1001 Albums Summary

An easy listen from start to finish, definitely a stage when Stevie Wonder became more experimental in his career. I personally prefer his later album, Songs In The Key Of Life. Although this album has some really stand out songs that sound modern and fresh even today. There are many reasons why this album stands out to me against the rest of the music from the 70’s. One being the use of his iconic harmonica. Love the addition of the moog bass which delivers the classic Stevie Wonder sound. The use of all the backing vocalists, making the songs sound almost like a gospel choir, and even the way he sings in songs like ‘You Haven’t Done Nothin’’, repeating the line ‘Doo-doo-wop’ makes you feel like ur hearing it live and he’s interacting with an audience. All in all a masterpiece full of groove & character. Favourite tracks are: ‘Boogie On Reggae Woman’, ‘You Haven’t Done Nothin’’, ‘Bird Of Beauty’, and ‘Please Don’t Go’.

A captivating display of blues, from a really tight blues band along the showman BB King. They play so well it sounds something like a studio version. The involvement with the crowd & how the album flows sounds like it’s from a Hollywood film that been shot 100 times, it’s absolutely perfect. I enjoy how at some points they interact by complete silence & then meet the bands highs with cheers & whistles when necessary. He really had them wrapped round his little finger. It must’ve been an absolute privilege to see BB King live in the flesh, I do wonder if those viewing knew they were witnessing history. This has definitely been a great introduction for me to BB King & I will be sure to check out more albums coming up. Listening to his guitar playing the way it does, with the horns following his lead is something everyone should experience. Favourite tracks are: ‘How Blues Can You Get?’, ‘Please Love Me’, and ‘Worry, Worry’, as the piano is outstanding.

A very nice easy listening progressive rock album. The keyboard is a main stand out in a lot of the songs, setting the tone for most the album as uplifting, but with heavy guitar riffs from time to time keeping it engaging & interesting. I also love the way the bass builds slowly in ‘Dreamer’, it’s a perfect display of prog rock. I think the production value of this album is what makes it stand out so much to me. Whether this album is for you or not, you could not argue that it doesn’t sound absolutely spot on. It’s laughable how British they sound in ‘Bloody Well Right’. Favourite tracks are: ‘School’, ‘Bloody Well Right’, & ‘Dreamer’.

Incredible debut album, all guns blazing, fast paced, hard rock music. Heavy riffs, experimental sounds, hard drums, a ripping bass & powerful vocals on par with a prime Axl Rose. I also believe the album flows perfectly, has its lows & highs in the right order to give an engaging listen. Eruption is an incredible showcase of how good of a guitarist Eddie Van Halen actually was. He uses the double-tapping method which became popularised through Van Halen’s work. I don’t personally think it is contender for best guitar solo ever, as I don’t believe it’s that enjoyable to listen to and is more just a show case of his capabilities. I in fact enjoy alternative guitar solos on this album more. It is impressive nether the less. The cover of “You Really Got Me” just doesn’t hit the spot for me, the voice and changing of original lyrics felt not right and actually slightly irritating for me. This has definitely intrigued me to listen to have a deep dive into Van Halen and see what else they have to offer in their later work as this is absolutely great. Each band member has highly technical capabilities and they each try to showcase that in their art, something all artists should aspire to do. Favourite tracks are: ‘Runnin’ with the Devil’, ‘Atomic Punk’, ‘Ice Cream Man’, & ‘On Fire’.

I have a new founds love for blues, especially live blues. Muddy Waters has perfected the art of song writing and has the talent to sing the lyrics with a swathe cool tone that’s unmistakably blues. His voice is one of few that it would be hard to get sick of, even in between tracks when he’s introducing the songs. Learning that Muddy Waters was such an influential part of blues post war is no surprise at all. The band showcases their talent and capabilities of jamming together as Muddy Waters leads them through his songs. I particularly liked the ‘I’ve Got My Mojo Working’ & ‘Got My Mojo Working - Pt. 2’ and how they contrast, I thought that was very clever. Favourite tracks are: ‘Tiger In Your Tank’, ‘I’ve Got My Mojo Working’, and ‘I’ve Got My Mojo Working - Pt 2’.

