1001 Albums Summary

Extremely surreal listening experience. Not always a fan of Kate Bush’s excessive vocal theatrics but definitely worth a listen. Interesting to find that Kate Bush had a greater hand in producing on this record compared to her previous work. The production and instrumentation gave an incredibly dream-like feel and the eeyoring at the end felt like a deliberate nod to A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“I got no car and it’s breaking my heart. But I’ve got a driver and that’s a start.” Properly wonderful record. The album that first truly starts to separate The Beatles from their lovey dovey early work which, whilst brilliant, revisionists would have you think makes up their whole discography. An album with no weak points save for the unfortunate closing track which I would hope would have been considered tasteless even when it was written. To counter this the album contains In My Life which may be the single best pop song ever written and only grows more meaningful to me with every passing year. I have heard this album many times over the years and the individual songs therein even more so outside of the context of the album. Despite this it feels as fresh today as it did the first time I heard the opening lick of Drive My Car years ago. An album which sits alongside multiple other Beatles projects in a category of records I will never grow tired of.

“We come from the land of the ice and snow from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow” In my opinion the most underrated entry in Led-Zeppelin’s discography. Led-Zeppelin III has two distinct halves. The opening half contains the kind of rip-roaring electric British Invasion tracks that the band were more known for at the time of the album’s release (albeit with a hefty folk influence which sets the tracks apart from Led-Zeppelin and Led-Zeppelin II). The back end of the record is far softer and takes a more acoustic turn. III opens on arguably Led-Zeppelin’s most famous track, Immigrant Song. Which I would argue more would recognise on just hearing it than they would Stairway to Heaven. It is likely the best classic rock album opener ever if not the best album opener full stop. The two sides are reflected perfectly in my personal favourite track Gallows Pole. It opens with typically softly sung lyrics from Robert Plant accompanied by gentle guitar strummings from Jimmy Page. I’ve always found that Led-Zeppelin in particular had a stunning ability to conjure images in my brain through their lyrics. This quality is ever-present throughout III and Gallows Pole achieves that as effectively as any of their other songs. As the song progresses the tempo gradually increases. We hear the introduction of a banjo supporting the guitar at an increasing pace. This eventually gives rise to electric guitar lines guiding Gallows Pole through its crescendo, which sounds more like something you would hear on the first half of the album. Beyond Gallows Pole there is a clear shift in energy as Zeppelin wind down into the quieter folkier back half but the songwriting and musicianship remain just as captivating. Tangerine is a beautiful and relaxing tune whilst Bron-Y-Aur Stomp picks up the pace slightly before closing things out with Hats Off to (Roy) Harper. Led-Zeppelin III holds your attention firmly throughout, features some of Page’s best playing on Since I’ve Been Loving You, and was the first of their albums to put their folk influences at the forefront of the songwriting. It was a crucial step on the journey to the next album, which I consider to be their masterpiece. Without the artistic leap taken here we may have gone without some of the greatest rock music of the 1970s. Led-Zeppelin III should be considered one of the most important albums of all time if only for this.

“Doesn’t anyone stay in one place anymore? It would be so fine to see your face at my door” I was shocked to realise when this album was generated for me that it was not already on my long list of albums I needed to hear. With this in mind it is a tremendous stroke of luck that Tapestry was thrown out to me as it was a wonderful listening experience. Bookended by two absolute classics in “I Feel the Earth Move” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” Tapestry rarely falters. Despite feeling exquisitely gentle throughout, the first half in particular is given brilliant rhythmic momentum by King’s piano as well as the bass playing. The guitar and saxophone are tastefully interspersed throughout and work well to make the album feel more well rounded sonically. Lyrically the album is focused on feeling far from home and this homesickness is often framed through King being far from the people she loves (whether physically or emotionally). For me it did lose its edge slightly around the start of the second side with the tracks “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Where You Lead” which felt more simplistic and thematically not as interesting to me. There is a strong finish though and despite feeling quite out of place the fun bluesy tune “Smackwater Jack” provides a much welcome increase in pace before we wind down again into the title track and a strong vocal performance on “A Natural Woman”. It takes a special kind of confidence in your own ability to cover Aretha Franklin but King does enough to distinguish the song from the original and make it her own. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed and many of the songs here will without a doubt enter regular rotation for me.

