1001 Albums Summary

A tough one for Karaoke...

If only he'd been a better swimmer...

Great album from the godfathers of Two Tone - a couple of iconic tracks, Message to you Rudy and Too Much to Young. Ghost Town, later that year was their very best though.

Stunning for a debut album, definitely their best. Captured a moment in time that became Indie Sleaze. #GlasgowBand

Not his best work. After the album finished and Spotify moved on to related tracks it improved!

Pretty impressive for a debut album. Sultans of Swing is an all time classic.

Superb. Could listen to this all day.

Brilliant, old school rock at it's very best.

Background music.

Great debut album, I ignored it at the time as I was still in mourning for Nirvana... I should have listened to it at the time!

Compulsive listening. The late 80s answer to: Too Many Protest Singers, Not Enough Protest Songs

Woof woof woof!

I'm sure my mum had this album.

Magnificent! Supermassive guitars.

Loved the funky George Clinton stuff at the beginning.

The love child of Serge Gainsbourg and Kraftwerk, the father of Daft Punk. What's not to fall in love with?

Sublime!

Glam rock super stars. Gone too soon - wear a seatbelt kids.

Derivative, generic Britpop.

Nicht wirklich mein fall.

Mellow, ambient drum and bass today. Perfect for sticking on in the background while working.

Funkiest guitar this side of Jimi Hendrix

Is it possible to give 6 stars? Possibly the most perfect album ever, it has become a meme for success. "Just like Rumours, every one a hit".

Very listenable, but not particularly inspiring.

Majestic

Lovely, chilled bluesy rock.

There are two or three icon tracks on there, but not much else to really grip me.

Invented Post-Punk before Punk had really gotten started.

Sharp!

It's worth translating the lyrics - there's a depth to them.

Drug-addled psychedelic guitar trance, with a side of Jesus.

Who doesn't like a bit of Nu Metal?

The definitive collection of East Coast Gansta Rap cliches.

A coming of age album, not just for the Clash but for the whole Punk scene.

Original funk and soul - I had never heard this one before. The centrepiece 10 minute long The World is a Ghetto is worth 4 stars on it's own.

If Tom Waits' ancestors had been transported to Australia...

Sitar hero!

Her earlier output had a bit of an edge, which is missing here. More mature yes, but less entertaining.

The definition of Grunge. Probably the most important and influential album of the 90s.

Not enough songs about buses.

Drum and Bass, and Sitar!

Merry Xmas, peace and love to everyone. Except Phil Spector, he's on Santa's Naughty List.

The Icelandic cousins of the Cocteau Twins, happily making up their own dream pop language as they go.

A surprise 5 star review for me - I'd only heard his later stuff when he became known as the godfather of grunge. Turns out that he was the godfather of folk rock 20 years earlier. I listened to this 4 times in a row today!

Didn't do anything for me.

No Woman, No Cry is the standout track here.

Emmylou had me falling in love with both types of music, country and western.

Never mind the Magazine.

Polly Jean Harvey telling us how it is.

Disco superstars!

Kate Bush made a lot of iconic songs, none of which are on this album...

Indie Sleaze at its finest.

It's not Exodus...

Covers and remixes.

Sweet Emotion and Walk this Way are stone cold rock classics, even without Run DMC! Still plenty of bluesy rock on there too.

Half Blondie, half Nirvana makes for a record that was much bigger than the Britpop label it got stuck with.

Lovely, could do with more taxi content.

I don't think Rikki ever did call back...

The title track is a masterpiece, as is Southern Man.

Social commentary with a side order of Salsa.

Funky drummers!

The Weight carries this album.

Funky Scottish Reggae, who knew?

Feels like an album of outtakes from Kid A.

I think that I'd prefer it without the autotune.

Simple, unadorned brilliance.

Indie punk disco, yeah?

Slicin' up eyeballs.

Everyone just wants to have fun!

A recording that towers above it's contemporaries to the extent that it becomes the landscape against which everything that came afterwards is set.

Kitchen sink Britpop for the common people.

Psychedelic folk rock, reminded me of the Flaming Lips.