This is music you’d expect to hear when at a fancy restaurant. Brings a nice calming ambience, with impactful powerful grooves & a nice laid back approach to the vocals, keeping the overall vibe of the album very nice & chilled. Still not sure why the albums not called Getz/ Gilberto/ Jobim. Jobim features on pretty much all the album don’t understand why he didn’t get his name on the title. All the instruments compliments each other in such an interesting way. You have Gilberto’s nice guitar chords playing steady repetitive chords, as Getz’s gets to showcase what an impressive saxophonist he is. Jobin adding his gentle piano chords which flows through every track he’s included in. The voice of Astrud Gilberto, who I’m going to presume is the wife/ family member of the guitarist, is so gentle and unique. It fits this bossa nova sound very well, in fact I’d have liked to hear more of it. I understand the appeal of this album, and really enjoyed the introduction to bossa nova. However it’s just not something I will revisit that often so I think that reflects harshly in my rating. I did enjoy it as something different though. So much respect for it being the first non-American album to win Album of the year, that’s very cool and I can totally see why. Favourite tracks are: ‘The Girl From Ipanema’, ‘Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)’, ‘O Grande Amor’.

‘Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time For y'all have knocked her up I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe I was not offended For I knew I had to rise above it all Or drown in my own shit’ That must be contender for one of the coolest introductions to an album. It already has your attention straight from the get go then it’s followed by such an incredible psychedelic riff. On ‘Hit It and Quit It’ that prominent organ sound is outstanding, along with the catchy lyrics repeating through the track and even the guitar solos add so much character to the track. It seemed to be a main theme in the album that the band seem to have a lot fun and go off on solos, but without sounding out of place or unnecessary. It almost sounds like a very professional jamming session. Each track seems to pose a new unique sound to it, an instrument played a certain way, an outlandish lyric, a wild solo. It’s such a great listen and is definitely re-visitable. I love the use of female backing singers, think it should be brought back, this era of music absolutely nails it. It’s so nice to have more than one voice harmonising on a track. Amazing album cover. This album made me fall in love with Eddie Hazels playing style, I was already familiar of his work from his stuff with Parliament. He showcases why he’s on of the best on this record. Favourite tracks are: ‘Maggot Brain’, ‘Hit It and Quit It’, ‘You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks’, & ‘Super Stupid’.

First things first, rest in peace to the prince of darkness. I love Black Sabbath especially the first 4 albums, I believe that’s when they did their best work. During these you literally get to indulge in four of the best heavy metal musicians. My personal favourite being Tony Iommi, I’ve always been a fan of how he plays guitar. It was unique back then and it’s still withholds its sounds today, a true professional. The tension Black Sabbath can build in a track is next level. I’ve listened to this album back to back 4 times in a row, and it shows no sign of getting stale. The bands musical chemistry is definitely captured throughout Vol 4. Ozzys voice was absolutely on point on this record. To point out the obvious, he sounds incredible on Changes. A song that I initially heard first when Eminem sampled it. It was nice to hear this side of Ozzy, something he definitely grew towards in his solo career. You’ll notice I have a lot of songs in my favourite tracks today. What an important band and what a brilliant album, thoroughly enjoyed it. If I could give half stars this would definitely have had a 4.5. Unfortunately I’m saving the 5’s for absolutely perfect albums, although this is close it’s not quite there. Favourite tracks are: ‘Wheels of Confusion’, ‘Under the Sun’, ‘Snowblind’, ‘Supernaut’, and obviously ‘Changes’.

It’s a great feel good album. A double album is never easy to keep someone engaged, most actually drag for me personally. This however, has all the engagement I needed need to listen to the 100 minutes of ELO. (just) I like how this still has still kept its rock n roll sounds even though there’s a clear push for something a bit more commercial. Many artists lose their character, and especially by the time of their seventh album. I love the little breakdowns ELO do, one that specifically caught my attention was the breakdown in ‘Sweet Talkin’ Woman’, it’s so small and subtle but it’s 100% my favourite part of the track. It’s at about 3:15. I love the big dramatic segments in most of the songs, either the fast paced keyboards & piano, or the sound of Jim Keltners fast paced drumming to build tension in an outstanding display of music technical ability, especially them unmistakable high hat drum patterns. All the strings also play on point. Plenty of sing a long tracks. It’s a decent record, the hits are killer and the filler is alright music at the end of the day. I enjoyed the prog elements. It is however a little bit middle of the road for me, nothing that’s going to make me message my friends saying “check this out”, with the exception of ‘Mr Blue Sky’ which everyone has heard a million times before. Favourite tracks: ‘Turn to Stone’, ‘Sweet Talkin’ Woman’, ‘Night in the City’, ‘Mr Blue Sky’, ‘The Whale’.

