1000 Greatest Albums of all Time

 785 Jackson Browne - The Pretender (1976) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Jackson Browne is an American Singer/Songwriter. He wrote some songs, and did some singing, and played guitar and piano, and seemingly still does all of those things, but maybe not right now. He started in the late 60s in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, then writing songs for other people, and finally recording them himself. He has won awards, sold lots of records, been an activist and done charity stuff. In 2015 Rolling Stone ranked him as 37th in the list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.  About the Album: This was his fourth studio album. There are 32 different musicians credited over the 8 tracks. My History with this Album: None Review: In 1976, if you were doing singer/songwriter rock then it was popular, but that also meant there was a lot of competition. I don't know this album, and Jackson Browne has not been particularly on my radar. On this album I cannot help but be reminded o...

 786 Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson (1971) Studio Album - Jazz-Rock Fusion About the Act: Miles Davis was one of the best-known and most influential jazz trumpeters the world has ever known. He is credited with being at the forefront of several types of jazz, modal jazz in the late 50s early 60s, and Jazz-Rock fusion in the late 60s early 70s are the most prominent. He was active from 1944 until his death in 1991 with a short hiatus between 1975 and 1980. I think he made 56 studio albums.  About the Album: This album was during Miles' "Electric Period", the two side-long tracks being spliced together from studio jam sessions. Unlike other artists he seemed to not go into the studio with a specific album in mind, but to jam, and then the album was assembled later from what he happened to have. That may be unfair.  My History with this Album: None Review: I think this album has the distinction of being an album that I don't know, and yet features quite a large...

 787 Edan - Beauty and the Beat (2005) Studio Album - Progressive Hip Hop About the Act: Edan Portnoy is from Washington DC. He started making music for a living in 1999 and he is still going, 3 studio albums later.  About the Album: This was his second album. It did not sell huge amounts but some critics liked it. My History with this Album: None Review: Never even heard of this guy before, didn't know what to expect. Thought it was a band, to be honest. It's Hip-hop which as usual means beats, samples and rapping. This journey I am on with these reviews has brought me to Hip Hop island several times. I'm starting to get some idea of where the lay of the land. For me, there are several qualities that combine to make my impression of a rap/hip-hop album. 1. The music, beats and samples, 2. The rapping itself and 3. The content. 1. The music beats and samples. It is dense, varied and interesting. There are bits of speech and snatches of singing, a wide variety of sources a...

 788 Randy Newman - Good Old Boys (1974) Studio Album - Country Rock About the Act: Even if you don't know who he is, you would probably recognise his voice and his piano playing. He has been inescapable after writing "You've Got A Friend In Me" - that song from Toy Story. He has done many more songs and soundtracks for many more films, including "I Love To See You Smile" - the opening song from Parenthood. From the 80s onwards, he has mostly been doing film music, but in the 70s he had a moderately successful career as a singer/songwriter creating albums of his own songs, and back in the 60s he was writing songs for other people. Before that he did normal things like going to school. He grew up between LA and New Orleans, and maybe considers himself to be from New Orleans more. His style is certainly reminiscent of that. He plays piano in a kind of jelly-roll honky-tonk way that smells like the bayou, with hints of soul and even gospel in it. His voice soun...

 789 Wire - Chairs Missing(1978) Studio Album - Art Punk About the Act: Wire are an Art Punk band from London, England. Formed in 1976, they have had a respectable 18 studio albums, and a couple of brief hiatus periods. Their line-up has been remarkably stable for a band of that longevity. They have had critical success and are apparently influential, especially their first album Pink Flag. They haven't sold a lot of records. About the Album: This was their second album. Apparently it is less stark than their debut. My History with this Album: None Review: "Art Punk"? It sounds a bit like a contradiction in terms, given that art rock was pretentious in a way that punk despised. Does this mean it is punk with pretentions? Yes. Basically that's it. Take punk sounds, and add in quiet a few other things, including a modicum of sophistication. Just a little. It's not as raw as punk might be expected to be, and significant in a couple of aspects - synths, and restrain...

