1001 Albums Summary

Diamond Life by Sade

At first you’re cynical and presume this is one of those jazzy 80s things with a bass player with his axe strapped up too far, but it doesn’t take long to succumb to the quality of the first three tracks. Five of these songs are very familiar radio hits; the close listening on headphones reveals lovely double tracked harmonies and very slick percussion. Still loungey and not really my thing, but her voice is beautiful and the whole thing is perfectly realised. Some filler on Side Two, where you don’t realise the time has gone but you’re on to the final track. Highlight: Your Love is King, and the really patient build to the vocal on Why Can’t We Live Together? Low points: Sweet as Cherry Pie and the line about sticking together hand in glove.

Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz

Tasteful. Clear to see why it’s a classic. Lots of room in the mix and swagger in the band. Getz plays sax in an effortless series of phrases and the vocals are chilled and a little exotic. In keeping with yesterday’s Sadé, this is something to hear at a dinner where the wine is better than the risotto and you’re hoping for a big dessert to make up for the fact that the starter was soup. Lovely, but really, really tasteful.

1984 by Van Halen

On which the band tries synths and sounds like every other 80s rock except for the guitar, which is amazing but frequently shoehorned in, and Dave’s characteristic swagger, which is mainly incoherent. Their first record is ten million times better, but Jump and Panama are terrific and the rest? Not so much.

Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses

A whole lot of record. At its worst it’s a little Crue-ish but the guitar reminds me of the Pistols now and again and I love it when Paradise City ends and you realise it’s still only half way through. I never bother with the last two tracks, but this is a real classic.

Jazz Samba by Stan Getz

Dusty In Memphis by Dusty Springfield

White Light / White Heat by The Velvet Underground

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde by The Pharcyde

Nick Of Time by Bonnie Raitt

Very tasteful, with that VH1 sheen, but the songs and the singing are impressive .

The Fat Of The Land by The Prodigy

Coles Corner by Richard Hawley

Electric Music For The Mind And Body by Country Joe & The Fish

Exodus by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Takes a little while to get going but has several moments of greatness.

Psychocandy by The Jesus And Mary Chain

Far romantic than anyone would admit at the time, this is also a great, cool, noisy album and it contains Taste The Floor, one of the truly great tracks, like, ever.

Mott by Mott The Hoople

Surf's Up by The Beach Boys

Bayou Country by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) by The Kinks

Odelay by Beck

LP1 by FKA twigs

Yeezus by Kanye West

First Band On The Moon by The Cardigans

Funeral by Arcade Fire

Tres Hombres by ZZ Top

Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams

More Songs About Buildings And Food by Talking Heads

So by Peter Gabriel

Rhythm Nation 1814 by Janet Jackson

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx by Raekwon

White Blood Cells by The White Stripes

Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers

Nope, not good.

Hot Shots II by The Beta Band

Thriller by Michael Jackson

On The Beach by Neil Young

Calenture by The Triffids

Definitely Maybe by Oasis

Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan

Licensed To Ill by Beastie Boys

Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices

Bone Machine by Tom Waits

Nixon by Lambchop

Konnichiwa by Skepta

Transformer by Lou Reed

New Boots And Panties by Ian Dury

Fragile by Yes

Tarkus by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek & The Dominos

Antichrist Superstar by Marilyn Manson

Queens of the Stone Age by Queens Of The Stone Age

Feast of Wire by Calexico

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea by PJ Harvey

Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan

Illinois by Sufjan Stevens

A Love Supreme by John Coltrane

Cut by The Slits

Document by R.E.M.

Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Dummy by Portishead

American Beauty by Grateful Dead

Aqualung by Jethro Tull

O.G. Original Gangster by Ice T

Virgin Suicides by Air

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret by Soft Cell

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

Ellington at Newport by Duke Ellington

Moondance by Van Morrison

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69) by Ministry

Djam Leelii by Baaba Maal

American Gothic by David Ackles

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers

BEYONCÉ by Beyoncé

Buena Vista Social Club by Buena Vista Social Club

Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan

Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings

Purple Rain by Prince

Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin

Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company

The White Album by Beatles

Heaven Or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins

This Is Hardcore by Pulp

Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson

The Band by The Band

Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert) by Bob Dylan

The streaming version cuts out the booing, which is the point. This is superb: the inexplicable nature of the booing is essential in our ongoing study of stupidity.

High Violet by The National

Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan

Buffalo Springfield Again by Buffalo Springfield

Roots by Sepultura

Music From Big Pink by The Band

Songs Of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by OutKast

Back In Black by AC/DC

Loses a mark for Let Me Put My Love Into You; otherwise a banger.