I completely understand that this is a very important album for hip hop, and it was probably very cool at the time. However as today’s standards go it’s a bit crap. 80s hip hop generally is the worst decade of the genre. The lyrics aren’t great. That being said, there’s some monumental tracks here. ‘My adidas’, the first artists to get attributed to a brand I believe. ‘Walk This Way’, an amazing crossover, with the rock giants Aerosmith. ‘It’s Tricky’ being a sing a long classic everyone will still sing today. Favourite tracks are: ‘It’s Tricky’, ‘Walk this Way’, ‘My Adidas’, ‘Raising Hell’.

I remember my Dad buying me this album from a record shop, when I first got into music big time. It has a massive coffee stain on it but I think it adds character. Outstanding bit of music, I don’t think there is a single bad track. I love the character the album has, with the break up tension you can hear on the record and in the lyrics. It’s common knowledge the drug abuse that was surrounding this album too. They still managed to create a timeless piece of music that has entertained generations, and will continue to do so for many more years. It’s raw emotion in every track and it provided us fans with some of the most beautiful music of the 70’s. I also find it so amusing they went a huge world wide tour after this album. The band plays amazing. Imagine having 3 vocalists, every one brings something different to the table and every one of them delivers quality, with different ranges and sounds. Obviously there is John McVie, who delivers that incredible bass line in ‘The Chain’. And lastly Mick Fleetwood blasting out those iconic drums. All incredible and all very talented. Notice there’s a lot of favourite tracks below. Favourite tracks are: ‘Dreams’, ‘Never Going Back Again’, ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘The Chain’, ‘You Make Loving Fun’, ‘Oh Daddy’, and ‘Gold Dust Woman’.

Caught myself enjoying ‘Sex on Fire’ today, which I usually despise due to very poor drunk karaoke attempts and very mediocre singers in bars butchering it. It is actually an alright track when it’s performed by the guys who made it I suppose. It’s a pretty fun easy indie rock record, screams 2000’s. Doesn’t push any boundaries and isn’t at all experimental. That being said, it is a very enjoyable listen. The lyrics are intended to be your sing alongs classics and to potentially get more radio play is my guess. The guitar is very mellow and chilled, creates a nice ambient feeling to the record. The drumming does what it needs to do. The voice is pretty great, and I feel like the album was built around Caleb Followills voice. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it is amazing but we know from previous records that the rest of the band have good technical capabilities, it would’ve been nice to hear more from them on this record. Favourite tracks are: ‘Use Somebody’, ‘Revelry’, ‘Notion’, and ‘Be Somebody’.

Okay so I have to admit, it took more than one listen to really understand this album. So glad I gave it a few chances because I absolutely love it now. I explored more of PJ Harvey after this and really have full in love with her music. She has such a powerful voice, it gave me the same feeling as when I listen to Bjork. The music to go with the voice is a bit chaotic, in a good way, and the voice just cuts right through the chaos. I personally love how experimental the band are in this. The music is nice and progressive and builds nicely on every track. The bass is outstanding, love it in ‘Water’. I do think she better material than just this album, that being said the sheer rawness and the fact she just chucked her all at this because she thought it was her only chance really does come through to the listener. Favourite tracks are: ‘Sheela-na-gig’, ‘O Stella’, Water’, ‘Dress’, ‘Plants and Rags’, ‘Happy and Bleeding’, and ‘Hair’. Definitely gonna be a revisit one for me.

Easy listening at its finest. Every bit of this record is enjoyable. The lyrics are great on this. Heavy focus on the love songs but Sade has the voice to match the love song vibe. There is clearly a lot of talent in both Sade the singer & Sade the band. The music sounds so neat, and displays a nice balance of R&B and jazz. A particular bit that really stood out for me was the saxophone solo in ‘Sally’, absolutely astounding. I love the freedom they had in there sounds and that they pushed there experimental ideas, although minimal, if you listen properly you can hear all those fun ideas and sounds they’ve put into this record. Favourite tracks are: ‘Smooth Operator’, ‘Sally’, ‘Your Love Is King’, ‘When Am I Going to Make a Living’, ‘Cherry Pie’.

