1000 Greatest Albums of all Time

930 The Mothers of Invention - Cruising With Ruben & The Jets (1968) Studio Album - Doo-Wop About the Act: It’s hard to know what to say about Frank Zappa. There has been a lot written about him and it would be easy to parrot a lot of that. If you want to dig into his history, there’s plenty to go at. He was prolific. Between 1966 and his death in 1993 he released 62 albums. Since then, 50 more albums have been released. Oh, he was American, I guess that’s relevant. He had a band in the early days, The Mothers of Invention. Soma albums are credited to "The Mothers of Invention" some to "Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention" and after the band was disbanded, they were just credited to him. He is musically hard to describe, some of his output could be classified as Prog, some as Jazz-Rock, some as Avant-Garde Classical, and often it owes more to German Cabaret than anything. It can be complex, and he was an amazing guitarist, who surrounded himself with amazin...

 931 The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965) Studio Album - Blues About the Act: Paul Butterfield was an American Harmonica player who was involved in various Blues bands, mostly as leader, from 1963 until his death in 1987.  Probably the best known is the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, sometimes known as the Butterfield Blues Band, which existed from 1963-1971, and recorded 6 studio albums, and also released 9 live albums, half of them after the demise of the band.  About the Album: This was the debut album by the band. Originally, it was meant to be a studio album, but after some sessions that was abandoned in favour of a live album, which then in turn was abandoned in favour of starting again with a studio album. This is the result. My History with this Album: None Review: I like Blues, and so am thoroughly in my comfort zone here. I brought myself up on a diet of Eric Clapton and Gary Moore, and JJ Cale and others of that ilk, and listen...

932 The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003) Studio Album - Art Rock About the Act: The Shins are a Pop Rock/Art Rock/Indie band from New Mexico, USA, formed in 1996 and still going. Their central figure is James Mercer, who sings and plays guitars. They have had six studio albums, and both commercial and critical success. About the Album: This was the second album by The Shins My History with this Album: None Review: This album reminds me of Crowded House, and somewhat of They Might Be Giants, with a tiny hint of Eels thrown in. Lyrically, they remind me of Tinita Tikaram. Let me see if I can explain all that. The general feel is of Pop-Rock, or Art Rock in the vein of Crowded House. There is a strong presence of acoustic guitar, and its all about the songs. There are a variety of feels, but it's all in that kind of thing. If you like songwriter-strong stuff then you are likely to like this.  When I reference They Might Be Giants, actually I am thinking of their best-known song "...

 933 The Beach Boys - Holland (1973) Studio album - Pop Rock <Album Picture> About the Act: So, I was really tempted to pull out some cliché about living under a rock if you hadn't heard of the Beach Boys, you probably have, but given that I have just done a quick research on them and found out lots of stuff I didn't know, I'll attempt to give you a really potted overview. They were formed in California in 1961, by brothers Carl, Brian and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. They pioneered, and are most famous for their surf sound in the early 60s, happy, shiny songs about surfing with complex vocal harmonies, in a style related to doo-wop. Then The Beatles happened, and the so-called British Invasion. At this point the popularity of surf music waned, and although it's simplistic, the Beach Boys attempted to keep pace with the increasing complexity and maturity of pop that was emerging. Out of all of the American bands, they probably did the bes...

934 The Fugees - The Score (1996) Studio album - Hip Hop About the Act: Fugees were a hip-hop band from New Jersey from 1992-7, and again from 2004-06. They were Lauren Hill. Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. Lauren and Wyclef also had success as solo artists. "Fugees" is a shortening of "Refugees". They were influential in the hip-hop and soul world. They made two studio albums. About the Album: This was the second album by the Fugees My History with this Album: None Review: Hip-hop and here we go again. Outside of that old comfort zone, which is no bad thing. It's rap, it has samples, it has rapping. It also has some singing, and occasional use of instruments.  On my first listen through, I got about halfway and I was not impressed. It felt like it was quite facile and basic, and I started to wonder of this was the hip-hop version of twee pop. There were a lot of repeated lines, and it didn't seem particularly deep. Like a lot (in fact like all of the ones I ha...

 935 Dio - Holy Diver (1983) Studio Album - Heavy Metal About the Act: Dio were a heavy metal band from the USA, founded in 1982 by two former members of Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio (singer) and Vinny Appice (Drummer). They were joined by Jimmy Bain from Rainbow, and a lesser-known Irish guitarist called Vivian Campbell. The band had a reasonably normal turnover of members, the one stable member being Ronnie James Dio, had a few hiatuses, and finally ended in 2010 when Ronnie died.  They had managed 10 studio albums and a good deal of success. Many of their album covers feature a giant demon known as Murray. About the Album: This was Dio's first album, and their best-regarded one also. My History with this Album: None Review: I'm not a heavy metal expert, but I know a bit. In the 90s, metal underwent a fundamental change to become heavier, the singing turned to grunting and screaming, and the harmonic structures became something else. In this album, I can he...

