1001 Albums Summary

Track 1 - Everything In It’s Right Place Trippy Electronic, swirling echoey vocals 7/10 Track 2 - Kid A What is this, sounds like a tomadachi life character found an old korg synth in the garage and ran it through a piece of toast 4/10 Track 3 - The National Anthem One of the best bass lines in history, nice use of the synth, great vocals, horns are amazing, best song so far 9/10 Track 4 - How To Disappear Completely Unexpected shift, nice acoustic guitar, decent vocals from Thom, sounds like a smiths song but even more depressed and slow and without all the jangle and knobbery from morrisey, strings are really nice 7/10 Track 5 - Treefingers Ominous, ethereal opening, feels like I’m at outernet in London, literally just ambience, gets boring 3/10 Track 6 - Optimistic Nice guitar, decent vocals, different to any song previous, strangely nervy, disjointed sound, nice layering of the guitars, rattley drums, slightly repetitive but still one of the best songs so far 7/10 Track 7 -In Limbo Plunged headfirst into a discombobulated mess, everything seems isolated, doesn’t sound full, like the drawn out vocals at the end, Strange 5/10 Track 8 - Idioteque Drum pads galore, swelling synth, deep bass pads, vocals seem a bit out of place, repetitive 4/10 Track 9 - Morning Bell Like the fade in from track 8, nice drums, mellow soft muffled keys, strange effect on the vocals, vocals once again seem a little bit off with the music, song climaxes at the end, Alright 6/10 Track 10 - Motion Picture Soundtrack Strange organ sound at start, lyrics are amazing, depressing, bass and keys accompany organ well, dream like harp sound? Amazing binding and layering of all the instruments, all comes together beautifully Beautiful song, best song on the album in my opinion 10/10 Track 11 - Untitled Fluttering, insect like samples, pulsing keys, just an interlude Interlude/10 Final thoughts: 6.7/10 Has some outstanding moments (National Anthem and Motion Picture Soundtrack) but apart from that it’s very repetitive, doesn’t grab me, Thoms vocals seem out of place at times, a lot of the songs seemed very messy and it felt like the instruments stood out on their own and didn’t come together. Just not for me, don’t see what the fuss is about Best Track: Motion Picture Soundtrack Worst track: In Limbo or Idioteque

Track 1 - Finest Worksong Pixies-esque opening guitar riff, pounding drums, slight country twang to the vocals, sounds like natural harmonics behind the guitar riff, nice harmonies, lovely instrumental play out, decent opener 6.8/10 Track 2 - Welcome To The Occupation Contrast to the opener, light breezy acoustic guitar opening, sounds like a nirvana riff but twangier, softer and slower, simple drums, still very country like vocals, nice song 7/10 It went rlly weird and deleted the rest so I can’t be bothered to write it all out again , but I’d rate the album a 7, too many mediocre songs, not rlly my thing

