbeat instrumental. Interesting choice for the opening track. I loved Track 5, "John Barleycorn (Must Die)". I originally thought it was about John Barleycorn being murdered, but it turned out to be about planting, growing and harvesting a barley crop. It is a traditional folk song. A couple of the tracks have around 5M plays on Spotify, the rest about 1M plays and the last track only 700k plays. It’s not a massively popular album. I enjoyed listening to it but I don’t think I’ll revisit it in the future. I will listen to some other Traffic songs. My Rating: ***

Genres: Indie rock, garage rock revival, post-punk revival Formed: New York City in 1998 Run time: 11 songs, 36 min, 28 sec It's a great album. I really liked a couple of tracks and the others are OK. It’s not a particularly long album as most of the tracks average around 3 minutes duration. They are described as rock but nothing heavy. The up-beat tempo gives it a pop feel. They are obviously a very well liked and much played group. The least played track on the album has over 25M plays on Spotify. The most popular tracks have 100M, 300M, and nearly 500M plays. Will I listen to the album again? I’ve played it several times, and enjoyed “Someday" and “Last Night”., but the rest isn’t growing on me, so no. I will give a “Best of…” a try. My Rating: ****

Genres: Alternative rock, chamber rock, folk-pop, indie folk Formed: 2004 Run time: 15 songs, 1 hour The tracks "Willow" (over 500M plays), "No Body, No Crime" (almost 188M plays), and "Coney Island" (over 122M plays) were released as singles. The least played track on the album has over 83M plays on Spotify, everything else has over 200M plays. I can’t imagine Taylor Swift singing about murder, but that’s what "No Body, No Crime" is about. It’s a gripping story: Este's husband cheats on her. He then kills her and moves the mistress in. Este’s friend then kills him. The mistress knows it's the friend but can’t prove it. The police think it’s the mistress because she’s taken out a large life insurance policy, but they can’t prove it. Musically, the songs are great and they are well written and produced. Taylor Swift has broadened her genres since her early country beginning. It’s not my taste, but she is very good at what she does. I can see her career lasting for many decades to come (like Madonna and Kylie). My Rating: ****

Genres: Alternative rock, alternative country Formed: Leeds, England in 1976 Run time: 10 songs, 35 min, 17 sec After hearing a couple of tracks from this album, I had the Mekons pegged as a stereotypical noughties, hipster group from a trendy borough of NY. Slightly wrong. They in fact formed at Uni in Leeds in the late 70’s. Fear and Whiskey is their fourth studio album. The album has punk, country and rock influences. I’m sure they have a hard-core following, but they have a limited popularity on Spotify: 40k - 194k plays. Lyrically, I didn’t think much of track 1, "Chivalry". It spent two minutes not saying much then repeated those two minutes entirely. Track 2, "Trouble Down South" reminded me of Billy Bragg. Track 3, "Hard to Be Human Again" and track 4, "Darkness and Doubt" harked back to the days of punk. Track 5, "Psycho Cupid (Danceband on the Edge of Time)" track 6. "Flitcraft" is an upbeat tune. No idea what it’s about or who or what “Long Dead Slim” is. Track 7, "Country" reminded me of Robert Smith (the Cure). Track 8. "Abernant 1984/5 is about a young man starting out as a coal miner, just in time for the miner’s strike. A great political commentary of that time. I think track 9, "Last Dance" is about unrequited love or possibly not having the confidence to make the first move? The final track 10, "Lost Highway" is a cover. It’s a great tune. The important question “Would I listen again”? Probably not. I enjoyed some of the tracks, other no so much. I will look for a “Best Of...” to try. My Rating: ***

Genres: Rock, pop rock Formed: 1971 Run time: 9 songs, 42 min, 33 sec The Stranger is the fifth studio album by Billy Joel. The least popular tracks have over 4M and 5M plays on Spotify. The most popular is Track 5, "Vienna" with almost 365M plays. Most other tracks have over 100M plays. Billy Joel is an excellent singer songwriter. Most tracks tell a story in less than five minutes. I have owned a copy of this album on CD. I enjoyed most of the tracks and would happily listen to it all again. My Rating: ****

Genres: New wave, post-punk Formed: London, England in 1977? Run time: 13 songs, 39 min, 55 sec The third studio album by Elvis Costello, and his second album with the Attractions. The general theme of the album seems to be “us” and “them”, the “working man” and the “establishment”. Costello has an amazing ability to narrate the struggles we encounter in life. His songs are full of metaphors, some less obvious than others. The least popular song has 480k plays, whilst the most popular song is track 3, “Oliver’s Army” with over 40M plays on Spotify. Listen Again?: No. I’ll possibly explore a “Best Of…” My Rating: ***

Genres: Post-hardcore, math rock, post-punk, emo Formed: San Diego in 1990 Run time: 12 songs, 1 hour, 9 min Yank Crime is the second and final album. Track 1, “Yank Crime” - I’ve no idea what it’s about, but it is high energy punk inspired music. Track 2, “Do You Compute” is light on lyrics but the high energy instrumental sections make up for it. Track 3, “Golden Brown” - It isn’t the Strangler’s song, but presumably the reference to drugs is the same. Another track, light on lyric but heavy use of instrumentals. Track 4, “Luau” - More of the same. It is nearly nine and a half minutes long and it starts to feel it by the end. Track 5, “Super Unison” - Track 6, “New Intro” - Instrumental. Low energy but slightly tortuous sound. Track 7, “New Math” - Like all the other tracks the lyrics are profound, but they aren’t inane pop, so all is good. Track 8, "Human Interest" - Track 9, "Sinews" - The slight decrease in energy and the change of tone would suggest this is the “Emo” track. I haven’t felt that for any other song. Only track 1 passes the 1M plays bar on Spotify (actually over 1.5M). Everything else is well under 1M. In fact most are 2-3k only. If you’re after an assault on the (auditory) senses, then all this album hits the mark. If you like one track , you like them all. The guttural vocals are easily matched by the high energy instruments. Unlike some punk bands, these guys can really play. It’s not my usual thing but I enjoyed it. Unless you’re on a race track, I wouldn’t recommend listening whilst driving. It’s the sort of music that makes you go faster, and this album delivers 150mph! My Rating: ****

Genres: Rock, pop rock, avant-pop, experimental rock Formed: London, England in 1967 Run time: 20 songs, 1 hour, 14 min It’s a very easy album to listen to. You know it’s Fleetwood Mac within a couple of seconds of starting a track. Track 5, “Sara” has over 65M plays on Spotify, whilst the least played tracks have less than 2M plays, which is still high. Eight singles were released from this double album. “That’s Enough for Me” has a twangy guitar backing that makes it feel like a Country song. “Brown Eyes” is sung by the ladies of the group and gives the song an ethereal sound. I didn’t enjoy this album as much as “Tango In The Night” but I will listen again to see if it grows on me. My Rating: ***

Genres: Heavy metal Formed: Leyton, East London, in 1975 Run time: 8 songs, 37 min, 42 sec First thing to note is that this album is pre Bruce Dickinson. The instrumental sound (particularly the rapid-fire guitar work) of this album is still recognisable in later Iron Maiden music. Lyrically it is good, but I’m unable to get past the fact it isn’t Bruce. I enjoyed a couple of the tracks. Others were OK. I have read that most of these tracks have been re-recorded with lyrics by Bruce Dickinson. I wouldn’t listen to this album again, but I will listen to these tracks on whatever album they now appear on. My Rating: ***

Genres: Indie rock, art rock, baroque pop Formed: Montréal, Quebec, Canada in 2001 Run time: 16 songs, 1 hour, 3 min This is their third album. Track 11, “Wasted Hours” is the least played track but it still has over 7M plays on Spotify. Track 1, “The Suburbs” has over 146M plays. Track 10, “Month of May” had a punk feel to it. The big sound of the album reminds me of the fact they’re from Canada. I just can’t make my mind up about this album. As a whole I enjoyed it, and I liked a couple of tracks, but nothing really grabbed me. Perhaps after a couple more listens it will grow on me, so for now, it will remain on my playlist and we’ll see. My Rating: ***

Genres: Psychedelic pop, power pop, art pop, mod pop Formed: London, England in 1964 Run time: 16 songs, 48 min, 18 sec “The Who Sell Out” is their third studio album. Track 1.1, "Armenia City in the Sky" - Sterling Whitaker of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that the song "was an innovative sonic production…”. My opinion is “M’eh”. Track 1.2, "Heinz Baked Beans" - I’m sure they thought it was amusing to do, but what a waste of a minute of my time. Track 1.3, "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" - Another thinly veiled song about masturbation. Typical of The Who. Funny. 1.4, "Odorono" - A song about an aspiring artist, looking to be discovered, morphing into a deodorant advert. Why? 1.5, "Tattoo" - A teenager’s idea of what makes a man. 1.6, "Our Love Was" - 1.7, "I Can See for Miles" - Awesome. The Who at its best. 2.1, "Can't Reach You" - a song about an unattainable girl. It could probably have been a good song without the Charles Atlas advert stuck on the front. 2.2, "Medac" 2.3, "Relax" 2.4, "Silas Stingy" - a song about a miserly man. 2.5, "Sunrise" - 2.6, "Rael (1 and 2)" - I know the point of the album is them pretending to sell out, by advertising various products. What would the album have been like if they’d been working on producing a great album instead of “having a laugh”? It’s no surprise only one track was released as a single. Will I listen again? Hell No. My Rating: **

Genres: Southern rock, hard rock, blues rock Formed: Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 (Previously appeared in various names/lineups) Run time: 13 songs, 1 hour, 16 min This is the debut studio album by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The original album had eight tracks and the reissue has five bonus tracks that are demo versions of some of the original tracks. I love a song with a tale to tell and all these songs do that and do it well. It’s not deep or philosophical but covers the important cornerstones of rock ‘n’ roll (and indeed life): wine, women and song. Lyrically and musically this album is perfect. The maturity of the album perhaps stems from the fact that they had been performing these songs for some time before recording them. My Rating: ****