 936 Kanye West - Graduation (2007) Studio Album - Hip Hop About the Act: Rap artist, husband to Kim Kardashian, highly successful, highly decorated, highly regarded. Currently running for president of the USA. There is so much more I could say, but it you want more, head over to Wikipedia, his page is pretty huge. About the Album: This was Kanye's third studio album My History with this Album: As I was listening to it, I realised I recognised some of the songs. Well what do you know?  In my library I have a copy of this. I'm not sure where I acquired it from, but I must have listened to it at least once, and I remembered some tracks. Review: I am guilty of huge prejudice. Before listening for this review I was predisposed to dislike this album. For a start it is rap. True, in earlier reviews I have found some rap that I could get on with, but as a general rule I am disinclined to give rap a try. Add to that the fact that Mr West is married to Kim Kardashian. Well, all I reall...

 937 LL Cool J - Radio (1985) Studio Album - Hip Hop About the Act: James Todd Smith started his rapping career with his debut album in 1985 under the name LL Cool J, which stands for "Ladies Love Cool James". This album was the first released on the Def Jam Label, and was hugely influential, in being one of the first rap albums to achieve mainstream success. LL Cool J has had a long and successful career as a rapper, and as an actor.   About the Album: This was the first studio album for LL Cool J and was hugely successful. My History with this Album: None Review: 1985, I was a student at university. In such a melting pot of commercial influences I was aware of the emergence of rap and hip-hop. I had been played stuff by Grandmaster Flash and Newcleus, and I and my friends were kind of embracing this new thing. This album sounds like that, like early rap, although apparently this was "new school rap" because it had been around for a few years already, on the "...

 938 Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) Studio Album - Folk Rock About the Act: Richard Thompson is a folk rock singer/songwriter from London. Linda Peters (or Pettifer) is another English folk rock singer. Richard played with Fairport Convention in the late 60s. Shortly after leaving in 1971 he married Linda and they started being Richard and Linda Thompson. They released 6 studio albums together. They both went on to do more albums as themselves after they split up. About the Album: This was the first album that they did together. My History with this Album: None Review: It's a good example of good 1970s folk rock. They sing songs about people, in a nasal style, and use folky instruments, but rock instruments also like electric guitars drums and bass. The music is good, and well-executed, but its really all about the songs. They are good songs, at times somewhat bleak, at times a little opaque, but mostly not so.  My favourite song is...

 939 George Michael - Faith (1987) Studio Album - Pop About the Act: George Michael was half of the British boy band/duo Wham from 1981 to 1987, with which he had rip-roaring success. He recorded a couple of solo singles before Wham split, and then in his solo career he also had rip-roaring success. He is one of the few people who have started in a boy band and made it big with a solo career in which he is taken seriously. He had 7 studio albums and then died in 2016, aged 53. He was hugely successful, and therefore hugely rich. In some ways, after Wham, he became more famous for his lifestyle and problems than for his music, particularly problems with his sexuality (he was either gay or bisexual), with public indecency and anonymous pick-up sex, and with drugs of various kinds. In this way he was not the best role model. In other ways, his involvement with good causes, philanthropic work and charity (and sometimes individual) donations - well I think it is fair to say he was incre...

 940 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001) Studio Album - Garage Rock About the Act: Jack and Meg White were known as the White Stripes, and American rock duo. At first they perpetuated the idea that they were brother and sister, when in fact they were a married couple, then a divorced couple. Their music was generally categorised as Garage Rock, due to its simplicity. They used a strict aesthetic of the colours red, white and black, and are best known for the single "Seven Nation Army". About the Album: This was the third album by The White Stripes. It was well received by critics. My History with this Album: None Review: Quality is a slippery concept. I hate phrases like "Its entirely subjective" to suggest that there is no real shared concept of quality, but that can't be true because some things, for example in music, are more successful than others. However, it is evident that there is some attractive quality to some music that rises above mere techn...

 941 The Beach Boys - Carl and the Passions So Tough (1972) Studio Album - Pop About the Act: So, I was really tempted to pull out some cliche about living under a rock if you hadn't heard of the Beach Boys, you probably have, but given that I have just done a quick research on them and found out lots of stuff I didn't know, I'll attempt to give you a really potted overview. They were formed in California in 1961, by brothers Carl, Brian and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. They pioneered, and are most famous for their surf sound in the early 60s, happy, shiny songs about surfing with complex vocal harmonies, in a style related to doo-wop. Then The Beatles happened, and the so-called British Invasion. At this point the popularity of surf music waned, and although it's simplistic, the Beach Boys attempted to keep pace with the increasing complexity and maturity of pop that was emerging. Out of all of the American bands, they probably did the best jo...

 942 The Verve - A Storm In Heaven (1993) Studio Album - Space Rock About the Act: Wigan, Lancashire, England, 1990, the band known as "Verve" was born. Later they became "The Verve". They were kind of lumped in with the Indie/Britpop scene. They are probably best known for their hits "Bitter Sweet Symphony", "The Drugs Don't Work" and "Lucky Man". They kept a fairly stable line-up, but their existence was sporadic. They managed to squeeze out four albums. About the Album: This was the first album, and before they became hit popsters. It is often described as either psychedelic rock or space rock. My History with this Album: None Review: So let's deal with this description. Space rock? Well, kind of. Psychedelic? In a way. Generally this kind of spacey atmosphere is created by heavy use of echo and reverb, especially on the guitar, which enhances this by being played in an open, washy, dreamy kind of way. The bass and drums supp...