Count Basie is, to my shame, one of the few famous jazz musicians I have never listened to despite being recommended him by my guitar teacher over ten years ago. I went into this album with wide-eyed optimism as a lover both of jazz piano and big band and wasn’t disappointed. The Atomic Mr Basie contains a combination of upbeat danceable swing tunes as well as some slower more pensive compositions which give more space for the rest of the band to shine. I found myself comparing much of the faster portion of the album to Thelonious Monk who often put his piano playing front and centre of his work to great effect. I will say though on one listen I do think Monk’s playing just clinches it (see “Monk’s Music”). All in all a fun and accessible big band jazz album that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone looking to get into jazz for the first time.

“Breakfast in bed and a kiss or three. You don’t have to say you love me” Dusty Springfield is not an artist who I had any great desire to listen to a full length LP from and I likely won’t prioritise her discography after this. However, I did enjoy this album thoroughly for what it is; a smooth, syrupy, and relaxing pop record. Dusty In Memphis isn’t desperately challenging but I can see how it laid the groundwork for powerful female voices that followed and it put me into a happy, laidback headspace. Dusty Springfield has an incredible voice which is wonderfully complimented by the instrumentation here. I can seriously imagine myself waking up late on a Sunday morning, making a coffee, spinning this record and having the absolute best time.

This was the first album I’ve had generated for me that I wasn’t actively excited to listen to. It’s not something I would ever have considered listening to without it being semi-forced on me and I will almost certainly not revisit it. However, it is plainly obvious that Khan is a tremendously skilled singer. It is just a style of singing and a genre of music that I, perhaps through cultural predisposition, do not find terribly interesting or rewarding. Worth having heard it but as I say not something that will garner repeat listens from me.

“Abstract raps simple with a street format” Having only ever heard Lauryn Hill’s work from her universally loved solo album I had an extremely high opinion of her as a singer and RNB musician. However, given how heavily weighted towards RNB rather than rap that album is, I didn’t have a full understanding of why people hail her as such a gifted rapper. This album changed that completely. This will no doubt go down for me as one of my favourite 90s hip hop albums. I can feel the inspiration from (influence on?) so many other great hip hop collectives throughout from Wu Tang to OutKast. I’m sure more will become apparent on inevitable re-listens. The only track that left me feeling a little cold is the most successful single from the album “Killing Me Softly With His Song”. Although in total fairness I have never been a huge fan of it and on this listen I think that’s because compared to everything else on The Score it feels instrumentally a bit empty. That aside though it is easy to see why despite a limited discography Fugees have achieved legendary status and I am glad to have finally taken the time to give them a listen.

Audible excitement from me when I saw this had been generated for me. Quite possibly my favourite jazz album ever. I gave it this most recent listen on a bus journey through Thailand and despite the cramped and uncomfortable seats my mind could not be anywhere apart from with the music. Wonderfully orchestrated and beautifully performed every musician on this record bounces off each other perfectly. The tracks flow seamlessly into one another whilst sounding completely distinct and the number of disparate influences that come together here have no right to feel as cohesive as they do. A total work of genius from one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time.

“I don’t want to live to be 34. I don’t want to die in a nuclear war” Surprisingly witty and musically grew on me massively over the course of its short 15 minute runtime. Has a clear and unabashed mantra of anti-establishment anger which it expresses relentlessly both lyrically and through the instrumentation. An intense, angry, and funny quick listen which showcases some of the best of the at the time fledgling American Punk scene.

“I can feel the earth begin to move I hear my needle hit the groove And spiral through another day” If you were born in the UK between the 1960s and 1990s and have any semblance of pop culture awareness the first three tracks on this album will have been virtually unavoidable for you. It’s an astonishing three track run on a record which revolutionised the sound of English popular music and kickstarted a whole subculture. Having lived in Manchester between 2022-2025 it is plain to see the effect that the dance music scene bands like The Stone Roses, Joy Division, and The Happy Mondays created has had on the city. The Hacienda may be gone but we would not have events like Warehouse Project without it and this is the album that started it all. On an individual song by song basis it does lose me ever so slightly around the middle third. However, I Am The Resurrection and Fools Gold provide an ending almost as strong as the opening and the album is fully deserving of its mantle as one of the best and most important British albums of its era.

