1001 Albums – the story so far

I trawled through my previously-unheard “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” Facebook posts, copied and pasted and edited them into this synopsis:

So I got this book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” for Chrimbo from my nephew and his missus. They really should have removed the “Half Price” sticker before wrapping it but never mind that.
Although I have no plans to die in the immediate future, I’ve decided to give all the ones I’ve never heard a listen, just in case I’ve missed something amazing (and, of course, to confirm my prejudices when these prove correct).

Taking the unheard listed albums in alphabetical order by title, my first was “Ace Of Spades” by Motorhead. I’d heard most of it over the years but never the complete thing in album order. The otherwise loathsome Gary Bushell was probably correct in saying “Motorhead are Heavy Metal in the only meaningful sense of the term – everyone else is just pretending” in his 5-star review of this album in Sounds, all those years ago. I shall be buying this for playing loud in the car.

The next in my list was U2’s “Achtung Baby”. I was not very impressed and although it’s not -that- bad I can see no good reason why I’d want to listen to it again.

The Pet Shop Boys “Actually” is pretty damn good, actually, despite my not really liking the timbre of Neil Tennant’s voice. I’d heard all the singles from it on the radio, of course, but the remixed full album is quite a revelation. I may end up getting this.

Jorge Ben’s “Africa/Brasil” is a jolly good slice of tropical funk. Most enjoyable. I’ll play this again.

“Alien Lanes” by Guided By Voices is shite, in my opinion. A half-assed exercise in “Fuck it, this’ll do”. I can’t imagine why anyone would like it. Other opinions may be available but… WTF.

“All Directions” by The Temptations is lovely. I’d never before heard the full 11m45s majesty of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”. Transcendent. The rest of the album is ace too.

“All Hail The Queen” by Queen Latifah is pretty good, and considering my general disdain for that hippity-hoppity stuff is praise indeed. Not something I’d seek out again but it wouldn’t upset me if somebody put it on sometime.

“All Hope Is Gone” by Slipknot is not my cuppa at all. I think the reviewer in the book may be right about Corey Taylor singing like a man who types in capitals. Thumbs down.

“All Mod Cons” by The Jam is here because although I know several of the tracks, I can’t recall ever hearing the actual album being played. I’m not a fan but not a hater either. They never really floated my boat enough to spend money on and I can’t really see that changing. “Down In The Tube Station At Midnight” was a cracking single though, wasn’t it?

“All That You Can’t Leave Behind” is a more digestible U2 album (for me) than “Achtung Baby” but I still don’t need U2 in my personal soundscape at present.

“American Beauty” by The Grateful Dead is a pretty damn good album and yet very much of it’s time. Yet another one of which I know large chunks well enough but had never previously heard it in sequence. It’s remarkable that not a single one of ’em can sing a decent tuneful lead vocal but together their harmonies just work somehow.

“American Gothic” by David Ackles is a strange, beautiful thing that I’m glad I’ve heard. It didn’t fit with the other music of the time it was released and I’m not sure it would for any other time, really. No wonder it virtually sank without trace on release. It’s not available on Spotify, but I found a YouTube clip of the full album being played from vinyl (including unwrapping the brand-new shrink-wrapped LP, playing side one and then taking it off the turntable and turning it over to play side two). It can be purchased on CD from Amazon for 20 quid (and upwards if you’re a mug). I also spotted a used vinyl copy there for 14 quid. This album has joined my “keep an eye out for this one” list.

Green Day’s “American Idiot”. A derivative ’80s-sounding timewarp album. At one moment about half way, they sounded a tiny bit like the Jam going metal but it didn’t last and mostly it was typical white US angst-rock turned up past 11 into earache. No thanks.

Don McLean’s “American Pie” should possibly not be in this list. I may have heard it back in 1971 but all I can remember from it is the title track and “Vincent”. The title track is much-overrated in my opinion and extremely over-exposed from years of lazy radio playlisting. “Vincent”, on the other hand is a fine song about an interesting subject. The rest of the album is pretty decent fare but suffers from the same sugary arrangements that mar “Vincent”. Shan’t be spending anything on getting it but it was a welcome respite from the previous album and probably helpful in my psychic preparation for the ordeal of the next pair of albums.

“AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” by Ice Cube was vile. Violent, foul-mouthed, misogynistic and very, very stupid. The lyrics and politics, such as they were, were peurile. It’s my considered opinion that the likes of Mr Cube encourage, unwittingly or not, the black-on-black violence that’s doing the white supremacists work for them in America’s big cities. How they must laugh about this shite.

“Among The Living” by Anthrax. Brain-dead rubbish. Nothing to differentiate it from reams of similar aural garbage, not remotely interesting lyrically or musically and MUCH TOO LONG as well. I was very glad when it stopped.

“Ananda Shankar” by Ananda Shankar was keeping very bad company in today’s list. A pleasant oddity, being a mix of sitar, rock music, early synthesizers and Bollywood-style strings. Covers of “Jumping Jack Flash” and “Light My Fire” and some pleasant genre-blending originals. I could grow to like this one.

“…And Justice For All” by Metallica is just another in an overlong, overloud line of chugging-fuzzed-out guitar-howled-vocal-and-pounding-drums ear-bashers for dumb white angsty kids. I’m glad to say I’m much too old for this load of old toot.

“Another Music In A Different Kitchen” by Buzzcocks. By the time I was a few tracks into this I was starting to rather like it. Despite Howard Devoto having already struck out alone with Magazine by this time, I could see some melodic similarities. That word “melodic” is where this band stood out from the Punk crowd. The remastered/reissue 2-CD version has all the singles they perversely left off the original album and some Peel session tracks too, on the 1st disc. Didn’t bother listening to the second CD. Diminishing returns. Pete Shelley’s voice sounds just a touch too whiney on the studio tracks for prolonged listening but less so on the Peel sessions though not always completely in tune. Overall it’s pretty good but not enough to play more than a few times. Besides I have most of it on a compilation my nephew Danny provided.

“Antichrist Superstar” by Marilyn Manson… Well, I’d never knowingly heard anything of his before and played this with some trepidation, half-expecting something horrible. It was actually rather entertaining. Totally bonkers and certainly not boring. I can’t say I gave it my full attention but it was a reasonable soundscape to cook yesterday’s tea to.

“Apocalypse 91 …The Enemy Strikes Back” by Public Enemy was OK. Considering that I’m not a Hip-Hopper in any way shape or form I found it eminently tolerable. Quite musical in parts.

“Apocalypse Dudes” by Turbonegro was stoopid naughty fun and reminded me strongly in several places of a harder-edged Tubes, but with better guitar solos. I may play this again sometime if I think my ears need blasting.

“Appetite For Destruction” by Guns n Roses. I’d never heard more than the “hits” from this album previously. Musically it’s fine stuff within it’s genre but Axl Rose’s voice just annoys me. Particularly his crap melismatising, as on “Sweet Child O’ Mi-ee-ine..” It makes me think fondly about punching him after a while, though of course I never would because I’m a bit of a weed when it comes to that fisticuffs business.

Seriously, whilst I appreciate all impassioned defences of albums that I diss, it’s all about initial impressions here.

“The ArchAndroid” by Janelle Monae. A very impressive album indeed with a dazzling variety of musical styles on show. Sometimes several during the course a a single song. Positively sumptuous production and orchestration but… The album is too long. I can’t fault any particular tracks but with all the musical twists and turns there was just too much to take in at one sitting. It would have been easier to assimilate as a couple of ’60s-style 30-odd minute albums.
I was extremely impressed by her Glasto appearance, which was mainly featuring the album after this one if I recall correctly. She is definitely one to watch.

“Architecture and Morality” by Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark is very much of it’s time, I feel. No bad thing in itself but it’s aimed at an ’80s student demographic of which I was never a part. Some cracking tunes (some becoming good but not outstanding singles) but also quite a bit of filler. I won’t be needing this in my library.

“Arise” by Sepultura didn’t float my boat. I thought it was shite. And too long. Same old high-speed bass drum, same old crunching guitars and same grunted guttural vocals as dozens and dozens of others. A few decent guitar riffs here and there but the formulaic drumming annoyed me too much to gain any pleasure from them. God alone knows what these herberts were on about. Take the “i” out of the title and that about sums it up for me.

