1001 Albums Summary

9/10. Amazing album, one weaker track (You Make It Easy) lets it down a bit.

Buena Vista Social Club on speed. Even if mambo isn't son. Try to sit still.

Not even their best. Still phenomenal.

As per usual with Muse, I know it's actually quite good. But I can't take an album of them. It's too much. (This from a massive Wagner fan!) Loudness wars going on within the same track. And always those scales going up and down! Muse do bombast quite well at times. But only Queen ever made bombast effortless and fun. I saw Muse live once at the Rock Werchter festival and remember saying to my friends that they sounded like magma with bowel problems. I know that is perceived as A Good Thing in some parts, but I can't take 50 minutes of it. Case in point is Invisible, which is one of many that go from 'ooh, that sounds nice' to 'cor, is it over yet' faster than you can say 'again'. Stars (I'm in rather a good mood) are a half each for the excellent Starlight, the rocking Exo-Politics (but imagine how good it would have been in Queen's hands!), the surprising City Of Delusion and Soldier's Poem, in which Matt Whatsisname proves he can sing, like he once did in the deathless Unintended. Assassin isn't bad but somehow seems to try to hard. Which I guess sums up how I feel about Muse in general.

What a blast! I'd never heard it and at times it's close to as far as I can go with jazz. But it's so thrilling, even in those more avant garde bits. The way Track B - Duet Solo Dancers starts of slow and intimate, then builds up into a frantic rhythm, then seems to fall apart before picking up again into the ending in which you can almost visualise the duo of dancers, is worth the price of the album. But that also goes for the piano and somehow oriental-sounding flourishes in the 'Group Dance' track that follows, and for many more moments here. I don't want to overdo it on the five star ratings, but with the selection of outstanding albums we're getting and my broad tastes, maybe it's unavoidable. Five it is. Going on my wish list, this one!

One of my favourite albums ever. Flawless. Give it five stars and put it on again. And again.

Proof that punk, substance and skill weren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Great stuff. Peaches will always remind me of Sportweekend, Flemish television's Sunday sports show. Irrepressible. Just one of a good number of more than decent tracks here. Jean-Jaques Burnel's basslines are brilliant throughout.

I have been promising myself to dive into XTC. I've had the Fossil Fuel compilation for ages and recently bought The Big Express, which turned out to be a pretty amazing record. But this is even better. Melodies like Macca, Partridge's witty lyrics, brilliant arrangements. What an artful gem of an album. We wants it!

Still so exciting. It must have been quite something hearing The Who burst onto the scene 60 (sixty!) years ago. Such an important band. The influence of this on nearly every rock band since is immense. And that stutter in my g-g-generation? I bet Liam Gallagher - talk about influenced! - is still jealous of it. Love it.

Easily their best 'early' album. And possibly a bit of a shock for those who only know 'the' Bee Gees. Love it.

I wasn't into Pixies back in the late 80's, early 90's. They grew on me later, through the artists they influenced (Graham Coxon, Alice In Chains, Radiohead to an extent) and went back to finally discover them after David Bowie covered Cactus on Heathen. If you want to hear who really pushed the reset button on rock, forget Nirvana. They had the better PR, that's all. This is ground zero. This and Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr ... I wasn't into those either. Maybe it's time to revisit. Favourites here: the obvious Gigantic but also Cactus (thanks, Mr. Bowie), Where Is My Mind, Something Against You ... Oh, and we did play Here Comes Your Man with our highschool band, The Cornflakes. So I wasn't completely out of touch!

I can't say anything that hasn't been said yet ...

Not bad but extremely overrated. Re-invented rock music, my arse.

At least as monumental as Rumours. Stunning album by a band in god mode.

I had heard of TV On The Radio but had never heard any of their music. This is an intriguing album, hopping from funky to post-rock and Cure-like moods. Three stars may well turn out four when I get to know this better. And I intend to. This sort of discovery is why I wanted to do this in the first place.

Surprised this is here. Not their best, for me, even if it is a really good album. Among their best artwork, though, if you get the original vinyl.

Offspring. Punk for early 90's 14 year-olds. I suppose I was too old for Offspring when they surfaced. I certainly wasn't into their brand of fast food punk. I'm a lot older now and a lot more forgiving. I still don't like Offspring, but I understand the appeal. And this even holds a couple of decent tracks. Gotta Get Away is really good. Come Out And Play still stands up and is a rare Offspring track I always rather liked. Good fun. Self Esteem is a decent single. Not one of the 1001 albums I personally had to hear.

What a jawdroppingly amazing album this is. Every time I put it on, it blows me away. The diversity, from acoustic country-ish or Iberian guitar pieces over the big slabs of prog rock to almost jazzy tracks, beggars belief. As does the complete control heard on every note out of every instrument. Staggering. Yes, please!

The late 60's saw some superb psychedelic, layered, incredibly accomplished pop-rock albums released. The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, Love's Everything Changes, The Beatles' White and Sgt Pepper albums, The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society ... This is in that league. Amazing story, The Zombies. They sort of disappeared after this. One of the best albums of the decade and with Time Of The Season, one of its best songs. And then ... nothing.

I remember Spiritualized were darlings of the English music press in the 1990's. I didn't understand then and I don't understand now. Songs start, songs end. And nothing happens inbetween, apart from repetition, usually in crescendo. Many of them are overlong, but even the shorter ones seem to drag on forever in endless repetition. Laser guided torture. And that bland, nothing voice. Dull, pretentious rubbish. Frustrating to have to give it even one star.

Oh well ... It has its moments. But I've never really been into Metallica and their brand of metal. Too ... adolescent, I guess.

