1001 Albums Summary

This took me on a journey! I loved it

Having grown up listening to the Police, it's very hard to be objective about this. Is it my favourite Police album? No; that goes to their debut. Is it still a very consistent, creative and foot-tappingly fun album? Yes. 100%.

Short, bittersweet and twanging of Nashville. This reminded me of both Leonard Cohen and Wilco. The songwriting is equal parts witty and depressing and this seeps into the overall mood of this album. Some songs, such as I Remember Me, Room Games and Diamond Rain, and Tennessee stood out to me. As for the rest, despite clever songwriting and talented musicians, I found the consistent downtempo feel of the album did drag in places. I'm glad to have heard this and will be returning to some of it to listen again.

As one of the albums that got me properly into music, I would be lying if I said that I didn't approach this with some apprehension. It had been a while since I'd listened and the last thing I wanted was to ruin a memory of such an exciting time in my musical memory. I was happily proven wrong. If anything, with more informed political opinions, the dystopian imagery throughout rang truer for me than ever before. By the end of opener Take A Bow, I was 15 again; by the end of the album, I had fallen in love with Muse again. Critics will argue over their best album; is it this or is it Absolution? For me, this is them at their most inspired, demonstrating their best songwriting, best variety and sheer talent of these musicians.

That voice!! Absolutely loved this album. These versions of Change Gonna Come and I’ve Been Loving You Too Long are stunning… but so is the rest

There really isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said about this record. It’s brilliant.

I changed my mind so many times about this album while listening to it. The singles on this album are great and the first four songs get the album off to a great start. Then Catching the Butterfly Comes. It’s a decent song, followed by 3 minutes of guitar solos very similar to the track before it. The short and shoegazey Neon Wilderness is a breath of fresh air before the album threatens to lose me again. My ears perk up at Weeping Willow and I have the pleasure of an incredible run of songs to finish the album. Obviously Lucky Man is great, but I did really enjoy This Time and the album's ending in chaos with the very trippy Come On. The hidden track at the end is a fun detail but it doesn’t really add anything musically. In summary- when this album is great, it’s really great. I would agree with it being essential listening. However, it really could benefit from a haircut. Hence the 3 stars. I would give it 3.5 if I could but there are one too many songs on there that I want to skip.

Really enjoyed this album, will be returning to this

This was a fun listen and Jeff Beck is a brilliant guitarist. I’m just not sure I heard anything new with this album

Why had I never heard this before. I knew it would be up my street from the first track. I recognised the song Brass in Pocket but loved the rest and will be listening to this again.

I loved everything about this. I loved the psychedelic influence throughout the record and their version of My Back Pages is even better than the original.

At first I was confused. I spent a bit of time waiting for David Byrne or Brian Eno to start singing. By the third track, Regiment, at the moment where Robert Fripp started playing, I realised I was in new territory. It feels demeaning in a way to call this an album when it is so much more. It’s whirling, twisting kaleidoscope of sound and emotion and, if you let it, it will take you on a journey. You can hear the seeds Remain in Light being sown, but this album shines on its own merits. Incredible.

It’s Roger the Engineer. There’s not much I can say about this one that hasn’t been said before. Plus before going into a funky 60s boogie, final track Ever Since the World Began may or may not have sown the seeds of metal.

It’s impossible for me to be unbiased about this one. It’s the album that got me into talking heads and I love every song on it. It’s fun, it’s funky, it’s a bit weird and it makes me happy every time I hear it.

I enjoyed this one. It’s fun to hear the seeds of punk being sown and I love the lo-fi production style which has influenced many bands since. Unfortunately a lot of the album is covers which I have heard better versions of. Their version of Do You Love Me does make for good listening though. The originals are good, as is album’s sound and aesthetic but there is a limit to how many times I can hear scream ‘whoo’.

I grew up on my dad’s copy of Chronicle by CCR. I can never be unbiased about any of their albums because to me, with a couple of rare exceptions, they are all untouchable. This is one of them.

Even now it’s hard to think about this album without thinking of Bowie’s Blackstar. After all, both involve incredible songwriters coming to terms with their own mortality. Cohen’s final album in his lifetime is however a very different record. It unfolds like some smoky film noir with the dying Cohen confronting life, love, religion and his own impending mortality. I love his voice on this, delivering these poems with grace and gravitas, supported by brilliantly written compositions to accentuate the emotion. It’s a beautiful record.

