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.

Never liked the Pixies, except for Here Comes Your Man. Don't know why, should be totally my cup of tea. A new record to me, except for Headache, which I remember getting played a lot on late-night radio a lot at the time, and is definitely a catchy little treat. The record is clearly an exercise in trying stuff out, with mixed results. The outcome is a perfectly decent set of off-kilter indie rock tunes with a handful of gems scattered throughout. Plus, a few duds - ill-advised reggae is always grating. Also, too long.

Another album that seemed to be on constant rotation everywhere at time of release. Lovely Bacharach, Axelrod, and Gainsbourg vibes, but outside the big hits a lot of the tunes are a bit too ephemeral. Nice, however, to finally get an album from somewhere other than the US or UK.

Just the greatest. Raw, hard, poignant, funny, insightful, explosive, uncompromising. 5 stars, no further questions, m'lud.

A rock-solid AC/DC album. Some absolutely killer tunes, with Beating Around the Bush being a real highlight - a rollicking riff that departs from the usual Young brothers formula. A couple of sub-par numbers and iffy lyrics knock it down to a 4 star.

Proper music for subscribers to Guitar Player magazine. Dead boring. Eddie Vedder sings in a way that gives a totally impression that he's on about something deep and important, but it's mostly sixth form nonsense. Baffling why this slick lump of stodgy classic rock was mentioned in the same breath as records by much stranger works from Nirvana, Melvin, Dinosaur Jr, Afghan Whigs, etc. It came out when I was at school and I didn't understand why loads of other "alternative" kids lapped this dadrock up. Doesn't "feel" like a 1 star album, but it strongly disliked every song. 1 star it is. Hats off to the lads, though, for their stances against ticket gougers and so on.

A band that isn't as interesting as they think they are. Perfectly pleasant shuffling indie, and Steve Mason's voice is quite endearing.

Incredible 1-2 opening of Señorita and Like I Love You - production 100%, vocals on point. The Neptunes tunes are generally the strongest here, and I can totally see that a load of these were originally intended for Michael Jackson. A good pop album with some high highs, only a couple of duds, but a fair number of tunes that were merely ok.

My stance has always been that Led Zep are shite, but tried to approach with an open mind. Clearly, they're an amazing bunch of musicians, but the end product on this record is quite annoying. It's definitely at least in part due to Robert Plant. Bonham and Jones are very enjoyable, and the guitar is sometimes great, sometimes showboating. In the end, my concentration slowly drifted off as it's not that interesting overall.

An album I have heard before but don't really remember. Thought I'd hate it, actually pretty great. From the time before Billy Corgan's voice got super-whiny, and most of the songs are very enjoyable. Could do with being a bit shorter. Probably a 3.5, so I'll give a generous 4.

If you're British and a certain age this album is full of totally familiar, perfectly crafted scenarios and people. It's all about the lyrics, the beats are mostly just carriers, and that's exactly what's needed. Brilliant stuff. Americans probably hate this one.

Back when this record came out I was persuaded to buy it by the bloke behind the counter at a record shop, and it was a wonderful introduction to the mysterious world of Howe Gelb. Might still be my favourite Giant Sand record. Amazingly sparse and hushed with a wonderfully ambiguous quality to every tune.

So sensual, so delightful.

Never actually heard the whole of this before. Seems like the perfect encapsulation of what the Rolling Stones are to me.

Went into this fully expecting to find it boring - another American guitar record - but was highly pleasantly surprised. Feels like a bit of a US counterpoint to My Aim Is True (though I think this came first). Not quite as direct as that one, but definitely intriguing. Not blown away, but will definitely come back to this one.

Feel like I've always known Siouxsie & The Banshees' music without really properly getting into it, so this was a great excuse to properly listen. This record is clearly massively influential on loads of later stuff that I love. Siouxsie's voice and the coruscating guitar is amazing. Not sure about the Helter Skelter cover, and some of Hong Kong Garden hasn't dated brilliantly, but everything else is mystical and thrilling. Didn't hit me as a 5 star on this initial listen, but definitely want to come back to it which could up it from the 4 I'm giving for now.

