1001 Albums Summary

4/5 - Positives: Live recording sound is sonically impressive and enjoyable to listen to, warm nostalgic sound of a bygone era (What I imagine Cuba sounding like in the 40’s/50’s every aspect feels as if it was still frozen in time), The music is very rhythmic giving laid back Caribbean, inviting live cuban concert which resonates joy among all who I assume was involved, Album cover art features a vibrant design highlighting culture and identity in one image. Verdict: 78-80/100. I’d be doing a disservice for anything lower than a 78, as I don’t generally listen to world music it lands where it stands but that’s based on personal preference. Still an amazing album nonetheless that I look forward to adding to my collection. Favourite Songs: Chan Chan De camino a La vereda Y Tu Que Has Hecho El Carretero Orgullecida Amor De Loca Juventud

Fleetwood Mac Tusk - 4/5 - Positives: A huge soundscape experiment when compared to their commercially safe Rumors Album, It’s ability to cross Each member provides unique and pivotal roles - McVie with her anecdotal ballads, Nicks with her lush and alluring arrangements, Buckingham with his eclectic structure - overall providing a phenomenal experience, Each member provides an insightful amount of depth and internal tension the band would have been experiencing; varying from a number of topics - Nicks with the overall theme of heartbreak, Buckingham with an inner reflection of vulnerability and aggression, And McVie offering a safe space for the listener to reset with themes of everyday emotions commonly resembling affection, On first listen Tusk is incredibly jarring (Especially following Rumours) being scattered with sonic whiplash and lengthy tracks; yes, but don’t let that trick you this vision stands true in my opinion as the band’s Magnum Opus with an addicting amount of replayability and influence to what I’m sure would shape the indie scene. Verdict: 89-90/100. This album I have to say is a timeless classic and worthy to be on the list of Albums To Listen To. Though some would consider a long album I say its tendency to remain unsettled, leaving the user in a state of disarray is met with grounded counterpoint structures that helps the project venture into masterpiece territory and something that could be listened to on repeat for a lifetime depending on what mood you’re in. A near perfect album and one to add to the collection. Favourite Songs: Over & Over Sara What makes You Think That You’re One Storms That’s all for everyone Not That Funny Brown Eyes I know I’m Not Wrong Beautiful Child Walk a Thin Line Tusk

Stevie Wonder Talking Book - 4/5 - Rhythmically hypnotic with a great infusion of soul and funk especially with Superstition standing among one of his greatest works, Innovative album no matter how you look at it considering that this was released in 1972 - Especially as this era helped birth synthesizers into the mainstream which is still widely applied to modern pop songs, A great selection of tracks that Stevie Wonder does a perfect job at producing - The Talking Book showcases Wonder’s genius from songwriting down to the most minute composition with each performance from the vocals and instruments, This project serves as an example of a great artist being given full artistic control paired with creative freedom, The political commentary in Stevie Wonder’s lyrics is very timely and I would say still relevant Verdict: 80-81/100. I can’t deny that this is a great album and among Stevie Wonder’s greatest works though I felt that the scale often from romantic ballads to funk inspired-soul or vice versa is hard to follow, personally making it hard to stay invested. Regardless though this classic-era of Stevie Wonder still remains iconic and definitely a piece not to be overlooked. Favourite Songs: You Are The Sunshine of My Life Maybe Your Baby You’ve Got It Bad Girl Superstition Lookin For Another Pure Love I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)

David Bowie Aladdin Sane - 4/5 - A fun listen with plenty of value in every aspect, The raw recording from the studio sessions is an absolute treat sonically speaking, Mick Ronson the guitarist absolute delivers every single track that he is on providing such a dynamic and primal sound that it helps to amplify and even enhance each arrangement - likewise with Mike Garson’s piano talented work on a number of different songs within this album, Bowie constantly demonstrates the art of blending the bold with the chaotic and even insane (especially from lyrics to song titles) to deliver an absolute bonkers journey from Watch That Man to Lady Grinning Soul and everything in between, A strange but stylistic experiment that I would say is a worthy sequel to Ziggy Stardust, The album cover art also introduces the memorable lightning bolt to which many still link to David Bowie Verdict: 80-81/100. In my opinion definitely not Bowie's strongest work albeit still very enjoyable to listen to. There wasn’t a time I could say where it felt like it dragged on but instead quite the opposite. Replay factor isn’t as high for me as well when compared with Station to Station, Heroes or Low but still a record I wouldn’t mind in my collection Favourite Songs: Aladdin Sane Drive-In Saturday Cracked Actor Time The Jean Genie Lady Grinning Soul

Gorillaz Self Titled - 4/5 - Great introduction to a certified classic - Damon Albarn’s idea to introduce a 2D band into the mainstream after solidifying his involvement with blur was no doubt a gamble but a brilliant move nonetheless, Gorillaz innovative attempt to infuse hip hop, rock & trip hop managed to be a massive success alongside their other works Demon Days & Welcome to Plastic Beach skyrocketed their popularity into the mainstream over 3 generations and established the band as genre blending masterminds, Albarn does a great job to involve features and early collaborators to make a distinct and edgy vibe over the whole project - For example Del the Funky Homosapien & Dan the Automator provide a unique skillset that truly elevate the self titled debut that no doubt helped steer the course for Gorillaz stardom. Jaime Hewlett as well provides memorable illustrations for the band that still to this day are distinct and recognisable especially when it came to both the self titled lp & Demon Days. Verdict: 76-79/100. Gorillaz introduces itself as fun & quirky but lacks the depth that its successors would have. Albeit this is a great debut album and still remains one of the most innovative musical concepts that has no doubt inspired generations but outside of that the transitions from each song can be quite jarring and often times there is inconsistencies with a number of songs throughout the album that it often feels like they were made purely to pass the air time. Regardless this is still a great album and would serve to be the catalyst of a new wave. Definitely one to add to the collection. Favourite Songs: 5/4 Tomorrow Comes Today New Genious (Brother Clint Eastwood Sound Check (Gravity) Rock The House 19-2000 Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo) Starshine M1 A1