Genres: Punk rock Formed: London, England in 1976 Run time: 14 songs, 35 min, 20 sec I’m not in the slightest bit impressed with this album. Joe Strummer whinging about work, the country etc. Given his education in a boarding school, perhaps if he’d applied himself a little more he could have found himself in a position to change things instead of moaning about it. Track 4, “White Riot” was OK, everything else was uninspiring. The least played tracks have over 2M plays and three tracks have around 20M plays each. I can only assume it’s the “Emperor's New Clothes” syndrome: because someone said it’s amazing, everyone says it’s amazing. It isn’t! They went on to write some really great songs (“Should I Stay or Should I Go”, “London Calling”, Rock the Casbah”, etc.) but not on this album. No, I won't be listening again. My Rating: *

Genres: Alternative dance, acid house, dance-rock Formed: (Manchester?) England in 1980 Run time: 9 songs, 39 min, 55 sec After the death of their lead singer (Ian Curtis), the remaining members of Joy Division formed New Order. This is their fifth studio album. There are no particular stand out tracks on this album. They range from 1-5M plays on Spotify. I’m sure if you like dance music, and the Manchester sound this would be a great album to listen to. I’m not a particular fan of either. The songs are well written and played. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Soul Formed: ? in 1955? Run time: 12 songs, 35 min, 4 sec The title stems from Burke's title as the "King of Rock 'n' Soul". The singer helped shape the sound of rhythm and blues, he was one of the founding fathers of soul music, and was a key figure bridging R&B and soul. The album resulted in seven top 100 Billboard hits. Track 1, “Cry to Me” has over 142M plays on Spotify, with another four tracks exceeding 1M plays. The remaining seven tracks have over 200k plays. He has a velvety soft voice. Presumably as a result of his gospel background, all the lyrics are clean. Many of the songs are about the love of a girl/woman. It’s not a profound album but the subject matter is pertinent to most of us. The songs are pleasant and easy to listen (and relate) to. It is not necessarily my taste in music but it was enjoyable to listen to. Listen Again?: Probably not My Rating: ***

Genres: Indie rock, chamber pop, neo-psychedelia, avant-pop, psychedelic pop Formed: Buffalo, New York in 1989 Run time: 11 songs, 44 min, 40 sec Deserter's Songs is their fourth studio album. Prior to this album the band was on the skids with members leaving, debt and self-doubt. A collaboration between Donahue and The Chemical Brothers reinvigorated him. Track 8, “Goddess On A Hiway” is the most popular song on the album with over 16M plays on Spotify. Track 1, “Holes” has over 11.5M. All other tracks (bar one) have less than 1M plays. "Goddess on a Hiway" was released as a single in 1998. Three more tracks were released the following year and "Goddess on a Hiway" was reissued. The album is very melodic, the music is almost ethereal and the singing is very calm and gentle. It makes for very easy listening. Apart from the bloody weird (a “mellotron”?) instrument that is like a cat being tortured. Listen Again?: Probably My Rating: ****

Genres: Synth-pop, alternative rock, dance, gothic rock Formed: Basildon, England in 1980. Run time: 9 songs, 46 min, 55 sec “Violator” is the seventh studio album by the group. As far as value for money goes, nine tracks and 46 minutes play time is a bit poor. Four tracks were released as singles, successfully charting in the U.K., U.S. and elsewhere. The voice of Dave Gahan is unmistakable, as is the synth-pop sound of the group. The songs are well written and cover various aspects of life, love and desire with an unapologetic inclination towards the dark and seedier side. It is a great album. I loved a couple of tracks *Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy the Silence”, but, it’s not my usual taste. Listen Again?: No but I will listen to “The Best of…”. My Rating: ****

Genres: New Orleans R&B, psychedelic funk, swamp blues, swamp rock, psychedelic rock Formed: a session musician from the late 1950 Run time: 7 songs, 33 min, 20 sec Dr. John was a persona created by Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. for his old friend Ronnie Barron. It is based on the life of Dr. John, a Senegalese prince, conjure man, herb doctor, and spiritual healer who came to New Orleans from Haiti. Barron ultimately didn’t front the group and Rebennack took the role and the stage name. Rebennack performed as a musician in his early teens and was hired as a record producer at 16. He started his musical career in New Orleans but relocated to L.A. following a prison sentence for drug offences (supply and use). The album reflects the music of New Orleans and it’s an eclectic mix, covering love, drugs and the occult. If like me, you like a tune with a tale, then you will lovethis album. The least played track has over 460k plays on Spotify. Three tracks have over 1M plays. The most popular track, track 7, “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” has been covered by multiple artists over the years. My favourite is track 3, "Mama Roux". I Loved the feel of the song, particularly the contrast of voices between Dr. John and the female backing singer. Listen Again?: Probably not. I will seek the Best of.. My Rating: ****

Genres: Celtic punk, folk punk, new wave Formed: King's Cross, London in 1982 Run time: 13 songs, 45 min, 40 sec The second studio album by the London-based Anglo-Irish folk punk band. The general theme of the album is lost love and drinking. The latter is probably responsible forthe love being in the past. Spotify: Least popular song: >1M Most popular song: almost 50M plays. Track 1, "The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn" is about Cú Chulainn, a warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. In this song by MacGowan, Cuchulainn is bedridden due to his excessive drinking and wild lifestyle. Given MacGowan’s excessive drinking and lifestyle, I would suggest the parallels are obvious and the song is in fact autobiographical. Track 2, “The Old Main Drag” is a song about a young man who moves to London when he is just sixteen years old with very little money. He quickly finds himself immersed in the seedy underground scene of the city's old main drag. It’s about making ends meet by any means and the abuse he suffered. It’s a sag song, but what a tale it tells in three minutes. Track 4, "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day" is an adaptation of a traditional folk song. It is essentially a rowdy, up-beat drinking song about a man called Jock Stewart. Track 5, “A Pair of Brown Eyes” is a song about (doomed) love and reflecting on the past. The protagonist, like many in Pogues’ songs, is drunk. Track 6, “Sally MacLennane” is about friendship, loss, and longing for the good old days. It’s about belonging to a community (in this case the pub) and about leaving and not always coming back due to choice or fate. Track 8, "Dirty Old Town" was written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 and was made popular by The Dubliners and The Pogues. It describes life in a dirty, gritty city and the desire to move on to better things. Track 10, "Navigator" is a tribute to the Irish workers who’s hard work and toil forged a path for modern commerce. It remembers the high price they paid and the lack of recognition. Track 11, "Billy's Bones" is a tribute to the fallen soldier and the effects on those left behind. Track 12, "The Gentleman Soldier" is another traditional folk song adapted by the Pogues. The soldier is anything but a gentleman. He is married and gets a girl pregnant then leaves for another posting. She is left to deal with it on her own. Track 13, "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is a poignant and heart-wrenching story of a young man who enlists to fight in World War I. It is a tribute to all the soldiers who fought and died in World War I. It highlights the harsh realities of war and its aftermath when returned to civilian life. Some songs are up-beat while others are reflective and restrained. The content of the songs is not always in keeping with the tempo. This juxtaposition adds to the story being told. Almost all the songs tell a great tale. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ****

Genres: Jazz, soul jazz, hard bop Formed: 1950’s? Run time: 5 songs, 43 min, 48 sec This isn’t a popular album on Spotify. The least played track has over 230k plays and most of the other tracks are similar. The title track, “Back At The Chicken Shack” is the most played, with over 5.3M plays. I’m not a jazz fan, but this was OK. For an instrumental jazz album, this was a chilled listen. If you’re a fan of the Hammond Organ, you love this. The Doors and other groups of the late 60’s and early 70’s made great use of this instrument, but it must have been quite pioneering in the early 60’s. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ****

Genres: Pop, jazz, soul, new wave, sophisti-pop Formed: 1982 Run time: 13 songs, 43 min, 56 sec This is the debut album released by the band. Despite containing 13 songs, the album is only 43 minutes long. If you’re expecting this album to be a continuation of the Jam, it isn’t. Weller has taken his music in other directions. It’s a good album and easy to listen to. As expected, the songs are well written and well played. The first half is clearly jazz influenced, then the later tracks take a different direction. Track 1, “Mick’s Blessings”, track 4, ”Blue Cafe”, and track 7, "Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse" are all jazz instrumentals. The first two are very short. Track 8, “A Gospel” is a rap song. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn’t fit with the rest of the album. It does seem to be the dividing point between the halves of the album. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tie the two halves together; it separates them with a fence. Track 10, "You're the Best Thing” is the most popular track on the album, with over 27M plays on Spotify. The least popular is track 9, "Strength of Your Nature" with over 3.4k plays. I like the tracks on an album to have a similar feel or to follow some theme. One curve ball is fine but this album was just too disparate. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Alternative rock, alternative metal, hard rock, funk metal Formed: Los Angeles in 1985 Run time: 9 songs, 51 min, 39 sec The second studio album by Jane's Addiction. Here’s another group that are recognisable shortly after they startup. The most popular song is track 5, “Been Caught Stealing” with over 60M plays on Spotify. Next is track 1, “Stop” with over 31M plays.Apart from track 6, “Three Days” with over 4.5 M plays, everything else has 1-2M plays. I remember hearing track 1, “Stop” and track 5, “Been Caught Stealing” in the 90’s. The video for the latter, was played frequently on the “Power Hour” (later renamed “Raw Power”). It probably featured on MTV as well. It might be nostalgia, but I don’t think I’ll ever get bored with it. (I never got caught stealing, unlike some of the amateurs I hung around with as children!) Listen Again?: No but I’ll look for the best of… My Rating: ***

