1000 Greatest Albums of all Time

987 This Mortal Coil - Blood (1991) Double studio album - Dream Pop About the Act: This Mortal Coil were a British "music collective". The official "Members" were Ivo Watts-Russell who founded new wave record label 4AD, and John Fryer, but their recordings featured a large revolving cast of guests, primarily from bands on the 4AD label but not exclusively. They produced three studio albums between 1984 and 1991. About the Album: This double album was the third studio album by the music collective This Mortal Coil. It features a plethora of musicians. Vocals are mostly by Alison Limerick, Caroline Crawley, and Dierdre Rutowski.  My History with this Album: None Review: Wow. It is not possible to get more different from the previous album reviewed, which was Guns 'n' Roses. This is going to be hard to describe. Airy, spacey, ethereal, minimal, downtempo. OK, not that hard. This is a double album of songs, almost all sung by female vocalists of the mellow and s...

988 Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I (1991) Studio album - Hard Rock About the Act: Take two men with slightly odd stage names: Axl Rose and Tracii Guns. They were each in a band whose name was based around their stage name: Hollywood Roses and L.A. Guns. When the bands kind of merged, it seemed logical to call that band Guns 'n' Roses, so they did. Tracii Guns left shortly after, to be replaced by Slash, the well-known guitarist of the band. That was 1985. According to the brief details on Wikipedia, they have been active from 1985-present. Reading the history, though, things are much more complicated than that. Members have come and gone, there has been a lot of trouble with alcohol and drug addiction. They were effectively inactive for a long time from about 1993, and eventually brought out another studio album (their sixth) in 2008. Do they exist at the moment? It's not clear. However, from 1987 to 1991 they were very active, producing smash-hit albums, going on ...

989 The Cure - The Head On The Door (1985) Studio Album - New Wave About the Act: The Cure are a band from Sussex, England with a career spanning from 1979 to the present day. Initially, their label tried to make them into a boy band, but after one album they rebelled and went to a very dark place, becoming one of the seminal bands of the Goth movement. After three depressing Gothic albums, they floundered for a while, had some turnover of members, and reinvented themselves. Well, the head of their label persuaded them to have a reinvention. Apparently, to the Robert Smith, their driving force, he was deliberately allowing the band to be destroyed. It didn't work, instead they achieved a balance between the light and the darkness and generated their own particular brand of Pop Rock that still retained an edge of darkness. They went on to have lots of success with lots of albums. To date they have had a total of 13 studio albums. The central figure is guitarist, singer and songwrite...

990 Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up (1972) Studio Album - Blues Rock About the Act: Bonnie Raitt is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Her career started in 1971 and is still going. She is most associated with Blues, Roots and America. Her peak of success came in the late 80s/early 90s. She has released 17 studio albums. About the Album: This is Bonnie's second album. Although it received good critical reviews, it was not very successful commercially. Three of the ten songs were written by Bonnie, and the others are covers, but not of well-known songs. My History with this Album: None Review: I always associated the name Bonnie Raitt with country music, but I was wrong, she is definitely more of a blues act. This album has a variety of styles though, from straight-up blues to more folky tracks, that remind me of James Taylor, to the New Orleans brass band jazz.  Bonnie's voice is quite clear and high, and does sound a little country at times. Her voice also reminds me of ...

991 The Killers - Hot Fuss (2004) Studio Album - Alternative Rock About the Act: The Killers are an Alternative Rock band from Las Vegas. Their singer, Brandon Flowers, has one of the most distinctive voices of rock bands in the new millennium.  They have been active since 2001 and have had five chart-topping studio albums. About the Album: This is the first studio album from The Killers.  It was initially projected to sell 5000 copies, but to date has soled more than 7 million worldwide. It was number 1 in the UK, where it was on the album charts for 4.5 years. My History with this Album: I have had a copy of their second album, "Sam's Town" for a while, but this is the first time I have heard this album. Some of the tracks, though, have been chart hits and so I know them reasonably well. Review: This album is good, raw-edged rock, reminding me somewhat of early U2, particularly in the use of open playing, especially on the guitar. There is a reasonable variety of sound,...

