1001 Albums Summary

Competent, well played dad rock. Comparisons with Exile On Main St. do it no favours.

This could be a greatest hits collection. Elvis is an English national treasure. Maybe his best work.

I think this is the weakest of the 4 studio albums The Smiths released, not to mention the fantastic Louder Than Bombs compilation. This is still a good album. It’s probably their best produced album and you can hear the band evolving their sound but I do think the polished production actually takes the edge off the band a little. The first half is wonderful but I think it begins to drag from Last Night… Morrissey is in fine form and his performances here are more in line with his solo career (of which I am also a fan). I would have the debut and Bombs in the list over this and Meat is Murder.

Not an artist I had heard of before. I know very little Latin American music. I enjoyed this. Great 70’s sound. Funky, full of great rhythms and Jorge Ben seems effortlessly cool . This is the kind of stuff I want to discover from doing the list.

Beautiful melancholy songs. Drake’s songwriting and guitar playing are wonderful as are the arrangements. The album is quite slight. The intro, outro and title track being 3 small mood pieces. They do fit the album perfectly, although I do find the title track a little annoying. Poor Boy is the only dud on the album, the jazz piano and choir doesn’t fit the rest. That leaves only 6 ‘proper’ songs but those six are spectacular and production and track listing make this feel like a cohesive set. I know Pink Moon very well and have heard Drake’s debut before, but this was a first time listen. Drake was a special talent.

80’s synth cheese. I’ve never taken Duran Duran seriously and I only know the hits but this is a whole album of danceable upbeat pop. I’m pleasantly surprised by how listenable I found it. It slows down for the last two songs and I especially liked the closer. I’ve had the song Rio in my head all day since hearing it.

Poetry set to music. One day is not nearly enough to really judge whether this is good or not. I’m certainly intrigued. The instrumentation is beautiful and there are some wonderful lines littered throughout. It’s heavy going. I feel the need to stop after each ‘song’. This has been on my listen list since it came out so it’s nice to finally give it a go, but it’s very demanding and I feel its secrets are still mostly locked away.

Meat and potatoes rock and roll, lacking salt. Music for the pub. I can hear the influence of better bands all over this. It’s a fine listen but I really don’t think you have to listen to this before you die. Slade will always have Christmas.

It’s over long and indulgent but it’s also filled with great songs.

Capital C Country. I don’t know the genre that well but I certainly prefer Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins to this. There is a brevity to this which I did like and a few songs did stick out. I liked Drink up, Someone told my story, If you want to be my woman, Skid row and Mixed up. The back half certainly stronger for me.

Foo Fighters are a singles band. Foo Fighters are made for festivals. Every album has a few hits and that’s all you need. Here it’s the first three tracks. It is impressive Grohl did everything on the album and I like that it’s less polished than what follows, it’s very 90’s indie/grunge. I don’t think this album or this band should be one this list.

Grunge, garage rock, punk rock, alternative rock. Whatever you want to call it, Mudhoney play it fast and loose. Love that they aren’t po-faced like so many of their contemporaries. The production, which sounds like it’s coming through a busted college radio, is a plus in my book. (What did it sound like when it was coming through a busted college radio?)

A pivotal album by a great band.

Pushing the boundaries so far, that it sounds like it’s from the future.

Music in the 80’s didn’t suck, but this album is very convincing evidence to the contrary.

Proto-metal. This is an album that makes sense to have on the list. I was surprised that it is somewhat melodic. I like the title track and found the whole thing listenable. Not really my thing but I see its value.

Impressed by the energy on display but does every song need a guitar solo? Yes, because it the 80’s. Jump is forever a party song classic, Hot for Teacher is horrendous and the rest is middling.

It’s a Christmas album. A compilation album. A covers album. I should hate this and complain about it being on the list but this is fantastic throughout. As good as a Christmas album can be.

Odelay part II. Made by an older wiser Beck after making 3 very different albums (one of which, Sea Change, is on the list), this is an album I like but one I struggle to find a good reason for including here. It’s his best selling album but I would say he has 5 releases (apart from the two already on the list) which are more interesting. Good album though.

I liked Kings of Leon in my teenage years, but this was the point I lost interest. Bland radio friendly pop/rock, it’s listenable but mostly forgettable, there southern edge barely shining through . This band have never been good lyrically but when the music is flat those lyrics become much more present, just look at the first line to opener Closer- “Stranded in this spooky town”. The 2 mammoth hits are memorable because they have been played so many times. I hate Use Somebody. Crawl is the only song that has that dirty rock feel. Shocked that they have 3 albums on the list and totally unsurprised that they have none in the latest edition.

Like many others here, I had never heard of this album or artist. It has left absolutely no cultural imprint and is largely forgotten. Should it be on the list then? It’s a fine album of 90 alt rock. You can hear the influence of R.E.M, U2. Bowie, The Pixies and Lou Reed. The singer has a good voice and the production is excellent. I liked quite a few of the songs here but I’m probably not remembering them next week.

I’m a big Nick Cave fan. This is a brilliant double album made at a key point in Cave’s career when it looked like he was ready to ride into the sunset after the very poor Nocturama and Blixa leaving The Bad Seeds. The first side is Cave in mad preacher mode, fiery gospel blues rock. The second side is lighter, though it does contain one of Cave’s best murder ballads. It’s delicate but theatrical. The whole album is at times powerful, hilarious, touching and terrifying. It’s quintessential Cave, backed for the first time by a choir that complements his voice and style absolutely perfectly.

