Doc's 1001 Albums

  Album:  Let England Shake Artist:  PJ Harvey Released : 2011 Label : Island, Vagrant Genre:  Folk Ooo a more contemporary album! I'm not sure when the cutoff was set for the 1001 Albums book, but I'd bet this was a buzzer beater. And I'm glad it made the list, because it speaks of a message that's more relevant today than it may have been 10 years ago.  Harvey's lyricism and musicianship are on full display in this album. I was a bit worried that it would be a bit flat with the remarkably similar songs to kick off the track listing. But then "On Battleship Hill" hit and I realized that the similarity was by design to make you pay attention to the songs. The entire album provides an unflinching look at war and bloodshed pursuant to one's homeland without letting up. I suspect that "The Words that Maketh Murder" will make its way onto a playlist about rebellion and political activism. Let England Shake is a sonically crisp album that honestly

  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

Album: White Blood Cells Artist:  The White Stripes Released : 2001 Label : Sympathy for the Record Industry  Genre : Garage rock This album gave me whiplash. I've known of the combo of Jack White and Meg White for years. Knew a bunch of their more popular songs. Enjoyed 'em even ("Icky Thump" is a personal favorite)! So I thought this album was going to be a slam dunk. Then I started listening.  Okay, lead off with "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground". Not bad. "Hotel Yorba"? Seems we've pegged our style of a stripped down, basic musical approach. Not that I expected much different (like I said, I knew the White Stripes' music going into this one), but it felt very... one note. Took until "Fell in Love with a Girl" to slough off that mantle, before exploding into a rollicking album that gained back at least half a star rating.  I'll be the first person to tell you my opinion on music is heavily affected by how I'm feeling a

Album: All Mod Cons Artist: The Jam Released:  1978 Label : Polydor Records Genre : Punk rock/mod revival This album oozes  the mod counterculture of the 70s. It's not one that I expected to listen to personally, hell, I didn't even know about the Jam. But after this album, I'll happily sing the praises of Paul Weller's poetry in music. I went into this album just listening for the music itself, and on first blush missed a lot of the social commentary and biting cynicism. My one gripe is that it's easy to miss the lyrics, getting lost in the music itself. The high energy new wave sounds draw attention away from the lyrics (which says a lot that the clever lyrics can be overshadowed by the music itself). Look at the track "Mr. Clean", taking a swing at working class issues or "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" (which was almost omitted from the album itself!). If you put this album on and don't immediately go "Oh this is the late 70s!

Album:  Sheer Heart Attack   Artist:  Queen Released:  1974 Label : EMI Records Genre : Glam rock If your only knowledge of Queen is "Bohemian Rhapsody" or their best-selling greatest hits albums, this album will rock your socks off. Even if you're not wearing socks. The band seems to be finding their voice in this one, with some tracks wildly shifting the genre while still somehow remaining consistent.  And if you didn't know astrophysicist Dr. Brian May could play guitar (save for that killer bridge in "Bohemian Rhapsody")? Give this album a listen. It's hard. It's fast. It's frenetic. The best part? It predates  A Night at the Opera . It's Queen finding their footing early on and cementing it It's a brick on the gas pedal that doesn't let you breathe until "Lily of the Valley" portion of a three-song medley, segueing into the Side A closer "Now I'm Here".  But you thought you could relax? Nope. Bam. Side B

 Reddit is a strange place.  A recent Ask Reddit thread talked about apps you can't believe are free and one that came up was the "1001 Albums Generator" based on the reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die , edited by Robert Dimery (compiling the most important, influential, and best music from the 1950s - 2010s).  The app gives you 1 album per day, asking for a simple star rating out of five. Each day, a new album comes through at 3:00 GMT (if you don't listen, it keeps your last suggested and creates a sort of backlog). And it's free.  An album a day.  For 1001 albums.  That's an album a day for 2.74 years (ignoring that 2024 is a leap year).  I like to think of myself as fairly musically varied, listening to just about anything. Yes, even country. Though I personally loathe what country music has become (the pandering arena country that forgot its roots), so I figured what the hell, I'll jump in. Will I be able to listen to an album a d