1000 Greatest Albums of all Time

 816 Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind (1997) Studio Album - Country Blues About the Act: Bob Dylan is a singer/songwriter/artist who is one of the most influential and successful songwriters in the world ever. He has had an enormous cultural impact, especially in his native America. He started in 1961 as a folk singer coming out of the beat generation, and annoyed a lot of his fans when he embraced electric instruments in 1965/6. He toured and recorded with his band "The Band". He explored country music in the early 70s, became a Born-Again Christian in the late 70s and produced several Christian-related albums. His career has meandered a bit since then but he is still active. About the Album: This was Bob Dylan's 30th studio album and was regarded by many to be a return to form for him. It was produced by Daniel Lanois, but Bob was reputedly unhappy with the final sound. My History with this Album: None Review: Well this is a momentous moment, the first Bob Dylan album in th...

 817 Frank Zappa - Chunga's Revenge (1970) Mostly Studio Album - Mixed 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. 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 amazing musicians. He ...

 818 Interpol - Antics (2004) Studio Album - Indie Rock About the Act: Interpol are a band from New York, formed in 1997 and are part of the "post-punk revival". They have had a fairly stable membership with two out of the four original members still in the band. Their studio album count is 6. About the Album: This was their second album, which received good reviews. My History with this Album: None Review: I really like the bass. I know it's an odd place to start, but it is the thing I enjoyed most. I tend to notice the bass because I am a bassist. So the bass is mostly quite rhythmical, solid quavers, quite deep in tone (look, I know, it's bass, but even for bass this is quite a thick tone, with richness at the bottom, but not much in the high harmonics to make it cut through). The playing is excellent, and at times I get the impression he would quite like to be playing funk. The drums are pretty good too, with quite varied patterns, and together they go well. The o...

 819 Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) Studio Album - Blues Rock About the Act: Eric Clapton started life as a baby, in Surrey, England, but soon became one of the best-known blues guitarists in the world, despite being English. His musical career spans from 1962 to the present, and as well as a solo career, he played in some rather well-known bands - The Yarbirds, Cream, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie and Derek & The Dominos. He has had 22 studio albums as a solo artist, several with the bands, a handful of collaborations, and guested on lots of other albums. He is known as "God" by some of his fans, and a "Slowhand", a reference to the fact that his guitar style is more about feel and texture than technicalities and speed. He is one of my favourite guitarists ever. About the Album: This was Eric's second solo album, and came after 3 years of inactivity during which he was mired in a heroin addiction. It was r...

 820 Madvillain - Madvillainy(2004) Studio album - Alternative Hip Hop About the Act: (From Wikipedia): Madvillain was an American hip hop duo consisting of two MCs and producers, MF DOOM and Madlib. Their debut album Madvillainy was met with wide critical acclaim for its unique approach. Their short songs, obscure lyrics and lack of choruses made for a sound that was generally unfriendly to commercial radio, but was lauded as a key aspect of their identity as an underground act. About the Album: This was their only album, they spent years working on a second one which didn't get to release. This one had tapes leaked before release at which point they left it and did solo albums, then came back and revisited it somewhat. It is critically acclaimed but was not hugely commercially successful. My History with this Album: None Review: Critics loved it. I didn't. There are some good qualities to it, it's not gangsta rap, and doesn't seem particularly to be celebrating violen...

 821 Tool - Aenima (1996) Studio Album - Progressive Metal About the Act: Tool are a Progressive Metal band from LA, although they might not embrace the "progressive" part of that description as whole-heartedly as some might.  Most of the genres used to describe Tool involve the word "Metal", so let's stick with that. They have existed since 1990 and have produced 5 studio albums. That’s an average of one every 6 years. They have had a very stable membership - four current members and one ex-member. About the Album: This album is the second of their four studio albums (in 28 years - not exactly prolific) and is apparently considered a classic in Metal circles. My History with this Album: I have had a copy of this album for a while, but didn't seriously listen to it until I reviewed it for my series on prog rock. Most of the text is that review re-jigged, but I have listened to it again, and my opinion has not changed. Review: Most Progressive Metal is varied...