So it turns out there are 2 completely different version of this! Just listening to the original 1956 version that's mostly a studio recording. Regardless, this is a ripping session, pretty much everything you could want from late-era swing(?) big band. Will definitely be investigating the full live performance. Great to get a jazz record thrown up, as this whole 1001 thing seems overly rock-heavy.

Imagine is a bit overplayed as a song, isn't it. Seems more trite as the years go by. I must have heard this album before but don't recall it, and on the back of Imagine the song I was anticipating not enjoying it. But, the title track is probably the weakest song in this record. The whole album is, I guess, a fairly logical follow-on from late Beatles rather than a follow up to his debut? Less interesting that that (due to less Yoko involvement?), but a lot of solid tunes here. How Do You Sleep really points to Lennon's later brief work with Bowie, I reckon. An unexpected 4?

Like a warm time with an old friend, despite never having heard this record before.

Starting with Gimme Shelter isn't too shabby. Love In Vain seems a nice departure from the usual Stones fare, with some lovely mandolin, and then I was totally surprised by Country Honk. Never heard this version before, it's got a nice Flying Burrito Bros vibe to it. The title track is a bit icky, but think they just about keep it in the right place. Midnight Rambler has been played to death by cover bands, but the original remains a bit weird and sinister, in a good way. Monkey Man is quite an odd one, but pretty interesting. Finishing with You Can't Always Get What You Want means it leaves on a great high. Slightly flawed, but highly enjoyable.

God I love this record.

Solid, but somehow didn't totally grab me. Possibly not helped by doing a load of work at the same time. Likely better than I am rating right now.

Sinead 's voice is incredible throughout, but the songs are a bit of a mix. Whilst nothing Compares 2 U is (of course) incredible, some of the other tunes are are so-so, with lyrics are a bit too on the nose. I Am Stretched on Your Grave was a definite highlight.

Can't believe how few records in this list.are in a language other than English, so a definite treat to have something I barely understand, lyrically. Despite being very aware of MC Solaar I've never listened to an album. What a fool, I've been really missing out. Probably missing out on French hip hop in general. Solaar has an amazing flow, and switches things up really brilliant. A lot of great jazzy beats results in the first half really reminding me of Gangstarr. A very interesting slow transition to more dub/reggae influenced tunes really places some of this alongside the whole Bristol sound also developing in the early 90s, and the full blown ragga tune is a banger. A couple of so-so tunes in the middle, but will definitely be coming back to this. Being "forced" to check these kind of albums that I should have tried before is exactly what I wanted from this project.

Thin Lizzy's best tunes are amazing, but there are a few bores, and some of the banter is a bit off. I feel that the 75% in the studio accusation feels about right. Some great performances, but it's too clean a live recording of that time.

Yessssssss. Brilliantly weird, fun, and catchy. Pop music stripped back to an elemental form with delightful results. Love it.

What if the Louvin Brothers dropped acid?

Hard to be objective about this one, for sentimental reasons. Love early Van, voice is untouchable, hasn't gone religious or cantankerous yet. Great songs, great arrangements, but Peter's out towards the end.

Foolishly i listened to this back to back with At Folsom Prison, which is far superior (likely a 5 star if/when it crops up). There are some great versions of great songs, but it feels somehow lacking as a whole album.

Feels like this might have been pretty cool as a live performance, if there IRL, but just didn;t grab that much. Summertime was fairly unenjoyable.

Obviously, this is wonderful. The best gentle pop songs with added brilliance from the more experimental Murder Mystery. And yet, not even the best VU album.