992 Yes - 90125 (1983) Studio Album - Art Rock About the Act: Yes followed the “How to be Prog” leaflet pretty closely - formed in 1968, had a lot of success in the early 70s, lost their way a bit at the end of the 70s, broke up in 1981, but reformed in 1983 with a more commercial sound, and have been active in some form ever since. They have had a good number of personnel changes, with particular emphasis on keyboard players. Their most famous member probably was Rick Wakeman, although the singer Jon Anderson (who has come and gone several times) has a very recognisable voice. The distinctive Yes sound has an emphasis on the high frequency range, strong, strident bass, complex arrangements with high, strong vocals, and a rather positive attitude to life, in a vaguely New- Agey kind of way. Oh, and a lot of their classic albums had covers drawn by fantasy artist Roger Dean. About the Album: So, Jon Anderson left Yes for the first time in 1980, and they took on a new singer, Trevor Horn...

993 Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs (1969) Studio Album - Southern Rock/Blues Rock About the Act: Boz Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from Texas. He has played and sung in a variety of styles from blues rock, to soft rock and blue-eyed soul. His career has spanned from 1963 to now, but with several breaks. He is best known for the hit "Lido Shuffle". About the Album: This was Boz's second album, and although it did better than his debut "Boz", it still didn't get much traction when first released. Since then it has gained more recognition. It was recorded with the famous Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section at The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama. My History with this Album: I heard it for the first time today. I have had another of Boz's albums on cassette for years. Review: Straight after listening to, and reviewing the Girls album I put this on to play. My immediate impression was "whew, something worth listening to". As I got de...

994 Girls - Album (2009) Studio Album - Indie Rock About the Act:  Girls was an American Indie Rock band from 2007 until 12, from San Fransisco. The band had two members, Christopher Owens, and Chet "JR" White. They released two studio albums. Wikipedia describes them as Indie Rock, and Jangle Pop. About the Album: Album (Imaginatively titled!) was the first studio album by Girls. It received critical acclaim on release. My History with this Album: None Review: I don't get it. There must be some quality to this album that the critics liked, because it really did get good critical reception. I can only conclude that either there are lots of music critics who are idiots, or that there is something that appeals to some people, that just doesn't hit it for me.  I'm not going to worry about this overly, as I am here to give my opinion, even if it flies in the face of other opinions, so here goes. If the guitar was in tune, and the recording was better and the productio...

995 Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (2013) Studio Album - Electronic Disco/Funk About the Act: Daft Punk are an Electronic Music Project comprising Parisians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter.  They formed in 1993, but came to international prominence in the late 90s/early 00s with their funk-inspired synth-pop. They wear ornate helmets and gloves to assume robot personas in most public appearances. They have released four studio albums. Their best-known track is "Get Lucky" which features Pharrell Williams. About the Album: This is the fourth studio album by Daft Punk, and at the time of writing this, their most recent. There is a deliberate move away from sampling other people's work to using "real" musicians for this album. It is deliberately retro in feel, harking back to music of the late 70s/early 80s, particularly from LA. My History with this Album: None, although like many people I have heard the track "Get Lucky" ad nauseum ...

996 David Bowie - Earthling (1997) Studio album - Electronic/Drum 'n' Bass/Industrial/Jungle/Techno About the Act: David Bowie was a British Pop/Rock star from Bromley in Kent. He first started to come to prominence in the late 60s/early 70s, and was musically active up until his death in 2016.  Bowie was noted for his ever-shifting style, and constant reinvention of himself musically and adopting a variety of public personas. His popularity waxed and waned over his career, as the styles and personas he experimented with were more or less attractive. Some might accuse him of style over substance, but it is more true to say that the style was the substance. He released 27 studio albums, including two credited to the band Tin Machine.  He also had a career as an actor, and was an active artist and art collector. As one of the world's pop megastars, his history, public and private life have been endlessly picked over. About the Album: This is Bowie's 22nd studio album, and...

