Doc's 1001 Albums

  Album:  The Virgin Suicides Artist:  Air Released : 1999 Label : Record Makers, Source, Virgin Genre:  Ambient/progressive rock A soundtrack? On my 1001 album list? Well not mine, but still, you get the joke. Boy howdy, this was a trip. I never saw The Virgin Suicides , but I feel like I know the movie from this soundtrack alone. I joked at the start, with "Playground Love" that it felt like a lounge song... just as the brass came in. The album became a soundtrack to a long drive and it was perfect. Bravo.  Musically, the album has few to no lyrics, yet evokes such a beautiful picture of youth, innocence, and loss therein. I was absolutely gobsmacked when the final track "Suicide Underground" broke that near-complete absence with commentary about the death of several young women by suicide (the titular "virgin suicides"). Even though the album, to that point, had painted a nostalgic brush of high school and the pains of growing up, this track fit in a pl

  Album:  No Sleep 'til Hammersmith Artist:  Mot ö rhead Released : 1991 Label : Bronze Genre:  Heavy metal  Lemmy was a singer/bassist in his own respected tier. There's no question of that. The man was a powerhouse. However, this album, to me, was not. And that's not to say I don't enjoy Mot ö rhead. I enjoy their thrashing guitar, overwhelming vocals, and high energy nature. But, as an album, this didn't do it for me. It was thumping, loud, and displayed incredible prowess. But like a succulent Chinese meal, it works best in small doses. Whenever possible, I try to listen to these albums in a single sitting or as close to as possible (sometimes I'll try to find a "break" between sides of the record to mimic a typical listening experience). This album required many breaks (though I avoid musical palate cleansers in between so as not to spoil my rating).  As a live album, Mot ö rhead proved that their musicianship is tighter than ever compared to othe

  Album: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You Artist:  Aretha Franklin Released : 1967 Label : Atlantic Genre:  Soul To the person who hurt Aretha Franklin, I hope you know that she took that pain and transformed it into one of the best albums I've heard all year, if not in my entire life. The lead off "Respect" is a powerhouse that leads you in to a musical odyssey of a woman who has known pain. Are all the songs Aretha originals? No. But she takes them in and makes them her own with that voice that could silence a deafening crowd.  The song "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" moved me to a point that I had to pull over my car and just cry. The word beautiful doesn't do it justice. The gospel-like singing overdubbed to the organ creates an atmospheric experience that I've yet to see in other albums.  The entire album just invites you in to share the emotion of Franklin. Her journey. Her pain. Her joy. I have zero notes for this album and I'm sad that I

  Album:  Aftermath Artist:  The Rolling Stones Released : 1966 Label : Decca (UK release) Genre: Rock/Blues Rock This album is a pretty interesting evolution for this band. I grew up on the Stones. In my collegiate years, I read through the book Beatles vs. Stones by John McMillian, which outlined the evolution of both groups: the Beatles evolving from leather-jacket wearing hooligans to the clean cut Fab Four and the Stones from matching jacket wearing goodie goodies to the bad boys of rock and roll. And this album shows that turning point for the Rolling Stones.  The album's content is crisp, the lyrics satirical, and the music solid. Is it perfect? Nah. But the sardonic wit against the status quo is what makes this album fantastic. Are some of the things a bit misogynistic? Yeah, we can't ignore that. I mean, the leadoff track is about a woman relying on a pill addiction to get through the day ("running for the shelter of her mother's little helper"). Some of

  Album: The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society Artist:  The Kinks Released : 1968 Label : Pye Genre: Folk pop This one was a unique album for me this early in the marathon. I've heard of the Kinks but never really listened. And yet this album felt like I'd been listening to it my whole life. The influences are there. This album wasn't just popped onto the 1001 list because it sold well; it was here because if inspirations leave fingerprints, this album left DNA samples, hair samples, fingerprints, and a signed affidavit of its influence. Beyond the legacy it left through the remaining late 60s and through the 70s onward, musically this album made me nostalgic for a world I never lived in. It's decidedly English (apparently brought about by a blacklisting of performing in America around the time of the recording), but it made me yearn for a quiet country cottage and a simple life. A life that, as the title implies, may be in need of protecting or may even

Album:  Bat Out of Hell Artist:  Meat Loaf Released : 1977 Label : Cleveland International/Epic Genre : Hard rock/operatic rock Okay, I admit it. I knew this album going in. I've listened to this album so many times, I know every song by heart (yes, even the baseball segment of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"). But why does it have such staying power? Why was it, in no small part, the soundtrack to my growing up? Why do we get so many appearances on classic rock stations? Is it because the songs are so long the DJ can go take drop a deuce? Probably. But there's something more to these anthems.  We all know Meat Loaf had a killer voice. Massive vocal range, his operatic deliveries becoming the stuff of legend. But that's not the only reason this album made it to the list. Look at the style of music that Jim Steinman put together. These aren't just your three minute power chords. These are epic meditations of music. These are a man getting his heart ripped out