“I can’t believe the news today Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away” I firmly believe we are up to the third generation of “Dad Rock” with U2 being part of the second sandwiched by Black Sabbath and Green Day. I had never really understood U2’s apparent huge success as one of the biggest stadium rock bands of the last 40 years. I think this is largely because by the time I was born Bono had planted himself firmly in the realm of pretentiousness and U2 along with him (*that* South Park episode didn’t help either). Within guitar purist circles The Edge had also garnered himself a reputation as a bit of a peddleboard merchant with little technical ability. These things combined meant that I largely steered clear aside from their big radio hits. That said I approached War with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. The Edge knows he is not a technical player and instead uses his creative range of guitar effects to flesh out the songs and provide some really interesting sounds without ever having to flex any instrumental muscles. I think the lack of any real solos on the album speaks to his awareness of this. Bono’s vocal performance is over the top, emotional, and theatrical but you are left with a firm belief that he means every word he sings. It’s a wonderfully produced 80s rock guitar album but it never quite reaches the heights of the opening “Sunday Bloody Sunday” throughout the subsequent 9 songs. The closer “40” felt like a bit of a damp squib given the crescendo I felt I was heading for and that the album deserved. The highs on here are very high and the lows are still better than good. If nothing else I have left the album with a fuller understanding of why U2 has consistently sold out stadia since their inception and will continue to do so for a good while yet.

“Pounding the world Like a battering ram” Judas Priest are without a doubt one of the most talented and important British Heavy Metal bands of all time. Their longevity both in the studio and on stage is nothing short of staggering. Having formed in 1969 they released a genuinely brilliant record only last year in “Invincible Shield”. British Steel contains some of their biggest radio friendly tracks and although I am extremely familiar with almost all the material here I was shocked to find I had never listened to it front to back. It is a truly masterful piece of work that ushered in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the 1980s and stands up today as one of the best what I would call “gateway albums” into heavy music. You get the catchy and instantly recognisable “Breaking The Law” and “Living After Midnight” which are the two most commercially viable Priest tracks from any album. There’s also the slower and slightly ponderous “United” which holds a soft spot in my heart from when my beloved Sheffield United would walk out to it years ago at Bramall Lane. My only issue with British Steel is an odd one; it is that “Painkiller” and “Screaming For Vengeance” exist. Those two albums are damn near perfect and showcase Judas Priest at the absolute peak of their powers in terms of the pure visceral speed and excitement they are capable of producing. Whilst Rob Halford’s vocal performance is undeniably brilliant here it doesn’t utilise anything like the full range he shows on subsequent albums. There were so many moments while listening to this where I just wanted the whole band to put their foot to the floor and not lift it until my face was sufficiently melted. That sadly never happened and it left me longing for the blistering no holds barred sound that I know Judas Priest has in their locker. That said, I am by no means minimising the quality and importance of British Steel. But I will say, if this is your introduction to Judas Priest then brace yourself, it gets even better.

“A nation with their freezers full Are dancing in their seats While outside another nation Is sleeping in the streets” My dad grew up in a small mining town in Derbyshire the son of a miner who voted for Margaret Thatcher in 1979. I have a very distinct memory of him and my mum purchasing “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” on iTunes when Thatcher died in 2013. It is then unsurprising that my awareness of Billy Bragg comes almost entirely from him. Until listening to this album I had not actually listened to any Billy Bragg at all. However, I had oddly seen him live many years ago at a small Christian performing arts festival my parents would drag my siblings and I along to every year with our church. I remember little about the performance except that my dad was excited to see it and that even to my young ears it was extremely political. As I’ve got older my political views and my taste in music, and art in general, have often intertwined. I will always remember blasting Rage Against The Machine’s “Take the Power Back” in my first year university accommodation the morning I awoke to find Donald Trump had won the 2016 Presidential Election. However, when it comes to protest music my tastes have generally leaned towards songs that express anger at the establishment and discontent with the system. That is not what you get with Billy Bragg. Bragg comes across as a man with an astonishing optimism whose music largely serves not as a cathartic expression of rage but as a call to arms for the working classes. The songs feel like jubilant reassurances that en masse the people have the power and that if we are active, take to the streets, and make our voices heard then we can effect real change. Bragg has gone on record previously saying that as a country we can reclaim the concept of being proud of our Britishness from the far-right and you can feel that pride here. The lyrics are extremely intelligent and are backed up in their sincerity by Bragg’s well documented record of political activism. Delivered with his strong accent everything about his messaging feels authentic. Musically there is nothing out of this world going on. You can hear the folk influences of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie that have not particularly been further developed. That does not necessarily matter though if you accept that the music is largely serving as a vehicle for the lyrics and more importantly the message. I am glad to have finally given Billy Bragg a proper listen and if my dad were here it is something I’m sure we would delight in sharing with each other.