Pretenders Self Titled - 3/5 - Great debut album that laid the groundwork for a number of bands to follow - I can see how The Smiths guitarist was inspired, Speaking of which James Honeymoon-Scott’s guitar work is amazing quite often coming off as quite raw and tasteful even going so far as to say the album would not have received the acclaim if it weren’t for his incorporation, Unconventional time signatures definitely make the album stand out in a good way as well Verdict: 71-74/100. Sadly enough sounds like watered down punk and the album does begin to lose steam half way, I do find a number of songs on here interesting but it lacks the consistency to really make it memorable. A great listen if you’re wanting to dive into the history of what would become the run of the new wave but outside of that sadly there isn’t much else going on for it unfortunately. Favourite Songs: Precious The Phone Call Up The Neck Tattooed Love Boys Kid Brass in Pocket Mystery Achievement

The Prodigy Fat of the Land - 4/5 - Excellent album that provides plenty of inspiration fusing the punk scene with underground electronic music, raw visceral energy of each track layered with superb production quality - matched with bombastic lyrical content, a benchmark for electronic music that was essential in delivering a cultural impact within the rave era and the mainstream, Liam Howlett offers an amazing use of samples as an artform - Especially within the albums singles, Firestarter, Breathe & Smack my B*tch up Verdict: 79-80/100. Absolute revolutionary piece that is deemed a masterpiece by many. I enjoy the edginess of the album as a whole as well as learning the story behind each detail, the samples stand out as a staple as well. I also wanted to add that Kool Keith absolutely elevates diesel power with his feature as well. An amazing project that I look forward to owning in my collection Favourite Songs: Smack My B*tch Up Breathe Diesel Power Narayan Firestarter

Air Virgin Suicides - 3/5 - Ethereal atmosphere condensed into 40mins, seamless transitions for the most part allowing for easy listen ability, some songs (such as Playground Love) hold magnificent use and fusion of elements that transport you into a retro 70’s feel, Moody jazz drums & the distinct sound of the mellotron leaves you experiencing a lush expression of art, breaks past the sphere of soundtrack score and manages to have the ability to work as a standalone Verdict: 71-74/100. It’s cool to understand the history of the album and I can understand how this album is selected on the 1001 albums to listen to list however it probably does render itself more effective when paired with the film. It often does hold itself in a bittersweet melody which most likely adds to the story telling element. A great project no doubt but probably one I won’t be coming back to for some time Favourite Songs: Playground Love Dirty Trip Highschool Lover Afternoon Sister Dead Bodies

Tom Waits Heart Attack and Vine - 3/5 - Timeless classic with Tom Waits very much lurking in his element, What feels like a great benchmark moment before the widely acclaimed projects that followed, Prime example of a blues rock album crossed with orchestral ballads (Which is something we don’t see very much in his later projects), Witty lyricism placed on display showcases Waits’ incredible ability as songwriter and poet, Another interesting thing of note is how the drums interact with the guitar creating a raw rhythm & blues element that a lot of his earlier projects were known for before moving into more of an experimental cabaret fusion Verdict 72-74/100. It’s cool to be able to pinpoint when Tom Waits transitions from the jazz style that he was mainly dabbling in and going absolutely off the rails (in a good way) and proving to society that Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs wasn’t out of the blue at all but a neat transformation process. A good album but I do believe that not every song most likely needed to be in here (Such as In Shades as it felt like filler) I am however a fan of the cynical lyricism and storytelling. It’s a cool album and though I don’t think it’s necessarily strong I look forward to adding it to the collection alongside my Rain Dogs vinyl (And swordfishtrombones eventually) Favourite Songs: Heart Attack and Vine Downtown Jersey Girl On the Nickel

Tim Buckley Goodbye and Hello - 4/5 - Amazing pairing of psychedelic rock and folk music, Overall sonically the album is refreshing as opposed to the British Invasion that would populate the airwaves of the same era, Interesting use of medieval composition laced in with psychedelic tracks and even personal ballads, Incredible songwriting matched with a very distinct voice, Amazing experimentation matched with an amazing production, It’s understandable how some would call this revolutionary Verdict - 83-85/100 - This album is honestly a pleasant surprise, my expectations were low believing that everyone rating it a 2 stars must’ve had a good reason but this is genuinely a good album, Tim Buckley manages to provide folk in a new and refreshing way, in fact this project reminds me of The Doors Self Titled Album (that released the same year) and the counterculture norms they were targeting which is always music to my ears. Overall an amazing album that I really look forward to adding to my collection and even more so looking forward to his other projects too. Favourite Songs: No Man Can Find The War Pleasant Street Hallucinations I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain Once I Was Phantasmagoria in Two Knight-Errant Goodbye and Hello Morning Glory