1001 Albums Summary

Phenomenal

Have never given Bowie a chance and not sure if I want to visit any of his other work after this as I'm not sure it could clear the bar A fantastic album. Layers on layers of sound, beautifully produced, was really blown away by this.

It's clearly a well made album and the production is great but the music doesn't really do anything for me. Standout tracks are Rockin Chair and The Unfaithful Servant. Good listen but won't be revisiting

This, after The Band by The Band, put me on the back foot immediately but fuck me there's a gorgeous album waiting to be let out here. Pale Blue Eyes and The Murder Mystery steal the show, with the latter's chaotic instrumentation and panned vocals remind me of Circle Takes The Square, while hearing After Hours for the first time broke me

Pleasantly surprised by this! Heard the name Janis Joplin plenty of times but never listened to anything from her and had no idea what to expect (always had the idea she was similar to Joan Jett or Debbie Harry for some reason?) but this was great - "My Baby" had me pointing at imaginary players like a conductor. 4.5

A real slog for me Zoo Station is a good opener but nothing afterwards grabs me at all, by So Cruel I was checking to see how long was left

First of all, fuck Morrissey but the cunt can carry a tune. Coming into this, I had some expectations but was immediately humbled. The Queen Is Dead - the toms, the wah wah (gorgeous effects on that guitar), "Her very Lowness with her head in a sling/I'm truly sorry, but it sounds like a wonderful thing", the noise of it all - what a fantastic opener (is that a xylophone toward the end?) - This might be my favourite track of this project so far (day 9?) Frankly, Mr Shankly - the smiths wanted to write a ska song here but were too scared to use a horn section. obviously very self-deprecating with some lyrics that haven't aged well but is two minutes of a fantastic bassline i know its over - didn't like this at all on first listen and while I still think it's the weakest track on the album, it does have it's charm! flirts with 80s ballad territory toward the end - not a fan at all of fade out as song enders never had no one ever - the drums, the bass particularly on this are so up in the mix, feels like the first track to really bare down on the vocals, almost suffocating it, a really heavy soundscape considering the lyrical content. a slow dance for sadness (lmao wankiest thing I've ever written) cemetery gates - standout track for me. "a dreaded sunny day" and the me vs you themes of the lyrics over the almost calypso instrumentation is just beautiful juxtaposition, great mixing for the guitar, snare and especially bass, a really great song, big smiles all around for me bigmouth strikes again - just a really, really well written song (the hi-eq backing vocals are such a weird touch that works so well) the boy with a thorn in his side - yeah obviously a great song but from 2.00 onwards is the real beauty of this track for me (vocals hitting that na na noo on the 3/4, great) vicar in a tutu - sense of rockabilly about it, vocals wander over the beat trying to match the hi hats at points (but soar with range), abrupt ending i dont like though (unrelated to the music, when I was part of the church, I saw my vicar in a tutu, religion doesn't have to be so rigid) there is a light - gorgeous, obviously iconic, will be remembered for the lyrics and vocals but the snyth/strings in this are so beautiful and really elevate the whole thing, especially a syncopated woodwind (??) bit at 1.46 "to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die" c'mon man leave some poetry for the rest of us some girls - the fade in then fade out then fade in, lovely stuff. the riff is gorgeous (very echo beach) while the bass at 0.33 reminds us it's not a one or two man show. 4.75

there's some fuckin poetry going on here boys on first listen, i didn't think there was much cohesion through the album but on a second/third listen, this is fuckin gorgeous - a lovely blend of funk, soul, rock, reggae, gospel and ska bonin' in the boneyard's bassline is straight up disrespectful to me, the listener. double kicks on a late 1980s funk album? there's some disgusting triple time fills in the first 40 seconds, they do got me boning in the boneyard but i have no bone nor yard. absolutely the standout track

I can understand why this is an important album to a lot of people, but largely the album doesn't do a lot for me. Angeles and Cupids Trick are the standouts but Rose Parade especially is a real drag. Lyrically Smith is interesting but, other than two songs mentioned above, there's nothing overtly dynamic about him musically that really stands out to me. I think my big issue is that I just find it kind of boring? On first listen I panned it but revisited thinking there was something I was missing - went from a 2 star to a 3 star.

