1001 Albums Summary

James invited me to this group last weekend, but I didn’t start until today. But what a start it was. This album is a true masterpiece and I don’t hesitate to give it a full five out of five. Knopfler is a genius - a hugely underrated musician. His skills and style on the guitar are unique and his vocals fit the sound perfectly. I’ll admit that tracks six, seven, and eight are not all that, but the first five - wow - what a start. And then to finish with the poignancy of ‘Brothers in Arms’. One of my favourite ever albums. It can only go downhill from here…

I was pleased when I saw this album pop up today, because I’ve always had a niggling feeling that Jefferson Airplane is a band I should know a little bit more about. But in the end, I was disappointed. I’d only ever heard one track before, so the rest of it was a voyage of discovery. It turned out to be quite a dull ride. The whole thing had a clear ‘summer of love’ kind of vibe to it, but since I wasn’t around in the summer of love, that kind of vibe doesn’t hold much nostalgia for me. Having said that, there were a few tracks that I quite liked. Mainly the more upbeat, rocky numbers. And I liked some of the bluesy ones, especially ‘In the Morning’, but then I am a sucker for the twelve-bar blues. Ultimately, though, there were just too many jingly-jangly folky fluff fillers for me. Some really nice guitar work in places, like on the instrumental track, ‘Embryonic Journey’, which made it all the more strange that the guitar solos on some of the tracks sounded like they’d been played by a three year-old. ‘3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds’ is a great name for a song. I imagine that the only type of vehicle capable of doing that is a Jefferson Airplane. Unfortunately, the track didn’t live up to the name. Overall… disappointing.

This album brings back a lot of memories. Hadn’t listened to it for many years before today but it’s just as good, if not better, than I remember. Such a cool sound. (Although almost undoubtedly too cool for me). There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a true classic. There’s nothing else quite like it. But is it a 4 or a 5? So hard. Midway through the record I was thinking 4, but then the final track is so good that it tipped the balance. Life’s too short to be hypercritical. 5 stars!

Jimi the man and the musician is a clear 5 out of 5 for me (in fact, I’d probably give him a 6). But I guess we’re judging the album, not the man, and I don’t think the album is worth a 5. There’s too much dross in there. But there’s also some beautiful bluesy soul grooves played in the way only Jimi can play. These three guys make such a unique and mesmerising sound that I could happily listen to this album any day, all day, over and over again. Jimi H. What a fucking legend.

Not into hip hop at all, but somehow I got hooked on this as a teenager and it became a big part of my life. I can still remember every single lyric to Gimme The Loot after all these years. If only you could see me - there’s something about a greying, middle aged white man rapping that song from start to finish that really has to be seen to be appreciated. I feel like Ive been giving too many 5 star ratings recently, but this one is non-negotiable.