1001 Albums Summary

BEFORE: Had this CD as a teenager but haven't listened in years, although I still have Ready or Not on a few playlists. Let's see how it holds up... AFTER: First version of this I found was censored. No thanks. The beats and hooks mostly hold up well and Lauryn Hill was clearly an outstanding talent. Wyclef holds his own. The rhymes are hit and miss and it is hard to work out what Pras actually brought to the table, if anything. Falls off hard in the second half. Highlights: Ready or Not, Fu-Gee-La, Zealots, Family Business, Lauryn Hill when they let her sing without interrupting. Lowlights: Pras trying to rap, the racist nonsense after The Beast, The Mask, No Woman No Cry (I like Wyclef but he has no business covering Bob Marley and needs to stop trying). VERDICT: 3.5/5. Some hidden gems on there beyond the singles, but too uneven to be a classic.

BEFORE: I've definitely heard it before, I know and like a lot of the songs and already I know it's a massively influential album. Outside The Clash and Refused, I've never been a big punk guy. AFTER: 29 minutes. Banger after banger. Nothing outstays its welcome. Like AC/DC, they have a formula that works and don't stray too far from it. Joey's idiosyncratic delivery, the early rock and roll influences and the backing vocals really elevate these simple but powerful songs. An absolute classic and worth listening with a pair of decent headphones. It's also nice to hear a band who are so upfront about what they want. HIGHLIGHTS: Everything. LOWLIGHTS N/A VERDICT: A wonderful album. Influential and catchy as hell. 5 stars.

BEFORE: I haven't listened to this in full before but I did pick up a very worn copy on vinyl a few weeks ago that I've been meaning to listen to. My FIL was a big Willie Nelson fan and I'm familiar with Stardust and Georgia On My Mind. Funnily enough, I'm the same age as Willie was when he released Stardust. AFTER: Willie Nelson has one of the most beautiful voices of all time. Smooth but never too smooth. I don't listen to a lot of music this mellow but I'm a big Ray Charles fan and this scratches the same itch. HIGHLIGHTS: Georgia On My Mind, Blue Skies, Unchained Melody, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Moonlight in Vermont. LOWLIGHTS: Parts of September Song are a little soporific. I also struggle with this much harmonica. I know it's an essential part of the genre but it always reminds me of fucking Blues Traveler. VERDICT: 5 stars. A gentle, warm and beautifully realised album. The few elements I don't love are really just a matter of personal preference.

BEFORE: I'm generally with Jeff Lebowski when it comes to the Eagles. I was over-exposed to their earlier Greatest Hits by various drunk bogan relatives at family holidays, wedding receptions etc. but I'm a little more open-minded with this album and even partial to the singles in the right context. AFTER: The production is incredible. Every instrument sounds crystal-clear in the mix while preserving a strong sense of dynamics. The music itself is more of a mixed bag. HIGHLIGHTS: The guitar work on Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane (I like Joe Walsh), Victim of Love apart from the the chorus, Try And Love Again even the ridiculous falsetto outro, the harmonies and production throughout. LOWLIGHTS: Wasted Time is turgid and forgettable in a way that no string section can fix. A Peter Cetera-level turd rolled in glitter. The Last Resort is a better ballad but is at least 2 minutes too long. Pretty Maids All In A Row is forgettable and the intro is cheesy. VERDICT: A light 4 stars. Too many ballads but otherwise better than I expected.

BEFORE: I have never really dug into Harry Nilsson but I know Without You, Coconut, Everybody's Talkin' etc. AFTER: This really caught me by surprise. I was expecting more retrospective singer-songwriter stuff, and while there is some of that it is also by turns raucous, weird, cinematic and angry - and always inventive. Even the songs that start out with familiar structures and chords go somewhere you aren't expecting. Nilsson also had an incredible voice. HIGHLIGHTS: The highlights for me here were songs I hadn't heard before and loved: Gotta Get Up, Early In The Morning, Jump In The Fire, I'll Never Leave You. LOWLIGHTS: None that jump out at me and I will definitely be listening to this again. VERDICT: An easy 5 stars. An unexpected delight.

BEFORE: Perfect timing - I just watched Apocalypse Now for the first time. I am a casual Doors fan, had the greatest hits on CD (including four tracks off here) but always found Jim Morrison a little silly. AFTER: This album creates its own unsettling, immersive world which i really like, and I don't think the occasional weaker moments detract from that in any way. HIGHLIGHTS: Of the tracks I haven't heard before, The Crystal Ship and Take It As It Comes were definitely highlights and I already loved Break On Through, Light My Fire, Alabama Song and The End (shout out Martin Sheen). LOWLIGHTS: Twentieth Century Fox is a forgettable song written around a corny pun. A couple of the later songs washed over me a bit and my attention slipped but they certainly weren't bad. VERDICT: 5 stars. I may have been a little harsh on The Doors in the past, or at least this earlier version before the drugs really took held.

