1001 Albums Summary

High quality big band and blues. Great production given the year. Timeless will be revisiting

I grew up with 80s ZZ Top, so wasn't really looking forward to this. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. Yes it's common-or-garden blues rock, but it's very good common-or-garden blues rock. Kind of annoying spotify only offers the mono remaster, but I can see this getting another proverbial spin.

A classic from back in the day. I recall the lengths they went to in order to get that warm analogue production quality reminiscent of recordings from the late 60s early 70s, and there they truly nailed it, this album sounds great, the drums really sound like drums, not bass infused explosions, the guitars warm and fuzzy, the vocals clear and crisp. Why it was touted by the critics as the saviour of rock music I've no idea given the quality of music coming out in the late 90s early noughties. Maybe they just missed the charts being dominated by it? Well Seven Nation Army certainly caught the imagination, if only on the terraces, and it still holds up just about, but the rest of the album meanders a bit. It certainly doesn't make me want to go back to it, even though i loved it back in the day. Good but probably overhyped, influential without, you know, influencing much as music became far more eclectic in its references as it moved forward rather than rooting itself in a bygone past, where this album now resolutely sits.

Elvis Costello is one of those artists i constantly feel bad about not having got into. His brand of cerebral pub rock is apparently influential and he is often cited by musicians as a favourite. Ive tried a couple of times but have always been left a little cold during my attempts. Maybe he's too clever for me, but for all the musicianship, the snarky lyrics, the songs themselves didn't hook me. So here we go again. And so it started out as I listened to the first couple of songs and breathed a heavy sigh. But then something weird started happening. Song by song I started enjoying it more, started listening to the lyrics rather than letting it wash over me. I guess there lies the rub, he takes a bit more effort, I imagine the rest of the albums are growers, not something to dip into in the hope that a magical appreciation pops into existence. Ill definitely give this more listens and who knows I may progress to other records and even become a fan? It could happen

I have this thing where i discover amazing music and then everyone else finds it, and then they become successful and i shun it. I've been doing it for like 45 years now. Arcade Fire were classic example of my preaching this amazing indie band, and then I think Suburbs is when they became massive and I started to sour on them, and I don't think I've heard any subsequent albums. In short, I'm a twat. I'm going to try and strip away my prejudices (especially given subsequent events) on every album, and starting with this, it's an absolute banger of an album. Every song is tight, well crafted, brilliantly executed, hook laden and full of euphoric highs. Lyrically it may be trying too hard to be anthemic, but they probably succeeded as you can't help but sing along to the repeated choruses. Best track...No Cars Go. The only weak track, weirdly enough is the title track. It's a 9 out of 10 but will err on generosity.