Alright, once again coming into an album with some pre-conceived notions. I wanted to bin this off because of how mainstream Coldplay were while I was in my formative teenage years - they were my Dads mates favourite band if you know what I mean? They sit in the same headspace for me with Kasabian, The Kaiser Chiefs, Snow Patrol (who I like!) etc as that kind of British, radio-friendly Dad Rock that could be a V-Festival headliner and have everyone forget the set immediately afterwards. However; This is a really really good album... Politik is a lovely opening track - the wiki for it being "Chris Martin wrote "Politik" on 11 September 2001, having been inspired by that day's terrorist attacks" is such a funny way of framing it though Was going to write that In My Place is a kinda British zeitgeist song but that'll also apply for The Scientist and Clocks so that's really a reflection on how well received this album was God Put a Smile upon Your Face - yeah banger fair play The Scientist - special place in my heart for this as we recorded a cover of it as part of our A-Level music tech course (ageing myself here) but it is a gorgeous song. Martin's lyrics are lovely - "questions of science, science and progress/do not speak as loud as my heart/but tell me you love me, come back and haunt me/oh and I rush to the start" obviously a standout track if not for the IMMEDIATE NEXT ONE Clocks - that fucking piano intro man, i've got goosebumps and I DON'T LIKE COLDPLAY. the offbeat snare synching up to the keys later. this is some iconic arena rock. checking the wiki, it has 16 citations on various greatest songs of all time lists. yeah fair enough Coldplay, you smashed it with this one. getting into the second half of the album, the half with zero blue links on wiki so interested to hear how this pans out Daylight - that 2.29 dropout is so smooth, there's lots going on in the latter half of this track, the piano line is great but there's something new to pick out each time i listen - special shoutout to whoever was the studio engineer because that piano is just beaut Green Eyes - now this is a shame, it could be a really good song but it doesn't suit Coldplay at all! it doesn't need the reverb, it doesn't need the band behind it, it doesn't need the clean guitar sound. this is a folk rock track waiting in the wings and I wouldn't be surprised to find like 50 covers of it on youtube that give more heart and soul and MEANING to this. the first real disappointment on the album for me unfortunately. admittedly the last minute does the jangly riff driven folky stuff really well (that Mumford & Sons will jump on and popularise later in the decade) Warning Sign - revisit A Whisper - yooo, what are we doing with the time signature here. you're telling me Coldplay made THIS? another standout for me, really really good A Rush of Blood - revisit Amsterdam - again, the piano is just wonderful, Martin showing off his range and while some notes seem like a struggle to hit, it adds to the charm of the song. A surprising album closer, but the organ - damn just got hit with the rest of the band lmao

something's not grabbing me here - the pharcyde are obviously very talented rappers and while the beats are great, nothing is really being said? the closest to some commentary is the ending of the 3rd track maybe it's listening to two weeks of rock with one hip hop album; maybe it's having the entire catalogue of hip hop available in 2026 and that overshadows this album which was probably formative for a hell of a lot of people i recognise the passin me by sample and that'll fuck my head when i come back to this review standouts are On The DL, Passin' Me By, Return Of The B-Boy i need to come back to this to really articulate why I find it a middle of the road album

i've fallen behind on my albums but this is really good - the SIXTH album by earth, wind & fire, proving they're more than just September 4.5

