1001 Albums Summary

A Love Supreme Pt. 1 - The drums on this song were so chaotic but also seemed to make sense, it seems like the drummer had an idea of what they wanted and went with it. The vocals were a nice surprise, although they were mundane but the base afterwards mimicking the vocals were quite calming afterwards. A nice intro to something I wouldn't usually listen to. A Love Supreme Pt. 2 - The intro to this song hit like a truck, immediate stank face, again the drums seem chaotic but more complex. The instruments so far seem to don't seem to blend but act as separate entities within the songs but still work cohesively to such a large extent that the songs are enjoyable when listened to as a whole but also when focusing on a specific instrument, especially the piano (Although the chords seem to clash somewhat in places but I think that's just jazz). The woodwind instruments are by far my favourite. A Love Supreme Pt. 3 - The drums are much more aggressive, the speed is really impressive but the piano seems to be the star of this song which has yet to happen. Again, I get the vibe that these musicians weren't given a sheet to work off but just a general idea and their familiarity with the instruments and jazz meant they could articulate that idea, whether it was emotional or purely musical. I think the saxophone is my favourite instrument, its almost screaming towards the end of the song. There's a lot more panic in the instruments and I think I understand that the instruments are conveying not the same rhythm but the same emotion, this song instils a strong sense of panic towards the end as the notes become more shrill and after that, lonely but punchy, like internal thoughts after a moment of stress. A Love Supreme Part. 4 - This is by far my favourite intro so far, the instruments convey a sense of turmoil, I confused it for a romantic intimacy at first but maybe that's the intended message, a feeling of stress in familiarity, a trauma or feeling only present in a harmful but transformational relationship. After reading the definitions for the songs and the meanings of the album as a whole, I was completely off with the intended messages which shows that music is about perspective and that different experiences can covey the same strong and seemingly unique emotions. This was a great album and it's nice to begin learning about jazz as a culture rather than just on To Pimp a Butterfly.

She's Fresh - What an absolute banger to begin, this song is so fun and eccentric. It's a great tone setter, my guess is that this will be a feel good, head-bopping, and very unserious album. The overall message from this song so far is she's fresh, get fresh, Love ya mother and dance like a fool. Again, incredibly fun and an amazing punchy, fruity instrumental It's Nasty (Genius of Love) - Classic! The instrumental is immediately recognisable. I just can't help but smile. If what they're saying is true, that contemporary society condemned their music, society must have been miserable. There's some nice bars in this song too, definitely feeling inspired as most have in the past. Scorpio - Completely different vibe, like a Dalek getting freaky to some drums and techno and I'm here for it. The drums are nasty on this song, couldn't help but stank face. Getting really strong images of them mixing this in this studio and it's really hard to pick up on a discernible genre, it just feels good. What it lacks in lyricism, it makes up for in just pure funk tenfold. It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove) - Getting a lot more RnB, Soul vibes from this and is definitely my favourite so far. Again, the message is obvious but then again may have been profound in a time of under-representation and a collective consciousness of prejudice. Definitely my favourite so far, I feel like I know the chorus after half a listen and the vocals are incredible in the adlibs throughout the chrouses. A pretty fucking great song. Dreamin' - At first, I was skeptical, the first 10-20 seconds or so had shaky vocals and quite a thin instrumental but it really picks up and completely proved me wrong, this song is cohesive, soulful to the point I feel like I'm floating. I'm not envious of Stevie Wonder because of his musical talent or extensive success but because this song was written for him, somebody better make a song for me like this because it's beautiful. You Are - By far my absolute favourite, this song has the magic of a childhood imagination and the maturity of adult love. I don;t subscribe to the ideas of Christianity but this song is a reminder of how beautiful the impacts of religion can be. The orchestra in the background is indescribably beautiful. This group are multi genre hit makers with a deep understanding and passion for not just the music they create but music as a whole. The Message - Extended Version - Again, a absolute banger, considering I've always considered hip-hop from this time as lyrically adolescent due to the relative lyrical talent we have now like JID or anyone from the Dreamville label but I was gladly proved wrong, as throughout the rhyme schemes and flows were incredibly impressive, I will never underestimate old school hip-hop ever again. The cadence of these artists is their biggest technical strength in my opinion, so much confidence in their message really articulates an authentic experience of struggle. Message 2 (Survival) - I've never heard an instrumental like this, I'm just