1001 Albums Summary

The sound strongly reminded me of some tracks from I Robot by The Alan Parsons Project. But Mothership dates from 1975, whereas I Robot was released in 1977. In truth, this is an unfair comparison. As much as I love the Alan Parsons record, its funk feels far too aseptic when compared to Mothership—which makes perfect sense, since it is, at its core, a “robotized” album. Although Mothership is also futuristic, it is not robot science fiction. It is, quite literally, a spaceship made of musicians from the 1970s. It overflows with life and performance in every possible sense. These are musicians who know how to blend swing, funk, humor, technique, precision, surrealism, dance, strength, and delicacy. A great way to begin listening to the 1001 Albums.

Listening to this one precisely on Christmas Day. In the West, this date is highly symptomatic, and the way the American cultural industry has encapsulated it is quite bizarre. It is telling that this album was produced during turbulent nights, excessively exploiting the musicians and pushing them to exhaustion in order to create a record that sounds happy and harmonious. This is the kind of “Christmas spirit” produced by the United States. Nothing new under the sun — but it is always meaningful to look closely at these contradictions. More than forty years after the release of this album, Phil Spector, its producer, committed the murder of an actress, making it even clearer that his concern with the record was far more about sales and business than about spreading any genuine message of Christmas peace and love. Despite all this, the talent of the singers and musicians is undeniable. This is, of course, a product made for sale, but it is equally undeniable that it is a beautiful one. The singers possess immense talent, and despite the industry’s exploitation surrounding them, it is still possible to find living, genuine art in their voices.

Grandes artistas não necessariamente fazem grandes álbuns

masterpiece