This has probably been the most inaccessible album for me so far but it is fantastic. impeccably produced, music is funky as fuck, the mixing is gorgeous, there's SO MUCH going on, it's a phenomenal album but it's just not for me! With 4 tracks totalling 41 minutes (the shortest at a mere 6 minutes 29 seconds) it's not something I'll be adding to my playlists anytime soon but that isn't to knock the music in any way. opening with CHAMELEON - a nearly 16 minute behemoth of a track with all the bollocks to back it up - i'm sure thousands of people have written thousands of things about this opener and all I can do is add to the pile, this is an unbelievable piece of music WATERMELON MAN - revisit SLY - revisit VEIN MELTER - possibly my favourite track, after the chaos of the previous half hour, this feels like sonic aftercare i need to come back to this review - the album is obviously 5 star fantastic but I can't really think why it's not for me - i think it's the track lengths (they didn't have ADHD & the internet in the 70s)

up top, the cover art for this is just fantastic, what was happening in the 60s, you could just do anything. going into this album blind, all i know is that it's folky - i've heard the name The Mamas & The Papas (always thought it was the punchier The Mamas & Papas) but that's all i know. surprised it's 12 tracks totalling 34 minutes so expecting some quick songs. alright lets go Monday, Monday - immediately starting off with a lovely choral refrain, the mixing is great, vocals sitting nicely on top of the instrumentals but not blocking them out, some great harmonies going on as well. very impressed with this, a great example of an album setting out it's stall with the opening track - the standout track so far Straight Shooter - i really like the riff, lyrically nothing impressive but again the vocals and harmonies shine through Got A Feelin' - the music feels mechanical, but that's not meant in a bad way, very tick tock clock giving it a sense of drive while the ethereal vocals seem to float over the beat I Call Your Name - big smiles from me, beat switches throughout keep it fresh and at 2.38 it's over too quickly (immediately replayed this one) opening piano flourish is great, the bluesy opening switch to a bebop (?) back and forth is great, the backing vocals are fantastic throughout, the whispering of "John" low in the mix is a nice touch. culminating in both vocals at the end slowing down is some good shit, really really enjoyed this track Do You Wanna Dance - immediately giving me some R.E.M vibes from the vocals. dripping in reverb, gives a dreamlike quality Go Where You Wanna Go - the strings (? may well be a flute) sit so well in the mix as an accompaniment to the vocals, a really powerful performance from the California Dreamin' - got absolutely blindsided here holy shit, did NOT realise this was the mamas & the papas having heard only covers of this. a phenomenal piece of music, Spanish Harlem - nothing gripping me here unfortunately, xylophone is the standout, possibly overshadowed by the previous track but this is the weakest song so far Somebody Groovy & Hey Girl - fine, good, nothing spectacular You Baby - this is like movie shit kinda love song, I'm here for it, corny as hell but sometimes we need that y'know The "In" Crowd - organ solo, hell yeah overall, I can't say enough about the vocal performances here, the harmonies are beautiful, the mixing is fantastic, it's a very 'warm' album, the rhythm section absolutely doing their job (not a complaint) but the flourishes from the keys, flute, strings? really shine through the album as lovely little easter eggs. Favourite track is California Dreamin', followed by Monday, Monday then I Call Your Name. 4.5

going free association with this one, dear reader (i am several beers deep) babys on fire - the fuckin guitar midway through driving me backwards is good i think needles and paw paw maybe didnt set me up right, baby maybe introduced some weirdness driving is great on some faraway beach is great, lots of noise blank frank opener is exciting dead finks - what a wonderful opening musical line fuckin ruined by the most british "oh cheeky cheeky", give it a couple of minutes and it does be evoking though some of them - "it will follow you" vocal effects are beaut and guitar/string solo/stings are fantastic, ensuing weirdness is BIG here come the warm jets - what a closer, is this early shoegaze? i love it lots going on here, idk if enos doing art for arts sake with the lyricism, for most of the tracks I'm like what the fuck is this then there's periods where I think he's a genuis. i think this album encapsulates "never let them know your next move". maybe this was too early in my journey to "get", maybe i wont ever, maybe that's the point i dont feel right giving this a rating because it really needs to be revisited when i'm not in this state of mind, a 4 for now

