1001 Albums Summary

Hangs off the title track quite a lot, but some other stand outs too… reasonable amount of nostalgia attached to this one but still probably overrated.

I guess you had to be there (geddit?)... great title track, the rest, god, I don't want to listen to it again... far too much noodle, not enough meat... Begone foul music!

By no means their best offering, and extremely varied/erratic, but good fun, signposting the kind of creativity to come. Some classics like Shake Your Rump, Shadrach and Hey Ladies hold this whole thing together.

You’ve got to admire the ambition but as per most concept albums the music gets lost in the wider purpose of the story. Very underwhelmed.

This one truly was en-route to my first 5 but Four Sticks isn’t great, and I can live without Going to California. The rest is absolutely essential though. What a band they were. I can only imagine the excitement of being around when this kind of music was released for the first time…

I used to think it was edgy to say the stones were better than the Beatles… nah, that’s just being contrary. As said elsewhere, a below average album held together by a couple of outstanding tracks. Really disappointing.

Not my thing. Talent can’t be denied but too safe… can imagine my grandparents maybe listening to this 40 years ago. Doesn’t do anything for me. Meandering and bland.

OK, well this is quite excellent. Really soulful, beautifully produced... if more R&B was like this, I'd be all behind it. Low-key, "smooth" and more than a little nod to Prince it feels... but certainly it's own thing. A 4 rising to a 5 potentially I'd say! Best discovery via 1001 so far.

A couple of missteps, such as "Why did it have to be me?" (uh, you're not Fats Domino) and "Happy Hawaii" (uh, you're not the Beach Boys!) this is pretty solid... incredible pop writing in the most part, and again superb production. Pretty unfairly maligned as being trite, it's all great fun and super catchy, of course.

Appreciating the context of this release, I wonder if this album is included somewhat on a sentimental basis. No doubt the lyrical genius is still there, and his voice plumbs even new depths… In that it’s super deep on some tracks (of course) but on first listen - that I can recall anyway - this doesn’t come across as super memorable. Surely another Cohen album belongs on this list.