“It was absurdly simple He would ship himself parcel post, special delivery” An eccentric and chaotic record which laid the foundations for art rock as we know it today. This was a really tough listen as someone who has never really responded brilliantly to the more avant-garde side of rock music. I enjoyed the narrative of “The Gift” and felt a palpable sense of dread as the story reached its grisly conclusion. I struggled with much of the rest of the album and really don’t think that the guitar playing is as exciting or interesting as others seem to. I have seen some online compare it with Hendrix which I think is borderline insulting. Still, the album has clearly had a profound impact and influence on a number of artists who would follow and it has its merits in places. Just not quite for me.

“In the pines, in the pines Where the sun don’t ever shine I would shiver the whole night through” MTV Unplugged was a really fun and interesting concept that gave us reimaginings of some all time classic tracks. Nirvana’s set became the standard to which all other bands were held and it’s easy to see why. Some of the songs here are actually my preferred versions. The opener “About A Girl” is a prime example of this. It works so well as a slow, gentler number and allows you to pick up on the subtler emotions that Kurt Cobain was so good at expressing when you strip Nirvana’s songs back. There’s also room on Unplugged for a good number of covers. The highlights are David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World” and a truly haunting rendition of Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”. Both of these again demonstrate Cobain’s talent for making you feel a certain way without being vocally gifted on a technical level. There are some brilliant choices in terms of instrumentation which help boost certain moments. Having a live cellist in order to retain the strings on the choruses of “Dumb” and “Something In The Way” was definitely needed and works perfectly. There are a few moments of interaction between Cobain and the audience in between songs and he comes across as quite shy but charming. You certainly get the feeling that the crowd can tell they’re witnessing something special. They go completely quiet during each song but burst into rapturous applause as soon as they are certain they won’t be clapping over the music. Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged set feels like a snapshot in time. Even the staging and the clothing has gone down as iconic and it’s really hard not to get swept up in it as Cobain belts out the final lyrics of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” to close the album. An incredible crescendo that gives the performance a well deserved and satisfying ending. This show will no doubt provide many with their abiding image of Kurt Cobain in his grey cardigan with an acoustic guitar resting on his lap. I know that is what I see in my head whenever I think of him. It is tragic that he would pass away so soon after this gig, the same age that I am as I sit here writing this. His performance here cements him as one of the all time greatest front men in rock music despite how short his career ended up being.

“You’re hungry cause you starve While holding back the tears Choking on your smile A fake behind the fear” Honestly, really not what I was expecting. I went into this album with little to no knowledge of Garbage but under the assumption they were some kind of post-punk group. In hindsight something of a foolish notion. What was in store for me felt much more akin to Portishead or Massive Attack. Slow and relaxing but pensive and lyrically interesting. I was transfixed from the opening bar to the last and upon finishing the album felt extremely likely to explore more of Garbage’s discography. The highlight of the album for me was Queer which contends with topics that would have been far before their time upon the album’s release in 1995.

“Here comes the daylight, here comes my job Uptown in the penthouse or downtown with the mob” It was going so well for the first three tracks. I did not have high hopes for Heaven 17. Whenever I have heard them spoken about it was usually in the context of them being from my home city. Even then this was usually uttered with a hint of embarrassment. In terms of their music I was only really familiar with “Temptation” which admittedly is pretty catchy. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear such effective busy funky bass lines and to actually really enjoy the music. The first three songs have such a groove to them and are really enjoyable danceable tunes. I was starting to think of the people I could recommend the album to and even wrote in my initial notes that Heaven 17 felt at times like Sheffield’s answer to The Talking Heads. Then the bubble burst in truly disappointing fashion. The bass guitar I had loved up to that point disappeared completely and was not to reappear at any point. It was replaced by increasingly cheesy grating synths and the rest of the album was 80s synth pop that I wouldn’t ordinarily touch with a barge pole. The mild embarrassment of this lot being from Sheffield sadly makes complete sense now.

“Though I have a broken dream I’m too busy to be dreaming of you There’s a lot of things that I gotta do Lord, I have a broken dream” A really nice surprise this one. I’d heard the album mentioned in passing but it was not firmly on my radar. It feels like an amalgamation of a lot of the sounds coming out of British rock music at the time. The vocal delivery is at times very Britpop but has shades of Madchester on the slower chilled out tracks where the echo and reverb are employed. The structure of the tracks is in places more experimental but there are also some traditional ABAB type songs in here. The music becomes more chaotic as the album goes on and there are places where it is almost in free time with the horns doing their own thing over the top of the rest of the mix. We are occasionally treated to backing vocals from a choir which adds a warmth and depth to the songs where they feature. The strings on “Broken Heart” are wonderful and the lyrics devastating. The closing “Cop Shoot Cop…” is a 16-minute epic which exchanges bluesy guitar and piano-led choruses and verses with loud distorted guitar based interludes. The interludes crescendo around the middle of the track and you can hear audible strain in the bass playing before the band brings everything back to the main theme to finish. A really interesting psychedelic experimental rock album which brings together a lot of influences very well.