“Arthur – Or the Decline and Fall Of the British Empire” by The Kinks was blessed relief after that last one. Most enjoyable mix of whimsy and rather acerbic commentary on ’70s Britain. In some ways things haven’t changed that much. In others of course, the changes have been immense. Victoria and Shangri-La are the standout songs but there’s nothing actually duff in here. Ray Davies not far off the top of his game here.

“Atomizer” by Big Black was most enjoyable after a couple of very large G&Ts. A dirty, noisy stripped-back-to-simplicity danceable din. The most effective use of a drum machine in a rock context that I’ve heard (so far).
I shall try this sober sometime, just to check, but I reckon I’ll still approve.

“Autobahn” by Kraftwerk was the first of this batch. Most of this album is very familiar but there were a couple of more obscure tracks I’d not knowingly heard before. All very good stuff, but when it comes to German synth music my preference is for classic-era Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Ashra/Ash Ra Tempel/Manuel Gottsching, with a side order of Popol Vuh. Kraftwerk seem a bit too clinical and cold to me. Very admirable but lacking in soul.

“Automatic For The People” by R.E.M. was one I’d avoided over the years as, although I found certain things of theirs very enjoyable I’d convinced myself I didn’t like R.E.M., so that was that. It turns out that a good few tracks I -did- like are on this particular album and some other bits are very good too. I may end up buying this.

Listed “A” albums I was already familiar with are “Abbatoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus”, “Abbey Road”, “Abraxas”, “Aftermath”, “After the Gold Rush”, “Agaetis Byrjun”, “Aja”, “Aladdin Sane”, “All Things Must Pass”, “Ambient 1: Music For Airports”, “Another Green World”, “Apple Venus Vol 1”, “Aqualung”, “Arc Of a Diver”, “Aretha: Lady Soul”, “Are You Experienced”, “Armed Forces”, “Arrival”, “Astral Weeks”, “At Budokan”, “At Fillmore East”, “The Atomic Mr Basie” and “Axis: Bold As Love”.

“The B-52’s” by The B-52’s is excellent in parts (most parts) and pretty dire in others. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. Turns out I had it in my digital library all along (copied from my nephew’s collection years ago) but hadn’t noticed. Planet Claire is brilliant, as are 52 Girls, Rock Lobster and Lava. Dance This Mess Around and There’s a Moon… are OK. The final 3 are filler and their version of Downtown is atrocious.
My favourite B-52’s album remains “Party Mix”.

“Back At the Chicken Shack” by Jimmy Smith is a great slice of good ‘ol Hammond funk-blues with some excellent horn playing too. I have about 75% of it already on various compilations. Not completely convinced it’s his best work. Further exploration needed.

“Back In Black” by AC/DC is top-quality hard guitar-rock but Brian Johnson’s vocals are akin to blackboard-scraping to my ears. The late Bon Scott’s voice had the same effect, to be fair. The puerile subject matter of too many of the songs doesn’t help either. I realise the words aren’t to be taken seriously, but when they are screeched like that It’s hard to ignore them. This is another I copied from my nephew all those years ago and never played. I doubt I’ll play it again.

“Back To Mystery City” by Hanoi Rocks was jolly good fun. Hard-rocking dumb punky pop with the emphasis firmly on pop hooks. Totally inessential to my requirements, so I doubt I’ll be buying it, but probably an enjoyable listen should it pop up again sometime in the future.

“Bad” by Michael Jackson is where Wacko began to disappear up his own fundament, the formula took over and production sheen dazzled. There’s a few decent songs but really it’s the same old same old with extra layers of gloss. There’s nothing there, really.

“Bad Company” by Bad Company has it’s moments. Lyrically it’s pretty stone-age cock-rock, for the most part. Some nice Steve Cropper-esque guitar on one (The Way I Choose? Can’t be bothered to check) and some suitably Stax-style brass too, but Simon Kirke’s drums are overbearing and the brass should be higher in the mix. Mick Ralphs and Paul Rogers are both supremely talented in their respective fields but not shown here in their best light IMO. Actually, I’ve yet to hear Paul Rogers sing anything worthwhile with that magnificent voice.