 790 Jethro Tull - Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll (1976) Studio Album - Progressive Rock About the Act: Jethro Tull have been in existence since 1967, with a 5-year break recently. They were named after an 18th Century agriculturalist. They are a British band, and could be thought of as a curiosity, had they not been so successful. Folk in Britain comes in two main varieties, English Folk and Celtic Folk (mostly from Scotland and Ireland, but Northumberland and other places also join in). English Folk has developed a distinctive nasal style of singing. Jethro Tull have managed to successfully merge English Folk, Heavy Rock, and at times Classical and Progressive elements. They have managed to change styles with the times, while maintaining their Folk-Rock core sound. Their frontman, Ian Anderson is a charismatic, mad wizard, who sings lead vocals and plays the flute (famously on one leg). He took flute playing into some quite inventive sounds, and with Heavy Rock (and sometimes other...

 791 The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F. (1977) Studio Album - Punk About the Act: The Heartbreakers, sometimes known as Johnny Thunder and the Heartbreakers, and mot to be confused with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, were a relatively short-lived punk band from New York, formed from the remnants of the New York Dolls and a guy from Television. The band. They became really popular in the NY Punks scene but couldn't get a record contract. Malcolm McLaren brought them to England to open for the Sex Pistols on a tour that was largely cancelled because of some faux pas on Live Television, and they were kind of stuck in London. McLaren persuaded them to record an album there. They kind of imploded over the mixing of the album, so in the end it was their only album. About the album: See above My History with this Album: None Review: I didn't know anything about them when I listened the first time. I thought they sounded at times British and at times American. I guess an American band reco...

 792 Yes - Tales from Topographical Ocean (1973) Studio Album (Double) - Progressive 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: This was their sixth album. My favourite thing I ...

 793 Blind Faith - Blind Faith (1969) Studio Album - Blues Rock About the Act: Blind Faith were a supergroup of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Ric Gretch from the band Family. They created one eponymous album before disbanding. About the Album: ..And this was their one album, known more for the controversy about the cover than for the music, unfortunately. I put the original cover in this review, as I think it is a) better than the US alternative and b) important, because the band were named after the title of this photo. I hope it does not offend you. My History with this Album: So, there is a point in my album-collecting history, before which I would become quite well acquainted with every album I got. Eventually I got the point where I was collecting too prolifically for that to happen. I have a copy of this and have listened to it a few times, but not concentrated on it much. I would not say I was familiar with it. Review: I try to listen at least once to ea...

 794 The White Stripes - The White Stripes Stripes (1999) 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 their first album My History with this Album: I have heard it before a couple of times. Review: There is something quite unique about the White Stripes, they definitely have a sound. There are limitations to what they can do, like the legendary One Trick Pony, with a electric guitar, a drum kit and voice. And most of the album is just that although there are a few overdubs, or extra bits on some of the tracks. I guess there are few enough elements here...

 795 Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers (1978) Album type - Power Pop About the Act: Big Star were an American Rock band from Memphis Tennessee. They existed from 1971-75 and then from 1993-2010. They have had 4 studio albums. They were apparently influential, but I hadn't heard of them. About the Album: So this was Big Star's third album, probably. It might be an Alex Chilton solo album (Alex was the singer). It also could conceivably be an album by "Sister Lovers" called "The Third Album". It was recorded, and promo copies were made but nobody took it up. That was 1975. Alex Chilton and the drummer, Jody Stephens, who were the only Big Star members involved, lost interest, but somehow it got released in two different formats on vinyl in 1975, and three different CD formats later, each with different track listings and orders and names.  My History with this Album: None Review: The version I listened to doesn't seem to coincide with any of the listings on W...

 796 Johnny Cash - American V A Hundred Highways (2006) Studio Album - Americana About the Act: Johnny Cash was an American Country singer, song writer and guitarist. His music career started in the 50s, and extended beyond his death in 2003, with several posthumously-released albums. His height of popularity was in the late 60s, and then a resurgence in the late 90s into the 2000s. He was known as "The Man In Black" after a line in one of his early songs, which inspired him to create the image, wearing all black on stage, in contrast to most country singers at the time who were wearing rhinestones and glitz. He famously recorded a couple of albums in concerts in jails: San Quentin and Folsom Prison. His well-known singles include Ring of Fire and I Walk The Line. He has produced a large number of albums, and sold a very large number of records. He is one of the most successful Country artists of all time. I have a soft spot for Johnny Cash. In my mid-teens, as I was learning...

