1001 Albums Summary

Absolutely essential and ground breaking guitar pop

Huge album that filled America post punk and Indy scene of the 80’s (thank god!)

This album is where REM jumped the shark for me. It’s arena, rock disguised as jangle pop… Really feel they lost their way as an underground band. I hear so much of Scott Litt in the sound, to the point where it’s in distinguishable from the songs. Were they intentionally going for a popular audience here? Or were they the victims of a studio system that knew they had something with these guys? In either case aside from a few songs that I do enjoy, this is one that never gets played, by a huge REM fan. “ disturbance at the Heron house” “Welcome to the Occupation” and their cover of “Strange” are deserving. But I’d love to hear them produced differently

Heard this for the first time (lol). Not bad!

CCR’s albums function better as a collection of songs. Settling aside the fabrication of their connection to US South / Bayou, this is one of thier better albums. Some strong material overcomes their issues as a limited singles band.

Just kind of bland easy listening music. Neither jazzy enough or rock enough to really hit for me.

Fantastic record, his best work as a solo artist. Thematically variety of song and honesty passion of his delivery is remarkable….the man had his demons.

How can you not love a record containing some of the best soul singing of all time backed by Booker T the MGs and Isaac Hayes ? It’s pretty much as awesome as advertised.

Really enjoyable blue eyed soul, with a number of great tracks. Not iconic for me though.

There are many devoted Rush fans in Canada about my age. Then there’s me.

There are many devoted Rush fans in Canada about my age. Then there’s me.

A favourite of mine from the turn of the century, very appealing mix of intimate folk and groovy melodic pop. The faux lofi is charming and effective. Indirectly songs are strong but best absorbed as an entire album. 4.5

Their rock era - sure, sophisticated but still more rooted in harmonic structures that are much less jazzy - is still their apotheosis in my view. The quality of song and performance is extremely high. The playing is of course top notch, and David Palmer’s gorgeous vocal on Dirty Work hints at what might have been.

Sometimes dismissed as a collection of blues standards reworked by Page, for me this is their most vital record, the band sounding powerful, cohesive and muscular, the production a big step up from LZ I, with hints of late blues psych. Bonham reinvents rock drumming here, Plant is brilliant (it would be a few albums before he began to grate). phenomenal stuff.