Scott Walker should be on this list and this album is probably his best of the 4 good albums he released in the 60’s. I like his voice, the arrangements and the lack of fat. It is a downer and listening on the first day of a new year made me a little sleepy. He is an artist I need to delve more into, I think I’ll give his entire discography a listen this year. I do think his late career experimentation should absolutely be included on the list as well, perhaps The Drift instead of 2.

Everybody ripped this album off in the 90’s, yet no one came close to replicating its surreal brilliance. One of my most played albums.

Worth reading about grimes history, Skepta and his place in it before or after listening. Sheds a light on why this is included. It’s the rebirth of the grime genre. It’s decent, but grime has never been a genre that produces great albums.

I thought this was very boring, very hard to get all the way through.

Marquee Moon is a massively influential album for a lot of bands I like more than Television.

Listened to the original uk release. Only 41 minutes people. They threw everything and the kitchen sink at producing this and it helps cover up the lack of truly memorable songs. I like how macabre it is in places and the vocals are certainly attention grabbing. A new wave album that is a lot more interesting than a lot of the genres offerings.

This is a slow album, or more precisely an unhurried one. It’s timeless in its sound but very much about time and history lyrically. Both big history (April 14th) and small/ personal history (my first lover), how they blend together and hopes for the future. There are both rock songs (minus a band) and poetic pieces. It’s not a album to just throw on in the background but one that requires active listening. That active listening is very much rewarded.

A good album by a good band. Proto post punk. The band play fast, frantic and with lots of reverb. It’s probably the most punk album by them. I think they get better as they get weirder but all the elements are here- moody as hell, great vocals, a brilliant rhythm section and a big Doors influence. The band are well represented with 3 albums on the list and this one probably doesn’t need to be here.

Era defining album. A absolute juggernaut. The singles are astonishingly good. The rest is fine. I’m in the minority that thinks In Utero is better.

I had not heard of the band Traffic before. A wonderful album with great diversity across its 10 tracks. A mix of rock, folk, pop and jazz jamming. I’ll have to check out the bands other work because this was great.

Trust Björk to make an album made up of mostly vocals and it sound so otherworldly. This is an album I respect and appreciate more than love, however the highlights give goosebumps like the very best of Björk’s work.

I was 15 when this came out so this became a foundational text for me. I probably like it a little less today but when Tunnels starts up I can’t help getting the feels.

'Papa' is great but the rest of this album is forgettable. Very poor opening two tracks.

Genre defining. Era defining. It’s long, it’s dirty, it’s repetitive, its bass lines and beats are designed for maximum raving. The most 90’s of albums.

Soundtracks should not be on the list.

Big band music often sounds like background music to me. This is not an exception. It’s a pleasant listen but not a memorable one.

Good 90’s hip hop.

A classic debut. It’s sad what Kanye has become. This is just so good. Filled with hits and deep cuts. Great beats, choruses, decent humble rapping by Kanye and great guest appearances. It’s a quintessential 00’s album, hip hop was embracing pop and Kanye really was one of the figures to define the genre in the new millennium. Too many skits obviously and Workout plan and School spirit get less fun with every listen.

Dreamy indie pop-rock.

I liked the indie folk scene this helped blossom. I’ve heard this many times but I was as a little bored on this listen.

Wonderful 90’s pop rock. Forget the Exile on main st comparisons and just enjoy.

A problem with the list is its attempt to cover many different genres without using compilations. Uk garage, represented in the list solely by this album, is not a genre that has produced many albums and fewer good ones. It’s a singles genre and there are an abundance of great compilations out there that would be a better fit than Sincere. Anyway, I like this. It takes me back to my school days.

Live albums are good if you know and like the artist and songs already, I know The Who’s hits but not anything else. This sounded super self indulgent to me, far too much jamming.

Soul and funk does very little for me.

Hendrix always had such a ‘cool’ sound but this one is slightly lacking in memorable songs.

A 90’s classic. Oasis were on top of the world. Contains 3 all timers in Wonderwall, Don’t look back in anger and Champagne Supernova. The middle of the album- Hey Now to She’s electric- drags a little. I’ll always be nostalgic for this one.

Nick Cave before The Bad Seeds. Wild and frantic but recognisably Cave. The Birthday Party were a force of nature. This probably isn’t their best work and certainly not Cave’s best from the 80’s but I glad to see punk Cave represented on the list.

Punk by people who can actually play their instruments. Good rhythm section. Can’t understand the lead singer half the time and his personal story is tragic. Good but kind of a downer. Better than the Pistols.

Boring classic rock/grunge. I dislike Eddie Vedder’s voice with a passion. I just don’t get the praise.

Maximalist pop by the freakiest man at the party.

I love the instrumentals and Heroes, the song, is obviously absolutely essential.

Crazy to think that this was seen as Bob facing his own mortality when it’s now 30 years old and Dylan is still going and going strong. This album really brought him back to relevance and he has been riding the wave ever since. The best tracks here are amongst Dylan very best- Not Dark Yet, Standing in the doorway and Trying to get to Heaven. It’s long, languid and meandering but I think the production is excellent. I have no idea what Dylan’s problem is with it.

Not my favourite jazz album (Waltz for Debby) nor my favourite Miles album (Sketches of Spain), but unquestionably one of the greatest albums of all time. It’s so somber and introspective for such a popular choice. It’s a perfect late night meeting with the soul.

Billy Bragg speaks the truth.