 797 Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus (2004) Studio Album (Double) - Gothic Alternative Rock About the Act: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian Alternative Rock/Gothic band from Australia. They were formed from the ashes of The Birthday Party in 1983. They are still active, having had some member changes and seventeen studio albums. They are somewhat a vehicle for the song writing and singing of Nick Cave. Their music is an themes is generally dark, in the vein of Leonard Cohen. Nick Cave has a deep baritone voice which suits this. About the Album: This is a double album, with the two disks having different names (and somewhat different moods) and so could be thought of as two separate albums sold together as a bundle. It did really well with the critics. My History with this Album: None Review: I have been aware of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for quite a while, and have one of his albums, not this one though. It is a collection of son...

 798 Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage 1,2 & 3 (1979) Studio Album - Progressive 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 musicia...

 799 The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace (1985) Studio Album - Post Punk About the Act: 1976 to 2018 were the active years for this Post Punk band from Manchester, fronted by Mark E Smith and critically acclaimed. They had many line-up changes with Mark being the constant. They created 31 studio albums in that time. About the Album: This was the band's 8th studio album, and came after some personnel changes. It is hailed as a classic, as their most accessible and mainstream album. My History with this Album: None Review: No, I have a limit. This is somewhere beyond that limit. It is out of tune, out of time, repetitive, discordant, and just bad. It is unpleasant to listen to and not in a good way. It's badly produced and - well I think at times there are snatches that are actually musical and listenable, and I know that at least one of them can actually play their instrument, as they were classically trained, but they give a really good impression of not being able...

 800 Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats (1979) Studio Album - Industrial About the Act: Throbbing Gristle sound like a spoof metal band from the 80s. They were in fact an experimental noise/industrial band from Hull, UK. They were fronted by Genesis P-Orridge, and existed from 1975-1981, and again from 2004-2010. They created quite a lot of controversy and nine albums. About the Album: This was the first purely studio album, but their third album overall (the previous albums included live tracks). It has been hailed as a classic, a trailblazer of industrial music, and even as the best album of the 70s.  My History with this Album: I have heard it before. I knew what to expect. Review: So this is the joke, this is not an album of Jazz/Funk, and there aren't 20 tracks. The album cover looks like they might be a folk band, or 70s croony pop (like the Carpenters) but that is not the case either. The band name sounds like rock/metal, also not the case. They are deliberately us...

 801 Mystery Jets - Twenty One (2008) Studio Album - Indie Rock About the Act: Mystery Jets are an indie/alternative band, mostly from Eel Pie Island in London. They started in 1992 and are still going. Their original name was The Misery Jets, taken from a newspaper article about being under a flightpath, but when their drummer mis-spelled it while paining it on his drum skins, they felt they had to change to Mystery Jets. To be honest it was probably a good move. About the Album: This was their third album, or their second, depending on if you count their other second album, which was a US-only release featuring some songs from their first. Let's say this is their second.  My History with this Album: None Review: If you like The Cure in their later, poppier phase, you might well like this. The singer sounds quite a bit like Robert Smith of The Cure. There are other influences in there of course, and it feels at times a bit 80s, a bit Smiths, but generally at the poppy end of ...

 802 Pearl Jam - Vs (1993) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Pearl Jam are a Grunge/Rock band from Seattle. Formed in 1990, they have not managed to hang onto a drummer for long, but the rest of the band have been constant. They are one of the most successful American Rock bands ever, selling lots and lots of records over the years.  About the Album: This was the band's second album, and (apparently) has a more raw sound than their debut. It held the record for the fastest selling album in it's first week, for about 5 years. It was number 1 for 5 weeks, and is certified 7xplatinum in the USA. My History with this Album: None Review: I don't get it. It's not bad but it's not that good. Sometimes, cynically, I wonder if some things sell well in America because they don't have better alternatives, but I guess that's an oxymoron. It's fair to say that tastes differ, and some things that seem to have widespread appeal in America don't capture my imaginat...