Still one of the best rap/hip-hop albums ever.

I've always loved this album. It's as old as I am, which is a good start. But the whole context is so interesting and important. This is McCartney's first real solo. It is the sound of a man getting The Beatles out of his system while having been an immense part of it. It is the sound of an incredibly talented man jamming with himself, basically having fun and noodling about. But what sublime noodling this is! It is never less than interesting, Macca showing off his considerable chops as a songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist. And it manages to sound anything but 56 years old. When Momma Miss America starts, you could be forgiven for thinking: "Hey! Gnarls Barkley!) Between the weird, lo-fi (avant la lettre) tracks, there are some absolute gems. Every Night is a more than decent tune, with its reference (to my ears) to the Fab Four's You Never Give Me Your Money. Man We Was Lonely is a jolly singalong, precursing (again to these ears) Picasso's Last Words off Band On The Run. Junk is simply beautiful, as is its companion piece Singalong Junk. And then there is Maybe I'm Amazed, which is worth the price of the album all on its own. What an incredible song this is. Incertainly am. Amazed, that is. Every time I hear it. McCartney is a lovely album, all in all. Not his best, but certainly not as rubbish as it is often said to be. If Lennon had made this, it would probably be lauded as raw, fuss-free and honest. But for me this is the start of McCartney showing his immense talent. Nothing comes near the incredible chemistry of The Beatles but of all the solo work, McCartney's shows the most musicality, diversity and consistency. Band On The Run, Ram, McCartney II (and III), Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, all those massive albums ... It starts here.

Release the incredible The Yes Album, tour the world, recrute Rick Wakeman, record and release the at least equally incredible Fragile. All in the space of less than a year. As far as a gameplan goes, Yes got it spot on in 1971. Yes, please!

One of the best albums ever made. It really is as simple as that.

I used to hate country music. Blame John Denver. Then, through a fellow Belgian, Pascal Deweze's record called Chitlin Fooks, the soundtrack to Oh Brother Where Art Thou and seeing Secret Sisters warm up for Ray LaMontagne, I discovered how beautiful it can be. This is an example. The infinite sadness. Those three amazing voices. This goes on my 'to buy' list.

Decent first solo album. I have a lot of time for Williams.

Better than I expected. A lot better. Not my kind of music as per usual but this one is pretty good. 🤘

Arcade Funeral are a strange beast for me. I like everything on this album and always have, but somehow I tend to check how long I've been listening, even if it isn't even that long. So even if mostly it feels like a four, I have to give it three. And listening to Wasted Hours as I write, again I want to go for four. Oh, sod it. Four. Damn you, Arcade Fire!

From 1971's Where I'm Coming From to 1980's Hotter Than July is Stevie Wonder's imperial phase or, as they say now, when he 'went god mode'. Even within that nine year, eight albums sweet spot, three albums manage to stand out as greatest among the great. Innervisions, Songs In The Key Of Life and Talking book form the absolute pinnacle of this outstanding artist's output. And out of those three, Talking Book just edged it. It is breathtakingly good, from You Are The Sunshine Of My Life, over Superstition to I Believe (When I Fall In Love ...), this is an album where everything is simply perfect. Wonder also started finding his voice here as a representative of black America, diving into his cultural history and circumstances as well as personal. In that, it forms a perfect pair with Marvin Gaye's equally monumental What's Going On. One of the greatest records ever made.

Proof once more that the 1970's were the dog's crown jewels. Prog rock was a late, aquired taste. But when it's this good ... Five!

I've had this album for quite some time and have to admit I don't put it on too often. That doesn't mean I don't like it. I do. A lot. It's just one of those that seem to need a specific time and mood. So when I put it on today, it took time to convince me again. Shleep gets its ideas and influences from all over the shop. There are folkish bits, jazzy passages and generally quite a bit of weirdness. Somehow I am reminded of some of Bowie's later work. Alien is a good example. This could have been on any of Bowies last five albums. Overall I guess it has a leftfield, artsy feel. I can absolutely understand the low average rating. Some people will love this, some will hate it. I'm firmly in the former camp.

"Oh, it's so ahead of its time!" "Oh, it's so wildly experimental!" "They were such an enormous influence." "There's nothing else like them." Come off it. If there's never been a band like The Velvet Underground, maybe there's a good reason ... Some half decent songs, which make me think they would be better in someone else's hands. And a lot of useless, pointless noise. I'm sorry, the Velvet is not for me. I own the 'banana' album but I think I've listened to it once. Call me tone deaf now, snobs.

Such a beautiful album. Perfection.

One of the very best. Le rhyme, le flow, le tempo ... Superlative.

Classic, legendary ... overused words. But this one really is.

One of four absolute gems (out of six studio albums of consistent quality) by criminally underrated not-quite Britpop band. In It For The Money is a real blast. It's melodic, textured, ambitious, with some slower, more introspective tracks (Late In The Day is superb) giving it a gravitas that catapults the album into the 'great' bracket. It is brilliant fun, though, and when it's over, you can only think: wow. And put on another Supergrass album.

I never cared much for the big Beatles - Stones debate. For one thing, The Kinks should always have their place in any greatest band of the 60's contest. And also, both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were massive, important and incredibly talented bands. But Beggar's Banquet illustrates why, if I have to pick a side, The Beatles always get my vote. I really like this album, and it's one of quite a few Stones records I own. But like nearly every Stones album, there is some filler here that drags it down a level. I sometimes think they should have worked on every album a month longer, writing and thinking up new ideas. So I can't go higher than three stars here, down from 3,5 because Let It Bleed is sure to follow and that will have to be a 4.