“Bandwagonesque” by Teenage Fan Club. Their praises were sung loudly by various members of our Massive in recent history, but on this evidence I cannot see the magnificence of this, an alleged masterpiece album. It starts off pretty well but I lost concentration (and interest) at about the halfway mark. It seemed lyrically interesting to begin with, at least, but after a while nothing struck me very much at all about it.

“Be” by Common is merely OK, in my opinion. His subject matter is better than many others in his field and his lyrics only get Adult Advisory when it’s actually called for, which makes a pleasant change from some. Musically, though, it seemed a bit clunky and unengaging and I don’t rate his rapping style very highly. His lyrical rhythms seemed rather stilted at times and momentum was lost.

“Beach Samba” by Astrud Gilberto. The easiest of easy listening, lushly orchestrated about 50/50 Brazilian and US material, sung in Ms Gilberto’s trademark style, successfully masking her rather limited tonal range. Pleasant melodic stuff apart from 2 clunkers, a saccharine duet with her 6-year-old son on the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice” and a god awful thing about parades, set to a military beat.
Inessential, as far as I’m concerned.

“The Beach Boys Today” has the original version of “Help Me Rhonda” which was beefed up later into a smash hit. A lively first side, all good energetic teen pop, and then a quieter more thoughtful second side with a highly-skippable filler track at the end of “The Boys” larking in the studio. 12 tracks in just 28m42s. I bet it was recorded all in one go too. The harmonies are, naturally, superb. The arrangements as interesting but somewhat less lush than on later recordings, guitar-playing a little rough-sounding here and there. Good.

“Beautiful Freak” by Eels. I’d shied away from E and co. previously, not having been particularly struck by odd tracks I’d heard. But this is a fabulous album, full of intriguing musical twists and turns and really interesting lyrics. It really fits together as an album too. I’ll be buying this one.

“Beauty and the Beat” by The Go-Gos. Good loud mostly-inconsequential pop with shades of B-52’s, Bangles and possibly for a moment or two The Slits and X-Ray Spex. Good for getting my dinner together to. Probably wouldn’t bother buying it, though.

“Behaviour” by Pet Shop Boys. Top notch stuff, for the most part, though my attention did wander for a while about the middle of what would have been vinyl side 2. I’ve mentioned before about Neil Tennant’s slightly adenoidal voice not really being to my taste. The wit and charm of the lyrics and the cunning of the musical arrangements go quite a way to compensate for this. A might-well-end-up-buying album.

“Being There” by Wilco is jolly good stuff, if a little too much stuff for a single sitting. An unpreposessing start with track 1 disc 1′ s atonal distorted interludes, I was glad when they settled down to what I’d been hoping to hear. A sort of Indie/Americana jangle that’s easy on the ear and gets the foot tapping. Not sure I really -need- it in my collection. Perhaps another play or two will help me decide.

“Berlin” by Lou Reed is musically really good. Well-played, arranged and produced etc. but bloody hell it’s depressing stuff. Shan’t be playing it again. And I’ve just realised how much I dislike Lou Reed’s voice.

“Better Living Through Chemistry” by Fatboy Slim is a clever, melodic, well put together and interesting listen. Pretty good. May play again.

“Beyond Skin” by Nitin Sawhney is an odd one. Not fully committing to fusing South Asian and Western musical styles in the first half of the album it seems rather conventional but then he goes quite heavily Classical Indian later. Overall it somehow seems rather dull. I was rather disappointed.

“Billion Dollar Babies” by Alice Cooper is a good rock album, very much of it’s time but none the worse for it. I have this in my digital library (courtesy of my nephew Dan) but had never bothered to listen to it previously. Not
sure I’d purposely put this on, but there’s nothing here to annoy or upset me.

“Bizarre Ride II” by The Pharcyde is absolute tripe, in my opinion. Supposedly witty, funny and funky, I found it unremittingly foul-mouthed and nasty and devoid of funk. Musically it’s rather sub-par R&B with loads of unfunny skits (the thing I hate most about this style of music) just getting in the way. The book review mentioned it’s “originality”. Not to these ears.

“Black Metal” by Venom is a hoot. Not-very-well-played loud riff-metal with really silly lyrics. I get the impression the boys had a good laugh making this album and didn’t take it seriously at all. Not really my thing, so the chances I’ll play it again are remote. Another stitch in Rock’s rich tapestry.

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