1001 Albums Journey

3,5/5 When enjoyable, the songs where great at best, but nothing really special. Songs like Airbag and Paranoid Android had some decent and imaginative riffs, but they just don’t raise the quality enough to justify the albums runtime and less interesting and quite boring softer ballads. Though Karma Police and The Tourist where obvious highlight regarding the ballads.

4/5 2112 is truly a landmark in prog rock and a true masterpiece. Sadly that only fits the a-side. The b-side of 2112 truly drags with boring and uninspired ballads. Luckily the threesome didn’t waste all of the b-side with uninspired material. Among the title track are Rush classics like A Passage To Bangkok and Something For Nothing, which only leaves me wondering why they didn’t play into their strengths for the full 38 minutes.

3/1001 Nothing bad about this album, I’m just not the right audience. For me it’s a bit to experimental as one of my first forays into jazz, and tbh it’s a bit boring. I get why people might appreciate it though. Great musicianship, fantastic production and sound. Just not for me. 3/5

The music isn’t bad, it’s just another case of it not being made for me. The obvious highlight is Respect and the record never really reaches that same high again. The only other song to really pique my interest were Save Me. 3/5

5/1001 Automatic For The People is a boring and at times uninspired album with a lot of songs just kinda blending together to create a sense of nothingness. When it shines, it shines bright though with obvious rock radio classics like Everybody Hurts and Man On The Moon. But again the rest of the album is made up of inferior versions of basically the same songs. The only songs who really manages to escape the pitfalls of the others are The Sidewinders Sleeps Tonight and Ignoreland by mixing up the pretty basic formula of the rest of the album with interesting vocal melodies or added distortion. 2,5/5 I relistened to it, and though most of my original thoughts still hold true, the rest of the album isn’t as bad as I initially thought, so I numbed it half a rating up. 3/5

6/1001 Fantastic album. The brightest star is of course Janis Joplin, whos iconic coarse voice takes center stage whenever it is present. The rhythm section is tight with great musicianship all around, but especially the guitarist stands out with great riffs and solos throughout. Combining it with Joplin?s soulful vocals makes this one great blues record. 4/5

7/1001 The Boss’ breakthrough, but more importantly his happy album. Born To Run is straight up a hoot from start to finish. The album starts pretty chill with Thunder Road, which also sets the mood for the whole affair pretty decently. Bruce Springsteen made a party album of fun, intelligent and bombastic songs, who all flow together with one single musical identity without straying to far from said identity. The album culminates with the grandiose Jungleland, which fits Born To Run to perfection. The album lacks any sort of standout track - the closest being the title track - but that, I would argue, is a testament to the sheer quality on display. The only dip in quality would probably have to be Meeting Across the River, but it’s nonetheless still an excellent song. Not a bad way to start the new year with one of my favourite Bruce Springsteen albums. 5/5

8/1001 Damaged is a very interesting album with some, at times, very shoddy production. Since getting properly into prog and latter doom the shorter songs, which are a hallmark of punk and even more so hardcore, made it hard for me to differentiate and appreciate it. Damaged is both instrumentally and vocally a great album with loads of fast and aggressive songs. Where it lacks, in my opinion, is when the production becomes too unpolished, which takes away some of the quality of Henry Rollins voice. One song I would like to highlight is Damaged I, which to me seem like an almost proto sludge song, and I’ve never heard it being spoken of like the b-side of My War. I just found that pretty interesting. 3,5/5

9/1001 The album started out really funky and enjoyable I must say. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of a good chunk of the material. Of course some of the songs got a bit repetitive or forgettable, but when they were on point it was a great listen. Especially Assassin, which I think had a really great riff. 3,5/5

10/1001 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a really perplexing album. Over 90 minutes long and a great and quite imaginative concept, sadly however, it’s way too ambitious. Listening to the first LP was pretty good, and the music definitely held its own in comparison to its ambitions. The second LP though, not so much. Most of it fell flat and blended together until the last few songs on the d-side. I kinda get why people started disliking the pretentiousness of prog in the mid to late 70s. And at over 90 minutes as already mentioned it really is pretentious and self indulgent. That doesn’t mean it’s bad per se. Most of the first half was still very good. 3,5/5

