1000 Greatest Albums of all Time

 661 LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening (2010) Studio Album - Electronica About the Act: LCD Soundsystem are an American Dance-Punk band from Brooklyn, who have existed from 2002, with a gap between 2011-2015. They are led by James Murphy, who is also the co-founder of the DFA Records label. About the Album: This was their third studio album My History with this Album: None Review: I'm not going to be able to describe them without referencing other bands, sorry. They are kind of a mix of electronic dancy stuff with 80s retro dance electronic, and a bit of indie and more modern sounds. When he sings, Mr Murphy can sound like a turn-of-the-80s robotic kind of person, like David Bowie, Gary Numan or The Human League. A lot of the backing sounds are kind of 80s too, with some drum machines and analog-style synths. When he talks, it sounds more like Talking Heads. One song really reminds me of Eurythmics.  Musically, it's pretty simple, using a lot of repetition. Why use 50 notes ...

 662 Randy Newman - Sail Away (1972) Studio Album - Singer-Songwriter 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 sou...

 663 Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf (1968) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Steppenwolf were an American Rock band, formed in 1967 from the flames of a dying Canadian band. They were pretty big between 1968 and 1972, when they broke up, for the first time. They have been more on than off since, though the last of their 10 studio albums was released in 1976. About the Album: This was their first album, and pretty successful.  My History with this Album: According to my records, I have a digital copy of this album that predates me starting this set of reviews. I don't remember listening to it, but I must have done at least once, at some point. No memory. Review: It's a good album. 7.8/10 I've done this before, I'm sure, trying to sucker you in with a brief review and pretend that that was all I intended to write. You know me better by now, or if not you are new to these reviews. If you are new to these reviews, hello, nice to have you here. Enough of that, back to the album....

 664 The Beatles - Yesterday & Today (1966) Studio/Compilation Album - 60s Pop About the Act: Do I really need to tell you who The Beatles were? Well, I suppose it is theoretically possible that aliens from the planet Xzog will get hold of a copy of this series of reviews 245 years into the future, and won't know about Earth's most popular pop band ever, so if so, Felicitous Rgnygings to you, and here we go. Way back in 1960, in the dank, rain-kissed streets of Liverpool, four Quarrymen known as John, Paul, George and Ringo formed a band to play a kind of guitar-based pop that famously didn't get signed to some record label or other. They got signed to a different one, played perfectly-crafted pop and won the hearts of every teenage girl in the world, and popularised mop-top haircuts. They went to America, and America screamed at them, apparently not in a bad way. They claimed to be bigger than God at one point, which made some people laugh and some other people angry. ...

 665 Motörhead - The Ace of Spades (1980) Studio Album - Heavy Metal About the Act: Motorhead, or more precisely Motörhead were a British Heavy Metal/Hard Rock band from London, who were the fore-runners of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) which spawned bands like Dio and Iron Maiden. Lemmy was fired from Hawkwind, he claims "for doing the wrong kind of drugs". He formed the trio Motorhead, who were more focused on a kind of macho reality than sci-fi and fantasy, and created a new sound. After a rocky (haha) start, they gained a following and lots of success. About the Album: This was their fourth studio album, and the first one to have particularly strong commercial success. It contains their signature song "The Ace of Spades". My History with this Album: None, although I know the song "The Ace of Spades". Many people do. Review: Although the band consistently claimed they were "just rock n roll", this is clearly metal, although not ...

 666 R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) Studio Album - Alternative Rock About the Act: R.E.M. were one of the first bands to be thought of as "Alternative Rock", with an edgier style and sound, and songs with meaning and social commentary. At the start they were less accessible, but as their sound matured and became more accessible, they became radio-friendly, and had massive success. It helps that their singer, Michael Stipe, has a very distinctive voice, with a kind of nasal twang to it that lends itself well to pathos. They were from Georgia, USA, existed from 1980 to 2011 and created 15 studio albums. About the Album: This was their fourth album, and a transition for an earlier denser sound to more radio-friendly stuff. It sold better than their previous albums. My History with this Album: None Review: I often give my first listen to an album "Blind" - in the sense that I don't look up information about it first. I actually listened to this twice "blind...

 667 Big Star - Radio City (1974) Studio Album - Rock About the Act: Big Star were an American Rock band from Memphis Tenessee. 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: This was their second album. It was made during a troubled and angry time for the band. Some of them kept destroying each others' property including instruments. My History with this Album: None. I have reviewed two other Big Star albums so far. Review: At this point they are a threesome, but with some overdubs sound like more. The deal seems to be that the guitar is up in the mix, and to be fair the guitar is pretty decent. The sound is kind of twangy like Rock & Roll mostly, think Duane Eddy. The songs are musically OK and somewhat varied. The lyrics - so look, here's the thing, I listened to this three times, and I don't think I heard many lyrics that I found interesting. "I...