“Everything you say to me Takes me one step closer to the edge And I’m about to break” Linkin Park’s debut is for me the definitive Nu Metal album. No alpha posturing or toxic masculine lyrics just pure teen angst mixed with genuine anxieties and struggles conveyed through angry instrumentals and simple but effective raps. Linkin Park would never quite hit the highs of this album with a full length project again but that would admittedly seriously be going some. Songs like “One Step Closer”, “Crawling”, and “In The End” would go on to soundtrack the pain and strife of the noughties emo generation. The lyrics to the singles from “Hybrid Theory” have been memed to death and define the stereotype of the teenage emo. The second I pressed play on “Papercut” I felt 15 again. I can still feel the catharsis of allowing this album to wash over you all these years later. The ability for music to do that is a big part of why I listen and it is invaluable.

“You’re given a flower But I guess that there’s just no pleasing you Your lip tastes sour But you think that it’s just me teasing you” I have often been unconvinced by The White Stripes. Their hits are undeniably brilliant and when they are good they are great. The same can be said of Jack White’s playing. Stellar in places but some hail him as one of the all time greats and this leaves me slightly perplexed. This album did little to change my mind. The opener “Blue Orchid” is one of the certified moments of brilliance I’m talking about. A thumping riff backed by Meg White’s exemplary drumming, and over the top of this kind of instrumental Jack White’s voice sits perfectly. Unfortunately, the album immediately begins to go awry. The guitar gives way to a more relaxed piano backing which in my opinion suits neither Meg’s drumming nor Jack’s vocals. The piano playing itself also lacks character and makes me long for the return of the distorted guitar. There are flashes where the piano works such as on “The Denial Twist” which feels much heavier and more what you would expect from a White Stripes track where the guitar is swapped out for the piano. The keys are being slapped in a more Fiona Apple-esque way and this makes for much more energy. We get a nice taste of Jack’s playing on “Instinct Blues” which comes across as quite improvisational. I may be being overly critical but it does often seem like the heavy distortion masks a lack of soul and technical ability when it comes to Jack White. He has always seemed capable of writing excellent catchy riffs but falls down a tad when it comes to anything beyond that. I really really wanted to like “Take, Take, Take” but structurally it is just all over the place in a way that I found tremendously distracting rather than it enhancing the song. Despite my criticism of the piano earlier on the album I actually quite liked the closer “I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet)”. I can’t particularly explain this, it just seemed to round everything out nicely. This is not The White Stripes’ best album by any stretch of the imagination. I much prefer “Icky Thump” and from the songs I know are on “Elephant” I would expect to enjoy that far more as well. However, it was worth listening to it to get to hear the high points and “Blue Orchid” absolutely slaps.

“Yes it’s too late This life isn’t mine Lord hear me pray Can you ease my mind” Another in a recent string of albums that I didn’t know what to expect from. Dust by Screaming Trees was a great listen from a band that apparently pioneered Grunge music alongside the likes of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden but who I knew nothing about. The similarities between Screaming Trees and their contemporaries are immediately obvious and in my view they do it all just as well as the aforementioned big names of the genre. The one key difference being that there is a distinct lack of obvious radio hits that might have seen Screaming Trees get some air time. There is no “Even Flow” or “Spoonman”. However, “Dust” doesn’t suffer for this. It’s a cohesive, well written, and well performed selection of Grunge tracks that deserve to be more widely heard. I look forward to it popping up in my rotation in the future.

“Now I’m ready to close my eyes And now I’m ready to close my mind And now I’m ready to feel your hand And lose my heart under burning sands” This was really not what I wanted it to be. The production sounds empty and Iggy Pop sounds frankly uninterested for so much of it. Beyond the first two tracks I was not desperately excited and just kind of allowed the album to trundle on to its conclusion. I kept expecting something to happen and for the music to grab me and pull me back in but it just didn’t. The slower quieter songs were the real low points but the louder ones never gripped me the way I had expected them to. A bit of a shame really as I enjoy Iggy Pop’s solo hits and had expected to really enjoy this.