 822 DJ Shadow - Endtroducing..... (1996) Studio Album - Electronica About the Act: DJ Shadow is an American DJ and record producer. He has released 6 studio albums and done lots of remix work too. He has a personal collection of more than 60,000 records. About the Album: This was DJ Shadow's first full album release, and was released through a UK label, who were more open to his music at that time than American labels he approached. It is reputedly the first album ever released that was entirely made from samples. His equipment were a sampler, a turntable, and a ADAT tape recorder. My History with this Album: None Review: I gritted my teeth and girded my loins. Following on from the previous two reviews of things I didn't like, I wasn't sure I was ready for a hip-hop album. I was, however, ready for this. I have listed this as Electronica rather than "instrumental hip-hop" or even "trip-hop", because in my opinion it has more in common with Fatboy Slim ...

 823 Happy Mondays - Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches (1990) Studio Album - Madchester About the Act: The Happy Mondays were a pivotal band of the Madchester scene in the lat 80s, early 90s. Their frontman was Shaun Ryder. They also famously recruited Bez as a percussionist (Maracas) and dancer. They existed for a while and then stopped, and have had reunions since.  About the Album: This was their third album and biggest commercial success. It is considered a seminal album of the Madchester scene. My History with this Album: None. I know the singles Step On and Kinky Afro. Review: The best thing about the Happy Mondays in my opinion was Bez, and the spirit that invited him to be part of the band, when all he did was dance bizarrely and shake his maracas on stage. I personally think that this was a genius move, as his personality and charisma almost certainly were an attraction. Of course, as this is an album, the Bez effect is absent. The music is OK, quite simple, but with e...

 824 Manix - Living in the Past (2013) Studio Album - Jungle Rave About the Act: Manix is the alias of a solo project by Marc Clair from 4 Hero. I think he might be from London. About the Album: This was the first album from Manix My History with this Album: None Review: Well I have not found a lot of information about this album. I thought it was 90s rave music, but it turns out it was made in 2013 - to sound like 90s rave music. It has fast beats (sounds like sped-up drum break samples) and chords and a few other things thrown in. It has suffered, possibly by being straight after the Chemical Brothers which I enjoyed immensely. I found this dull. Loud, fast and pointless, with very little to it apart from regurgitating the syncopated piano or synth chords of 1992. Despite it's energy I actually fell asleep listening to it. 4/10  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ffzDpla2bbc02h4ASeutu Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcrLiJ8PwTA

 825 Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole (1997) Studio Album - Big Beat About the Act: The Chemical Brothers are a couple of guys who started out as night club DJs and ended up making/mixing their own tracks for their DJ sets. They do live sets, recordings and they are in demand as remixers. About the Album: This was the second album by the Chemical Brothers. It did quite well. My History with this Album: None. I have heard Chemical Brothers tracks before and I know Block Rockin' Beats quite well. Review: This is most definitely music to rave to. I have never raved. I have never dropped and E and thrown shapes all night long. I've only ever once been in a night club, and it was playing 70s/80s pop classics, not this kind of stuff. This is music that is designed for night club play, and as such is somewhat out of place in my headphones as I sit in a comfy chair tapping on my laptop. I imagine this is quite good to dance to, but please excuse me if I don't test that out. ...

 826 Heart - Heart(1985) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Formed in 1967, Heart have been an American Rock band almost continuously, except for a couple of short breaks. They have had quite an impressive turnover of members, and several different names to start with, but sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson have been the mostly constants since the mid 70s. Despite all this turmoil they have had widespread world-wide success, and 16 studio albums. About the Album: This was the band's 8th studio album, and was a departure for them from more acoustic-based rock, bringing in a harder, more stadium-oriented sound. It went quintuple platinu in America. My History with this Album: I don't know it as an album, but I am vaguely aware of a few of the tracks as singles - What about Love, and These Dreams particularly. Review: So if I say this was a major rock album in 1985, and asked what that would make you imagine, there is a reasonable chance that your description would fit this album. It...

