1000 Greatest Albums of all Time

 644 Jane’s Addiction - Nothing’s Shocking (1988) Studio Album - Heavy Rock About the Act: Jane's Addiction are a rock band from LA who were formed in 1985 and have had sporadic existence since, with plenty of in-band tensions and arguments, and have managed to squeeze out four studio albums and two live albums.  About the Album: This was their first studio album. The cover regularly hits lists of "Most Shocking Album Covers". Apparently the singer and frontman created plaster models moulded on his girlfriend, and he got the idea in a dream. My History with this Album: None Review: Let' start with a comparison to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. It's a similar kind of rock. Quite kind of heavy and crunchy. Apparently they were in the vanguard of Alt Rock. So if you like rocky rock, this might be something you enjoy. It's quite varied and there are gentler songs, and more eclectic songs in the mix. The acoustic guitar Jane Says is a bit dull, to my mind, the jazz of...

 645 The Cocteau Twins - Treasure (1984) Studio Album - Dream Pop About the Act: The Cocteau Twins were a Scottish band (from Grangemouth) who existed from 1979 to 1997. They were well-known for their ethereal sound. About the Album: This was their third album, their first to be truly successful and cemented their sound. My History with this Album: None Review: Killing Joke, Bauhaus, Japan, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cocteau Twins, Bow Wow Wow, and even ABC. There is a box in my head for a kind of 80s pop band, and up until this morning, The Cocteau Twins were firmly in that box, not that I could have named any of their songs. My understanding of pop history is improving all the time with doing these reviews, and now I can confidently state that this album was the birth of Dream Pop. Maybe. The word "ethreal" comes to mind, as does the word "reverb". The drums (apparently a drum machine) and often the guitar sound, are drenched in it, making them sound distant. Thes...

 646 Kiss - Kiss Alive (1975) Live Album - Heavy Rock About the Act: Kiss are an American glam/shock/heavy rock/metal band from New York. They have been in existence since 1973 and are responsible for 20 or more studio albums (depending on how you count them). They have had a pretty stable line-up. They are best known for wearing bizarre black-and-white face paint, and glam metal costumes, and for the length of the lead singer, Gene Simmons' tongue. Oh and they have had several hit singles, quite a few hit albums and have sold lots and lots of records. They are generally thought of as being a shock rock band, as the sort of band that you listened to if you were a bit of a rebel. About the Album: This was their fourth album overall, and their breakthrough, the first three having sold poorly. There was a perception that the previous studio albums had not captured the intensity that Kiss brought to the stage, so there was the thought that a live album might sell better. They seem...

 647 Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years (1987) Studio Album - Avant Americana 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 his tenth studio album, and contains songs written for a play of the same name. Maybe the play made some kind of sense. My History with this Album: None Review: At first I was like "Yeah, another Tom Wait's album. I'll enjoy this". By the middle I was like "wow, he's really piling on the bonkers this time". By the end I was like "what? Are we not finished yet? More of this?" That might tell you a lot. It might not. So I have enjoying getting to know Tom Waits and his mu...

 648 Sam Cooke - Live At The Harlem Square Club 1963 (1985) Live Album - Soul About the Act: Sam Cooke was a pioneer of Soul music. He came to the pop/soul foreground in about 1957, he had a lot of well-selling singles, and was unusually active in his own business affairs and management. His career was brought to an abrupt end in 1964 when he was shot. The circumstances of his death are curious (and there are contradictory accounts) but other than enigmatically saying that, I want to focus on his music. About the Album: The album was recorded in Miami at a night club. After it was recorded, it took over 20 years for it to be released. Speculation seems to be that at the time it was too "raw" and clashed with a smoother image that his record label were cultivating. It is very well thought of as a live album. My History with this Album: None Review: The main way in which this album sounds raw is Sam's voice, which sounds like he is at the end of a punishing tour, and that h...

 649 Slint - Spiderland (1991) Studio Album - Math Rock About the Act: Slint were a band from Kentucky, formed in 1986, they split just before their second album was released in 1990. They have had several reunions, but no more albums. About the Album: This was their second album, and was released just after they split. It had "critical success". My History with this Album: None Review: It's on the weird side. I have pasted in below my re-usable statement on musical weirdness. This was apparently a hugely influential album in the development of Math Rock, and that rings true to me. I have some exposure to Math Rock, because it's kind of connected in some way to Prog, and I listen to quite a bit of Prog. However, I'm not going to expound on it, because it's not that important in terms of what is this album like, and did I enjoy it. There are two electric guitars, and an electric bass, and some drums. For the most part the two guitars use the same, clean guitar ...

 650 Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (1983) Studio Album - Acoustic Punk About the Act: Violent Femmes are a folk punk band from Milwaukee. They have had 10 studio albums, two hiatuses and have three ex-members since they formed in 1979. About the Album: This was their first and most successful album. My History with this Album: None Review: I knew the first song as soon as it started. Maybe I've heard it on the radio or something. Oh look, I have a live version of it on a compilation album. And album I thought I had not listened to very often. Well it is very distinctive. They kind of missed the punk bubble, but this has a sort of punk feel to it. For the most part this is acoustic guitar, acoustic bass and drums, and singing. The bass is really nice, it has the crunchiest bass sound ever, and the playing is great. The other two are good, too, deceptively so, because it is simple, musically, and they play with sounding a little naff, but in an ironic way, I think. It's pretty...