997 B.B. King - Live in Cook County Jail Live album - Blues About the Act: BB King was a Blues singer, guitarist and songwriter whose career spanned from 1942 to 2014, shortly before his death in 2015 at the age of 89. He was born on a cotton plantation in the Mississippi Delta, and was one of the foundational proponents of electric blues, bringing the music to a much wider audience. He is considered a pioneer of the kind of rambling electric guitar soloing that became the hallmark of Eric Clapton and Gary Moore in later years.  His guitar was famously called "Lucille". He was a prolific tourer, averaging 200 shows a year into his 70s.  About the Album: One of the wardens of Cook County Jail approached BB King after a concert and persuaded him to come and do a concert for the inmates in the jail, which he did on 10th September 1070. He played in a courtyard to 2,117 prisoners, most of whom were young black men. As he is introduced at the start of the album, the Sheriff and a ...

998 Belly - Star (1993) Studio album - Alternative Rock About the Act: Belly were an Alternative Rock band from Rhode Island, USA, and from 1991-96 (and currently active since 2016). Their singer and driving force Tanya Donelly was previously in Throwing Muses and The Breeders. They had two albums in their first stint and have recently released a third studio album. About the Album: This was the first studio album by the band, it was nominated for a Grammy. My History with this Album: None Review: Well I had not heard this album before and had no preconceptions so it was truly a fresh listen. The music is really simply realised, mostly with just drums, bass and electric guitar, giving a stripped back sound. Musically it's quite loose and open, with quite a laid-back approach. Some of the chord structures are unusual, which add to the ethereal feel. However, the real focal point here is Tanya Donelly's vocals which are waif-like and definitely need to have the word ethereal used...

999 The Sex Pistols - The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1979) Soundtrack/Compilation (Double album) - Punk About the Act: Punk started in New York, but made the leap to London, The explosive cultural, fashion and musical movement was spearheaded in the UK by The Sex Pistols. It is hard to overstate their pivotal importance in what was one of the most profound shifts in pop music, bringing working class disaffection into the mainstream, riding on a wave of shock and controversy that the press and the public were seemingly pregnant for.  Managed and possibly somewhat manufactured by their manager Malcolm McLaren, the band consisted of Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook. Later, Matlock was replaced on the bass by Sid Vicious. Their active history was about 2.5 years from 1975-1978 in which they made one studio album, played quite a few gigs, and caused (and courted) controversy with their violence and attitudes. Their history has been picked over many times by p...

1000 OutKast - Aquemini (1998) Studio Album - Hip-Hop About the Act: OutKast were a Southern Hip-Hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1992-2006 and again in 2014. They were André 3000 and Big Boi. They produced 6 studio albums, and were one of the most successful hip hop groups of all time. They are best known for the chart hit "Hey Ya."   About the Album:  This was OutKast's third studio album. The title is pronounced "a-KWE-mi-NIGH" and is a portmanteau of the duo's starsigns, Aquarius and Gemini. There are 40 people credited as musicians, and 25 more under "technical". At 1hr 15m it's a long album. My History with this Album:  None Review:  So this is my first review in this long long, series, and already I am well out of my comfort zone. It's rap, and hip-hop, which is not a genre I listen to much at all. I have very little I can refer to for comparison.   So, most of the tracks are rap songs, interspersed with little vocal acted ...

In this blog I am going to listen to, and review, the 1000 greatest albums of all time. That's the plan. I expect it to take roughly 5 years. The obvious question is - 1000 greatest albums of all time, according to whom? Well firstly, most definitely, not according to me. Most of my favourite albums are not in this list, and most of this list is albums that I have not heard before. My list has been created by combining the Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the NME list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and the top 500 albums on Ranker. I would have liked to include the top 500 best selling albums worldwide of all time also, but could only find information on about the top 50.   So, from these sources, there are some obvious biases that come into effect.  For all three, nostalgia plays a significant role, but I don't mind that, as it is with the test of time that albums show their worth. For both Rolling Stone and NME there is a certain journ...