A really pleasant surprise. Always had a negative preconception of U2. Mainly because of the whole album they put on everyone’s phones. However, I think this is a really good record. The whole point of this 1001 albums was for situations like this. Did not expect to add 4 new songs to my liked, excluding ‘New Years Day’, as I already was aware of that banger. I like all the new wave sounds involved in this. Dare I say in parts Bono sounds like Robert Smith from the cure, not sure how he’d react to that one though. I think Bonos voice is enjoyable and compliments the band. The lyrics are also compelling, obviously showing their political stances through some of there songs, and perhaps giving there songs more meaning has pushed there lyrics to a more complex place. ‘New Years Day’ has so much depth it is literally a masterpiece of a song. Everything from the lyrics, vocals, guitars, drums, bass. That’s guitar solo is so 80’s I love it. You’ve got to do something right to knock MJ’s ‘Thriller’ off the top spot. Favourite tracks are: ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, ‘New Years Day’, ‘ Like A Song…’, ‘Drowning Man’, ‘Two Hearts Beat As One’, and ‘Seconds’.

This just isn’t an album I’m interested. I’m sure it was maybe good at the time for those who are interested in Country rock. Some of the guitar solos are interesting, maybe if the guitarist was in a different band he could’ve produced some good music. It is one of the less irritating country voices that I’ve heard as well, to get credit where it’s due. The songwriting is also better than 90% of other tedious country songs. Low rating is because it’s not for me, I’m sure it’s someone’s perfect record. Favourite songs are: ‘Do Right Woman’.

The start of an amazing band. Could still tell there was incredible amounts of talent even on the first album, and all the potential that they had. I love how blues this album is, it’s nice to hear the stones play music like this, before they went down the more rock n roll route. Upon reading a bit about this album, I learned only one track was actually written by the stones. Which personally takes away a bit of the integrity for me. To me being a musician is both the creativity and the performance, not one or the other. That being said the stones sound really neat and played to a really high standard, and we know how influential the band became with their later creative work. All in all, a good album. However very far from the stones best and at the end of the day a cover record. Favourite tracks are: ‘Carol’, ‘Can I Get A Witness’, ‘I’m A Killing Bee’, ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’.

Dark, gothic & amazing. Such a cool piece of work from an amazing band. The tension built in these tracks, even with the simplest concepts, is so intriguing and captivating and a step in a different direction compared to ‘Three Imaginary Boys’. I’d say it’s music to go on a walk in the woods when there’s a thick layer of fog. The new wave and dark wave elements mixed with the post punky bass really make this music so interesting and appealing. I love Robert Smith, his song writing, his voice and overall vibe is a key part in why The Cure are so unique and influential. ‘A Forest’ is one of my all time favourite tracks. It’s so diverse. I’ve heard it played as the closing track at a rave and every hair on my body stood to attention. Favourite tracks are: ‘Play For Today’, ‘A Forest’, and ‘Seventeen Seconds’.

I don’t actually know how to rate something like this, it’s really nice and calming. Genuinely fell asleep on the first listen. Not in a bored way though more in a relaxed sort of way. It reminded me of what you’d find on the sleep playlist on Spotify. I knew of Brian Eno prior to this through collaboration with David Byrne & I know another one of his songs ‘Baby’s on Fire’. This album however is nothing like either of those tracks, so I assume his discography is very experimental and has touched on a lot of different genres & sounds. The music was really pleasant and chilled, nothing stood out majorly but it was good to shut off too. I could use this album to relax or use it when I’m hungover. It definitely is background music, would go hand in hand with studying or reading. Favourite tracks are: ‘1/1’ & ‘2/1’.

A easy listen to a man singing his heart out to folky goodness. Didn’t think I was going to enjoy this due to how much I’ve heard ‘American Pie’ throughout my life and associated it with bad karaoke. However not only is the album much more enjoyable than what I thought, ‘American Pie’ the track is actually very nice, with well thought out lyrics and a great song structure. The thing I found with this album is it’s very minimalist on the backing instruments. It makes you dial in on Don’s voice and concentrate on the lyrics. Perhaps it was due to poor technical abilities, I however think it came off nicely. Although I mention the minimalist approach with instruments I do think it should be recognised how good his song writing is especially with structure and lyricism. Favourite tracks are: ‘American Pie’, ‘Vincent’, ‘Winterwood’, and ‘Everybody Loves Me Baby’.