If They Might be Giants wrote songs for Pavement... ...OK I wrote that before I found out that half of these guys were in Pavement. That just makes it more true!

I can't believe that this album is more than 20 years old, and no-one learned the lessons they were preaching.

The definitive collection of West Coast Gansta Rap cliches.

Crazy Horse bringing the rock to Neil Young's folk, the start of a beautiful relationship.

How is that pronounced?

The American Beatle!

Post punk garage rock.

Early millennial synth pop.

Some Killer, some filler.

Viva Brasil!

Old skool!

Woo Hoo! Blur accidentally wrote the best UK grunge track ever while trying to distance themselves from the Britpop scene and get back to the raw energy of the band I first saw supporting The Jesus and Mary Chain in '92.

Extraplanetary funk.

According to the man himself this was "the work of a lazy, self-indulgent man". I can't disagree. The Next cover has neither the depth of the original Jacques Brel version, nor the flamboyant theatricality of the Sensation Alex Harvey Band's rendition. His later work e.g. The Old Man's Back Again and The Electrician had some social and political teeth, this cover seems like a missed opportunity, or maybe it was just too subtle for me.

Roxy Music were a different band on those first two albums, more Eno and less Ferry, which sounds like a good thing... but I don't think the band was big enough for both of them.

Alternative hip hop at it's best.

Surely the most requested live song of all time? FREE BIRD!

I'd completely forgotten about this band - they were right there along with Pavement and Dinosaur Jr as the mellower end of grunge evolved.

Who knew that Finlay Quaye's nephew was that dude from Massive Attack? Loved Black Steel when I heard it on one of the NME Single of the week compilation CDs. There was a bit of biting that Isaac Hayes sample from Portishead though...

Gone far too young.

Miles goes electric!

Santana meets Black Eyed Peas meets the Beastie Boys! ¿Donde esta la after-party?

Utterly sublime.

My least favourite artist of the 90s.

Fairly bland, sounded like an album of 70s TV theme tunes.

The Welsh Teenage Fan Club!

A bit if early new wave, just what I needed!

Afro cuban jazz, what's not to like?

2nd day in a row of Latin jazz.

Hugely influential and prolifically successful. Sounds great and still fresh 20+ years later. This was a real kick to what was becoming a tame indie (landfill) scene.

21st Century Country girl.

Wonderful songwriting.

Continuing a long line of civil right protest music into the 2020s and the BLM movement. Start A Universal Love Trend!

Meh

A true masterpiece, some of the best songs written and performed in history.

I preferred the later stuff.

Gin and juice is a classic combination.

Luring disco dollys to a life of vice!

Psychedelic funk and more again!

I do like a bit of Brazilian death metal.

The American Teenage Fanclub!

Masterful blues rock.

"one of the most pretentious albums ever released"

Rough and raw compared to later work, but listening to Beastie Boys albums is literally listening to them grow and mature. This first album is pure youth and energy!

Teenage Fanclub are one of my very favourite bands of all time. Teenage Fanclub are basically a Big Star tribute act - hence 5 stars for the OG.

A gift for womankind... hasn't aged well. The musical equivalent of the saucy postcards they sell at the end of the pier.

I've got a whole lotta love for this one!

Elvis getting back to his country roots.

Brian Wilson really was a genius.

North American dance-punk revival!

Lauryn Hill's voice brings this album up.

Let me raise a Cuba Libra in toast!

F**k you I won't do what you tell me. Too many protest singers, Not enough protest songs.

So, it turns out that Orbital and The Orb were actually different bands. Who knew?

Outstanding contribution to road crossing safety.

I had 2 hours lifting weights scheduled today, a bit of thrash metal was the perfect accompaniment.

3rd in my list of DM albums!

One and done - Lauryn made what is probably the best female solo hip hop album of the 90s, dropped the mike and walked away.

Those Swiss guys sound really angry about something!

Sympathy for the Devil and Street Fighting Man alone are almost enough to give this an automatic 5 stars. Almost!

Scottish Bowie cover band...

Bossing it.

Every day is an old school day.

Beatles tribute act.

A strong and bold move away from being another Motown studio band.