absolutely blown away by how multi-faceted this group is, the furthest I ever went back was N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton and I never knew what I was missing out on. The message is more profound with this song and is about how the progression of capitalism has caused communities to descend into individuals who develop their own survival tactics to cope with everyday stresses caused by society and the people they once belonged to a collective with. Definitely the most conscious so far. New York, New York - The guitars on this song are instantly captivating, I was under the impression run DMC were the first to incorporate elements of rock into hip-hop but, again, I'm pleasantly proved wrong. This song has such a strange dynamic, the instrumental is so fast paced and encourages me to dance but the lyrics depict such a depressing and brutal reality. I admire their ability to express such hardship through what seems to be such a different tool. The Adventures of Grandmaster Himself - Sounds almost exactly like J DIlla record, and I fucking love it. What an amazing mix, it's an organised chaos with so many distinguishable elements that work so cohesively. There's literal farts followed by laughing children and I couldn't help but bop my head all the way throughout, they could mix a hospital toilet and it would still be a banger. Overal Thoughts - At the start I thought this would be an unserious feel good disco-hip-hop album but one song after another I would be proven wrong in a different way. This album was such an enjoyable listen. It was conscious, soulful, brutal, beautiful, feel-good and just plain incredible.

Heaven And Hell - Live - Absolutely roaring guitars and aggressive drums, but I'm really not feeling the vocals. They seem almost tone-deaf and they're so off-beat, it's such a shame since the instrumental is so incredible but that's definitely something to celebrate. The Vocals pick up just after the half way point where they're more distant, this is the live version so I can respect the authenticity, especially the instrumental because I've never heard anything like it. I can't explain - Live - Again, immediately banging instruments. Much prefer the vocals here, I feel like the raw and gruff sensations in the vocals are capitalised on far better than the last. I prefer the previous instrumental as a whole but this song makes for far better listening and far more cohesive in my opinion. Hearing how British Working class they are at the end of this song gave me so much comfort. Fortune Teller - Live - A good song overall, I didn't find anything amazing about the song, there was a nice build and drop at one point but good not great. Tattoo - Live - The most personal sounding song so far, there seems to be a yearning tone in the singers voice, The lyrics I'm not a fan of at all, the story about his brother's tattoo, the way it was delivered, I found to be quite cringe inducing. The delivery didn't make it any better, the vocals were quite weak on this song Young Man Blues - Live - Amazing intro, The vocals a lot stronger on this song, much more soulful. The instruments are incredible, they sound amazing no matter the tempo, there wasn't a single point in this song when my head wasn't bopping. An incredible track. The backing vocals added so much personality too. My favourite track so far without a doubt. I feel as though this song's instrumental complexity superseded previous tracks. Although, a little voice in the back of head is suggesting the reason I enjoy this track more is because it's a cover not an original song from the band. The vocals towards the end of the song were the highlight. Substitute - Live - More of an indie feel, the chorus is super catchy and is overall a really fun song. Although the changing cadence throughout I was a bit skeptical of. Happy Jack - Live - Again, I hate to repeat myself but the instruments are nothing short of incredible but the vocals and lyrical content I feel as though are below average. I feel as though the singer's voice is absolutely incredible and unique when it comes to it's personality and the limits it can reach but technically, the singer seems to struggle to hold a note. Maybe due to my main listening genre being rnb and soul, I'm hyperfocusing and ruining songs for myself. I'm A Boy - Live - Instantly captivating intro with the guitars, this song makes highlights the seemingly mundane experiences of childhood are so valuable, the song brings me a sense of nostalgia, coming from a white working class background, I think the singer's accent played a large role in delivering that A Quick One, While He's Away - Live This song has so much personality to the point it comes across as eccentric and while I can appreciate trying to do something different, it just wasn't something I enjoyed. Although I did enjoy the journey this song took me as it was definitely a unique experience. My grandad used to say 'some people make music and some people make noise', while there are others who may disagree, I found this to be noise. Amazing Journey / Sparks - Live / Medley I decided to stop here, after listening to 47/77 minutes of this album, there were few moments I enjoyed, while I didn't find the album to be bad musically, I think this isn't suited to my taste. I've come to three possible conclusions, maybe I don't like mod-rock, maybe I don't like The Who or maybe the vocals on the studio version of these songs will be better.

Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground - My ears were destroyed by the first note, I am still recovering. The singer has a lot of personality in their voice and the instrumental is punchy and aggressive. I feel like this song evokes a lot of arrogance, definitely a confidence bop. Fun song! Hotel Yorba - I've heard this before, it's a chaotic mess of a song but in the best way. It's one of those songs you get stuck in your head but don't know the words. If there was an anthem for being late, I'd pick this for sure. I'm Finding it Harder to Be a Gentleman - The temp and volume variance throughout this song did an amazing job of creating stank-facing highlights vocally and instrumentally. It was almost as if there were seperate instrumental and verbal choruses which was super enjoyable. Fell in Love With a Girl - I love the singer's voice and cadence, they sound so mischievous. Again, super chaotic and a wicked head banging chorus. The best part of the song not having any words, just shows how effective this song is at transferring crazy levels of excitement. Expecting - The fast crescendoing guitars and drums in the intro and throughout create an intense vibe of stress and chaos, perfect music for having a tear up. The shrill but gruff singer's voice does an amazing job at emphasising this. Little Room - This was a nice showcase of vocals accompanied by punchy drums. Little production, just a showcase of raw talent. The Union Forever - The guitars create a really convincing foreboding, anxiety inducing atmosphere which is followed up by angry, shrill vocals with powerful cadence. I love the singers sense of rhythm and cadence, not only am I impressed, I'm envious. I'm a big fan of rage in music and the vocalist towards the end of the song captures it perfectly The Same Boy You've Always Known - A slower song the album, I love how unapoleticly itself this album is, whether its misplaced or not, this album is arrogant sounding and confidence inducing. Only complaint is the failed high note towards the note but it didn'y ruin the vibe more than a percent. We're Going to be Friends - The first song I'm not a fan of, therhythm, again, is great but I think a lot of the singer's personality is lost when singing at this tone and volume, not a bad song, just not one I enjoy Offend in Every Way - Even the guitars in this song portray a sense of arrogance, which is very fitting given the title. The guitars almost have as much personality as the vocalist in the best way possible I Think I Smell a Rat - The intro is insane! An absolute banger from start to finish, every part of this song feels like a punch to the jaw, especially the guitars. One of my favourites! Aluminium - A whole new feeling, heavily metal inspired I think. Raw, brutal and unforgiving and the vocals tell the same story although the background vocals did begin to grate on just a little before they came to a stop. I Can't Wait - I think there's some vulnerability here but the instruments articulate some violence or rage which leads me to believe this is about hurt or regret, which the lyrics seem to convey too. You can really tell when someone's creating music through emotion and/or experience rather than just technical skill Now Mary - I couldn't put my finger on this one, maybe slightly country inspired? Is there a banjo? Not sure at all, not a huge fan but still a good song. I Can Learn - A dark intro with a sense of regret, a song for staring at your ceiling when you know you've fucked up on a grand scale and you instantly want to be better. A strong sense of hunger is conveyed, an eagerness to perform. Most or maybe every song so far has been thoughtful and incredibly emotionally articulate. This Protector - A very raw track, I think this is completely unmixed which conveys a certain vulnerability and I think that's the main strength of this album. I loved this album, ,it has so much personality, emotion and just plain banging music. It coveys anger, regret, want, vulnerability, arrogance. It's a contender for one of my favourite rock albums. I think this album could do with a remaster just for some clarity but I fear it may lose its personality if this were to happen. This album is shrill, punchy and personable. Wish I could listen to for the first time again. 4/5