sat with this one for a while started off trying to listen at work via phone speaker but the title track really calls for some nice headphones and it is really lovely isnt it just el condor pasa - thought this was the intro for tango in the night on first listen, a great little spanish guitar flourish leading into a calming yet driving heel stomp beat accompanied by flute? panpipes? I'd also rather be a forest than a street. cecilia - probably heard this a hundred times via cultural osmosis, the clap track keeps it interesting but lyrically weak and melodically does nothing for me keep the customer satisfied - ironically this didn't satisfy me at all! weakest track imo so long, frank lloyd wright - musically, really well put together, the vocal track taking a slight backseat here, obviously still taking over the mix but the instrumentation really shines though - strings, bongos (?), flute, a lovely guitar effect, really gorgeous stuff the boxer - the harmonies! the HARMONIES! the effect on the SNARE! (borrowing from a review of White Ceder - The Mountain Goats "the snare feels triumphant") there's some woodwind (? maybe brass) on this that feels really out of place for me initially but the strings & the build from 3.20 onwards is so beautiful it doesn't really matter. lie-la-lie indeed Simon & Garfunkel. baby driver - whatever the only living boy in new york - really picks up halfway through, the latter half overshadows the first why don't you write me - got a bit of shuffle to it, there's a cheeky little horn section, it's a good song but feels a little out of place on this album? bye bye love (live) - people can't be trusted to clap on the snare in time, clapping along to the beat should be discouraged at every turn, live tracks on an album are stupid and i hate them, thanks for coming to my TED talk song for the asking - a very nice closer, has a waltz quality to it, short considering overarching feeling is the highs are fantastic, but there's some clangers on here that drag it down for me personally, a respectable 3.75

ayyy i thought supergrass were like an indie pop thing, this is a nice surprise! I *despise* britpop as a genre and as a movement and, while supergrass flirts with it, this has some snotty fuckin swagger to it in the front half but falls off toward the end imo alright - fuckin' hell this blindsided me like California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas did! An absolute British zeitgeist belter of a tune, you'll hear bits of this at weddings, funerals, football games, pubs, just a splinter in the thumb of British culture (not a complaint) lenny - absolutely stank facing it, snare tone is great, can't get over this bass & drum intro holy shit, loud and in your face, fantastic punk track strange ones - every fucker needs a home is where i stand politically. a blasting, grandiose wall of sound with some big stomps, big smiles from me sitting up straight - goddamn this is so good, the energy is unbelievable, the whiplash from the piano intro to the 70s cop drama guitar riff, the music feels like it wants to burst out, makes me want to punch myself in the face, favourite track so far she's so loose - weakest track we're not supposed to - supergrass couldn't have predicted the popularity of the minions from the hit movie despicable me and I wouldn't be surprised if this track inspired that time - a real driving bass and drums throughout with a real consistent riff, gives a lot of space for the vocals and guitar (and keys) to wander around. not usually my bag but really enjoyed this, very abrupt ending which diminishes the track as a whole imo 4.25

never really given metallica a chance and i will continue not to. i think most of the popular late 80s/early 90s classic metal scene doesn't resonate with me because men hadn't discovered emotions other than anger yet, the riff driven stuff really doesn't do anything for me at all and without any sense of irony at all this is largely music for school shooters. hetfields vocals are fine but he's got one tone and doesn't do anything interesting with it the unforgiven is the first track i really sat up for, there's some guitar work here that gets interesting but can't save the album. wherever i may roam is so unnecessarily long. don't tread on me is BORING! c'mon how're you sporting the gasden flag and have literally nothing to say! nothing else matters is a well-written song (high point since the opener) but there's probably a hundred artists who have put more soul into this and at +6 mins is a slog in metallica's hands got to of wolf and man and checking how long's left, not been bored like this since U2's Achtung Baby. A one note album, does nothing for me at all. I'll say that Metallica are very, very good at what they do if that's what you want but it's really, really fucking boring to be honest - no dynamic, no highs, no lows, just a constant muddy sludge to trudge through 2 stars is being generous - 1.5 tops