Joan Armatrading by Joan Armatrading

Blunderbuss by Jack White

I See You by The xx

Ramones by Ramones

Close To The Edge by Yes

Aladdin Sane by David Bowie

The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground

In The Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra

The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett

Untitled (Black Is) by SAULT

Central Reservation by Beth Orton

...And Justice For All by Metallica

At San Quentin by Johnny Cash

Foxbase Alpha by Saint Etienne

The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden

Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf

Me Against The World by 2Pac

Picture Book by Simply Red

Disintegration by The Cure

Heavy Weather by Weather Report

One Nation Under A Groove by Funkadelic

Peace Sells...But Who's Buying by Megadeth

The Genius Of Ray Charles by Ray Charles

Grace by Jeff Buckley

xx by The xx

Blackstar by David Bowie

The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

Dookie by Green Day

Playing With Fire by Spacemen 3

21 by Adele

Bryter Layter by Nick Drake

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector by Various Artists

Mothership Connection by Parliament

Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel

Station To Station by David Bowie

Architecture And Morality by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Ritual De Lo Habitual by Jane's Addiction

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West

Morrison Hotel by The Doors

Traffic by Traffic

Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis

Amnesiac by Radiohead

Bright Flight by Silver Jews

The Message by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe

Heroes by David Bowie

Rejoicing In The Hands by Devendra Banhart

Urban Hymns by The Verve

Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys

Armed Forces by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Revolver by Beatles

Damaged by Black Flag

We're Only In It For The Money by The Mothers Of Invention

The College Dropout by Kanye West

Arrival by ABBA

Casanova by The Divine Comedy

Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears

Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings of Leon

Aftermath by The Rolling Stones

Slipknot by Slipknot

The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths

Vauxhall And I by Morrissey

The White Room by The KLF

Can't Buy A Thrill by Steely Dan

Rubber Soul by Beatles

Talking Book by Stevie Wonder

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys

Technique by New Order

Vespertine by Björk

The Stranger by Billy Joel

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

The best of this sounds better on Pack Up The Plantation: the studio dates some great songs here.

Melody A.M. by Röyksopp

You Are The Quarry by Morrissey

Marquee Moon by Television

Hejira by Joni Mitchell

The Lexicon Of Love by ABC

Screamadelica by Primal Scream

Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis

Come Find Yourself by Fun Lovin' Criminals

Double Nickels On The Dime by Minutemen

Skylarking by XTC

Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens

In Rainbows by Radiohead

The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem

Surfer Rosa by Pixies

Oedipus Schmoedipus by Barry Adamson

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake by Small Faces

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel

My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello

Kala by M.I.A.

Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

Pyromania by Def Leppard

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Nighthawks At The Diner by Tom Waits

Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies

In Utero by Nirvana

Hunting High And Low by a-ha

3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul

Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev

Ys by Joanna Newsom

Welcome To The Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

Dr. Octagonecologyst by Dr. Octagon

At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash

Superfly by Curtis Mayfield

If I Should Fall From Grace With God by The Pogues

Green by R.E.M.

Giant Steps by The Boo Radleys

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs by Marty Robbins

Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs

Talking Heads 77 by Talking Heads

Seventeen Seconds by The Cure

Peggy Suicide by Julian Cope

The Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett

Paul Simon by Paul Simon

Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield

Da Capo by Love

Violator by Depeche Mode

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes by TV On The Radio

Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout

Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash

Scott 2 by Scott Walker

Country Life by Roxy Music

The Bends by Radiohead

Haunted Dancehall by The Sabres Of Paradise

To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

Made In Japan by Deep Purple

Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk

Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix

Garbage by Garbage

Run-D.M.C. by Run-D.M.C.

Fuzzy Logic by Super Furry Animals

Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes

Gold by Ryan Adams

Reggatta De Blanc by The Police

Hot Fuss by The Killers

Homework by Daft Punk

Murmur by R.E.M.

Meat Is Murder by The Smiths

The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones

Talking With the Taxman About Poetry by Billy Bragg

James Brown Live At The Apollo by James Brown

Ten by Pearl Jam

Bug by Dinosaur Jr.

Gasoline Alley by Rod Stewart

Bitches Brew by Miles Davis

Isn't Anything by My Bloody Valentine

Arc Of A Diver by Steve Winwood

Disraeli Gears by Cream

The Chronic by Dr. Dre

Soul Mining by The The

Raising Hell by Run-D.M.C.

McCartney by Paul McCartney

Eliminator by ZZ Top

The Cars by The Cars

Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin

Suicide by Suicide

Young Americans by David Bowie

Rage Against The Machine by Rage Against The Machine

Nothing's Shocking by Jane's Addiction

Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Spiritualized

Bad by Michael Jackson

Sulk by The Associates

La Revancha Del Tango by Gotan Project

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco

Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo by The Byrds

Dire Straits by Dire Straits

Hunky Dory by David Bowie

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen

The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses

Parklife by Blur