BEFORE: The run of oldies continues. Everything since my first album was released before I was born, and I am solidly middle-aged. I only know All The Young Dudes, which isn't on this and their name is stupid. This should be interesting. AFTER: I love Bowie. I like T-Rex. I can endure Sweet and Slade in small doses. At first, this felt like a lesser facsimile of those things. Very little of this works for me. I found the vocals and lyrics aggressively annoying and I really don't understand the acclaim for this one. HIGHLIGHTS: I had to dig pretty deep for these, but I liked the intro and ending of Hymn for the Dudes and the verses and guitar work on Violence. I'm a Cadillac / El Domino Dolo Roso's instrumental section. LOWLIGHTS: The off-key vocals, particularly on Whizz Kid. The barrelhouse piano. The cliched mess of Honaloochie Boogie. Ballad of Mott the Hoople felt like it would never end but is somehow only 5:40. VERDICT: 2 Stars. My relief was palpable after this. I just don't get it but there is obviously some skill and inspiration there - just nothing that works for me. The first real miss from the generator. I'm sure it won't be the last. At least it was short.

BEFORE: I know nothing about these guys except that they're Australian. Should be fun. I'm just going to listen to the original 10 tracks - not all this bonus stuff. AFTER: Interesting album. Reminds me a bit of Hunters and Collectors, Waterboys and The Cure's more upbeat stuff (this is a compliment). Emotional without being overwrought. HIGHLIGHTS: The strings - always adding something but never excessive. The Robert Smith-y lead guitar work. Favourite tracks were Love Goes On!, You Can't Say No Forever, The Streets of Your Town, Was There Anything I Could Do, LOWLIGHTS: The arrangements and production can feel a little too similar at times and I can't help but feel that a few different elements (like the outro to You Can't Say No Forever or the drums on Clouds) would have brought some of these tracks to life, but given the quality of the songwriting that is a very minor quibble. Also maybe that's just me - most of my favourite stuff is a bit more weird and cross-genre. I had kind of run out of interest by the last 2 tracks, and there are only 10. I could also have done without the oboe. Sometimes it works OK. Not here. VERDICT: 4 stars. Immaculate songwriting even if this style of jangly indie pop isn't generally for me. A huge breath of fresh air after Mott the Hoople, apart from the oboe.

BEFORE: Good stuff. Love The Stooges and Down On The Street is my favourite Stooges song. Don't listen to them enough. AFTER: Yeah this is great. Love the shorter, punkier songs. Love the heavy, psychedelic freakouts and the weird jazz. Production is perfect for this kind of music. Everything is a highlight and there are no lowlights. VERDICT: An easy 5 stars.

BEFORE: This should be pretty straightforward. One of my favourite albums of all time. Bought it on cassette when it came out and thrashed it. Have owned it in some format and listened at least semi-regularly ever since. Good excuse to listen to it again. AFTER: Perfect album. No wasted time. I even love Endless, Nameless. HIGHLIGHTS: Everything, but special shout-out to Side 2 which doesn't get the same attention. Territorial Pissings, Drain You, Lounge Act and On A Plain are all incredible tracks. LOWLIGHTS: Nope. VERDICT: An easy, easy 5 stars.

BEFORE: Never really clicked with me as a group when I heard them from time to time in my 20s, although I know What's Golden and I like Ozomatli's first album. Even caught Chali 2Na solo at a festival recently that The Roots headlined. It should be in my wheelhouse so going into this with an open mind. AFTER: I really enjoyed the beats and production on this. The vocals are decent but don't stand out as much as the bouncy, jazzy instrumentals - there is a little too much reverence to the culture at the expense of trying new things. Having said that, there is plenty of skill on display, especially on the faster tracks. I'd listen to this again just to enjoy the grooves and production. The Cut Chemist productions here are especially strong and I will be seeking out his solo work. HIGHLIGHTS: Freedom, Break (a bit more A-game here from the rappers), A Day At the Races, Hey, Acetate Prophets. LOWLIGHTS: Remember His Name is a little tedious and the back half of the album dragged a little more, but overall this was a pleasant surprise even if the vocals don't always reach the level of the music. VERDICT: A strong 4 star album. Glad to have my mind changed and worth revisiting in the future.

BEFORE: I know this very well. It's not my absolute favourite Beatles album (that will always be Abbey Road) but still excellent and I love the unifying concept. Should be a pretty clear-cut 5 stars. AFTER: Yep. 5 stars. It's perfect. A few favourite tracks: Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds still sounds absolutely luminous. Fixing A Hole has a fantastic ominous tone that creeps into the song. So does Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite. Within You Without You is wonderfully psychedelic. A Day In The Life remains one of the most incredible songs ever written. VERDICT: 5 stars. One of the greatest albums ever written.