 668 Eric Clapton - Slowhand (1977) 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 his fifth solo studio album. Apparently the band were drunk most of the time during the recording. It did well commercially and the cri...

 669 Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997) Studio Album - Indie Pop About the Act: I was hoping Yo La Tengo were a Latino band. They are not. They are an American band from New Jersey, who have existed since 1984, and are still going and have released 16 studio albums. They have not had much commercial success but are loved by critics and have a cult following. About the Album: This was their 8th album, and their first to chart in the States. Critics loved it. Wikipedia says: "The album received considerable acclaim from music critics, who praised the band's ability to successfully expand the boundaries of nearly any pop style. The album is widely regarded as the band's best work and is frequently included on several publications' best album lists." My History with this Album: None Review: When the TV show Twin Peaks came along in 1990 it was decidedly odd. It's music mostly had this kind of washed-out dreamy feel. In a nutshell this is that...

 670 Beck - Mutations (1998) Studio Album - Singer-Songwriter <Album Picture> About the Act: Beck is an uncategorizable artist from the USA. He has produced music in many different styles, in fact that seems to be his "thing" - versatility. He is also known for blending samples with real instruments. He plays quite a few instruments himself, and writes the songs, sings the songs and produces the songs, and produced other people's work. He has released 14 studio albums, starting in 1993 and is still active. Critics love him and his music sells well too. About the Album: This was Beck's sixth studio album. When he made it, he was in a contract with Geffen which allowed him to also release music through smaller, independent labels. Before starting to record this album, he got permission from them to release this album through Bong Load Records. However, when Geffen execs heard the finished album, they reneged on the deal and released it themselves - without Beck...

 671 Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation (1973) 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 musicians. He ap...

 672 Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville (1993) Studio Album - Indie Rock About the Act: Liz Phair is a singer-songwriter from Chicago. She released her first album in 1993 and is still going, although like everyone her rate of production has slowed. About the Album: This was her first album. My History with this Album: I've been vaguely aware that this album existed. Review: So the way this was recorded, apparently, was that Liz Phair started with these songs she had written, and they were basically recorded vocal with acoustic guitar, and then the arrangements were built around these basics. This is somewhat unusual in that usually the backing is laid down first (drums, bass etc), and vocals last.  I think this approach was positive, in that it gives emphasis to the song first. Musically it's varied in style, mostly kind of medium-to-light rock, mostly kind of "alternative". It's not a million miles from Alanis Morrissette in some ways. It's quite melancholy at ti...

 673 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002) Studio Album - Neo-Psychedelica About the Act: The Flaming Lips are an American Psychedelic Rock band that are from Oklahoma, and have been in existence since 1983. Sixteen studio albums and several personnel changes later they are still going. About the Album: The Yoshimi in question is a real person, Yoshimi P-We, from the band Boredoms, who does some singing on the album. Somebody in the studio commented that her singing sounded like she was battling robots, and the idea stuck. The first four tracks on the album develop this idea into a sort-of story, but the band's frontman claims that despite this, it is not a concept album. My History with this Album: I have actually had a copy of this for a long time, but have rarely listened to it. The title track sticks in your head but I would say I'm not familiar with the rest of it. For some reason, I associate it with the TV show The Powerpuff Girls, that's probably...

 674 James Brown - In the Jungle Groove (1986) Compilation Album - Funk About the Act: James Brown was an American Soul and Funk singer, composer and band-leader, from South Carolina. He started his career in 1953 and retired when he died in 2006.  He was billed as "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business", and "The Godfather of Soul" and was famous for the energy and length of his concerts. He was instrumental in the creation of the Funk genre. He has released many, many albums, had 17 US No. 1 singles, lots of accolades, lots of controversy, four wives and a spell in jail.  About the Album: The origins of this album are unusual. The recordings date from around 1969-71, when Brown was developing his funk sound, and this 1986 compilation came about as a result of the rise in Hip-Hop and sampling. The album was created with the specific intention to make these tracks more easily available for sampling, and intentionally includes an almost drum-only track of Funky Dr...

 675 Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing at Baxter's (1967) Studio Album - Psychedelic Rock About the Act: In 1985 the band Starship released the single "We Built This City". 31 years later, GQ magazine declared it to be "the most detested song in human history". This was, of course, before Baby Shark appeared. Starship, had quite a high turnover of members, but they formed in 1984, kind of from the ashes of the band Jefferson Starship. They have had four studio albums, and significantly retained the main singer from Jefferson Starship, Grace Slick, for the first two of those albums. It was she who sang "We Built This City".  She was also the main singer for the previous band, Jefferson Starship. Winding backwards, Jefferson Starship were formed in 1974, and existed for 11 year, releasing 7 studio albums in that time. Confusingly, they reformed in 1992, and so there are currently two bands, one called "Starship" and one called "Jefferson ...