Genres: Proto-punk Formed: New York City in 1973 Run time: 9 songs, 34 min, 43 sec The debut album by punk rock band The Dictators. It’s not a popular album. The most played song is track 9, “(I Live For) Cars and Girls” with almost 665k plays on Spotify, then track 1, “The Next Big Thing” with almost 357k plays. Everything else is between 100-200k. It has been suggested that this album was punk before punk was the thing. If that is so, then this is probably an important album in the history of punk. It definitely sounds punk. The group don’t take themselves seriously and the album does come across as some guys having a laugh and enjoying themselves. The influence this album had on later punk groups is there to hear. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of covers, the songs don’t really amount to much in themselves. Track 9, "(I Live For) Cars and Girls" has a Beach Boys sound and theme, cars and girls. They even harmonise like the Beach Boys in this song. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Hard rock, heavy metal, arena rock Formed: Sydney, Australia in 1973 Run time: 10 songs, 42 min, 8 sec This is the seventh studio album by the Australian rock band. It was the first to feature Brian Johnson as lead singer. The least played track on this album has over 18M plays on Spotify. The title track “Back In Black” is the most played track with over 1.2 Billion plays!!! Tracks from this (and other?) albums featured in the soundtracks to the Iron Man movies. I love AC/DC and this album is fantastic. Most of the tracks on the album are fantastic and some are absolutely amazing. There are more great tracks on this one album than some artist's best of albums. There is only one way to listen to this album - LOUD - or even LOUDER if you can!!! What an amazing comeback after losing their former frontman, Bon Scott. Four singles were released from the album. Listen Again?: Yes. My Rating: *****

Genres: Jazz, R&B, soul, hip hop, bossa nova Formed: 2002? Run time: 16 songs, 58 min, 46 sec Frank is the debut studio album by Amy Winehouse. She was responsible for writing (or co-writing) many of the tracks on the album. The cover songs are usually subtly modified by Winehouse. The title may relate to her love of Frank Sinatra or be indicative of the “frank” nature of the lyrics. Amy Winehouse has a unique and instantly recognisable voice. The most popular song is track 4, “Fuck Me Pumps” with almost 60M plays on Spotify. The least played is the 52 second long track 14, “Outro” with over 3M plays. “Fuck Me Pumps” is a great story about a wannabe WAG clubbing every night, but failing to bag a footballer. The album was well received, and was nominated for various awards, winning Winehouse an Ivor Novello Award. The album generated four singles, the highest chart position being 57 in the UK pop chart. I loved the vibe of the album. Some songs I really enjoyed and some no so much. I much preferred the “Back To Black” album. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Experimental rock Formed: Los Angeles in 1972? Run time: 16 songs, 53 min, 29 sec The eleventh studio album. The most popular is track 10, “Goin’ Out West” with almost 13M plays on Spotify. There are seven other tracks with over 1M plays and the remaining eight tracks have over 600k plays. I’m not familiar with Tom Waits’ work but I guess his deep, gravelly voice makes him easy to identify. His lyrics often reflect the darker side of life and that is the case with this album. Although lyrically quite different, Waits sounds very similar to Van Morrison. If you just catch a bit of him singing you might mistake him for a rambling drunk. It requires some concentration to understand what he is singing and what the song is about. That said, he bangs his own drum and follows his own path. He is a trailblazer, but it’s not to my taste. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Krautrock, kosmische musik, experimental rock, psychedelic rock, proto-punk Formed: Düsseldorf, West German in 1971 Run time: 6 songs, 42 min, 45 sec Neu! consist of Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother, both former members of Kraftwerk. Thomas Dinger, and Hans Lampe both played on side 2 of the album. This is their third studio album. After a break from the group Rother and Dinger had diverged in musical direction. Side 1 caters for Rother's ambient taste. While side is a more aggressive, rock-influenced style with Dinger switching from Drums to Vocals and Thomas Dinger, and Hans Lampe both brought in to play drums. The album is not particularly popular. The most played track 1, “Isi” (an instrumental) having over 2.3M plays on Spotify. . Track 6, “After Eight” is the least played with just over 305k plays. It has a definite Punk vibe, which fits nicely with the timing of the album. The tracks all have German names, so I was surprised when the vocals were sung in English. I imagine side 1 being great for a chilled walk in the country, while side 2 would be great for driving at speed! Listen Again?: Yes and I’ll be trying their other albums. My Rating: ****

Genres: Jangle pop, alternative rock, post-punk, folk rock, garage rock Formed: Athens, Georgia in 1980 Run time: 12 songs, 44 min, 12 sec R.E.M.’s debut album. After playing this album it is clear that R.E.M. had already found their sound. The most popular song is track 1, “Radio Free Europe” with 17.5M plays on Spotify. Track 4, “Talk About The Passion” 6M plays. Apart from track 12, “West Of The Fields” with over 880k plays, everything else has 1-3M plays. It’s unmistakably R.E.M., but there's no hint of the great songs they would go on to make. To be fair, some of the lyrics are utter nonsense. It sounds OK but when you listen to the words it’s like it was produced by a random word generator. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Pop rock, soft rock Formed: London, England in 1967 Run time: 11 songs, 39 min, 52 sec The eleventh studio album by the band. It achieved massive international success including four singles. After a few bars of music play you know you're listening to Fleetwood Mac. The album sold over 10 million copies worldwide within a month of its release. They were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2017, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. In 2020, Rumours was rated the seventh-greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Except for two tracks, everything else has over 100M plays on Spotify. The most popular song is track 2, “Dream” with over 1.2B plays. Given the turmoil within the band at the time, it’s a miracle the album came to fruition. What resulted was amazing from start to finish. There are no “album tracks” (fillers) here, just one fantastic song after another. Listen Again?: Yes My Rating: *****

Genres: Shoegaze, neo-psychedelia, noise pop Formed: Oxford, England in 1988 Run time: 15 songs, 1 hour, 11 min The band's debut album. The Smiths have been mentioned as the inspiration for forming a band and you can hear that influence in some of the tracks. The least popular song has just short of 400k plays. The most popular is track 8, “Vapour Trail” with over 19M plays. Even that track was a bit m’eh to me. If you want the real thing, listen to the Smiths. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Progressive rock Formed: Late 60’s Run time: 4 songs, 56 min, 7 sec The debut studio album by Mike Oldfield. It wasn’t until track 1, "Tubular Bells, Part One" was used in the horror film “The Exorcist” in 1973, that the album gained traction and went on to become a major worldwide success. The album consists of two long instrumental tracks: "Tubular Bells, Part One" and "Tubular Bells, Part Two”, plus two short tracks: “Mike Oldfield’s Single” and “Sailor’s Hornpipe”. The later contains spoken words, but it is utter rubbish! The two long tracks comprise a number of sections, so it’s not 20 plus minutes of the same thing. Despite the name, tubular bells aren’t actually a large component of the album. The name and imagery would go on to feature in much of Mike Oldfield’s subsequent work. I’m not a fan of Prog Rock and these instrumentals are not to my taste. It is a unique album and well crafted, but I wouldn’t call it ground breaking. Great for the theme to “The Exorcist” but it’s not for me. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Post-punk, gothic rock Formed: Salford, England in 1976 Run time: 9 songs, 44 min, 28 sec The second and final studio album by the band. It was released two months after the suicide of the band's lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis. The least popular song is track 4, “Colony” with just over 4M plays, whilst the most popular is track 2, “Isolation” with over 21M plays on Spotify. I can’t help but feel that track 3, “Passover” is a precursor to his suicide. It certainly seems to be addressing his thoughts and fears. This dark and melancholic album is very well written, and the lyrics are quite profound. The sound is minimalistic, there is just enough and nothing more. The music and Hunter’s voice always work in perfect symbiosis. While the album has undoubtedly got a huge following, the mood it creates isn’t something I’m into. I love the song “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. Unfortunately it was only released as a single and isn’t on the album. While the album isn’t for me, I can see how good it is, hence the four stars. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ****

Genres: Rock, pop, R&B, psychedelia Formed: Philadelphia in 1967 (solo 1969) Run time: 25 songs, 1 hour, 28 min The third album by American musician Todd Rundgren, and his first double album. The least popular song has 176K plays, whilst the most popular is track 1, “I Saw The Light”, with over 76M plays on Spotify. The album seems to be very bland AOR (adult oriented rock). Boring! I’m all for long albums. I like value for money, but this is torturously long given the quality of material. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Glam rock, pop rock Formed: 1970 (Solo) Run time: 11 songs, 36 min, 51 sec This was his second album as a solo artist. He was formerly with the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed is another artist who’s voice is instantly recognisable. The album produced two singles: "Walk on the Wild Side"/"Perfect Day" and "Satellite of Love". The least popular songs have 4.1M plays, whilst the most popular is track 5, “Walk On The Wild Side” with over 400M plays on Spotify. I like songs that tell a story and track 5, "Walk on the Wild Side" is amongst the best I’ve ever heard. The content of the song is not so shocking in 2023 when we are all aware of the LGBT community, but back then I imagine it must have been outrageous. Track 4, "New York Telephone Conversation" is not a rock song. It sounds like the sort of thing a comedian would sing as part of their set. Who thought it should be included on the album? Track 6, "Goodnight Ladies" is a jazz track. It isn’t anything profound but it seems like a good light-hearted way to finish the album. There are some phenomenal songs on this album, some good and most of the others are OK. Listen Again?: No, but I will listen to a Best Of… My Rating: ***