Track 1 - Party Line Fun bouncy track, nice twangy guitar, solid drums, great sounding vocals, jangley guitar riffs, fun lyrics, solid consistent drums, vocals sound layered, makes them pop, excellent opener 8/10 Track 2 - Rosy Won’t You Please Come Home Swaying guitars, stand out vocals from ray in his signature sound, baroque style piano?, nice guitar riff to highlight the vocals, classic blinks style British lyrics, crescendo of instruments before fade out, the exact opposite of its track mate and opener, Party line, reflective and light, rays lyric writing genius on full display, amazing song 8.5/10 Track 3 - Dandy Springy acoustic riff, pulsing electric guitar accompaniment in the verse, walking chords, great storytelling, sudden shift, rays voice suits the song perfectly, nice jolly little song 8/10 Track 4 - Too Much On My Mind Calm reflective guitar riff, return of the baroque piano, pondering lyrics, amazing harmonies between ray and Dave, breezy, gentle backing vocals, chord change in the chorus, sliding bassline accompanies song well 9/10 Track 5 - Session Man Twiddling baroque piano intro, good vocal accompaniment by Dave, uses pronunciation to rhyme the lines together, simple guitar chords to highlight changes, happy uplifting signature kinks style 7.5/10 Track 6 - Rainy Day In June Tremelo guitar riff fits the theme well, pounding timpani’s, simple acoustic chords in the background, rays storytelling strikes again, almost every backing vocals do their job just right, hand claps suit the arrangement well, loud crack of thunder caught me off guard, light swaggering chorus, echoing of chorus lines before fade out 7.5/10 Track 7 - House In The Country Nod to their classic rock and roll early days, swaggering guitar 12 bar, great chords outside of the twelve bar that suit the song well, bluesy piano halfway through, nice bonk bonks and descending guitar riffs, classic double stop early kinks type guitar solo 8.5/10 Track 8 - Holiday In Waikiki Once again swaggering guitar riff, stones-Esau’s singing stay and drum beat, sounds similar to the previous albums, nice boppy quacks guitar sound just before the verse kicks back in, swelling guitars towards the end 7.8/10 Track 9 - Most Exclusive Residence For Sale Octave sounding guitar intro, springy guitar chords, solid consistent drumbeat, no one tells the story of the lives of the higher class of Britain better than ray davies, nice nasally bop bop harmonies, slightly fuzzy ascending guitar notes before the return to the verse, classic kinks la la las to finish with 8/10 Track 10 - Fancy Looping steel string thwacking guitar riff, isolated bass vocals and guitar, drums slowly start to fade in, sounds like the bongos or some sort of African drum, humming backing vocals, droning plane like sound at the end 7/10 Track 11 - Little Miss Queen Of Darkness Little hoppy acoustic diddy, brushed drums, sounds like a double bass, guitar accompanies vocals well at the end of the chorus, military style drum rolls, a few Ruth’s changes at the end of the chorus, steep crescendo abruptly ended to finish 7.5/10 Track 12 - You’re Looking Fine BEATLES RIPPED THEM OFF FOR HEY BULLDOG, swaggering guitar riff, fortunate son style guitar slides, slamming piano keys, bluesy solo, slows down for big bluesy ending 8/10 Track 13 - Sunny Afternoon Don’t even have to explain it, one of the defining moments of 60s and British music as a whole, start of a whole new direction for the band, simply a master piece 11/10 Track 14 - l’ll Remember Rumbling bass, snappy guitar lines, guitar accompanied the vocals, good closing track probably would have worked better if it swapped places with Sunny Afternoon but can’t knock it 7.7/10 Final Thoughts Their “Revolver” moment. This gem of an album marked a huge change in the musical direction of the band and their transition from a rock and roll band to one of the most unique bands to come out of the British Invasion as well as the 60s in general. This album sees Ray Davies in all his lyrical glory, this album was the change in writing songs about parties and clubs like they did in their earlier records, to the behaviours and attitudes of the everyday characters of London and the British class system in the 60s, as shown in “Most Exclusive Residence For Sale” and in later albums “Lola”, “David Watts” and Dave’s finest hour, “Susannahs Still Alive”. Sonically, Dave Davies’ twangy guitar proficiency shone through and made the songs even more memorable and catchy. Dave’s vocals don’t get half the recognition they should. His soft breezy harmonies are like foundations upon which Ray and the rest of the band can flourish. The use of the baroque style piano made songs such as, ”Session Man” and “Rosy Won’t You Please Come Home” a cut above the rest of their contemporaries like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. All in all, this album sees the band in their lyrical and musical pomp and turns The Kinks from a Rock And Roll band from London into a staple of Great British Music and pushes the boundaries of their sonic capabilities which they would explore more deeper into their discography. GOD. BLESS. THE. KINKS Final rating: 8.8/10 Best song - Sunny Afternoon Worst Song - Fancy Most Popular Song - Sunny Afternoon Most Underrated Song - House In The Country

Track 1 - Blue Orchid Thudding bass drum beat, thick sludgy guitar, crashing cymbals, jacks incredibly unique almost feminine voice contrasts the thickness of the guitar, vocals and guitar share melodies throughout the song, great opener 7.5/10 Track 2 - The Nurse Incredibly unexpected marimba intro, carefree and melodic opening, increasingly out of time guitar and drum clash with marimba rhythm, chaotic cacophony of thundering guitar and drum blasts, palm muted pulsing guitar riff, deep underlying drone of vocals in the instrumental interlude contrasts the light marimba rhythm, random bursts of piano, guitar and drums, really random song 6/10 Track 3 - My Doorbell Playful piano melody, rattley drums, crashing cymbals, megs signature drumming clear as ever, maracas add an extra dimension, jacks vocals sound distanced from time to time, like he’s in a corner, a lot different from the guitar dependency from elephant, gets a bit repetitive, still entertaining 6.5/10 Track 4 - Forever For Her (Is Forever For Me) Jacks signature winey vocals shine through, once again piano reliant, light acoustic guitar, return of the marimba, light maraca shakes, solid chorus, twiddling piano line for chorus that continues through fade out 7/10 Track 5 - Little Ghost Fast paced bouncy country guitar, unlike anything on the album so far, very country based with simple tambourine accompaniment, a little more twang in the vocals, banjo type chords, experimental 7/10 Track 6 - The Denial Twist Swaggering drums and thudding piano chords, changes time sig in chorus, fuzzy dull bass line, draws from classic rock and roll influence 8/10 Track 7 - White Moon Sad reflective piano, simple kick beat with maraca, smart rhyming in the lyrics from jack, picks up more before heading back into the normal verse, shows the vulnerable side of jacks voice, long drawn out resonant piano notes 6.8/10 Track 8 - Instinct Blues Very raw recording style, like early delta blues recordings, swaggering riff with pounding drums, jacks signature boosted vocals, some awesome guitar lines, crashing drums, changes in tone back to the start of the song, simple lyrics, heavily driven octave guitar, classic blues phrasing, passionate vocal and instrumental performance, rumble of feedback present throughout the whole song, big punching end 9/10 Track 9 - Passive Manipulation Short little interlude with Meg on vocals, nothing to see really Interlude/10 Track 10 - Take, Take, Take Acoustic and piano, simple drums with maracas, acoustic and piano shares same melodies off and on, sounds like two slightly different vocals coming through each ear, clever vocal panning to and fro from left and right speaker 7/10 Track 11 - As Ugly As I Seem Plodding acoustic guitar, simple beat on some percussion instrument, nice balance between lead lines and chords on the guitar, instrumental doesn’t have too many changes throughout the song, repetitive again 7/10 Track 12 - Red Rain Echoey slide guitar, interesting bell melody, thudding guitar and drum lines, very roots focused, swaggering drums, bluesy slide, warped vocals, song fades and comes back in strong, song goes full circle, ends with echoey slide and bells 9/10 Track 13 - I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet Powerful but melancholy big chords, bluesy piano solo, sounds a bit like a billy joel type song but more drunken saloon diddy, reflective lyrics, jacks vulnerable side to his voice on display, chords and vocals die out but comes back in for a final finish, great closing track 8/10 Final Thoughts: This album is like night and day to their previous album, the meteoric garage rock landmark, Elephant, This album is a lot more experimental than Elephant, using the marimba on tracks like The Nurse and Forever For Her and was strikingly different to the raucous riff-laden Elephant by the fact most of the songs were piano led. This album also sees a change in style for the band, turning to their roots influences in blues and country, whilst still regaining the rawness, dirtiness and simplicity of the production on their previous LP’s, as shown in the swaggering, swampy riffs of Red Rain and in the fast bouncy country rhythms of Little Ghost. The album was well received and received a Grammy for best alternative album in 2006. This album showcased the versatility of Jacks writing and musical talents, whilst also reaffirming megs simple but effective playing style and it’s key place in the creation of that signature white stripes sound. The album also showed that their is space for experimentation in even the most simplistic of musical styles, as well as pushing the boundaries of what could be done in the sonic toybox of garage rock and alternative music as a whole. Final Rating: 7.25/10 Best Song: Instinct Blues or Red Rain Worst Song: As Ugly As I Seem Most Underrated Song: The Denial Twist