Mellow summer tunes.

Solid debut album.

Serves as an precursor to Bowie's Berlin, getting towards Peak Bowie.

Best fag paper related album so far... Also, who doesn't like a lyric about a nice shed?

Riot grrrl!

The black album, nothing else matters!

Afrofuturism!

Middle of the road 70s.pop.

"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine." A strong opening declaration!

The seed of the Bad Seeds.

Who hasn't had it in the ear before?

I wish for a succotash as a supper dish.

Pure jazz.

You can't hang a man for killin' a woman who's tryin' to steal your horse.

Only got 3 stars because they snuck on the Mrs Robinson cover.

Red Alert!

Covering both types of music: country and western...

Sounds like a Canadian Ledd Zep cover band...

Well worth another listen, a Jonie Mitchell for the 90s.

The album cover that launched many a face painter's career!

The earlier the better for MJ's musical output.

Despite being a reasonably big fan I'd not listened to Sonic Youth pre the excellent Daydream Nation album. The earlier stuff is really good! Sonic Youth playing Glasgow Barrowlands 1992 was one of the best ever gigs I've been to.

After a decade of messing around, U2 finally came up with a successor half worthy to follow Joshua Tree.

Another American Teenage Fanclub!

Peak Indie Sleaze.

I never knew what Belinda Carlisle did before her solo career. I much prefer this!

Still don't know what a Buffalo Stance is...

Fight the power! Old school hip hop putting the civil rights front and centre.

Inoffensive.

#GlasgowBand

Live blues, some serious foot tapping happening here.

Funky!

Psychedelia so good that they named the band twice.

Wonderful!

Sublime!

Charming.

Sounds like a live album .

Purille lyrics again.

Led Zep VI, a little bloated, some tracks could have been culled. Kashmir and Black Country Woman are outstanding though.

I can't accept Grime. We need Jungle, I'm afraid.

Just the Queen of Soul taking care of business.

Peak 90s Chili Peppers.

I remember being excited when this came out, but in the end it mostly sounds like a Damon Alburn side project.

Hare, Hare, Hare Krishna! An unexpectedly great debut album from one the least talented Beatles - on paper at least.

Eddie shreds! Who else has a whole track consisting of just guitar solo?

Mediocre.

The most amazing guitar blues!

The Byrd has flown the nest.

Gave me a reason to love trip hop.

Indie landfill.

I love the fact that the original lyrics was "Aaa, fuck off", aimed at the Studio 54 bouncers.

Pretty depressingly lyriced folk music.

Probably the greatest guitarist of all time, claimed by the 27 club, alas.

An album so good that I remember stealing it from my big sis..

I would have rated it higher, but saturation coverage at the time of release gave me Coldplay fatigue!

The man in black standing up for the poor, the hungry and those who have served their time.

Some amusing lyrics, but pretty bland musically.

Late night music for when the lights are dimmed...

Did I click on a Radiohead album by mistake?

I'm in with the in crowd.

Today I learnt that Bowie's Wild is the Wind was a Nina Simone cover!

From Wikipedia: The vocals to "Sacred Love" were recorded over the phone from the prison where H.R. was serving time on a marijuana distribution charge. 100% Punk.

Not bad on a broken piano!

Correct spotify link is: https://open.spotify.com/album/1uXol4dKqzMsUiqvHpwhZh?si=JWVvC4KzQt6cxxomCGaTKA

I thought I'd never heard a Shuggie Otis song until Strawberry Letter 23 came on and I got Jackie Brown flashbacks. Shuggie should have let Quincy Jones produce that in the first place!

An early example of Russian interference as Little Richard apparently mistook Sputnik burning through the sky as a sign from god and turned his back on rock and roll for the next 5 years...

The king.

How did i miss this band in 2001? They're practically local to me! Anyway a Scottish version of Flaming Lips or Beck. Fabulous!

The Anti Beatles! Spotify link doesn't work - try this instead: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8F5DB6F54A8ACB74&si=JXu612PLpBkE4df0

Definitive brit pop which defined the genre and a generation. I'd been a fan since the demo version of Cigarettes and Alcohol featured on a NME freebie cassette earlier in '94.