Genres: Progressive rock[ Formed: London, England in 1968 Run time: 9 songs, 51 min, 53 sec This is the third studio album by the group. Spotify: Least popular song: 572k plays Most popular song: 26.5M plays Track 3, "Starship Trooper" has 10M plays. It contains a lot of words, but manages to say nothing of any significance. The words make sense, the sentences are complete, but they appear to have been generated at random. In contrast, other tracks on the album have meaning and convey a message. Musically, the album is very good. Yes have produced some good songs, but not on this album. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Synth-pop, new wave Formed: !979 solo album whilst still with Tubeway Army. Run time: 17 songs, 1 hour, 8 min The debut solo studio album by Gary Numan. (He was the former frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army.) Spotify: Least popular song: 87k Most popular song: over 88M I loved track 9, “Cars”, I loved the sound of the synthesisers, but I can only put up with one track of Gary Newman’s monotonous voice. It really just needs some variety, otherwise it might as well be a robot. Perhaps it is. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Hard rock, heavy metal Formed: London, England in 1968 Run time: 13 songs, 2 hours, 2 min This is a double live album, recorded during their first tour of Japan in August 1972. It is a great live album containing some of their best known songs. The track “Black Night” appears three times on disk 2 and “Speed King” appears twice. Spotify: Least popular song: almost 242k Most popular song: over 2.2M. Despite the group's popularity this album isn’t massively popular on Spotify. Presumably people prefer the studio versions of the songs. I love Deep Purple, but I cannot stand the screaming in the track “Child In Time”. I would have left for the bar when it came on (and I don’t drink). But a bottle would have been purchased and thrown at the singer well before the 12 minute mark! Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Punk rock, proto-hardcore, neo-psychedelia Formed: London, England in 1976 Run time: 11 songs, 36 min, 51 sec The third studio album by the Damned. It is the first album after returning with a new lineup. Track 1, “Love Song” is a simple declaration of love. It’s not the most hard edged song to start a punk album off . Track 2, “Machine Gun Etiquette" is a good straightforward punk song. I’m not sure about the title's reference to Machine Gun Etiquette? The line "second time around" is said a number of times throughout the song, presumably referring to their return with a new lineup. This to me would have been a better opening track. Track 5, “Anti-Pope” is a good old dig at those who attend church once a week, with the hope of improving their lives. Track 8, “Noise, Noise, Noise” is a celebration of noise (presumably how others refer to punk). They reply that music is for zeros. What others call music, is listened to by losers. Track 10, “Liar” is about being deceitful and wanting to be the best liar in the world. It is at this point that stealing lies from politicians is mentioned. They are after all the best liars in the world. The tracks “Smash It Up (Part 1)" and "Smash It Up (Part 2)" are about wanting to destroy the establishment, how the establishment views the youth of the day and how that makes them feel. It is a proper punk song, reflecting on the punk genre. Spotify: Least popular song: almost 375k plays Most popular song: over 5M plays. The lyrics are quite simple, but generally delivered with a bit of punch. The band have clearly come from a punk background, but seem to be adapting and moving forward. They are still sticking it to “the Man” but there is nothing outlandish or majorly offensive that would prevent them from airplay on popular radio. I can’t see their fans being happy with this album. It’s a bit punk, but not enough to count. Vanilla is probably the best way to describe it. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Alternative rock, art rock, experimental rock, electronic rock Formed: Abingdon, Oxfordshire in 1985 Run time: 14 songs, 56 min, 35 sec The sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. Spotify: Least popular song: over 8.3M Most popular song: Track 9, “There, There” with over 18.8M plays. The songs are always imaginative and laden with metaphors, whilst they comment on our place in the world. The album has a very “atmospheric” feel to it, but the tone is always a little morrose and feels self-indulgent. They play Radiohead tracks in Swiss clinics, in case anyone is having doubts or second thoughts. They haven’t lost a sale since! It probably deserves more than 2 stars, but I just can’t. Lots of people love them, but not me. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Blues rock, British R&B Formed: London, England in 1962 Run time: 12 songs, 32 min, 56 sec The debut studio album by the English rock band. Spotify: Least popular song: over 1.3M Most popular song: almost 10M plays. Not a massively popular album, given just how influential they would become in Rock. There were two original compositions on the album and the other ten were covers of Blues/R&B standards. They were responsible for bringing predominantly black Blues/R&B music to white British listeners. And we must thank them (and others) for doing that. Most of the tracks on this are covers and have subsequently been covered by lots of artists since. It’s hard to imagine the significance of this album today, but given that the Stones are still around it must have been the start of something special. They have just kept evolving and producing amazing tracks and albums since. They are still touring and this album will be 60 years old next year!!! Listen Again?: Possibly My Rating: ****

Genres: Synth-pop, dance-pop Formed: London, England in 1981 Run time: 10 songs, 49 min, 5 sec The fourth studio album by English synth-pop duo. Spotify: Least popular song: over 600k Most popular song: almost 12.5M plays. I’ve never been a fan of the Pet Shop Boys and only recognised track 1, “Being Boring”. If you are a fan then there will be no surprises on this album. Each track tells its story, accompanied by calm reflective music and Neil Tennant’s dulcet tones. It is OK but nothing stands out as exceptional. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: New wave, synth-pop, Hi-NRG Formed: Liverpool, England in 1980 Run time: 16 songs, 1 hour, 4 min The debut studio album by English synth-pop band. They achieved fame in the mid-eighties and Johnson went on to have a solo career in ‘87. Spotify: Least popular song: 547k Most popular song: over 108M plays. Track 2, “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” refers to the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The song is also an epic, at over 13 minutes long. In the 80’s each track that was released as a single was banned by the BBC and was driven up the charts as a consequence. Their material was overt and shocking and certainly caused a stir at the time. Track 4, “War” is a cover of the counterculture era soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label in 1969. The song was an anti–Vietnam War statement. It became a number 1 hit for Edwin Starr in 1970. The FGTH version contains spoken words by the then President of the US, Ronald Regan. It was a very pertinent and clever cover/adaptation. It serves as a prequel to the next song on the album “Two Tribes", which is a dig at the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR. Track 6, “Tag” is 30 seconds of weird! Track 7, "Ferry (Go)" is an extract of the Gerry Marsden (Gerry and the Pacemakers) song “Ferry Cross the Mersey. It isn’t trying to be the original and is a fitting tribute by one Liverpudlian band to another. Track 8, “Born To Run” is a cover of the Springstein song. I alway feel that a cover should be better or significantly different to the original. It’s not a bad cover, but it is a straight cover, and very few artists could outperform Springstein. Track 9, “San Jose” is another cover, this time of a Burt Bacharach song originally performed by Dionne Warwick. Again, it’s not bad but it’s not different or better than the Warwick version. In the 80’s HIV/Aids was in the news alot and caused a lot of hate and fear of homosexuality. At the time many gay male artists didn’t push or hid their sexuality (e.g., George Michael). Due to lack of knowledge many contracted HIV and would die of AIDs in the 90’s (e.g., Freddy Mercury). FGTH didn’t seem to worry about it, and openly did their best to promote gay artists. Holy Johnson did catch HIV, but improved knowledge and medicine means he didn’t go on to contract AIDS. This album resulted in some epic singles. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Post-punk, punk blues Formed: Australia in 1977 Run time: 13 songs, 47 min, 16 sec The group were originally known as The Boys Next Door. The band moved to London, England, where they were championed by John Peel but only achieved limited success. Probably due in part to the dark nature of their lyrics and stage shows. After they split in 1983 many of the members went on to have acclaimed careers: Nick Cave (singer and songwriter), Mick Harvey (multi-instrumentalist and songwriter), and Rowland S. Howard (singer, songwriter and guitarist). Spotify: Least popular song: less than 65k Most popular song: over 2M I partially listened to the album but couldn’t find any aspect to enjoy. There is a lot of screaming and screeching that is just unpleasant to listen to. They achieved cult status with an avid fan base, but it is so niche, that commercial success was never going to happen. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Folk rock, country rock, psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock Formed: San Francisco, U.S. in 1964 Run time: 11 songs, 28 min, 54 sec The fourth studio album by the rock band. The album explores life, love and the passage of time. It suggests looking back at what has been, rather than looking forward at what might be, which seems a bit passive. Sure look back, but you’ve got to look forward to what you might achieve or you’ll never progress in life. And there seems to be no mention of appreciating what you currently have. The songs are quite low key and much of the singing is a little melancholic. It has a folk feel that reminds me of early Dylan. Spotify: Least popular song: over 34k Most popular song: almost 154k plays The songs are well written and meaningful, but none of it moves me or elicits any sort of extreme response. (I didn’t like or dislike it.) I guess if I had a love of folk I would probably find this to be a great album. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Hard rock, blues rock, gothic rock, R&B, glam metal Formed: Bradford, England in 1983 Run time: 11 songs, 38 min, 52 sec The third album by the British rock band. Combining the distinct vocals of lead singer Ian Astbury with the instrumentals makes the group's music identifiable within a few bars of starting a song. The album is essentially about love, lust and embracing life to the full. Spotify: Least popular song: >800k Most popular song: almost 22M plays. Track 1, “Wild Flower” is said to be about love. It is actually describing lust and its effects. Track 2, “Peace Dog” is critical about war and its glorification and how peace is sometimes portrayed as a dirty word. Track 3, “Lil’ Devil” is about being drawn to a bad girl and the excitement and danger she might bring to the protagonist's life. Track 4, “Aphrodisiac Jacket” uses abstract imagery to describe an energy driving life and pushing through obstacles. Track 5, “Electric Ocean” describes being drawn to something dangerous. Track 6, “Bad Fun” describes embracing life by being wild and reckless. Track 7, “King Contrary Man” discusses the desire for extraordinary experiences without considering the consequences. Track 8, “Love Removal Machine” the song begins by mentioning a “red room” and a “scarlet woman”, which suggests to me this is about an encounter with a professional lady. She provides sexual excitement but not the love the obsessed protagonist seeks . Track 9, “Born To Be Wild” is a great cover of the Steppen Wolf song. It is, however, very similar in style to the original. Track 10, “Outlaw” is about a man rebelling against authority and social norms. He takes out his anger on small towns, suggesting he’s not as tough as he makes out. Track 11, “Memphis Hip Smoke”. Memphis Hip is a dance move associated with Rock ‘n’ Roll. This is a great album with some fantastic songs. Definitely worth a listen. If you get to see the Cult live, they still know how to Rock and they sound exactly the same. Amazing. Listen Again?: Yes My Rating: ****

Genres: Soul, rhythm and blues, R&B, neo soul, pop Formed: 2002 Run time: 11 songs, 34 min, 46 sec The second and final studio album by the singer and songwriter. The album title hints at the “black mood” Winehouse is suffering at the time. It explores addiction and adultery and the guilt and grief that causes and the resultant heartbreak and trauma in a relationship. She was such a talented singer songwriter. The troubles in her life resulted in some iconic songs. Without the troubles, I wonder what sort of music she would be making? Even if it wasn’t as raw and edgy as what she did make, at least she’d still be here! Spotify: Least popular song: >47M Most popular song: <778M plays. I much preferred this album to “Frank”. Listen Again?: Yes My Rating: ****