Im very glad this piece of work was brought to my attention. A truly amazing album, all killer zero filler. Never heard of Nilsson, however I learned I knew some of the songs on this record. It takes real talent to have something so easy to listen to as this album, whilst still experimenting with different styles & sounds. Even the way he sings he adds so much character into what he’s saying, and the lyrics range from simplistic repetitive type, sounding like another instrument, to the complex raw emotion lyrics. I now do plan to explore his discography in hope for more experimental work from Nilsson, I hear ‘Aerial Ballet’ is meant to also be a real work of art. I love the futuristics sounds of the song ‘Early In The Morning’. His singing is so fun and full of energy which matches the repetitive backing instrument which ’m guessing is an organ playing along. Although it is Nilssons impressive vocals which is probably the most prominent part of listening to this album. I think it’s fair to give credit to those who helped write & produce this beauty. A valiant team effort created something that I’ve heard for the first time 55 years later and still be blown away. Favourite tracks are: ‘Gotta Get Up’, ‘Early in the Morning’, ‘Down’, ‘Without You’, ‘Coconut’, ‘Jump Into The Fire’.

An album made to dance to. I remember seeing these on the 30th anniversary tour when I was in my adolescence, and even though it was a shite performance I was still so excited to be drunk and listening to the Happy Mondays. This album is 100% their best, I might go even further and suggest it’s their only good album too. Happy Mondays were always about their vibe more than the actual music. Being at the forefront of the MADchester movement and having a lot of involvement with the hacienda and of course substance abuse, one of their most known band members literally plays the maracas and dances. That being said, this album is definitely the best display of musical abilities that the Mondays put out. It has iconic riffs, catchy lyrics, smooth funky bass lines & the same piano tones which made so much of the hacienda music popular. Bonus points for the album name & design. Favourite songs are: ‘Kinky Afro’, ‘God’s Cop’, ‘Donovon’, ‘Grandbags Funeral’, ‘Loose Fit’, ‘Dennis And Lois’, and of course ‘Step On’.

I really can’t get away with the country music. The female singer is definitely a lot nicer to listen to if it’s country that’s on, that’s for sure. I think the album cover is really cool, it’s raw & unique. I promise I try to get into these it’s just something that isn’t for me I’m afraid, I’m sure it’s someone’s somewhere favourite album, but it’s just something I can’t get into. That being said, she has a nice voice. Favourite tracks are: ‘More Than A Whisper’.

I think I had high expectations for this album. Prior to listening to it I already knew the big hit ‘Sledgehammer’, I’ve really enjoyed that song for many years so was looking forward to hearing music of the similar vibe. However I was met with dissatisfaction as none of the songs clicked with me at all. I re-listened a few times but I didn’t feel the vibe at all. I’m aware this was when Peter Gabriel was taking a more commercial approach, so maybe I should check out other albums for more creative and out there sounds and styles. It just sounded like loads of boring sounds out together to make a really mediocre album with no real groove or passion, that excludes ‘Sledgehammer’. Favourite tracks are: ‘Sledgehammer’.

It’s a great record that I should’ve paid more attention to sooner. It’s definitely a record where it’s intended to be listened to as one whole project. The second half of it being loads of short songs that flow from one another exceptionally. Love hearing the range in Paul’s voice, ‘Oh Darling’ was my personal favourite display of this. Ringo Star is so neat and perfect on this record, really showing his technical capabilities as a true professional and pioneer. Absolutely love the album cover, and all the conspiracies that came with it. The tension in ‘I want you (She’s So Heavy) is superb one of my favourites off this album. Favourite songs are: ‘Come Together’, ‘Oh Darling’, ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’, ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, ‘Carry That Weight’, and ‘The End’.

I have this album on my wall at home. This is nothing shy of a masterpiece, and a work of art. I love the vibes and stuff. (Pun intended). Q-Tip is an absolute perfectionist and needs mentioned in the best producers of all time a whole lot more, Tribes music has always sounded so smooth yet intricate. Tip is a sampling genius and workaholic really shows all he has to offer in this record. A Tribe Called Quest are definitely pioneers of the jazz rap genre. I absolutely love Busta Rhymes on this record his collaboration on the song ‘Scenario’ is flawless. What a verse, what a music video. Just a segment of what is an incredible record. RIP Phife Dawg. An infectious flow and a proper mc. Favourite tracks are: ‘Excursions’, ‘Buggin’ Out’, ‘Rap Promoter’, ‘Verses From The Abstract’, ‘Show Business’, ‘Vibes and Stuff’, ‘Infamous Date Rape’, ‘Check The Rhime’, ‘Everything is Fair’, ‘Jazz (We’ve Got)’, ‘ What?’, and ‘Scenario’.