Growing up in the UK in the 80s and 90s, Madness felt like a ubiquitous presence, but I don't think I've ever checked a full album. It's a lot more varied than I expected, and reminds me of The Kinks a lot. Our House is an amazing piece of work, total classic, and a lot of the other tunes are pretty decent, but not too much that totally grabs me. The motifs and accents used in New Delhi are pretty racist, and the use of brownface on the cover is appalling.

Oh god. Just perfect pop songwriters. If someone told you that the Go-Betweens invented love you might just believe them.

Sunshine Of Your Love is a great tune, as evidenced by almost everyone who covered it. The original, here, just feels lacklustre. The album as a whole generally quite a boring listen. Best tune is the throwaway "Mother's Lament" at the end. Also, Clapton & Baker are total pricks.

I was genuinely excited when this popped up on a Monday morning. It's an all-timer. Everything about Steely Dan is seemingly totally hateful, but they deliver the goods. Evil geniuses.

Everyone, myself included, often forgets the pre-disco Bee Gees. They do have some great tunes from the 60s, but they don't really seem to be present on this fairly tired record. It's clearly ambitious, in keeping with a common mood in pop music at the time, but comes across as a fairly dilute tribute to Sgt Pepper/Pet Sounds/Ogdens Nut Gone Flake/etc.

Within 10 seconds I realised that there was a whole side of Tim Buckley I was not previously aware of. Quite mixed feelings about this, which was clearly made to be a bit obnoxious. Felt a bit crap and weirdly sleazy, but maybe there's more to it that would be revealed by further listened. For now, it's a low mark.

I thought I knew this album but clearly not, as it deviates from my expectation of a collection of retro-ish analogue electronic pop with a heavy nod to the 1960s. Lots more interesting sampling, etc going on here. I'd also completely forgotten that Sarah Cracknell isn't the only singer on the album. Some of the beats are highly redolent of Britain in the 90s - shuffly baggy beats as exampled on Nothing Can Stop Us Now - but tying with paisley-ish other instrumentation and so on makes it a bit more timeless. Like The Swallow is a great way to round it out. Not quite a 5, but not far off.

This record felt like a breath of fresh air when it came out, but quickly disappated into semi-semi-irrelevance. Lovely harmonies and maybe ⅓ of the songs are really good, but most of it just kind of floats by. Perfectly nice, but not exactly a record you MUST listen to. Better than The Eagles though, though maybe getting a 1-point boost to reflect that.

Going into this album with my long-held belief that Queen are nonsense. This album isn't doing much to disavow me of that, though maybe it's more interesting than I had anticipated.

When this popped up my initial reaction was "oh no, not another 'classic rock' album". But this is really great fun! Somewhat silly in am enjoyable way with some excellent tunes throughout, plus an pleasingly elastic band feel.

Yes we Can.

Much as this record brings warm feelings, it's not even the best Lemonheads record. A solid, workable indie rocker, but far from remarkable.

Any excuse to listen to Murmur is highly welcome. One of the greatest debuts ever. Sheer perfection.

So this is supposed to be one of the greatest live albums ever? I'm just not getting it. Partly I find Keith Moon's drumming very irritating, but the songs just don't seem like great versions. The 15 min long My Generation just loses interest as it goes on.

I was definitely intrigued and up for the prospect of checking this out. Unfortunately, it wasn't as exciting (or as abrasive) as I might have hoped. The sampler-as-instrument stuff is interesting, but pales in comparison with how it was being used in hip-hop and dance music at the same time. There's also a weird theatrical, overly-devoted to Brecht kind of vibe to the vocals. a 2.5 really, but I'll kindly round up to 3.

Felt like this album was totally ubiquitous at the time, but I don't remember much about it other than the title track and Do You Realize? Flaming Lips have gone on to become increasingly zany and annoying, but this album contains a pleasant level of melancholy and self-reflection. Much of the production is very charming, but there is an element of "we're kerazzee guys" in some of the musical choices.

A record of 2 excellent halves. Side 1 is pretty great, but side 2 takes the cake.