 827 The Go- Go’s - Beauty and The Beat Go’s (1981) Studio Album - New Wave About the Act: The Go-Gos were, and maybe still are, a band from LA who started in 1978 and burst onto the scene in the USA with their debut album Beauty and the Beat in 1981. They broke up in 1985, but inevitably have had reunions, collaborations, farewell tours and so on since. Their lead singer is/was Belinda Carlisle who is perhaps better known in the UK as a solo artist. They started out as a punk band but transitioned to "New Wave" (a kind of pop punk) by the time of their debut album. About the Album: This was the band's debut album. Apparently it is the only album in US album history by an all-female band that played and wrote their own music to be number 1. It has sold multi-million copies and is considered a breakthrough for the New Wave scene in the US. My History with this Album: None. I know "We Got The Beat" as a single. Review: Sometimes context is important. I didn't ...

 828 Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings  (1956 reissue from 1954) Studio Album - Jazz About the Act: Chet Baker was a jazz trumpeter. He also sang. He was active from 1949 until his death in 1988. He was particularly involved with (and influential in) "cool" jazz About the Album: Working out which actual album was being referred to by the list I got it from was a little complicated, as there are several albums with that name or variants of it. This was further confused by the year that was given. Thankfully there was a picture of the album cover. This album was actually first released in 1954 and then re-issued in 1956. This is the re-issue. This might not have been particularly important except they added 6 more tracks for the re-issue. My History with this Album: None Review: Welcome to Jazz club. Groovy. There's not a huge amount to say apart from the fact that this is the sort of Jazz you might expect in a smokey lounge or coffee bar in the 1950s. It was recorded in the 19...

 829 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) Studio Album - Experimental Pop About the Act: Animal Collective are a group of experimental musicians from Baltimore. They have been experimenting since 2003 and have published their results in the form of 10 studio albums, 10 EPs, 5 live albums, 2 visual albums and one soundtrack. The name is a blanket to cover works by the whole group or by any sub-set of the group. About the Album: This was their eighth studio album. It features multi-layered vocal harmonies and samples. My History with this Album: None Review: This album is experimental pop, I am going to respond with an experimental review. It goes jingle-jangle in my ears, these samples, with fast beaty beats and repetitive repetitive repetitive in a washy through your ears in one and back out the same because it bounces off my brain. It is cornflakes for the soul, with the smooth sloshing milk of multitracked vocals and reverberberberberation. It is a dream, not-qui...

830 Tom Waits - Mule Variations (1999) Studio Album - Experimental Blues About the Act: Tom Waits is an American Blues/Jazz/Experimental singer/songwriter/musician.  He started out as Jazz and morphed  into more blues/folk with some decided "experimental" elements. He has created a kind of hobo/beat poet persona. He has been incredibly successful worldwide. He has also worked as an actor. Since his first album in 1973, he has had 16 more. About the Album: This was Tom's thirteenth studio album.  My History with this Album: None Review: So I've been looking forward to getting into some Tom Waits in these albums. I have probably heard Tom Waits tracks before, but mostly I know of him from reputation. This is quite an odd album in many ways. A lot of the stuff written about it seem to be firmly rooted in the context of his previous few albums, but I haven't heard those, so my thoughts are in isolation. Let's start with the voice. Tom has a bass, gravelly voice. I...

 831 Ash - 1977 (1996) Studio Album - Britpop About the Act: Ash are a Northern Irish band from Downpatrick (Which sounds like an instruction to a dog called Patrick.) They were formed in 1989, released their first full album in 1996, confusingly called 1977. It was the first of seven albums. They are still going. About the Album: This was the band's first album, named after the year when they were born and Star Wars was released. My History with this Album: None Review: They can't quite make up their minds. Let's be generous and say that there are a number of influences here - punk, garage, Britpop, grunge, and metal even at times. Right, I've done being generous. They are too mainstream to be metal, but there are metal guitar riffs very occasionally, especially in the first track where there are some odd chord shifts too. They are too sweet to be punk, although Kung Fu is probably their best attempt at that. They are too washy to be grunge, although they do go for the...