1001 Albums Summary

My first album on this journey that very hopefully I do manage to commit to for the next 3 years. Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder. I've listened to Songs in the Key of Life before, and really enjoyed this one. It's less striking than its successor and it's wealth of varied styles, maybe, but that gives it a refreshing consistency, with fantastic instrumentals and some excellent vocals, the iconic energy of Stevie Wonder impossible to ignore on this record. It's hard to find much of a fault with it, so I've given it 5 stars - a great start to the list for me.

(Album 2 of 1089) This is one of my favourite albums of all time, and I am certainly not alone in that opinion. I've certainly listened to this album before - this is the very album that inspired my willingness to seek out and listen to different artists and genres, after spending a lot of my childhood listening to Coldplay (I will defend their first 4 albums), the Beatles (a great band nonetheless), and my parents' (often very bland) music. It's a bit crazy that I got it this early on when I signed up to this list to listen to music I haven't heard yet, given this album's role in my musical journey, but it's forgivable because it's OK Computer, and I have a real excuse to listen to it again for the 100th time. OK Computer is a masterpiece of 90's alternative rock, an immensely detailed production that rewards 'critical' listening while being approachable and listenable. Officially, it's not a concept album. But it has a distinct and coherent theme that flows throughout the record; fear and paranoia. It would take me too long to dissect the meaning of each song in relation to this, and others have certainly done this better than I would, however I'll try my best to at least explore this a bit. Particularly, it's frightened of a controlled and dystopian future facilitated by modern technology. Unfortunately, in 2026, I cannot possibly say this fear wasn't justified. 'Fitter Happier' illustrates the ideal citizen in the eye of the unspoken authority. Today, we are being survielled almost constantly by major corporations as governments start to crack down on free internet access and launch international information wars, using social media platforms to divide populations with propaganda. I have felt the impact of this movement heavily in my own life, and I doubt I am alone. As dark and depressing as this fear is, Radiohead used it to create some awesome music, so it's not all bad. 'Paranoid Android' in particular is an absolutely fantastic song, with a structure reminiscent of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', if that song was about paranoia and dystopia instead of whatever 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is actually about. The guitar solo on this song is as breathtaking as the first time I listened to it. 'Exit Music (For A Film)' was written for a film about Romeo and Juliet, and moved by the deep tragedy of the story, 'Exit Music' is sort of Radiohead's own adaptation. It's haunting and emotional with a guitar and a landscape of background noises that truly make me feel transported to a different world, and the build up at the end to a harsh electronic climax is absolutely incredible. 'Climbing Up The Walls' is another one of my favourites on this album. As if this record couldn't get any more depressing, Radiohead made a horror themed song with intense strings and dark instrumentals that are particularly atmospheric. The screaming at the end is fun. There's so much more I could say, and more songs I could write about, but as I have already spent way too long writing this review, I'll just finish here. This is a fantastic album that expanded my view of what I thought was possible in music. It might not be my favourite Radiohead album though, which is no insult to the quality of this album but a testament to their work in general. 'In Rainbows' is even more special to me than this one - it saved my life, arguably. I hope it's on this list so more people can listen to it. P.S. listen to the second disk in the OKNOTOK reissue as well. There's some excellent B-side material on there.