From the very first chord played I felt like this album was going to be great, it drew me in straight away and kept my attention right through till the last song. Apart from the fact it makes you feel like there’s an alarm going off somewhere on several different occasions, this is an incredible piece of music. It’s experimental, it’s different and it’s produced at the highest of standards. I was only familiar of his biggest hit ‘Loser’ coming into this album, so you can imagine the surprise I got from hearing the range of this record. He’s got elements from all of my personal favourite genres, got hip hop sampling techniques, funk, blues and obviously rock. He does it in a way that’s not someone trying to reach as many ears as possible, but instead someone who’s clearly very absorbed by all these genres and wants to present them all without being tied down to just one sound. It takes a real talent to do this and keep the music so enjoyable to listen to and not just sound like a cluster-fuck of sounds. Learning the collaboration with ‘The Dust Brothers’ that took place during Becks career comes as no surprise. They worked a lot with the ‘Beastie Boys’ and you can hear the similarities in both sampling and song structures. I really like the album structure here, it was selected in my opinion, in the perfect sequence. Favourite songs are: ‘Devils Haircut’, ‘Hotwax’, ‘The New Pollution’, ‘Novacane’, ‘Where It’s At’, ‘Ramshackle’ and ‘Diskobox’.

I listened to this album the second I opened my eyes this morning, and it set me up perfectly for my day. It’s such a an easy listen, I visited it a few times. Some times I was able just to switch off and have it as an ambience and other times it really made me think about every note that was being played. It takes something special to be able to achieve both of these different ways of listening. I’m going to point out the obvious and say what serious amount of talent the musicians had on this record and how they beautifully complimented each other’s sounds and styles. We need to thank the jazz musicians of back then for what we have today. So much has came from early jazz, including playing styles and hip hop samples. A record like this will always stay timeless because who knows when a producer will hear it for the first time and hear something no one else has, and then you have the next big hit of the year. Favourite tracks are: ‘The Kid From Red Bank’ and ‘Fantail’.

The first song really made me feel like I was going to endure a really bad 47 minutes of music, thank god that changed by song 2. This album had a concoction of so many genres and sounds, some of which I loved some I didn’t so much. That being said the good did outweigh the bad for me. They were very experimental, and I did enjoy there more indie sounds. I really liked the song structures and the melodies on display. The vocals are brilliant. You can tell that they’re very absorbed in all that they take inspiration from here. There’s so many different sounds and styles to dissect, it definitely take more than just one listen to decipher this complex record. Favourite songs are: ‘Quattro - World Drifts In’, ‘Black Heart’, and ‘Not Even Stevie Knick’s’.

It’s far from my favourite Stevie project, however I still believe it’s a decent album. It just didn’t click in the same way ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’ & ‘Fullfillingness’ First Finale’ did. I really believe this album is perhaps the start of what was a really strong run of albums that were near perfect with Stevie, and that this album was crucial in him finding his sound and experiments with different tones and playing styles. I really loved the start of the song ‘Maybe Your Baby’ it was so heavy and caught my attention from the very first chord struck. There’s a small part of me that believes if this wasn’t from Stevie Wonder it wouldn’t be on this list, it has amazing tracks but not sure I would class it as an amazing album throughout, what came after was truly amazing. Favourite tracks are: ‘Maybe Your Baby’, ‘Superstition’, ‘I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)’

Straight off the bat you can hear the quality in the production value of this album. All the instruments are very precise in there unique playing styles. It does slightly remind me of a more recent band, Black Country New Road. Which is a compliment to say the least as there discography is very impressive. As always love the proggy elements of this, nice to hear that in a more indie sounding track. I think the standout of this album is probably the unique voice of David Longstreth. It perfectly compliments what else is going on in each track, especially with that twangy acoustic guitar being picked at throughout. I love the addition of Amber Coffman on ‘Stillness Is The Move’, and specifically the placement of the song in the album. I think it breaks up the record nicely and was most definitely intentional. Favourite tracks are: ‘Cannibal Recourse’, ‘Stillness Is The Move’, ‘Two Doves’ and ‘Useful Chamber’.

