1001 Albums Summary

Forgot how tight this record is. 100% killer riffs.

Actually enjoyable Frank Zappa! All the smirking, pointless showboating I usually associate with Zappa is dialled down a lot, though not fully. Pretty groovy rhythm section and a about half the tunes are enjoyable. Would've been better with almost all the guitar removed.

A lot of this is very rumty-tumty and worryingly close novelty-rock. Quite a few clunky lyrics throughout. The core of the band sound great, and I do enjoy Strummer's voice, but most of the songs are just so-so, with only a couple of standouts. Don't get why this record is so acclaimed.

Sublime. Incredible interplay between the trio. Scott LaFaro's bass is ridiculous, just soaring, light as a feather. Feel amazed that I'd never heard this before - an absolute treat.

A regular spinner back in the 90s for me but haven't listened in at least a decade. Still holds up as a rich, dark, emotive, cauldron of dub paranoia. Paved the way for a lot of inconsequential background music, but Blue Lines itself is a heavy listen. Remains a classic.

Felt very powerful and moving at the time. 10 years down the line it doesn't hit as hard. Still some amazing moments, but maybe sags here and there.

A crooning masterclass from Sinatra, with very tasteful arrangements. Clearly really great stuff, but maybe decades of pastiche by others means that it just doesn't grab me as much as it might.

Definitely a step down from Dry or To Bring You My Love. Polly's voice remains compelling, and there are a bunch of great songs, but it veers a bit too close to stadium rock at times and the Thom Yorke song is a bit yuck.

Despite knowing all the single, and this being a big hit, don;t think if I've ever heard the whole of this record before. The hits are UNDENIABLE, and most of the rest is really excellent, and the title is an apt description of the contents. A few forgettable bits, plus a couple of parts that feel a bit dated now, mean it's not quite a 5-star. Will definitely be coming back to this one.

Second PJ album to come up in a few days. One that passed me by at the time and a bit of a departure from her more rocking earlier stuff. Definitely quite inventive, but I'm on the fence about how successful it is. Ultimately probably needs a few more listens to fully grasp it.

Incredible, timeless sounds with soul that cannot be contained. Can't believe I've never listened to this before. MAGIC.

Metallica are very silly boys. So many sick riffs, so many daft lyrics. The notoriously bassless mix is such a dumb move that makes the album sound incomplete. All the songs are great, bar One for which the first half is quite meh, so long as you don't fully pay attention to the words.

Solid jams all-round. Just wish it went a little bit hardr at times.

One that I found it hard to be objective about - a big album for teenaged me. Hadn't listened in a long time, having decided that the next few SFA albums are superior. Might be revisiting that opinion. An incredible blending of the weirder side of 90s Britain, great pop melodies, and a an assumed Steely Dan devotion. Unfairly lumped in with Britpop, this is a absolute classic that stands head and shoulders above it's so-called peers.

Always been an Elvis sceptic, and this album isn't doing much to change my mind. Rock & roll Elvis is OK, but country Elvis is somewhat second rate, for the most part. Blue Suede Shoes, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (over You) and Trying to Get To you are highlights. The version of Tutti Frutti is very weak sauce.

Immediately, this record is highly irritating. Thoroughly adolescent. Don't think I had fully appreciated how dumb the lyrics to Smoke On The Water are. Every solo is either stupid or boring. Main riff of Space Truckin' is pretty great, though. Pre-teen me thought this record was cool. 40-something me understands that it is totally lame.

Short, fast, knowingly dumb. Lovely stuff.

All timeless crackers.

The point at which Tom Waits truly became Tom Waits. Everything on this album just feels so elemental. In the hands of a lesser writer and group of musicians this kind of thing can be corny and hackneyed (see Dresden Dolls, Tigerlilies, etc), but with Waits & co it's just so primeval and natural.

Another album integral to my teenage years, so pretty hard to be objective about. But, I think the whole thing stands up, showcasing Kurt Cobain's fantastic songwriting, enticingly vulnerable voice, and excellent taste, exemplified by the cover choices. Love that all the fluffs and between-song faff have been kept in there - keeps a level of honesty, perhaps? But, why oh why must American audiences whoop and clap when they recognise a song?

Don't even need to listen to it. An all-time classic!

I've always been aware of Joan Baez, but think this is the first time I've properly listened to one of her albums. Her pure, unencumbered voice, simple guitar accompaniment, and choice of folk songs really informs a lot of what I like. But now it is merely interesting rather than essential.

Deeply emotionally invested in this one. Kills me every time. Probably the peak Will Oldham record.

Didn't even need to listen to know this is a 5-star album that I've loved for years. Blasted it regardless.

Released that I don't really know much of Lynyrd Skynryd beyond Sweet Home Alabama. This is a very underwhelming album, not sure why it would be in 1001 that you MUST hear before you die, it's just not that interesting. The rockers are OK (e.g. I Ain't The One and Poison Whiskey) but the slower jams are a bit boring (e.g. Simple Man and especially Free Bird). Not good, not bad, just a bit bland.

Becker & Fagen. Utterly unlikeable yet absolute kings. Total antiheroes. So many smart-arse lyrics, and ultra-crafted tunes that should be utterly hateful, yet hit harder than most. A definite all-killer record, and what a debut!

One of those Stones albums I thought I'd heard before, but a lot was unfamiliar. Some good hits, some less interesting stuff too. Didn't leave a massively lasting impression, but still pretty strong.

Obvs, LB are very much a live band and it is a cause of disappointment that I've never caught them, despite being exactly in my zone of interest, and plenty of my pals have played with them, etc. So, the records are never quite going to be "the thing". Seem to remember feeling underwhelmed by this album when it came out, but on this re-listen am struck by the sheer energy and excitement of the whole thing.

Total builder of an album. Killer.

Contains quite a lot of bits and ideas that I really enjoy, along with with some fairly adolescent gesturing, all smooshed together to make something quite annoying.

Pretty patchy, fairly forgettable.

One of those records I have been intending to check out for about 30 years. Maybe a bit underwhelming - was expecting a more psychedelic or generally weird-sounding record that would point to the echoey pop of their later career I'm a little more familiar with. Maybe like a bunch of tunes that The Cure thought just weren't working.

One of the worst bands ever, though probably mostly due to the god-awful Anthony Kleidis. Didn't really want to listen to this, but am committing to the project. This record came out when I was 12, and even when I heard it at that age I could tell it was terrible and infantile. I sort of had it in my mind that the instrumentalists in RHCP are all great, and that is true, but the taste is really lacking. Some of the guitar work is surprisingly spidery and minimal, but then for the most part it's highly uninspiring funk-rock, one of rock & roll's worst genres. Send them to The Hague for Give It Away (though the reversed guitar solo is quite nice). The title track is nauseating. Sir Psycho Sexy is an abomination - like shitting all over George Clinton's legacy. Cool front cover, though.

Like a lightweight CSNY. Beautiful quality recording, lovely harmonies, but all the songs are totally middling. Not good, not bad, just not interesting.

Felt like a classic at the time - went to a million student parties soundtracked to it. The single version of Brown Paper Bag is far superior to the album one, which seemed to be a common problem of electronic albums of this era. It's a bunch of great tunes, and they all hold up well nearly 30 years on - maybe partly due to the recent DnB resurgence (in the UK at least). But, there are probably far too many of them - could've been edited down to an absolutely killer 45 minutes, especially as quite a few themes repeat themselves.