 943 F*!k Buttons - Tarot Sport (2009) Studio album - Electronic/Noise rock About the Act: F*!k Buttons (my edit) are an electronic music duo from Bristol, England.  They mat at art college and started by creating a soundtrack for a film one of them created. They have created three studio albums to date and have been active since 2004. About the Album: This is the second album from the duo. My History with this Album: None Review: So there are no words in this music, which is mostly electronic music, reminiscent (to me) of 90s electronic music like Bentley Rhythm Ace and Aphex Twin. It's mostly, but not all, somewhat dancy, with a dance beat you can dance to.  There are two things that make it somewhat interesting, one is that it is not all dance-type rhythms, and there is some use of almost military snare for grooves. The second is the prevalent use of noise and non-musical sounds in the mix. Actually I would say it is quite a good balance between the musical and th...

 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots ...

 945 Ramones - Animal Boy (1986) Studio Album - Punk About the Act: The Ramones were an American punk band that existed from 1974 to 1996. They were one of the most influential punk bands in the New York punk scene in the late 70s. They have been recognised in many lists as being of the most significant rock bands, well, ever.   Unlike other punk bands who's style often included colourful dyed hair, the Ramones adopted long hair and leather jackets as a kind of uniform. Also, all members of the band adopted stage names with the surname "Ramone" even though they were not related. The "classic" line-up was Dee Dee Ramone, Joey Ramone, Tommy Ramone and Johnny Ramone, all of whom are now dead.   Their music was categorised by fast beats, raw, simple rock and short, abrupt songs. Later, they diversified into more poppy music. About the Album: This is the 9th studio album by the Ramones, and is generally not thought to be one of their best. It was made at a time when ...

 946 Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces (1979) Studio Album - New Wave About the Act: Elvis Costello is a British singer/songwriter who started in 1970 and is still going. He came to popularity in the late 70s and at that time was considered to be a "New Wave" act, however it's probably more reasonable in retrospect to think of him as a medium rock singer/songwriter.  He had a sometimes consistent band, The Attractions, and some of his albums are credited to "Elvis Costello and the Attractions". Some albums used the band, but were just credited to Elvis himself, and on some albums he used different musicians. His first studio album was released in 1977 and he has had 25 since. He has had a lot of commercial and critical success, especially for his earlier albums, and he is widely respected for his songwriting ability. About the Album: This was Elvis's third album, the second with The Attractions, and the first to have them named in the act nam...

 947 Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo (2011) Studio Album - Indie Rock About the Act: Kurt Vile (not to be confused with the classical composer Kurt Weill) is an American singer-songwriter from Pennsylvania. He sings kind of slice of life stuff in a style that is somewhat reminiscent of people like Tom Petty, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. He would have been right at home in the 70s but was born too late for that. His career started in 2003 and is still going. He has a regular backing band, called The Violators, and has created 8 studio albums so far. About the Album: This was Kurt's fourth studio album and was kind of a breakthrough album for him. It was critically well received. My History with this Album: None Review: For some this will be a breath of fresh air, songwriting in the vein of the great folk-rock singers of the 70s. For others this will be a whiney guy with a guitar with a sound that lives in the past. Or is that a timeless quality? I'm a bit undecided. I wonder if ...

 948 The Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free (1967) Studio Album - Psychedelic Rock About the Act: It’s hard to know what to say about Frank Zappa. There has been a lot written about him and it would be easy to parrot a lot of that. If you want to dig into his history, there’s plenty to go at. He was prolific. Between 1966 and his death in 1993 he released 62 albums. Since then, 50 more albums have been released. Oh, he was American, I guess that’s relevant. He had a band in the early days, The Mothers of Invention. Some albums are credited to "The Mothers of Invention" some to "Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention" and after the band was disbanded, they were just credited to him. He is musically hard to describe, some of his output could be classified as Prog, some as Jazz-Rock, some as Avant-Garde Classical, and often it owes more to German Cabaret than anything. It can be complex, and he was an amazing guitarist, who surrounded himself with amazing musicia...

 949 Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters (1995) Studio album - Grunge Rock About the Act: Dave Grohl was the drummer for the band Nirvana. You've probably heard of them, they had that chap Kurt Cobain as front man, the one who died. While with Nirvana, our Dave started to write songs, and to record some demos. He was quite shy about them, and strongly influenced by Kurt's songwriting.  When Kurt died in 1994, and Nirvana stopped as a result, Dave booked some studio time and recorded some of his songs. He played everything himself, apart from one bit of guest guitar. He then touted the tape around under the name "Foo Fighters" - deliberately using a name that was a plural so that it would seem like it was a band and not just him. He was also not intending to make a big splash, just to have a small run of copies, and stay anonymous. Somehow that didn't happen. The tape got released as an album, he recruited a band to tour the songs and things went on from there. There have ...