Finally, after nearly 100 albums, one from the "Global South". LBM are an excellent group, and this is a fine collection of songs showcasing their immense skill. Despite this being purely a capella it does feel a little overproduced (quite an artifical timbre?) and is merely a collection of good tunes rather than a considered "album", as such. Would be interesting to check out some older cuts...

Went into this with rock bottom expectations - I have the opposite of fond memories of the nu metal fad. Ultimately this is more of an "alternative " rock album, and has many of the awful sonic motifs of so many successful American bands of the late 90s - Zoom pedal guitars, overly twangy bass, and pointless turntables are in aabundance. On top of this, every song is super-boring and the singer has a totally nothing voice. Bloody rubbish.

This period of Soft Machine, before they went into total prog jazz soulless showboating is highly enjoyable. Third is a nice transition from the very English first 2 albums, seems to me like they are incorporating a lot of ideas from Albert Ayers, Ornette Coleman, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Terry Riley into this. Gets a bit too noodly at times, but overall a very satisfying psychedelic excursion.

Here we go, first encounter in this project with the most overrated band of my times. Bunch of pretentious private schoolboys who've made some decent music, but no exactly earth-shattering stuff. I do, though, have fond memories of this record. There are some solid songs (High & Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Black Star) though quite a few are so-so chuggers (Bones, Just, Bulletproof). A lot of the sounds are very enjoyable but Thom Yorke's voice is often annoying. Overall, both better and worse than I remember.

Perfectly fine stuff and, I guess, indicative of a certain time and place. But nothing that exciting - another one where you question why it's in a list of things you MUST hear. It's not brilliant, it's not unusual, it's innovating. Just a perfectly pleasant listen.

So much to love about Blur, and a lot to find quite irritating too. Haven't heard this album in ages, think I might have petulantly written it off at the time. Quite a few good songs on this, and Graham Coxon's influence is much more forward than in a lot of their other albums. Song 2 is so overplayed now that it's psychically damaged, but that doesn't ruin the whole. Might come back to see if I like it more on repeat.

A sublime, towering achievement. Can't even begin to figure out what a genius work of art this is.

Why ambassador, with this Illmatic you are spoiling us. Undeniable beats and lyrics. All lean, no fat.

Whilst at least 50% of the members of Blur are annoying they do make a pretty solid band. This might be their best album, retaining their very English charm and style, a la The Kinks, and mostly keeps some of their wackier inclination under wraps.

Drug-addled madness that kind of makes no sense as an album yet is somehow brilliant. Don't ask me why or how.

50% bangers, 50% meh.

The instrumental element of this record is incredible, but a concept album about a middle aged bloke running over and then fucking a 14 year old girl is abhorrent.

What a fascinating and strange listen. Think it might be brilliant, but not totally sure. Love that Kevin Rowland constantly reinvents himself, this album being a case in point, and did he invent the album skit?

I thought I knew this album well and it was a nailed on 5 star. On registering, maybe there's a few songs that don't quite match up to the rest, including the overrated Pump It Up. The underrated The Beat might be my favourite EC song.

Peaky Shaky, all wonderful songs. Would mark down a smidge for the sexism of Man Needs A Maid, but I feel like it's bit of clumsiness rather than unpleasantness. Will give him the benefit of the doubt.

This project made me listen to an Alice Cooper album, School's Out. That was a surprising blast. Probably should have left it at that as I found myself losing interest as this album progressed. Very forgettable.

Some of this has aged brilliantly, some less so.

Feel like I expect more from ZZ Top. Solid, but nothing remarkable.

Perfectly fine but inconsequential music. Another one where MUST listen to is a bit of a joke.

A really solid Masekela outing, though not sure why this one rather than any other. Probably hidden depths that are yet to reveal themselves to me - must listen again.

How did I completely overlook this album at the time? A beautiful concept wonderfully executed.