1001 Albums Summary

Great kind of album with some prog pop classics and a highly stylised almost fantasy-esque sound. Outside of the three singles the rest of the ‘album songs’ are very well written however by the end the production and lack of variety between instrumentation can lead to a little bit of listener fatigue and none of them really stand upto the lofty heights of the three singles on there. That’s said I really think it is a great showing of female musicianship and Overall 7.7/10. It shows what pop music can be when it really tries and a really nice, stylistic world building album with great vocals and some massive singles on there

An absolutely fantastic album of dream pop/ post punk glory with a distinctively late 80s shoegazey Glasgow sound. All the songs on it feel like floating through some ethereal space with plenty of space being afforded to the jangly guitars and the synths with those beautifully and hauntingly melodic and at times operatic vocals from Elizabeth Fraser. This is an album that highlights why these lists are made to me. I had vaguely heard of the Cocteau twins before this but never listened to any of their songs apart from perhaps cherry coloured funk. It will be going into regular rotation for me and also seems to show me where So much inspiration has come from for the modern British/irish post punk sound has been influenced by I.e Fontaines DC and wet leg etc. it really does feel like it captivated me from start to finish.

The headline, an upbeat, bluesy, groovy proto new-wave explosion onto the scene. For a debut album it is fantastically well produced with all its roots and blues influences pulling through and yet decidedly more modern than some of the records being put out at the time. In the year of never mind the bollocks and punk asending to the top of youth and pop culture iconography, Tom petty uses those same rock and roll, Motown and doo wop influences that birthed punk to move it into what I can only describe as post punk before punk had even hit its lofty heights. In this record he crafts the landscape of what popular music will be after punk has come and eaten itself alive. Whilst there are no tracks on the album that may hit the heights of his later work there are standout tracks on here that should probably get as much recognition as them. Whilst a criticism included throw at it is that it is very springsteenesque in its writing, with born to run coming oht the year before, it would be hard to outrun the comparisons. Yet I would say that Tom petty’s album has a much rawer feel in terms of instrumentation and does genuinely feel light years ahead of its time, whereas Born to run feels and sounds like 70s. A modern album from a rock and roller who might have just rode the last wave of it. 8.3/10

Really good big band/ jazz production on the tracks that captures a chilled out California beach stoner vibes and builds on that landscape over consistently. Franks voice is also very warm and inviting just pulling you further into the album. I feel I never fully connected with the album though and I think it is due to franks meandering vocal lines that never settle in Melodie’s. That said in context this was far and above anything else in hip hop and r n b in 2012 apart from Kendrick Lamar and so should be hailed as a great show of what can be done when rnb is produced by a musical talent as big as franks. But for me it is not my favourite 6/10

Definitely an iconic album however one that I feel sounds particularly dated nowadays. From the throwback to the1950s rock and roll cliches to the grating sound of what sounds like a Casio keyboard synth playing overlapping Melodies, this album has some clear standout hits such as heart of glass, hanging in the telephone and one way or another l. However the resto of the album songs sound like a lack of effort has been giving to them and were more filler than anything else. I have always thought I liked blondie but perhaps I like there selected songs but maybe they lack a back catalogue that really gets me going although I will absolutely be putting that to a test outside of the list 4.5/10

An iconic album form an iconic British songwriter and an iconic 21st century album. It has fantastic production on it from start to finish with a cohesive hip-hop/ rnb feel with larger soul and jazz influences. It’s a pop album that feels as refreshing now as it did in the mid 2000’s. Amy’s vocals and humour filled kitchen sink reality lyrics of a young adult really carry the album with fantastic music behind it. Personally I think this is the height of British hip hop and it’s not even really a hip hop album yet with the similarities of sample/interpolated backing tracks, steady groovy beats and addictive breakdowns throughout the album inspired by jazz it’s hard to overlook the old school east coast hip-hop influences. Truly a wonderful album from Britains answer to Lauren hill. A tragic life that left behind so much for us to enjoy. 9.3/10