Untouchable album, and one of the greatest debuts of all time.

This was a very fun listen. Definitely them at their most psychedelic and most whimsical. The first half is definitely slightly stronger than the second but it’s all so enjoyable that I don’t really mind.

This was interesting. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. I loved the proto glam sound, instrumentally it really rocks. Some of the longer songs make me wonder if Alex Cooper listened to this. The songwriting is a bit inconsistent but the album ends on a high with closing track Last of the Teenage Idols

Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their best. The classics like Cinnamon Girl and Down by the River are here but there’s not a bad song on this record. Round and Round is an underrated gem.

I don’t care what people say about early Beatles, this album is a delight to listen to.

Incredible. The essential jazz album. This is always my recommendation for people who have never listened to jazz before.

Personal controversies to one side, I really enjoyed this. It's good old school rock and roll with infectious energy. A classic for a reason.

I was sceptical at first. My only UB40 knowledge was of Red Red Wine, a fine cover, but if I had a pound for every time I'd heard it... Opening track Tyler told me I was in for a different experience. I loved the instrumentals throughout the album but the songwriting stood out as a particular strength, best example being on political anthem Burden of Shame. Other highlights included King and the expertly reworked cover of I Think It's Going To Rain Today.

It’s jazzy, it’s funky, it has four brilliantly composed toe-tapping masterpieces. I love it.

I admit, I am a bit of a rock snob when it comes to the 80s. This album surprised and delighted at every turn, from the well known classics Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf to deeper cuts like Lonely in Your Nightmare. The bassist deserves a medal for this album

Imagine an incredibly English Talking Heads. Add some whimsy, luscious instrumentation and a sense of joy throughout and you get this album. I admit I was sceptical to see such a late XTC album on the list but I have been both surprised and delighted by this album.

A beautifully bittersweet album to mark both the end of Simon & Garfunkel, as well as the 60s. There isn't a bad song on here but to pick favourites, the title track, The Only Living Boy in New York and The Boxer are definite highlights.

This is a very fun album to listen to. It is also VERY long. It plays like a tale of two halves with Speakerboxxx being a very hip-hop orientated record, and The Love Below blending hip-hop with influences from jazz, soul and R&B. TLB gets a little bit samey by the end but it never stops being enjoyable.

I have never been to Cuba (unfortunately). Luckily this album nearly took me there anyway. The lush instrumentation and virtuoso playing of everyone involved gave this vibrant album a timeless feel. I love how it perfectly captures the mood that it does and I will be returning to this again.

It's a Christmas album assembled by a convicted felon. It also has a lot of The Ronettes and some of the best versions of classic songs that I have heard.

I was so happy to see this today. Possibly the greatest folk rock album. If you need proof, listen to Matty Groves. Sandy Denny's vocals are amazing throughout, as are the rest of the band. I especially love the strings on opening track Come All Ye and Crazy Man Michael.

Beautifully intimate. There isn’t a bad song on this record. I loved the David Gilmore appearance on Rocket Tail, the songwriting on Heads We’re Dancing and the final track This Woman’s Work is incredible.

Groovy baby.

I enjoyed listening to this, for the most part. There is nothing offensive to my ears on this album but then again I can't remember much of it. It's got some great tracks on it and some good tracks which could have given this album a higher rating. Unfortunately, the rest is filler and quite forgettable.

One of my favourite Bowie albums. Every song on here is a classic. I especially love the songwriting on Word on a Wing and the vocal delivery of closer Wild is the Wind. Golden Years is a classic for a reason.

Wow. I really enjoyed this. I think Birthday will be on repeat for a while. I was dubious approaching this one having never heard any of their albums before and finding a lot of Björk's solo stuff a bit inaccessible but I thought this was brilliant start to finish.

Great album start to finish. There's not a single bad thing to say.

FREEEEEEZIN, reeshisheadoh pilluh mada concrete, yeah. Exceptional album. Even if you can only make out half of Vedder's lyrics. Every song sounds like the band at their best, whether contemplating mental illness on Why Go, homelessness on Even Flow or heartbreak on Black. Behind Vedder are incredibly talented musicians. The album wouldn't sound the same without the rhythm section of Jeff Ament and Dave Krusen on Jeremy, Stone Gossard's slide guitar on Deep and Mike McCreedy's electrifying solo on alive (if you're not doing air guitar to that, you have no soul).