1000 Greatest Albums of all Time

 803 Björk - Vespertine (2001) Studio Album - Electronica About the Act: Björk is a demented Scandinavian pixie. She has been making a musical living out of being professionally weird since her teens in the early 80s, with several bands, mostly Punk, but one Jazz Fusion, eventually making it fairly famous with The Sugarcubes. She and her pixie smile went solo in 1993 making an experimental name for herself with the aptly named "Debut" album. She has had 9 solo albums, or more, depending on how you count them, and how many fingers you have.  She is from Iceland. About the Album: This was her fourth solo album and a deliberate contrast to her previous album Homogenic. It sold well and did really well with critics. My History with this Album: I have a copy of several of Björk's albums but I do not remember ever specifically listening to this one. I must have at some point, but probably not often or with great attention. Review: This is an extraordinary album. You need to put...

 804 No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom (1995) Studio Album - Pop Punk About the Act: No Doubt are an American band from Disneyland (well, Anaheim, California, which is where Disneyland is). They have existed since 1986, and are somewhat famously fronted by Gwen Stefani. They are listed as "Pop Rock, Ska Punk, Alternative Rock, New Wave, Synth Pop and Dancehall". I don't know what dancehall is but believe it is a variant in the Reggae family. No Doubt have released 6 studio albums, and have had quite a lot of mega-success. About the Album: This was the third album from the band, and the first after their main songwriter, Gwen's brother, left the band. Apparently he hated touring. Anyway, this meant the songs were written by Gwen and Tom Dumont, most of the words by Gwen. The title is taken from somebody's name for Disneyland. My History with this Album: None, I think. I feel like I am very familiar with the cover, but maybe it's just striking. I don't seem to have ...

 805 Dr. John - Dr. John’s Gumbo (1972) Studio Album - Rhythm And Blues About the Act: Dr John was a singer, musician and songwriter from New Orleans, who was an important part of the New Orleans music scene for many years. He started as career in music as a teenager, and switched from guitar to piano after getting shot in the finger. After sessioning for a while, he developed an act under the persona Dr John which involved a live spectacle that was reminiscent of Voodoo practices. After doing that for a while he settled down to do Boogie-Woogie style Rhythm and Blues, then funk for a while, and generally embraced a New Orleans Blues/Jazz style. He has created a large number of albums: studio, live and compilations, and guested on over 2000 albums by other artists. He died in 2019. About the Album: This was Dr John's fifth studio album, and came as a shift from his voodoo personality into traditional New Orleans songs, in fact all but one track on the album is a cover. It...

 806 Gene Clark - No Other (1974) Studio Album - Country Rock About the Act: Gene Clark was an American Singer-Songwriter, founding member of the band The Byrds, and their principal songwriter until 1966. As a solo artist he was not commercially successful. About the Album: This was the fourth solo album by Gene. It was very expensive to make, and bombed, both critically and commercially, a blow from which he never recovered. In more recent years it has begun to be hailed as a forgotten masterpiece. My History with this Album: None Review: Public and critical opinion is so odd. How can an album which was considered at the time to be a waste of studio time and money now be thought of as a hidden gem? What are the qualities that were overlooked at the time? Is it possible that like Van Gough it was ahead of its time? And so my insistence that there must be something in perceived quality that is not entirely subjective takes another blow. Why did I even start this series of revie...

 807 System of a Down - Toxicity (2001) Studio Album - Metal About the Act: System of a Down are a metal band from California, who combine Eastern European elements into heavy metal and are known for their social commentary and political songs. They have existed since 1994, with a break between 2006 and 2010, and have had a mostly stable line-up. They have had 5 studio albums in that time, three of which debuted at no 1 in America. They have sold a lot of records. About the Album: This was the band's second album. My History with this Album: In the late 90s, early 2000s, I came across System of a Down while watching alternative MTV channels with my flatmate and liked them. Coincidentally, if you have been reading these reviews in chorological order this may sound like deja vu, because the same was true in the last two reviews.  I got a copy of this album at some point but I think maybe only listened to it once. Review: Metal has taken a rather strange course since the mid...

 808 Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape (1997) Studio Album - 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 frontman, 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 song writing.  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 ...

 809 Queens Of The Stone Age - Rated R The Stone Age (2000) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) are an American Hard Rock band from California and from 1996 to now. They were founded by their vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme who has been their only constant member, and have gone through quite a few changes in members. They came about as part of the Palm Desert Music Scene, which was particularly know for collaboration. They have had 7 studio albums so far. About the Album: This was the band's second album, known as "Rated X" for the vinyl version and sometimes called Rated RX, and became their breakthrough album, bringing commercial and critical success. My History with this Album: In the late 90s, early 2000s I was living with a flatmate and we got into watching alternative MTV channels. Amongst our discoveries there was Queens of the Stone Age, and I got a copy of this album around then. I listened to it a few times and then kind of forgo...