This is rapping at its absolute best, one of my favourite records during my early teens. I remember my brother got me into Eminem, at probably an age way too young, I have been a big fan ever since. The boundaries pushed on what you can get away with saying and still being commercially successful is astonishing. I love how dark the themes of this record are, yet it had two massive hits. Obviously Dre producing the album means it’s gonna have a bullet proof selection of track quality, pairing it with and MC such as Slim ensures it’s going to be a 10/10 listening experience. Slims got everything on this record, he’s got flow, he’s got story telling, he’s got humour, he’s got metaphors, he’s got complex rhyming schemes and most importantly he’s got something people actually want to listen too. One of my favourite facts about this album is that after releasing ‘Stan’, Slim has had two people break into his house. Both of them named ‘Stan’. Kind of hilarious kind of frightening. I even like the skits on this album. That says a lot. I genuinely think ‘Drug Ballad’ is one of the best Eminem tunes ever released, the rhyme scheme is legendary and way over looked. Favourite tracks are: ‘Kill You’, ‘Stan’, ‘Who Knew’, ‘The Real Slim Shady’, ‘The Way I Am’, ‘Remember Me?’, ‘I’m Back’, ‘Marshall Mathers’, ‘Drug Ballad’, ‘Bitch Please II’, ‘Under The Influence’, and ‘Criminal’.

A great album by an even better band. I was lucky enough to see these guys last year and they amazed me, the sound quality was something I’ve never witnessed before during live music. This is the first album I listened to before becoming a big fan of Nine Inch Nails work, after a lot of listening I must admit there is better NIN albums, and this one slows down for me towards the end with a few tracks I see as filler. I love the crazy song structures and experimental sounds used in this album. There’s elements of so many different types of music. I always used to describe them as if Depeche Mode did metal. It’s great how they can have songs like ‘March Of The Pigs’ and ‘Hurt’ on the same project and both contain so much emotion, presented in an entirely different way to each other but neither lacking in quality. Favourite tracks are: ‘Mr Self Destruct’, ‘Piggy’, ‘Heresy’, ‘March Of The Pigs’, ‘Closer’, ‘Ruiner’, ‘Big Man With A Gun’.

‘Sympathy Devil For The Devil’ has and will always be a song I regard as one of the best ever created. So many layers to it, so creative and sounds so tidy despite its chaos. I love how it’s been used in cinema. The only issue with opening an album with such a a great track is that the album might take a nose dive straight after and I’m afraid that’s how I feel about Beggars Banquet. The music is far from bad but it definitely goes stale and I do feel like there is a more than a few filler tracks before ending really strong, but that’s just a personal opinion. It’s fun to hear Richard’s and Jaggers experimental aspects of the record come out, regardless of whether they’re good to listen to. It’s certainly more fulfilling than hearing them do blues covers anyway. Favourite tracks are: ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, ‘Jigsaw Puzzle’, ‘Factory Girl’, ‘Stray Cat Blues’, and ‘Salt Of The Earth’.

Great album. Most things Pharrell puts out is usually a pleasure to listen too. I’ve enjoyed NERD’s music for a while now, however not really touched on this album much. It’s great how multi genre NERD are and how they have a no boundaries approach to their production on records. There’s distortion, rocky riffs and licks, hip hop elements, jazz elements, pop elements and all done in a way that ensures quality from track to track. The experimental aspects is definitely what draws me in to their work and the quality is what makes me stay. I really do enjoy Pharrells voice too, very smooth and compliments every track and obviously the addition of Lenny Kraviz is a bonus. Favourite tracks are: ‘Fly Or Die’, ‘Jump’, ‘She Wants To Move’, and ‘Drill Sergant’.

I am so grateful for the influence Kraftwerk have had on generations of electronic and rave music, they are most certainly pioneers. But like some pioneers, just because they were there at the start doesn’t necessarily mean they were really good. I understand that the music was revolutionary at the time but I don’t find this particular album all that enjoyable to listen to, and find some of it quite bland. Perhaps that is due to so much exposure to electronic music and creative sounds throughout my life. That being said I don’t think this is a bad album. I really enjoyed the opening track, and I think it ends nicely on the last track and the penultimate track. I feel like Kraftwerk perfected there craft as time went on with there later albums. Favourite tracks are: ‘Europe Endless’, ‘Franz Schubert’, and ‘Endless Endless’.