1001 Albums Summary

Never been the biggest Nirvana fan - and this album is somewhat typical of my listening relationship with them; starts out strong, wondering why I don't listen to them more often, and really understanding why they have so many plaudits... the singles from this album were expertly gauged and really are the standouts and show a breadth of musicality and growth already escaping the catch-all 'grunge' label. Butttttttt, about 3/4's of the way through I'm getting a little restless and it's getting a bit samey/shouty (Oh christ, I'm aging). Maybe should have dedicated a listen when driving not working - but that's what I've got from this listen-through.

Definitely ahead of its time - but I just can't shake that Massive Attack are one of those bands I should absolutely love based on my listening preferences... but more often than not it just washes over me. That's usually most true of the rapping/vocal tracks, in particular the title track - I think that's where this record is held back and shows its age a little. Unfinished Symphony is a solid gold classic, though.

She was crazy talented. And a nice modern fusion of new and old. I'd never given this the time before, need to do it again.

Meh. Sometimes I just really think the 90's aren't for me. This is pretty mediocre in places for an album on this list, in my opinion. Sure the singles are standouts and have their merits - The Drugs Don't Work is haunting, and Lucky Man grooves along covering ground that Coldplay will improve on in a couple years' time. But the rest of it just washes over me. The worst bits of Oasis and 90's misplaced swagger. The sample debacle surrounding Bittersweet Symphony taints the obvious high point for me.

I'm sure it was one of those that was great, pivotal and groundbreaking when it came out. Now, it's closer to parody than original to my ears - most of the tracks all sound the same, and I can only think about The Thamesmen from Spinal Tap.