1001 Albums Summary

Not Shrek Core. An argument could be made that this is donkey core. I don’t need to listen to Sam Cooke ever again. It’s so ubiquitous in western culture, but it’s like asking someone to fly on a wright brothers airplane: a primitive and underwhelming experience. He’s one of the best singers ever, but this was an album of the same song over and over with an out of tune guitar.

Definitely not Shrek Core. Not even close. Great album. Opening 5 tracks are incredibly strong. Great instrumentals, great flow. Peak Kanye. Only sags a little around track 7/8/9. I don’t love ‘they say’. The rest of the album is really up there.

Minor league Shrek core. With a Little Help, Lovely Rita might qualify. Long time since I last listened to this album. I think I’d relegated it to a second class of the Beatles anthology and I think maybe that still holds true. It’s not as encompassing as Abbey Road, as sonically impressive as Revolver or written as tightly as rubber soul. But it’s still hugely fantastic and of course monumentally important. I think I’d give it 4.75 stars if I could, just based on the fact that when I’m 64 through to good morning is a little ‘lite’ for my tastes. They perfect that ending trilogy on Abbey Road. But I’ll pop it up to a 5 because a 4 would be scandalous.