Genres: Art rock, avant-pop, electronic, ambient, experimental rock Formed: 1963 (success 1969) Run time: 11 songs, 38 min, 51 sec The eleventh studio album by the English musician David Bowie. Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Unusually, the first track “Speed of Life” is an instrumental. Spotify: Least popular song: 3.3M Most popular song: >70M plays. Track 2, “Breaking Glass” is supposedly an exploration of the signals of his collapse during the period he was working on the album. It is not even two minutes long and has less than a dozen lines of lyrics. I’m sure the reference to breaking glass is a metaphor for something. The song is rubbish, the lyrics are protracted and don’t really amount to much. There is no way someone could extract any meaning from it, unless it was explained to them first. Track 3, “What in the World” is about wanting to make a connection to an introverted girl who seem too afraid to leave. It is a much better song than the previous one,, but it still only amounts to an album (filler) track. Track 4, “Sound And Vision” is by far the best track on the album. It is Bowie at his best. It describes the power of music (the sound and the visuals) and the effect on the human psyche. The up-beat nature of this song is at odds with the downbeat tone of the rest of the album. Track 5, “Always Crashing in the Same Car” suggests making the same mistake over and over. Track 6, “Be My Wife” is a plea for companionship to ease the loneliness of living a transitory life. I assume it is autobiographical. Track 7, “A New Career in a New Town” is an instrumental. Track 8, “Warszawa” is to all intent and purpose an instrumental with some nonsense words and sounds added for effect. The general feel is contemplative and sombre. Warszawa is the former name of Warsaw, a city in Poland that has experienced upheaval and trauma throughout history. Given the name of the song, it has been suggested that this song reflects that history. The link makes sense, but history has ups and downs and this instrumental remains sombre throughout. Track 9, “Art Decade” is another instrumental. Track 10, “Weeping Wall” is another instrumental that starts off tranquil but the last 30 seconds sound a bit despondent. I suppose that is how weeping leaves you feeling. Without lyrics that is clever. Track 11, “Subterraneans” is for the most part a melodic instrumental. It has seven lines of lyrics, sung very softly. The line “Share bright failing star” would suggest some sort of descent from the very top to the depths. The feeling is of growing melancholia and despair. However good the instrumentals are on this album, I can’t help but feel Bowie has “phoned it in”. He’s a singer/songwriter - I expect more lyrics that this album delivers. I think if he’d wanted to release a whole album of instrumentals that would have been fine. One or the other. “Sound And Vision” should have been released as a single and not have been part of this album. It does not fit with the “Low” mood of the other tracks. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Post-punk Formed: Run time: 12 songs, 45 min, 19 sec The debut studio album by the British rock band. Siouxsie Sioux has an unmistakable voice and the band has a unique sound. Spotify: Least popular song: >494k Most popular song: >31M plays. 1, “Pure” is an instrumental. I always feel an album should start with the most impactful song, so having an instrumental as track one always surprises me. 2, “Jigsaw Feeling”, describes a mind torn apart by the complexity of conflicting thoughts and emotions. The content of the song is a good choice given the genre. However, I disliked the execution. It’s one of those songs where some of the words are stretched and drawn out to make that line fit with the structure of the song. I’ve always hated that in a song. To me it is lazy song-writing. 3, “Overground” discusses escaping from whatever limbo the protagonist is stuck in. 4, “Carcass” appears to discuss the objectification of women (or presumably any sexual partner). They become nothing more than a piece of dead meat. It also suggests that being in love will turn you into a carcass. Perhaps it’s about a one sided relationship? 5, "Helter Skelter” is a cover of the 1968 Beatles song. It seems to imply that those on the Helter Skelter keep moving, but make no overall progress in life. 6, Mirage” is critical about the media portrayal of beauty and the ill effects that has on those trying to meet those expectations. Those behind the (TV) screen have no appreciation of the effect they have on the ones watching the screen. 7, “Metal Postcard”. It is suggested this song is about society's obsession with material possessions and technology. I wonder if perhaps it’s a dig at the genre of music? “Metal won't rust when oiled and cleaned” - the vanity of heavy (glam) metal “Must go recycle my precious machinery" - Heavy Metal groups just put out the music over-and-over. “Thought I'd drop a line, the weather here is fine” - it’s fine to listen to other stuff. “Next time I'll serve metal” - is Siouxsie wondering if she’d have had more commercial success on the Metal bandwagon? 8, "Nicotine Stain", paints a very realistic and unpleasant picture of the effects of smoking cigarettes. It describes the conflict of knowing the harm but being unable to resist the urge. 9, "Suburban Relapse" describes frustration and “snapping” at some minor annoyance. This results in out-of-character feelings and behaviour - a mental breakdown. The lyrics suggest that this is common for those living a (mundane) suburban life. 10, “Switch”, regardless of who you are, what you look like and where you’re from, we all have problems. Doctors provide pills as a remedy but that comes with side-effects. Religion provides another option, but that stifles progress and blames the devil. 11, “Hong Kong Garden” discusses the conflict and contradictions facing modern Hong Kong. It covers tradition, commercialisation, pollution tourism. The line “An old custom to sell your daughter” and “Would you like number 23” makes selling your daughter sound like buying from a takeaway. All these dark aspects are discussed in a jolly sing-song way to emphasise the contradictions faced. 12, “The Staircase (Mystery). I think the song is a metaphor for different levels of consciousness. It does not make clear whether it is due to dreaming or chemically induced. It’s about seeing things from strange and surreal viewpoints as the protagonist travels between levels of the building. I love the sound of Siouxsie And The Banshees. Some songs are good, “Hong Kong Garden” is great, whilst others are written in such a lazy fashion that I can’t bear listening to them. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Arena rock, blues rock, hard rock Formed: 1973 Run time: 8 songs, 34 min, 44 sec Bad Company are an English rock supergroup formed by singer Paul Rodgers (Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople), drummer Simon Kirke (Free) and bassist Boz Burrell (King Crimson). Spotify: Least popular song: almost 2M Most popular song: >97M plays. It should come as no surprise that if you liked Free, you’ll like Bad Company (and vice-versa). "Can't Get Enough", is about the singer's desire to win a particular lover. Then comes the intensity of the love the singer feels, but this is unrequited, followed by the eventual rejection. "Rock Steady" is about sharing the healing power of music and its ability to reach a state of contentment. "Ready for Love" is about the journey through life and the desire to share it with someone. "Don't Let Me Down" is about the desire and need to find a deep connection with someone. "Bad Company". The name of the group and this song comes from a western film. This song continues this theme and describes those who keep bad company and a life of violence are perpetually trapped in that life. "The Way I Choose" is about being true to oneself and being open and honest with others. "Movin' On" describes the lot of a touring musician - that of constant travel and never settling for a while. "Seagull" is a metaphor for going through life alone. Nobody knows where the gull came from or where it is going. I would suggest an albatross would have been a more appropriate bird to choose for the song, as they fly many solitary miles. A seagull on the other hand is usually part of a flock and not alone. It’s a melancholy and poignant song, slightly spoilt by the fact nobody actually likes seagulls, especially if you’ve ever tried eating fish and chips by the seaside. On the whole, the album conveys a yearning for love. The real love of a soul-mate. I imagine given the stories of excess we hear about rock groups, particularly from the 70’s that they would struggle to find anything more meaningful than sex and lust. It must have been such an unfulfilling life. Listen Again?: Yes My Rating: ****

Genres: Electronic rock, dub, neo-psychedelia, krautrock Formed: Glasgow, Scotland in 1982 Run time: 25 songs, 2 hr, 7 min (Extended Edition) The fifth studio album by Scottish rock band. Spotify: Least popular song: >18k Most popular song: almost 3.5M plays. The songs on the album are very eclectic. The contrast between the high energy rock of "Kowalski" and the following track "Star" (which is quite gentle) is disconcerting. I enjoyed the instrumental track 5, “If They Move Kill ‘Em”. It’s like Funk and Electronic had a baby and this was the result. The general theme of the album is our struggle through life. It looks at the darker side of our journey, examining mental illness, medication and internal conflict. It’s not all dark and some of the instrumentals are quite light in comparison. I like the mood of an album to be consistent, but this takes us on a roller-coaster journey through life; the ups and the down, the good and the bad. Listen Again?: Possibly My Rating: ***