Airbag - I love how prominent the base is on this song, I truly feel it’s the most under appreciated instrument by a long shot and it really made this song . This song is dramatic and its vocals are so haunting despite me not even understanding what the vocalist is saying. Straight off the bat, this album has incredibly strong themes and a nice unique blend of synth, rock and a sort of ethereality I’ve yet to come across. It’s nostalgic and familiar but also uncanny, it’s a musification of a liminal space and I love it. Paranoid Android - The guitar is so raw, to the extent that I can imagine every movement of each string from when it’s being plucked to when it hits the guitar on its way back. The blend of instruments perfectly matches the high pitched haunting vocals. But when the vocalist breaks the instruments become almost fun, reminding me of tango which leads me to believe how infectious the singers voice really is. I was less dread filled throughout this and had more fun, especially at the 3 minute mark when the instrumental completely takes over and fills the song with so much gravity. It’s like they took a break just to show you they can still fucking play. And then immediately afterwards the vocalist repeating ‘rain down’ brings me straight back to feeling hollow and desperate. This album is emotionally infectious and I feel very melancholy, it’s incredibly impressive Subterranean Homesick Alien - Just more of the same which is nothing to complain about, this album is like that feeling when you finish your favourite show and you desperately want more but then you discover hidden episodes and you’re not only satisfied but euphoric. So far I don’t think I could pick a favourite track because each song transfers the same feeling one after another. Exit Music (for a film) The most ‘unprocessed’ song so far, but still so effectively eerie, what I believe to be a choir in the background fills any room in the song left for you to come back up for air. There’s a feeling that music can provide that I constantly chase called frisson, thé feeling of shivers throughout your body and this song delivered that. I have no idea what this song is about but the final lyrics ‘I hope that you choke’ build on the empty, desperate feeling this album creates so well already. Let Down A song beginning with a more hopeful feeling. Uplifting drums, guitars and vocals with a strong feeling of nostalgia. It reminds me of the times I’d draw figures on the inside of the windows in the car as a child. But now the nostalgia has transformed into a feeling of loss, rather than feeling as though those I’m glad I had the luxury of consistent, mundane but noticeable anchors of peace throughout my childhood, instead I’m feeling a grievance for a time I’ll never experience again. This album is certainly something to behold if it can evoke such profound emotions and thought processes such as these. Karma Police - The vocals are shrill and dry in the first half and break constantly but I feel as though the vocalist wields this as a display of emotional provocation rather than a sign of a lack of skill. Thé instruments deteriorate throughout which gives me the impression this is meant to illustrate a degradation of effort due to the lyric ‘I’ve given all I have’ or something akin to that. The most ‘song-like’ song on the album so far. Fitter Happier - a depressing and dystopian set of guidelines I found similar to ‘I have no mouth yet I must scream’ Electioneering - A stereotypical rock track with some good vocals and wicked instruments, electrifying energy with a stress inducing pitch and tempo. How on earth does one even play a guitar at that speed? Just an incredible stank-face inducing track. Incredible. I decided to stop here due to three reasons - I already have a rating I doubt I’m going to stray from - I want to explore this album completely before listening to the rest and I don’t like providing thoughts on albums I’m even slightly privy to. - I’m so fucking bummer out already and don’t think I can take much more But overall this album is nothing short of incredibly effective, it’s depressing, melancholy, nostalgic but also so foreign. It gives. I haven’t felt this hopeless since I read the aforementioned ‘I have no mouth yet I must scream’ and that’s about an android taking over the planet torturing a select few with their darkest fears. I’m a huge horror fan and very few pieces of media have provided me with such a hopeless and empty but frissonant feeling. Simply a work of art.