11/1001 2015 seems to me more like a collection of songs rather than a coherent album. It lacks an identity that’s not just Adele’s voice, however impressive it is I may say. Apart from Hello and When We Were Young there really isn’t much else to this album. I came into this with pre established biases towards pop music, and though I should be open to have those biases challenged, this just wasn’t it. It really is a boring and bland pop album. 2/5

12/1001 Wild Is The Wind starts of very strong with a great bluesy track in I Love Your Lovin’ Way. Sadly I would say it fails to deliver on its early promises, when it turns into a jazz record. Still it’s not without its moments with songs like Wild Is The Wind and Four Women being the obvious standouts alongside the album opener. 3/5

13/1001 The Next Day is at its core a nostalgic album. At times it songs like songs like Love Is Lost and Dirty Boys could be taken straight out of his Thin White Duke era, while Valentin’s Day is pure 70s glam. Other stuff adds a lot of Bowie’s post 80s pop sensibility to the album. However I think that kinda detracts from the interesting mix of all of his 70s sounds. (You Will) Set The World On Fire is probably the albums most interesting cut. With its almost Fripian-esque riffage combined with the bright production makes this track work incredibly well. 4/5

14/1001 This is quite an interesting little album with a great variety within it track list from sombre ballads to fun rockabilly-country so. I’ve always been a fan of the classic 50s - 70s period of country music ever since I first heard about Johnny Cash, and though Buck Owens is quite different in his style and approach I’m impressed by his range. The obvious standouts are the title track (which I must admit is a bad album opener considering the tone of most of the album), Trouble and Me and Streets of Laredo. The latter of these showcasing Owens’ lower register, which is really pleasant to hear. 3,5/5

15/1001 I would consider myself a pretty big fan of the American folk and folk rock sound, and I’m therefore hugely disappointed that I’ve never heard of British folk-rock. Unhalfbricking was apparently the album, where Fairport Convention started to incorporate more British folk into their sound, and I really love it. The mix of it all is just pleasant and delightful to listen to. Though the A-side has some great tracks like the opener and A Sailor’s Life, the B-side is really where the album goes from good to great. Featuring a variety of more traditional folk tracks and electric ones, it’s most interesting moment is their almost Grateful Dead-esque jam on the traditional A Sailor’s Life. While Cajun Woman kicks off the B-side in electric fashion owing a great deal of its sound to Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, while incorporating more traditional folk instrumentation into the mix, making for one hell of a song. Overall this is a phenomenal album, that I’m glad I got to know. 4,5/5

16/1001 Besides the two first songs, this albums really doesn’t do anything. From start to finish it’s just a boring listen with a mix of different genres and influences. Not much to really say about this one 2/5

17/1001 Red Headed Stranger as a concept is quite interesting, and although it consists of a lot of individually decent songs the idea of repeat motifs kinda detracts from the A-sides quality. The B-side is more so where it gets interesting with more songs of traditional nature mixed in with a few instrumentals, it makes for a decent and warm listening. Though I would say the highs of the B-side never matches those of Time of the Preacher and Red Headed Stranger on the A-side. 3,5/5

18/1001 I’m honestly at a loss for words with this record. I only know of Dr. John from Right Place Wrong Time, while thks is some trippy music, even for me and my favourite genre is stoner doom, but I kinda dig it. My biggest gripe with the album is the production. The music is good, and so is the vocals, but the mix just sounds weird. The vocals sounds almost like it’s peaking making it feel out of place, which is a bit off putting, but not in the way that the music is off putting. That’s, however, not to say the music isn’t off putting in a good way, it’s voodoo vibe sound scary and mystic in an imaginative way playing across the boundaries of rock. Jump Sturdy is the album’s most straightforward song (also the only song, where Dr. John’s vocals sounds mixed correctly), and is much more in line with the funk of Right Place Wrong Time, and I think it gives the album a nice place to breathe before the climax of the seven and a half minutes long I Walk on Guilded Splinters. 4/5