Genres: Psychedelic folk, folk rock, psychedelic rock Formed: 1968 Run time: 13 songs, 37 min, 47 sec The debut solo album by the English singer-songwriter Syd Barrett, after he left Pink Floyd. He was a founding member of Pink Floyd. Spotify: Least popular song: >723k Most popular song: >9.4M plays. His style is whimsical and playful with surreal elements laced with psychedelic imagery. The general theme is love; looking for it, finding it and losing it. No one song stood out above the rest. The album just had nothing to hook me in. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Punk rock, hardcore punk Formed: San Diego, California in 1990 Run time: 14 songs, 43 min, 41 sec The fourth album by the American punk rock band. Spotify: Least popular song: 72.5k Most popular song: >4.5M plays. From the word go you know you’re listening to a punk band. The lyrics are fairly simple and musically it is punchy and maintains a good pace. I’m pleased to say they don’t scream the lyrics at the listener, which is sometimes the case. Many of the songs are sub 3 minutes and the longest is only 4:39, another typical characteristic of punk. The general theme of the album is life and the struggles it throws in the way. It’s about not always fitting in with the norms expected by society. It’s about defiance and persevering when the odds are against you. The album is a great nod to the original punk sound. It is a good listen, but has no standout songs for me. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Country rock Formed: 1977 (solo) Run time: 10 songs, 33 min, 32 sec The second album by the singer-songwriter. Spotify: Least popular song: <2000 Most popular song: almost 389k plays. Seven of the ten tracks have less than 5k plays on Spotify. Ely does a great job of painting a picture with his lyrics. The songs are often mournful and a little whimsical. The general theme is that of dealing with life’s struggles. The songs are OK but they don’t stand out against any of the other country artists then or now. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Punk rock, pop punk Formed: Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974 Run time: 18 songs, 45 min, 15 sec The second of four albums released by the band. The songs are short, most are between two and three minutes long. I became aware of Feargal Sharkey in the late 80’s when he had a number of solo hits. It wasn’t until many years later I discovered he’d already been famous with The Undertones. Spotify: Least popular song: >77.5k Most popular song: >6.5M plays. The only track I recognised is “My Perfect Cousin”, which I’ve known since I was a kid. Despite that, it only has just over 6.5M plays on Spotify, which astonished me. "More Songs About Chocolate and Girls" - the simple pleasures of youth. “There Goes Norman” - a song about a man who seems creepy and mysterious. The men think he’s to be feared, but the woman laughed about him”. “Hypnotised” - is about being hypnotised (besotted) whilst watching a woman dance. “See That Girl” - is another song about being besotted, but they are unable to do anything about it, presumably because of anxiety talking to girls. “Whizz Kids” - is about the yuppies of the 80’s, and the cost to personal relationships if following the route of money. “Under The Boardwalk” is a cover of the 1964 song made famous by the Drifters. I prefer the original, but they do it justice and make it their own, high energy version. “The Way Girls Talk” - reflecting on the difficulty of approaching a girl. The song highlights the difficulty in talking to and understanding the opposite sex. “Hard Luck” - seems to be about feeling resentful towards someone's success, despite the fact they’ve worked hard for it. “My Perfect Cousin” - is about someone being held up as an example of a perfect person. In reality he’s been given all the breaks and as a result is somewhat vain and self-obsessed. “Boys Will Be Boys” - is another song about life for a teenager. It’s about relationships and friends moving away and generally how life moves on despite wanting things to remain constant and unchanged. “Tearproof” - is about the objectification of women in the media and their strength to deal with this. “Wednesday Week” - is about the heartache and yearning after losing ‘the one’. “Nine Times Out of Ten” - is about the difficulties faced for those in love who also occasionally need their own space. “Girls That Don’t Talk” - is about the challenges teenage girls face. There may be many reasons why they are quiet, and to the rest of the world, those reasons are unknown. “What’s With Terry” - is about a boy not fitting in, in this case because he needed glasses. “Hard Luck” - see above “I Don’t Wanna See (You Again)” - is about dumping a girlfriend at the end of the relationship. “I Told You So” - is about the frustration caused by someone who ignores numerous warnings about their behaviour. The songs are short and all tell a tale. They are well written, to convey as much as they do in such a short space of time. They play well and Feargal Sharkey has a good voice that is easy to recognise. The naivety of the subject matter reflects the age of the band members and makes them easy to relate to by record buying teenagers. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Blues rock, soul blues, blue-eyed soul, funk rock Formed: (Solo) 1969 Run time: 10 songs, 33 min, 59 sec Her second and final solo album. Before going solo Janis Joplin was with the group Big Brother and the Holding Company (releasing two albums). Janis Joplin had an unmistakable voice that was made to sing the Blues. Unfortunately (aged 27) her life was cut short, due to a heroin OD. This album was released posthumously. Spotify: Least popular song: >2.1M Most popular song: almost 236M plays. “Move Over” is about the end of a relationship.He wants to end it, but won’t let her move on. She just wants a stable relationship. “Cry Baby” is about a former lover returning after the end of his relationship with another. She welcomes him back and claims she’ll love him more than anyone else can. She tells him to “Cry Baby” because she will console him. “A Woman Left Lonely” is about feeling lonely in a one sided relationship. “Half Moon” is about how love makes you feel complete even when apart. “Buried Alive in the Blues” - instrumental. “My Baby” is another love song and how love makes you feel safe and secure even on the coldest of nights. “Me And Bobby McGee” is a cover of a song written by Kris Kristofferson (and Fred Foster) and originally performed by Roger Miller. The song is about an adventure / journey taken by the narrator and the titular Bobby McGee. Reminiscing about the trip (which itself could be a metaphor for life), the protagonist wished they could swap tomorrow for yesterday, so they can once again be with Bobby McGee who died. “Mercedes Benz” is a satirical look at consumerism in the US. “Trust Me” is a song about how love grows stronger over time. The trust is the singer asking her lover to be patient to reap the rewards. “Get It While You Can” is about seizing life and not letting love pass you by. You don’t know when it will be over! Overall the album is about love and seizing life while you can. Listen Again?: Yes (and I will try her other music with Big Brother…) My Rating: ***

Genres: Folk, folk rock, country, Americana, Southern gothic Formed: Mid 1950’s Run time: 15 songs, 52 min, 3 sec The 67th and final studio album by Johnny Cash. 67 albums is quite a remarkable feat to achieve. This album is sombre and melancholic, a style that Cash will always be associated with. The general theme of the album is lifes’ struggles, love and loss. Cash’s style, like his voice, is unique. He includes many covers and makes each and everyone his own. I think many consider his cover of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails better than the original. Spotify: Least popular song: >3.6M Most popular song: >552M plays. "The Man Comes Around" is about the second coming of Jesus. “Hurt” is a cover of the song by rock band Nine Inch Nails. The song is about the struggle of addiction and its unyielding grip on the addict. "Give My Love to Rose" is about a man who has been freed from prison. He accepts what he has done and the consequences. He obviously regrets the effect of his absence on his wife and child. He doesn’t make it home and while dying asks a stranger to "Give My Love to Rose", his wife. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is a cover of the song by Simon & Garfunkel. It is about adversity. The bridge is a metaphor for someone helping the person in difficulty. “I Hung My Head” is a tale about the shame felt for (accidently) killing someone and the effects and consequences of that single action. “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is a cover of the 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger (his then mistress, later wife). The song is best known for the 1972 version by Roberta Flack. The song is about the intense feelings felt in the first flush of love. "Personal Jesus" is a cover of the 1989 song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. The song is about mankind's need for a spiritual connection to something bigger. “In My Life” is a cover of the 1965 Beatles song. It is about love and how it shapes all aspects of our lives. “Sam Hall” is an old English folk song about an unapologetic man called Sam Hall, who is hanged for murder. “Danny Boy” is a 1910 song by Frederic Weatherly, sung to the tune of the Irish melody "Londonderry Air" in 1913. The song is about a father addressing his son about love and loss before he leaves home. "Desperado" (with Don Henley) is a cover of the 1973 song by American rock band the Eagles. The song is about a hard living man. The lyrics are a plea for him to reform before it's too late. “I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry” is a cover of the 1949 song written and recorded by American country singer-songwriter Hank Williams. The song is about the protagonist's deep despair and loneliness. I will always associate this song with Elvis. I believe Cash’s version conveys the despair better than anyone else's. "Tear Stained Letter" is about a man planning to write a letter to his soon to be ex. It tells of the loss and betrayal feels and the love he still carries. He means to convey his feelings and hopes she feels regret for his ill-treatment. “Street Of Laredo” is a traditional ballad about a dying cowboy reminiscing about his life. It is a melancholy reflection on his life, loves and mistakes made. “We'll Meet Again" is a cover of the 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn (music and lyrics by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles). We all know this song. The song is an optimistic tale of reunion to be had in the future. The song declares that the meeting will take place in an unknown place and time. I’ve always assumed the reunion referred to meeting in the afterlife, which contrasts to the jolly optimistic feel of the song. I didn’t like “We'll Meet Again" and I suspect it was added knowing it would be his last album. If that wasn’t the case then it was an amazing coincidence. Fantastically talented artist and an amazing album. Listen Again?: Yes and I’ll try some of his other albums. My Rating: ****

Genres: Synth-pop Formed: Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978 Run time: 16 songs, 1 hour, 1 min The third studio album by the English electronic band. The ethereal sound of OMD is recognisable within a few seconds as are the lead vocalist of Andy McCluskey. The album resulted in four successful singles. Spotify: Least popular song: almost 195k Most popular song: >28M plays. The album is generally very chilled and relaxed. I did enjoy the album and have listened to other albums by OMD. As they have produced a lot of really great songs, I think if I were to listen again it would be a “Best Of”. Listen Again?: Possibly My Rating: ***

Genres: Folk rock Formed: 1968 Run time: 14 songs, 52 min, 51 sec The debut studio album by the folk rock supergroup. Musical supergroups can go one of two ways: they are short lived due to infighting and one upmanship or they nail it and become greater than the sum of the parts. CSN falls into the latter category. The general theme of the album is relationships: love, breakups and insecurities. Spotify: Least popular song: >1.8M Most popular song: >130M plays. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” is about Stephen Stills relationship with singer-songwriter Judy Collins. “Marrakesh Express” is about travelling by train, taking in the sights of Morocco. I was convinced the song was in some part drug related. I’m puzzled as to why it only has 6.3M plays. “Guinnevere” is about unrequited love. “You Don't Have to Cry” is about a breakup and the aftermath. “Pre‐Road Downs” is a love ballad. It discusses the problems of being on the road and hence away from a loved one. “Wooden Ships” is about escaping from the conflict in a dystopian future. (It’s a reality for many people here and now.) “Lady of the Island” is about a couple spending time together and never wanting it to end. “Helplessly Hoping” is about the complexities of a relationship. The two people, whilst in love, are struggling with their fears and insecurities. “Long Time Gone” is about problems in society and the fact someone needs to speak out and address the issue. “49 Bye-Byes” is initially about the ups and downs of a relationship. It then addresses anti-war protests. While it is a good album and contains some great material, I feel it could have been better. I suppose what the listener wants and expects is not the same as the wants and desires of the artist(s). Listen Again?: No. I’ll try other albums or a “Best Of”. My Rating: ***

