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.

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

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.