Track 1 - Love Vigilantes Simple harmonica line to open, atmospheric bass pads, ambient bouncy guitar lead, classic plucky hooky bass, drums are incomparable to Steve in joy division, innocent, hopeful lyrics, thin chorusy percussive guitar in the background, not the strongest of openings 7/10 Track 2 - The Perfect Kiss Light djembe, synth stabs panning left and right, sounds like new order, groovy pulsing synth rhythm, thick heavy chords, drum machines galore, odd shiny plucked guitar here and there, cowbell?, simple guitar solo into fade out 8.5/10 Track 3 - This Time of Night Funky bass lines, pulsing deep synth leads, simple sad piano lead ended by one deep resonant note, hand claps as per usual, coercive vocals, looped synth pattern, backing vocals come in at the backend of the song 7/10 Track 4 - Sunrise Deep drawn out isolated synth lead, chorusy flimsy guitar line, classic new order drum machines, echo and the bunnymen type vocals, gloomy thin guitar lead, big soaring crescendo of drums pads and guitar, hybrid between the gloominess of joy division and the uplifting synth pop of new order 8.7/10 Track 5 - Elegia Ominous keys intro, simple chorusy guitar melody, poor sounding choir like leads, pretty prissy synth melodies, heartbeat like pulsing percussion, light acoustic in the background, gothic sounding keys, thundering twangy driven guitar, atmospheric instrumental that gets a bit boring after a while 7.5/10 Track 6 - Sooner Than You Think Tapping drum melody, arpeggiated guitar chords, echoey keys, wavy synth stabs, doubled up vocals, melodic guitar solo kind of, weak thin chorus tinged guitar solo that turns into a synthy sound? 7.8/10 Track 7 - Sub-Culture Proddy synth lead, groovy drum beat, up down bass rhythm, soft half spoken word vocals, pulsing melody, interesting drum pads sounds like tapping glass bottles, gloopy chorus guitar 8.2/10 Track 8 - Face Up Rumbling bass, dotted synth lead, deep pounding kick, layered hand clap, metallic slap bassline, joyous synth lines, mood changes very abruptly, trotting drums, vocals struggle to stay in key at times, ploddy, shiny guitar lines, slow fade out 7.8/10 Final Thoughts: This album marks the change in the band and their transformation from gloomy post punks into synth pop icons. The album has a lot of material to impress the fans of the bands later discography, like the dance orientated grooves of The Perfect Kiss and the funky rhythms of Face Up, whilst appealing the post punk diehards, with the gloomy lingering effect of joy division on their shoulder shown in Sunrise. All in all, this album is full of infectious grooves and hypnotising synth leads and is a must listen for fans of 80s synth pop and new wave. Best Song: Sunrise or The Perfect Kiss Worst Song: Love Vigilantes Most Underrated song: Face Up Final Rating: 8/10