Genres: Rock, soul, jazz Formed: 1967 Run time: 18 songs, 1 hour, 32 mins (Double album) The double album was taken from live performances at concerts in the Troubadour in Los Angeles, California, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, and the Rainbow in London. Spotify: Least popular song: 176k Most popular song: >4M plays. Van Morrison sounds as well polished live as he does on studio recordings. Nothing on the album really stood out and this seemed to be reflected in the listening figures, which are all around the 300k mark. If you’re a Van Morrison fan, it’s probably great. If not, then it is a bit too much of the same. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Genres: Indie rock, lo-fi, power pop Formed: Dayton, Ohio in 1983 Run time: 28 songs, 41 min, 15 sec The eighth full-length album by the American lo-fi band. The longest track on the album is just short of three minutes in length. The shortest is 18 seconds, and most are between two to three minutes. Spotify: Least popular song: 2.2k Most popular song: >14M plays. Considering they are a lo-fi band, they produce a well polished sound. For me though, the tracks don’t have enough punch energy, or substance to be that short. This is another album that makes me wonder why it is on the list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die. It is entirely unremarkable. Listen Again?: No My Rating: *

Genres: Rock, Britpop Formed: Manchester, England in 1991 Run time: 12 songs, 50 min, 10 sec The second studio album by the English rock band. Spotify: Least popular song: >8.7M Most popular song: >1.7B plays Most artists don’t achieve the listening figures of the least played song on this album. To say Oasis is popular would be a gross understatement. “Wonderwall” has billions of plays on Spotify. I’m not into Britpop, but there’s no denying this is a fantastic album. More than half the tracks are known to me and I’m not an Oasis fan. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ****

Genres: Pop rock Formed: LA, US in 1966 (Manufactured) Run time: songs, min, sec The third album by the American group. It was the first album on which the group members made substantial songwriting and instrumental contributions. For background the Monkeys were created for a TV show of the same name. The four members of the group were nothing more than puppets, miming along to performances. The vocals and instruments were performed by session musicians. This was despite the fact the four were all capable musicians. Spotify: Least popular song: >31k Most popular song: >2.9M plays. Although there are a couple of tracks with millions of plays, most are only 1-2k. 5. “I Can't Get Her Off My Mind” is a love song. 10. "Sunny Girlfriend" is an upbeat and positive song. It was written and sung by Mike Nesmith. 12. “No Time” was written by all four members and sung by Dolenz. The Monkey of the TV series was fronted by Davy Jones. I prefer songs like this one with Dolenz taking the lead. This particular song reminds me of 50’s Rock ‘n’ Roll and I can imagine it being sung by Little Richard. 14. "Randy Scouse Git" is written and sung by Dolenz. The song is about a chaotic part, where the narrator is trying to impress a girl. It contains waves of mania and calm. 17. "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” is a Neil Diamond song. It is the perfect song for the Monkeys to perform. Many of the tracks are nothing special. The deluxe version of the album seems to contain more fluff than the original. I can’t imagine why anyone would have thought that was a good idea. This may have been an important album for the group, getting away from their manufactured origin. A couple of tracks on this album are good and I enjoy many other Monkeys tracks, but particularly this album does not do it for me. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Alternative rock, art punk, grunge Formed: Boston, U.S. in 1986 Run time: 13 songs, 34 min, 7 sec The album has a Punk feel to it. The tracks are usually quite intense and often feature nonsense lyrics. I’ve not heard anything else like it. Spotify: Least popular song: almost 3M Most popular song: >733M plays. “Bone Machine” is above the narrator's love for Carol and her continuous infidelities. It was apparently the result of a dream (nightmare) about a woman with a “Bone Machine” inside her. Given that information, I think the title should be taken literally as someone who goes from one sexual encounter to another. "Break My Body" is about the desire to rebel against societal norms, regardless of the cost (physical or emotional). It is a throwback to the days of Punk. “Something Against You” is very Punk-like with its frantic guitars and screamed lyrics. Basically the singer really dislikes someone but it doesn’t say why. “Broken Face” starts off talking about incest and then facial dis-figurement. This may be a metaphor because the consequence is being unable to speak. It’s not a pop song! “Gigantic” is about a woman singing about her lover, Paul. The lyric mention him taking her to a “shady place”, which I believe is talking about unconventional (depraved?) love. It has been suggested “Gigantic” refers to the depth of their love, but given the context, I suspect it is referring to the size of Paul’s equipment. “River Euphrates” is an exploration of the war in Gaza. “Where Is My Mind?” speaks about the inner turmoil. It is best summarised in the line "feet on the air and head on the ground." This is of course the opposite of being grounded and in control (head in the air and feet on the ground). “Cactus” is about longing to have something (an article of clothing) to hold onto in the absence of the person. It isn’t clear why the person is absent (left or dead). The singing is quit muted perhaps to reflect the fleeting nature of the relationship lost. "Tony's Theme" is about a superhero named Tony who rides around on his bicycle. This would suggest Tony is a child wanting to do good and be great. “Oh My Golly!” has lyrics in Spanish and English. It seems to be a bit nonsensical. It mentions the character “Surfer Rosa”. It mentions killing someone, then claims it was a joke. “Vamos” is about a couple living in New Jersey. Life seems to be good but they think it will be better in California. “I’m Amazed” starts with kids talking in (high) school and the half a minute of nonsense. “Brick Is Red” is more nonsense. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Pop rock Formed: London, England in 1967 Run time: 17 songs, 1 hour, 16 mins The seventh studio album by the English singer, pianist, and composer. Spotify: Least popular song: >2.8M Most popular song: >392M plays. I don’t really like Elton John’s stuff. There are a couple of tracks on this album that I like: “Bennie And The Jets” and “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)”. In general his work is well written, but for some years it’s been a bit “same old, same old”. I have to admit, I enjoyed more of this album than I thought I would. A lot of it is good old Rock ‘n’ Roll. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Thrash metal Formed: L.A., U.S. in 1983 Run time: 13 songs, 57 min, 20 sec The fourth studio album by the American thrash metal band. Spotify: Least popular song: 2.1M Most popular song: almost 130M plays. The subject matter of the lyrics is quite heavy and dark: war, religion, control and aliens. They are, however, well written and imaginative. Musically, it is much heavier than the Rock music I enjoy. Although it is not my taste, I can appreciate the quality of the album, hence 4*. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ****

Genres: Blues rock, blues Formed: 1963 Run time: 24 songs, 1 hour, 14 mins (12 songs, mono then again in stereo) The debut studio album by the English blues rock band. This band has had a phenomenal list of members over the years: Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (both later of Cream), Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie (those three would form Fleetwood Mac), Mick Taylor (the Rolling Stones), Aynsley Dunbar (Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention), Jon Hiseman, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Tony Reeves (these three would form Colosseum), and many others. Most modern Rock guitar laden music can trace its roots back to this group and album. I’ve never heard of John Mayall or The Bluesbreakers, but I am very familiar with the groups formed by the artists passing through. Spotify: Least popular song: >350k Most popular song: >33M plays. Out of the 200+ albums I’ve listened to as part of the “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” there have only been a couple that I actually believed lived up to that grand title, and this is one of them. Listen Again?: Yes My Rating: *****

Genres: Folk rock Formed: 1970-72 (solo) Run time: 14 songs, 42 min, 52 sec The second solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter. Overall it is an album about the trials and tribulations faced throughout life. Spotify: Least popular song: >1.1M Most popular song: almost 298M plays. "Mother and Child Reunion" is an emotional track about a parent grieving the loss of a child. As an interesting note, the title is actually the name of a Chinese dish made up of chicken and eggs, i.e. mother and child. "Duncan'' is the story of a young man named Lincoln Duncan. He leaves his past behind to start anew, finding his way through religious experiences and love. "Everything Put Together Falls Apart" is about an individual’s struggle to cope with life. It is a warning against using drugs as a coping mechanism. "Run That Body Down" is also a warning about self-destructive behaviour and its effect on body and soul. "Armistice Day" is a solemn song about Armistice Day. "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" is about a boy who goes to meet his friend (Julio). His parents are not happy about what he’s up to and go to the police. Consequently, he is arrested but the only consequence seems to be him appearing on the cover of Newsweek. We don’t know who the boy is, or what he has done. I can only assume there is a metaphorical meaning to the song . "Peace Like a River" is about the struggles and triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement. "Papa Hobo" is a song about Detroit (“Motor City”). The car industry made it a great city, now that success is choking the city with pollution. The singer then talks of leaving. "Hobo's Blues" is an Instrumental. "Paranoia Blues" describes the mistrust the singer feels as a result of living in New York. "Congratulations" is about someone being congratulated for an achievement. The singer, however, resents the person for their success because he himself continues to be miserable. The songs are really well written and executed with simplicity, putting the song front stage, rather than the artist. Listen Again?: Maybe My Rating: ****

Genres: Art rock, avant-pop, progressive pop, progressive rock Formed: 1978 Run time: 10 songs, 43 min, 21 sec The fourth studio album by the English art rock singer. Overall the songs are well written, often complex and layered. Spotify: Least popular song: 1.5M Most popular song: >9.5M plays "Sat In Your Lap" is open to interpretation. I feel the line “I see the people working” means their relationships are working. Others think more literally, that Kate is singing about actual work. She then talks about knowledge, but that could equally apply either way. “There Goes A Tenner” tells the story of a bank heist. It seem like a strange topic. Is it perhaps meant to be taken metaphorically? “Pull Out The Pin” is about war, and the struggle to maintain one's humanity. This internal conflict is best described by the line "With my silver Buddha and my silver bullet". 'Suspended in Gaffa '' is about life's struggles and wanting to achieve something (spiritual), but feeling like you’re being held back by Gaffa (tape). “Leave It Open” starts by talking about being closed as a means of self-protection. There is then a change, to open up to allow others in and thus experience life, despite the risks. “The Dreaming” is a commentary on the appalling treatment of the indigenous peoples of Australia. It talks about the British trying to erase their way of life, so the land can be plundered for minerals. “Night of the Swallow” is another song open to interpretation. It starts by talking about telling the police to prevent someone from doing something. It then goes on to talk about helping someone escape the country. I don;t know what wrong was being prevented or who was being helped. "All the Love" is about dying (really or metaphorically). It is only at that point does their friend express their love and true feelings. The next time (they die) they first dedicate their work to their friends. This causes fear in the friends and they hide their feelings. Overall the song suggests we share our feelings before it is too late. “Houdini” is about a medium trying (and failing) to contact Houdini at a Séance. "Get Out of My House" is about the singer's need for privacy and solitude. She is determined to keep her home and herself cut off from the outside world. We know Kate is a private person, so I guess the song is about her. I sometimes find Kate Bush’s voice a little shrill but that was not the case on this album. I particularly liked how she provided her own backing on some songs, using a muted, almost ethereal voice. She is a fantastic song writer and the subject matter is always varied and often eclectic. Listen Again?: No but I will listen to a “Best Of” album. My Rating: ***