 810 Ride - Going Blank Again (1992) Studio Album - Shoegaze About the Act: English Rock band from Oxford. 1988-1996, 2014-present. 6 Studio albums. Regarded as being "shoegaze", a sub-genre of alternative rock in which the live performances are non-confrontational, and the players are often looking at their feet, and characterised by ethereal vocals and big washy distorted guitar. About the Album: This was the band's second studio album. It sold quite well.  My History with this Album: None Review: I like porridge. The thing about porridge though is that it is all about the flavour you add. Just porridge with no flavouring is decidedly bland and unpalatable. This is porridge with no flavour, in other words I found it to be bland and unpalatable. I think the first of those adjectives, the blandness, is deliberate, I think it is part of this shoegaze thing. The vocals are down in the mix and delivered with very little conviction. The lyrics - well I have listened to it twi...

 811 The Byrds - Fifth Dimension (1966) Studio Album- Folk Rock About the Act: The Byrds were an American Folk/Rock/Psychedelic band from California and from 1964-1973, then again from 1989-91, and once more in 2000. They are most famous for "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Turn Turn Turn". After initially being Folk Rock, (think Bob Dylan) they then became Psychedelic, and finally Country Rock. They were considered to be pioneers in all three genres in their main stint of existence they produced 12 studio albums. About the Album: This was the band's third studio album, and was created after the departure of their primary songwriter Gene Clark. McGuinn and Crosby stepped into these shoes. There are a few covers also, but this was the first Byrds album with no Bob Dylan covers. My History with this Album: None. Review: I have heard of the Byrds. Any serious compilation of 60s music seems to feature at least Mr Tambourine Man, and possibly Turn, Turn, Turn. Neither of tho...

 812 The Clash - Sandinista! (1980) Studio Album - Mostly Reggae and Dub About the Act: The Clash were formed as a punk band in 1976, in London, and morphed into a new wave band, and then into a band that embraced Reggae, Dub, Ska, Funk, Rockabilly, Gospel, Jazz and many other things. After some fall-out of members they stopped being a band in 1986. In ten years they had established themselves as one of the most significant bands of the era, gathering critical and commercial success with six studio albums. The Classic line-up was Joe Strummer on lead vocals and gitar, Mick Jones of lead guitar, Paul Simonon on bass and Topper Headon on drums. About the Album: This was the fourth studio album by the band. It is a triple album. Lots of people loved it. My History with this Album: None Review: This was so not what I expected. First of all... The Clash. They were a punk band, right? Wrong. They had been, but this is not a punk album. Oh no. It is mostly dub and reggae with a few other ...

 813 Alice Cooper - Easy Action (1970) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: So I guess pretty much everybody has heard of Alice Cooper. Did you know, though, that from 1968 to 1975, "Alice Cooper" was not the name used by the singer, who went by his birth name Vincent Furnier, but was the name of the band he was part of. When the band started to fall apart, he legally changed his name in order to avoid legal issues and to retain control of the name. Very brief history then. The band started out as psychedelic rock, got signed by Frank Zappa, and kind of invented the genre of "Shock Rock" with a horror theme. This led to highly theatrical concerts and horror-inspired song themes, which got more and more elaborate. In 1975 Alice took the name, and the concept and kept pushing the shock and controversy aspects. The band had 7 albums, and Alice as a solo artist has had 21 so far. Not all ahve been horror-themed, for example in 1977 he released "Lace and Whiskey"...

 814 Sinead O’Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Sinead O'Connor is an Irish singer/songwriter and musician from Ireland, who has been a somewhat controversial figure, partly for her visual image (shaved head, odd clothes) but mostly for her acerbic attacks on individuals and institutions, in particular the Catholic Church, over the issue of child sexual abuse. She has made 10 studio albums to date, and has guested on many other projects. Some of her work has religious content, or religion-inspired content. She hasn't had a straightforward life, with difficult relationships in her personal and professional life and with some mental health problems.  About the Album: This was her second album, and contains the hit single "Nothing Compares 2 U" - written by Prince but recorded without his involvement. The album got lots of sales and lots of critical success too. My History with this Album: I have had a copy of this album ...

815 Can - Tago Mago (1971) Studio Album (Double) - Psychedelic Rock About the Act: Can were an experimental Rock Band from Germany, part of the Krautrock scene, but more internationally successful than most. They had a block of existence from 1968-79 and then occasional short reunions since. They blended together elements of Jazz, Funk, Avant Garde, Psychedelia, Noise Rock and Music Concrete, and were hugely influential. They have created 12 studio albums. About the Album: This was the band's second studio album. It was the first to feature Japanese Damo Suzuki as vocalist, and was recorded in a rented castle near Cologne. It was created using two 2-track tape machines, and limited microphones, using the natural acoustics of the castle for reverb. The album was named after Illa de Tagomago, an island off the coast of Ibiza, with connections to Aleister Crowley, who was also an inspiration for the music, apparently.  My History with this Album: So, I have listened to Can before, but...