Bringing old school.back for the new millennium - and late night shows!

A one man musical genius.

More genre hopping from the hard to pin down Bobby Gillespie. Sidenote: the Irvine Welsh directed the video for Kowalski might actually be better than Quentin Tarrantino's Death Proof as a Vanishing Point remake... #GlasgowBand

4 starts for Mr Blue Sky alone!

Hey, Kool Thing, come here Sit down beside me There's something I got to ask you I just wanna know, what are you gonna do for me? I mean, are you gonna liberate us girls From male white corporate oppression? Also, Milky Cereal is probably the worst hip hop track ever written!

Too long!

Tiny Dancer is the standout track, the rest has been described as mediocre.

Today I learnt that Black Magic Woman was a Fleetwood Mac Cover!

Epic!

It was a good day for old school West coast rap.

2/50

Then original Riot Grrl.

Poetry!

Guitar blues rock at it's finest.

I'd forgotten about the Anthrax colab - awesome!

Hmm, grown-up ABBA aren't as much fun as the younger version.

This one passed me by in 1996 - I wish it hadn't! Also, doesn't seem to have aged at all in 30 years.

What a debut!

Youtube link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m_OqnkSt68qy9R7vx7BkUnZPI4Z1zp3XI&si=UCnjlOiR_rwdZsF_ Pretty bland, wrong Pete Townsend...

Ah, Woodie Guthrie. I didn't read that until after I listened. I know understood why Woody didn't record these songs...

Smokin'

One hit wonder.

Brilliant.

No merit.

Electric!

Peak Dylan. Straddling his transition from folk to folk rock. I would award 6 stars if I could.

Hardcore Punk Jazz, sounded exactly as chaotic as it sounds...

The single album that changed everything for me as a teenager!

Trivia Note: I started my first graduate job witH British Telecom back in '96. Among the half dozen other graduates starting in the same office that year was a guy called Blair. Blair was the keyboard player for the Commotions! He had dropped out of uni to chase fame and fortune and spent a few years on the rock star circuit. He then settled down, got married went back to uni and there he was starting alongside me at BT... Very nice bloke.

Deat god!

Bodhisattva: On the path to becoming fully enlightened!

A low profile start to the Berlin trilogy.

Absolute genius - this version also includes Hang On To Your Ego, my favourite Beach Boys song of all time.

Absolutely the finest French EDM duo who don't wear helmets!

No matter how old you are, this is your mum's favourite album. ;-)

Lightweight pop.

As a huge Spaceman 3 fan, how can I not love Spiritualized?

Tragically young.

I'd only ever listened to the clean, radio edit versions of these songs. these ones are much more entertaining. Note, I had Janis Joplin yesterday - I wonder if I'm on a 27 Club theme? Hendrix, Doors or Nirvana tomorrow?

Didn't do anything for me.

Sounds just like the White Stripes without Meg's drumming and vocals!

Jazz funk fusion? Yes please!

Peak AC/DC!

Definitely in the top 3 CCR albums.

Apparently Todd was experimenting with psychedelic drugs at the time of recording... no shit!

Correct spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/152R8N9N0ACnWPNOBIO4M8?si=2vsKouiCSJ2MsNd5kyInYw&utm_source=copy-link

A quarter of a supergroup is still super!

The album that launched Branson, eventually into space...

More than just one track!

A pretty impressive debut for a 19 year old!

I do like Nick Cave, but I was spoiled by hearing the Kylie duet and now nothing else compares. Then I heard the Polly Harvey duet... On second thoughts, Into My Arms and Red Right Hand are also great songs. Unfortunately not on this album.

California Dreamin' is the standout track here - not sure the others are as memorable.

Still fresh and more in your face than I remembered.

A Beatles cover band?

Punk from the 90s when everyone else was doing grunge!

I have to admit that I had never really paid attention to the story line of this album before. Having spent a lot of today doing a deep dive into Pink and his wall, this is simply stunning.

I was expecting to give this 5 stars... but I found it a bit disjointed.

The third Rock Opera this week. This one is pure horror though!