Genres: Art rock, art pop Formed: 1978 Run time: 11 songs, 45 min, 56 sec The sixth studio album by the English art rock singer. In general, the album is about the struggles of life, and love primarily from a woman’s perspective. Spotify: Least popular song: >1.3M Most popular song: >49M plays “The Sensual World” details a woman’s progress from a passive observer to an active participant in sensuality. “Love and Anger” is about deeply buried feelings and how the past affects the future if we let it. The feelings prevent relationships from being more than tentative. She wants to share the feeling but feels she can’t. “The Fog” The song talks about learning to swim. The fear of realising you are no longer connected to safety, even though the water is only waist high. The song is a metaphor for coping with life, the feeling of danger even when safety isn’t far away. The fog mentioned in the song is another metaphor, relating to not being able to see what lies ahead in life. “Reaching Out” is about the human instinct to reach for the next thing. "Reaching out for the hand" is about seeking companionship, while "Reaching out for the star" is about trying to grasp the unobtainable. “Heads We're Dancing” explores how easy it is for someone to deceive others. The singer is at a party, dancing with a charming man, who turns out to be Hitler. “Deeper Understanding" is about a lonely person, seeking companionship from a computer. Considering it was written in 1989, it is remarkably insightful and depicts today's world perfectly for many people. “Between a Man and a Woman" is about the relationship between a couple. It is working fine until a third party starts interfering, affecting the balance. Originally, the relationship had a natural to and fro like a pendulum. The song is essentially about staying out of other people's business. "Never Be Mine" is a story of unrequited love and missed opportunities. "Rocket's Tail" is about seeking to escape the mundane at the expense of safety and personal relationships. "This Woman's Work," is about the selfless nature of being a woman. Having to be strong, while others are allowed to grieve or feel sorry. The song was originally released (in 1989) as part of the soundtrack for the John Hughes movie, "She's Having a Baby". It was then included in the album. “ Walk Straight Down the Middle” is about feeling stuck, and unable to make decisions or take action. The album contains well written thought provoking tracks. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Blue-eyed soul Formed: Garfield, New Jersey, US in 1965 Run time: 11 songs, 34 min, 34 sec Initially known as The Young Rascals. The third album by the rock band. Most songs are 2-3 minutes in length (typical for the time). The general theme of the album is Love. It’s a pop album with twangy guitars and lyrics that aren’t deep and meaningful. Perhaps that’s it. Don’t over analyse, fall in love and the meaning of life is there before you! Spotify: Least popular song: >181k Most popular song: almost 49.5M plays. "A Girl Like You" is about falling in love like never before (or possibly falling in love for the first time). This love brings out the best in the singer. “Find Somebody” urges the listener to stop feeling sorry for themselves, embrace life and go find a partner to love. “I’m so Happy Now” “Sueno” “How Can I Be Sure” (I have heard this song before, probably the Dusty Springfield version.) “Groovin’” “If You Knew” “I Don’t Love You Anymore” “You Better Run” later covered by Pat Benatar. “A Place in the Sun” “It’s Love” Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Folk jazz, folk rock Formed: London, England in 1967 Run time: 13 songs, 52 min, 27 sec The third album by the folk rock group. The album reached #5 in the UK album chart. Spotify: Least popular song: >113k Most popular song: almost 4M plays. “Light Flight” suggests leaving the hustle of the city and finding calm and solace in the country. We should also remember our time on Earth is fleeting. “Once I Had A Sweetheart\" is about a woman whose lover abandons her. The song describes her feeling of loss and sorry. She then dreams she is still with the lover. She then goes on a journey as a distraction from the loss, before finally accepting that the lover is gone and she must move on and live again. “Springtime Promises” describes the cycles of nature and the promises each season brings. “Lyke-Wake Dirge” is a traditional English folk song associated with death and sung at wakes. It is a warning to be charitable during life, or pay the consequences in the next. “Train Song” is about love and the pain of separation. “Hunting Song” is about pursuit and conquest, be it a beast being hunted, love, war or the truth. “Sally Go Round the Roses” is a reference to the childrens nursery rhyme \"Ring Around the Rosie\", which (fun fact) is actually about the Black Death. Perhaps the song is suggesting caution as things aren’t always what they seem. The song is a cover of the 1963 hit by The Jaynetts, a Bronx-based one-hit wonder girl group. The song is open to interpretation, but the general consensus is that it is a warning (about heartbreak, infidelity, drug use, illegitimate motherhood, madness, suicide, and lesbianism, presumably not all at the same time). “The Cuckoo” “House Carpenter” is about a woman who has a chance to marry a prince, but she loves and marries a house carpenter instead. She is convinced to leave her husband and children for the prince. The ship they leave in, goes down and too late, she regrets her choices. I guess the message here is that the grass isn't greener. I’m not a fan of folk but there is something hauntingly beautiful about the harmonies. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Hard rock, heavy metal Formed: London, England in 1968 Run time: 7 songs, 43 min, 25 sec The fourth studio album by the English rock band. The lyrics are often thought provoking and the topics and references are varied. For me though, it can sometimes get a little self indulgent. Spotify: Least popular song: >33k Most popular song: almost 80M. \"Speed King\" is a nod to 1950s rock and roll with hard rock elements. It references/name checks Little Richard and Chuck Berry, both trail blazers in Rock ‘n’ Roll. The second part of the song refers to the working man’s practice of taking his weekly wage, then blowing it all while enjoying life. “Bloodsucker” is about a mysterious man who wants to give love and live life to the fullest. The lyrics clearly show he’s more into living life to the fullest than giving love, so I think he's hoping to have his cake and eat it. “Child In Time” is about innocence in a chaotic world. It’s about good vs evil. It is a warning that actions have consequences, but it warns that the innocent may get caught up in the misdeeds of others. I cannot stand the screaming in this track and generally press skip… “Flight of the Rat” is about breaking the chains holding us back and making us miserable. We can then live and grow and become what we want. It’s about failing, trying again and succeeding. We look at the rat leaving (the sinking ship) as a negative, but the fact is the rat is a survivor. It doesn’t hang around when something has failed, it moves on. “Into the Fire” is about being honest with yourself. It’s also about taking responsibility for one's actions and the consequences. “Living Wreck” is about the singer feeling repulsed by a woman who he has been taken in by. Her appearance isn’t what he thought, and neither are her thoughts and actions. Presumably she is repulsive for exhibiting the characteristics that would be acceptable as a man would. Had she been a man the singer would no doubt have patted him on the back and said “Well done”. “Hard Lovin’ Man” seems to be about the lust the singer feels for a woman. It’s not a particularly clever or well written song and the music is often on the edge of discomfort. Nothing to redeem this one star track. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Proto-punk, garage rock, hard rock, punk rock Formed: Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963 Run time: songs, min, sec The debut album by the American proto-punk band. They were high energy and pushed the boundaries of accepted lyrical content. “Come Together” being a good example. I can’t imagine the meaning of the song registering with most people in that sexually repressed, conservative era. Spotify: Least popular song: >208k Most popular song: >18.2M plays. The songs are well written and played. These songs are a push back against the “Man” and the Establishment. They generally sang about issues that were important to them without any regard for acceptance from the record buying public. This explains their retrospective label of proto-punk (i.e. they preceded Punk and paved the way). They will have been quite something in the day, although I imagine their reach was pretty limited, because they weren’t mainstream. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ****

Genres: Soul, funk Formed: Detroit, US in 1960 Run time: 14 songs, 1 hour, 13 mins The fifteenth studio (double) album by the artist. Marvin Gaye has a silky smooth voice that he can turn from angelic to seductive. The album focused largely on Gaye's acrimonious divorce from his first wife, Anna Gordy Gaye. I was impressed that it was a reflection on loss, rather than a vehicle for accusation and blame. Spotify: Least popular song: >318k Most popular song: >7.7M plays. Apparently he put his all into the album, which was probably very therapeutic, but it doesn’t contain any of his most famous tracks. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Genres: Neo-psychedelia, post-punk Formed: Liverpool, UK in 1978 Run time: 17 songs, 1 hour, 8 min The debut album by the neo-psychedelic band. In general the album looks at the struggles of life and love. It examines the positives and the negatives. Spotify: Least popular song: >41.7k Most popular song: >11.2M plays “Ha Ha I’m Drowning” is about a toxic relationship. “Sleeping Gas” is about a person sleep-walking through life. All their hopes and aspirations left behind and forgotten. “Treason” is about someone’s struggle to accept or adapt to change. “Second Head” seems to be about losing one’s way, then discovering that they are back on their original track. “Poppies in the Field” doesn’t seem to have an obvious meaning, but the reference to parachutes and poppies could be a war reference. The singer can see a change in another person and wonders if they can see a change in the singer. This could mean how war changes people. “Went Crazy” paints a picture of someone’s decline into mental illness. Their acceptance of the situation and the struggles to recover. “Brave Boys Keep Their Promises” is an upbeat song about perseverance and determination. The title suggests the brave meet their obligations. “Bouncing Babies” seems to be a cynical look at growing up. “Books” is about someone looking for love. They can't find it so the person tells them to start living the life they have. “Thief of Bagdad” is about lost love. The lover left them with nothing physical and emotionally. “When I Dream” finds the singer obsessing about a love who is far away. They idealise the lover, but the reality falls short. “Reward” “Kilimanjaro” “Strange House In The Snow” “ “ “ It’s a great first album, but it’s not my taste. I loved the song ”Reward” but that was it. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***