1001 Albums Summary

Highlight: Shining Star

Not my favourite Beck album, but a huge step-up from Mellow Gold, showing that he could actually string together a cohesive and innovative LP after Loser framed him as a fortuitous one-hit wonder who would disappear as quickly as he rose to prominence. Favourites: Lord Only Knows, the New Pollution, Where It’s At, Devil’s Haircut

Arcade Fire arrived with a fully-formed sound and delivered their most cohesive and emotional album in one fell swoop. “Funeral” is easily one of the most influential albums of the 2000s, with every band from Florence + the Machine to Black Country, New Road being indebted to its powerful songwriting. Its influence has not been all positive; the likes of Mumford & Sons and Of Monsters and Men may have never broke the mainstream if it was not for Arcade Fire. However, this does show the deep resonance of Arcade Fire’s climactic style, as even taking their basic formula without approaching the writing or performance skills or the virtuosity of the band could bring mainstream success. And ultimately, Arcade Fire execute their formula better than anyone else, giving us a number of the best indie anthems of the 2000s (“Neighborhood #1 (Power Out)”, “Neighborhood #3 (Tunnels”, “Rebellion (Lies)” and “Wake Up”), only punctuated by beautiful ballads like “Haiti” and “Une Annee Sans Lumiere”.

The defining achievement of krautrock, ranging from ‘shorter’, catchier tracks to extended, multi - sectional pieces, ambient tracks and sound collage. It remains unmatched in the genre despite being released in 1971.

Not Rod the Mod’s best album, and it falters a little on the back end, but certainly contains some must-hear material.

Sarah Vaughan earns her reputation as one of the all time great jazz vocalists on this stunning live show, especially on tracks 1 and 3.

This band thoroughly surprised me by living up to their perplexing name: they attempt to wow with atmospheric production and synths, while leaving the listener completely in the dark as to what they’re actually saying. In most tracks, at least. There are a handful of impressive tracks (Joan of Arc, Souvenir) but inevitably, when they aim for musical transcendence, as on the overlong Sealand, they fall short. The album title is the giveaway: despite the catchy synthpop approach, design is prioritized over enjoyment.

Pretty solid, but not sure why a live album was chosen as their only album on the list.

Songs For Swingin’ Lovers is one of Sinatra’s most upbeat albums, and is packed with hits, especially the outstanding “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

Solid and well-performed piece of country-adjacent soft rock, but lacking a true classic track to elevate it to higher status.

Peter Gabriel’s solo debut is eclectic and at times excellent, like on the timeless Solsbury Hill. However, he would go on to do better, and the middle of the album contains clear filler.

Well, if there is a must-hear Coldplay album, this is surely it. Tracks 2,3 and 5 maybe? One thing that’s certain is that the ‘pop’ moments are far stronger than the ‘rock’ songs desperate to imitate Radiohead or U2. The problem is, Coldplay are a hopelessly dull alternative to those bands - predictable, colorless and unimaginative. But then again, maybe an album of pop fluff would be too repetitive. Hopefully they strike the right balance eventually.

A truly mind-blowing double album containing a number of the finest Zeppelin tracks intermingled with engaging and authentic experimentation. The first disc contains nothing but the best of Led Zeppelin, concluding with the colossal opus “Kashmir”. The second disc ventures into even more eclectic territory, but there are enough rockers to stay true to the band’s strengths (In the Light, Ten Years Gone) and the experiments (Bron Yr Aur) only enhances the band’s charm. Physical Graffiti represents arguably the creative peak of Led Zeppelin (if perhaps not quite their best album overall) and a landmark in the history of double albums. Favourites: Kashmir, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Under Foot, In the Light, Ten Years Gone, the Rover.

A fantastic live album from one of the greatest modern jazz pianists. Recorded on the same night as two other magnificent albums, it has to go down as one of his best works.

“Tellin’ Stories” is a fine Britpop album, but at this stage in their career the Charlatans were doing very little to differentiate themselves from their contemporaries. The first side contains a number of decent-to-good hits, but the second side is lacking in anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, this is not a must-hear album by any stretch of the imagination.

Steely Dan begins the best streak of his career with a set of polished, laidback yacht-rock jams. The songs are immaculately assembled and feature strong grooves. However, on the songwriting side, some songs are a little more patchy. A very solid album that ultimately falls just short.

One of the greatest live rock albums recorded by a legendary band nearing the peak of their powers.

The most accessible Kraftwerk album, “the Model” even sounds reminiscent of an actual pop song. Ultimately, it doesn’t break as much ground as previous work, so falls just short of being their best album.

The best jazz album of all time? As good an answer as any.

Siamese Dream is a phenomenal rock album, a contender for the best of the 90s, contrasting expansive rock armadas and heavy overdubs with introspective lyrics. This is a special album and its influence is still felt today.

Beck returns to the folk sound that worked wonders on “Mutations” to stake his claim to be the lyrical poet of his generation. There are moments when he achieves his ambition, like on “the Golden Age”, but the sound ultimately wears thin, especially for an artist with such a reputation for innovation and imagination as Beck. It also foreshadows the creative decline that would dog the remainder of his recording career.

A superbly put together and produced art pop album from Matt Johnson’s project, offering one of the finest examples of the new wave/synthpop genre