19/1001 This is a very different listen to what I’m usually into. I’ve never really been much of a fan of goth or post punk, but there is some great moments of the album. I really dig Play For Today and A Forest, especially the ending where the drums are just beating by themselves. I think the atmospheric elements of the album really added to the overall experience of the album even though I’m not much of a fan of the vocal style in general. I would say this is a pretty good album even if I don’t think it has any amazing songs, it pretty much lacks any complete duds aswell. 3,5/5

20/1001 At Fillmore East is without a doubt the pinnacle of the Allman Brothers Band’s career. Consisting of 7 songs recorded live at the Fillmore East, with a good chunk of the set being unreleased tracks like Statesboro Blues, while the previously released tracks like In Memory of Elizabeth Reed or Whipping Post are extended jams allowing the band room to breath. Of course the extended jams can at times drag on a bit, though the high level of musicianship by the band generally makes sure that they avoid such blemishes, and they always seems to have a guitar or organ solo in the back pocket to spice things up whenever they drag on for a bit too long. Where they lose their focus a bit is on Hot ‘Lanta, which compared to the rest of the material is just a bit uninteresting, and is in desperate need of some lyrics to keep my retention. There is a reason why this is regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time, songs like Statesboro Blues, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed and Stormy Monday as well as the always exceptional Whipping Post are definitely the real deal and some of the greatest guitar songs ever. It’s also worth pointing out, this is acquired taste, where you need to be in the right mood and have the time to listen to some of these behemoths of tracks. 4,5/5

21/1001 Getting the obvious out of the way, California Dreamin’ is one of the greatest folk rock songs ever and the rest of the album sadly doesn’t hold a candle to its quality and warmth. Now that’s not to say the rest is bad. Far from it Straighter Shooter is a wonderfully uptempo song with a great guitar riff, and in a similar vein is Somebody Groovy. Monday, Monday is another great song. Simple and mellow and it just works. Apart from a few other songs, there sadly isn’t much else to write home about. Some uninteresting attempts, leaving the rest a bit disappointing. 3,5/5

22/1001 This is really interesting, while the glam rock influences are obvious and inspire some great tunes, their britpop origins aren’t forgotten, an example being I’m A Man consisting of almost stereotypical britpop riffing and guitar tone, which fits so well with the glam rock. I think the highlight of the album is the title track itself. The intro until the vocals start is brilliant and it’s slow crescendo just works. 4/5

23/1001 Jesus this record was bad. Like really boring and basic pop music bad. Wanted to stop listening after only a few songs but I persevered, sadly it didn’t get any better. 1,5/5

24/1001 This album has a lot of merit. The songs throughout sounds interesting and creative without blending together. It’s strongest aspect is without a doubt the riffs, which are great most tracks, especially highlighted on Natural Goods. The vocals I think are a bit hit or miss. On some songs they add character and work, while on others they just feel out of place. 4/5

24/1001 I don’t really know what to say, it wasn’t my kind of music, it just sounded like repetitive noise, which I know is a bit rich coming from someone who dabbles in drone from time to time. The first few songs where actually decent enough, but by the time they got vocalists involved it just fell apart. Nothing worthwhile really. 2/5

26/1001 Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain kicks off with the band’s and most likely all of early funk rock’s greatest achievement, Maggot Brain. The brainchild and magnum opus of guitarist Eddie Hazel, who was told by band leader George Clinton, to play like his mother had died, and well the rest is history. Hazel played arguably one of the most emotional, expressive and greatest guitar solos of all time. rAfter the somber title track the album picks up the pace with a more typical funk sound with a more bass focused sound for the remainder of the A-side. For the start of the B-side Hazel once again steals the shows with his impressive guitar chops on the wonderfully psychedelic Super Stupid. Back In Our Minds, however, is sadly quite bad. It features a great beat, but the experimental nature of the song, just doesn’t work, and it’s easily the album’s weakest track. The final track, Wars Of Armageddon, is a trippy jam, which is a bit inconsistent. It features a snippet of Maggot Brain and at times gets going, but it’s filled with too many samples of random noises and sound effects, which ruins an otherwise decent jam. 4/5