BEFORE: Don't mind a bit of Neil Young. Relieved to find that he is now on Spotify. I've listened to a fair bit of his Crazy Horse stuff and Harvest and enjoyed most of it. Let's see how we go... AFTER: This was a trip. I really enjoyed it. There is a kind of sloppy, woozy aspect to the playing and a few odd choices in terms of chords, melodies, arrangements etc. that reminded me, weirdly, of Captain Beefheart's more accessible music. Those choices lift this above bog standard blues- or country-rock and elements that I often struggle to enjoy (like barrelhouse piano and harmonica) work realy well in this context. As an expression of the loss of Danny Whitten and Bruce Berry, the emotion here feels raw, specific and real rather than abstract or carefully rehearsed. HIGHLIGHTS: Speakin' Out, Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown, Mellow My Mind, Roll Another Number (For the Road), New Mama, Tired Eyes. I mean, there are a lot of great tracks here. LOWLIGHTS: Nothing really stands out. It's a strong collection of tracks with a unifying vibe that I really enjoyed - sometimes fun, sometimes deeply sad, sometimes both at the same time. VERDICT: 5 stars. This project keeps delivering.

BEFORE: Fine. I don't love Paul Simon's music but more as matter of personal preference - he's obviously an incredibly talented guy. Outside of greatest hits collections, I can honestly say I've never listened to an entire Paul Simon or even a Simon & Garfunkel album. AFTER: This was a weird one. There are a couple of tracks on here that are experimental in a good way, some that are more traditional Paul Simon and some that just sound incredibly dated. HIGHLIGHTS: Allergies and Think Too Much (a) are pleasingly weird but catchy with Talking Heads vibes. Hearts and Bones is a lovely song and the orchestral section of The Late Great Johnny Ace is also great (but also not Paul Simon's). LOWLIGHTS: Cars are Cars shits the bed pretty aggressively. One of the most irritating songs I've heard in recent memory. The reggae-yacht rock hybrid of When Numbers Get Serious and the baby goat noise on Think Too Much (b) are also pretty bad. Some of the ballads are just kind of there and the sprinkling of "world" percussion, fretless bass and nearly blues guitar evokes the incidental music from Weekend At Bernie's 2. VERDICT: The high points are few and far between and, if I'm being honest, just OK. The lows are very low indeed. I honestly don't know why this album is on this list. 2 stars.

BEFORE: I really like REM and respect that they knew when to call it quits. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't like them so I don't listen to them that often. The only REM album I ever really got into was Automatic From The People, which I had on cassette years ago. I have fond memories of the singles from this album and plenty of others, especially in that late 80s through late 90s period, as well as the albums Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I know and love Stand (shout out to Chris Elliot's sitcom Get A Life), Orange Crush and Pop Song '89 but the rest of this will be new to me. AFTER: Firstly, this sounds amazing. The chiming guitars, Michael Stipe's yearning vocals, the harmonies, Bill Berry's fantastic drumming. Beautiful. The songwriting is at turns surprising and familiar, and REM fit a lot into these 3-5 minute songs. HIGHLIGHTS: Get Up and Untitled are both fantastic songs, Stand is still lots of fun (cheesy key-changes and all), World Leader Pretend is brilliant with Bill Berry's contributions there particularly effective, Orange Crush is epic and remains one of REM's very best songs, Turn You Inside-Out is lifted by the drum production, percussion, unexpected chord changes and anthemic backing vocals, I Remember California is haunting. LOWLIGHTS: I get that mandolins are part of the deal with REM but I had enough by the end of The Wrong Child. No shade on the songs that feature it - they are all still strong - but for me it's a very specific sound that is better used sparingly outside of folk, bluegrass etc. VERDIT: Subjectively, this was a toss up between 4 and 5 stars for me. I'm giving it 5 because the few things I don't like about it are really a matter of personal preference.

BEFORE: An old favourite. I can't believe this came out 22 years ago. I was already 1 year out of university. Fuck I'm old. Obviously Kanye is a terrible person now, but I have good memories of this album. It's probably a little bloated and not his absolute best, but there are still so many incredible tracks. I try to avoid his stuff now but happy to make an exception today. Also I know this is blasphemy but I don't like Through The Wire. Yes I know about the back story. AFTER: A lot of the songs on here are undeniable but from Breathe In Breathe Out onwards the album really drags, School Spirit and Two Hands excepted. HIGH POINTS: Jesus Walks is an all-time classic. All Falls Down, Spaceship, The New Workout Plan (it's stupid but so much fun), Slow Jamz, We Don't Care and School Spirit are also fantastic. The hooks, the production, the guest spots from Syleena Johnson, Jay Z, Twista, Jamie Foxx and others. LOW POINTS: Kanye was never the greatest rapper and this is some of his weaker work, although even then he still had a way with memorable lyrics. Skits are almost always unnecessary, and this is no exception. 3 in the space of 4 tracks really kills the momentum. Through The Wire is just OK despite the back story. Family Business is saccharine and cloying with a pedestrian beat. Last Call has some interesting moments but it's way too long and the sped-up sample trick is getting very old by that point. VERDICT: This is a tough one - both because of what Kanye West has become and because there are some great songs on here but not really a cohesive album. On the strength of those tracks, I'm giving this 4 stars but it's more like 3.6. Would be close to a 5 without the skits and if the album ended at Two Hands.