27/1001 Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut album is such a pleasant listen. It’s combination of folk and rock is truly inspired with classics such as Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and Helplessly Hoping clinging to the more folksy end of the spectrum, while outstanding tracks like Long Time Gone and Wooden Ships let’s the guitar be more in focus, it just mixes and combines so well. 4/5

28/1001 This is a weird record, on one hand it’s obvious she’s talented, but on the other it just seems more like elevator or background music at a restaurant. Nothing really memorable and the songs and album dragged on for way too long. Really not my kinda jam. 2,5/5

29/1001 Time Out Of Mind is an album far removed from 60s and 70s Dylan, nowhere to be seen is the folk, country and rock, which played such a fundamental role in establishing him as the voice of a generation. Here is a much more mellow blues album quite different from anything before it. It’s a solid and well made even though the middle part and the ballads are a bit boring, but Love Sick and especially Cold Irons Bound are great songs. The rating on this one is a bit more cautious. 3,5/5

30/1001 An entire album consisting of pretty much only classic Chicago blues standards is a wonderful idea. The standouts are the obvious songs like I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man and I’ve Got My Mojo Working, while Goodbye Newport Blues is a surprisingly fitting bookend to the record. I also think Waters is brilliant with his interaction with the audience, before heading back for a part two of Got My Mojo Working. 4/5

31/1001 Since I didn’t grow up with Celtic folk music there really isn’t anything, which makes this particularly noteworthy or interesting. Yeah the songs are decent and catchy, but nothing really special. 2,5/5

32/1001 So Much For The City seems like a fine indierock/pop record, but without much character or charm to it. Honestly, just a bit too lo-fi and underbaked. The best track was ‘Til The Tide Creeps In, giving of a bit of the same vibe as Izzy Stradlin’s Shuffle It All, just wildly inferior. Sadly, there really isn’t much else going on here. 2,5/5

33/1001 Nick Drake’s Pink Moon feels very much like an unfinished and unpolished demo ready for a full recording session, which reading up on it, it sounds like it was the intention. A few of the songs like Things Behind the Sun, Parasite and From the Morning seem complete, while Free Ride seems close to completion, however, most of the rest of the album just misses something from the production. Some of the songs are decent and work in theory, but just lacks in execution, leaving me a bit disappointed. 3/5

34/1001 Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On might be one of soul’s most seminal albums, and it’s importance for later developments can’t be understated. Sometimes influential doesn’t mean great, however, this isn’t one of those times. What’s going on is an incredibly interesting concept album, with each and every song seamlessly flowing into one another, creating a rather cohesive piece of music rather than individual songs. The album opens with arguably Gaye’s best and most iconic song, What’s Going On. The album flows and ebbs with a chill mood throughout. Other highlights include Mercy Mercy Me, the ambitious Right On and Inner City Blues, which smartly concludes the album with a sample of the opening track. 4/5

35/1001 Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps consist of two vastly different halves. The A-side consists of live acoustic folk and country tunes, while the B-side is electric and heavily distorted rock songs recorded in the studio. The album opens and closes with the stellar two parter of My My, Hey Hey(Out of the Blue)/Hey Hey, My My(Into the Black). Hey hey, My My is probably the albums most defining moment featuring one of Young’s greatest and most memorable riffs. In general the B-side is very guitar-centric. Even the more mellow Powderfinger is driven by a fantastic riff. The A-sides quality is not as high, as the B-sides, though, the opener, Thrasher and Sail Away are all wonderful songs with different qualities. 5/5