I read about someone that decided to listen to all the albums on the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list during lockdown and I decided to have a go.
It might be a fun way to discover new music and to see how pop music evolved since the '50s.
Not sure how far I'm going to go before I loose interest but we'll see.
Gonna put my first impressions under read more so that I can remember which album/artists I liked.
1955:
Frank Sinatra- In the Wee Small Hours: really nice and chill. Will definitely listen to it again.
1956:
Duke Ellington - At Newport: really fun to jam along, although sometimes the sax (at least i think it’s a sax?) gets a bit too shrill for me
Fats Domino- This is Fats Domino: a really, really fun rock’n’roll album
The Louvain Brothers - Tragic Songs of Life: I’ve heard of them before because I did watch the whole “Country Music with Ken Burns” for no reason since I don’t really care for country music but holy shit I’m definetly going to check out their other releases because the armonies are great!
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley: another fun rock’n’roll album also Elvis’ voice always makes me swoon on slow songs.
Louis Prima featuring Keely Smith - The Wildest: idk, it’s fine I guess but I don’t really see what’s so special about this album that made it make the cut, I probably won’t listen to this again. I can definitely see why a live performance of this in ‘56 would have been a riot.
Frank Sinatra- Song For Swingin’ Lovers : It’s nice, Frank Sinatra’s music is pretty easy listening and difficult to dislike. I think I enjoyed In The Wee Small Hours a bit more but maybe I was just in a more suitable mood that day.
1957:
The Crikets - The “Chirping” Crikets: it was alright?
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool: back at this list after a couple of months of not being in the mood. Very nice, very easy listening jazz album. Moon Dreams is such a beautiful, sweet track.
Machito and his Orchestra - Kenya: really really nice Afro-Cuban jazz record. Would recommend.
Little Richard - Here's Little Richard: super short and super fun. The album opens with Tutti Frutti and this is enough to get you in a good mood.
Sabu - Palo Congo: I do like the more melodic songs but the other ones aren’t really my thing. If you’re into percussions (especially hand drums) and people occasionally sing-screaming something then definetly check it out.
Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners: it’s alright but I’m really fucking tired of jazz music.
Sarah Vaughan - At Mister Kelly’s: turns out that I tend to enjoy Jazz when it’s chill and vocal driven.
Ravi Shankar - The Sounds of India: really nice and educational. Before each piece Ravi Shankar explains some of the basics of hindustan classical music.
1958:
Count Basie and his Orchestra - Baise: man this is a lot of fun. We should totally bring back big band as a popular music genre
Ramblin' Jack Elliot - Jack Takes the Floor: this is a simple, solid folk album, just this guy and his guitar telling stories.
Billie Holiday- Lady in Satin: this is such a touching album. Might be that I feel particularly sensitive today but I was about to cry by the end of it.
Tito Puente - Dance mania: very fun Latin jazz album. Truly makes you want to dance.
1959:
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Singa The George and Ira Gershwin Songbook: this thing is over 3 hours long. If you're a fan of vocal jazz it's probably the greatest thing ever but I'm not so I really just want it to be over. The songs are nice but 3 hours of this is too much for me.
The Dave Brueback Quartet - Time Out: really nice and pleasant. Also I'm really, really getting tired of all of this jazz.
Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles: again perfectly nice and pleasant.
Miles Davis- Kind of Blue: really, really beautiful album. Really chill and soothing.
Marty Robbins - Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs: it didn't save my first impression and my memory is bad but I remember I had a lot of fun listening to this album.
1960
Joan Baez - Joan Baez: she sounds so good, her voice and her interpretation gives me goosebumps.
Elvis Presley - Elvis is back!: this is so much fun. Idk if it's because I'm aware of how big Elvis was but it feels like a grand comeback. And he sounds good.
Miriam Makeba - Miriam Makeba: really great, i like the songs in Xhosa way better than the ones in English but she sounds great throughout the album.
The Everly Brothers - A Date with The Everly Brothers: well this was underwhelming and dull.
Muddy Waters - Muddy Waters at Newport 1960: a bit too slow for me but still really nice.
1961
Bill Evans Trio - Sunday at the Village Vanguard: the only album of 1961 in the list is yet another jazz album. For the first time since I started this project I quitted an album halfway through.
1962
Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music: the arrangements are really nice and Ray Charles' voice is incredible.
Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Green Onions: I KNOW GREEN ONIONS! The rest of the album is pretty great and really catchy.
Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd - Jazz Samba: bossa nova is just a great music genre
1963:
The Beatles - With The Beatles: it's been a long time since I listened to this album. Not my favourite Beatles' record but it's a solid and fun album.
James Brown - Live at the Apollo: this was so nice.
Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan: another album i haven't listened to in a while. My god it's good.
Mingus - The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady: yet another jazz album but a great one.
Ray Price - Night Life: there aren't a whole lot of country album on this list but the ones that are on it are good good.
The Incredible Jimmy Smith - Back At The Chicken Shack: okay what's with 1963 and great jazz albums?
Various Artists - A Christmas Gift For You: shame that Phil Spector was a piece of shit because he knew what he was doing, everything sounds incredible.
1964:
The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night: another album i haven't heard in a while. Fun fun fun stuff.
Jacques Brel - Olympia 64: i like the intensity he puts in his singing.
Solomon Burke - Rock 'N Soul: holy shit this is good. Every track is incredible and he sounds so good and soulful. I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know...
Stan Getz and João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto: my god i love bossa nova. And Girl From Ipanema is on this album.
Jerry Lee Lewis - Live at the Star Club, Hamburg: I'm not really feeling this live album, i don't like how JLL sounds. Also i accidentally found out that he married his 13 y/o cousin when he was in his 20s which is disgusting.
The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones: the album is really nice but sometimes Mick Jagger sounds like an absolute dickhead.
Dusty Springfield - A Girl Called Dusty: really nice and soulful pop.
1965:
The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today!: really nice and pleasant album.
The Beatles - Rubber Soul: i didn't recall the last song being so icky but the rest is just solid stuff.
The Byrd - Mr. Tambourine Man: oh fuck this is good, I really like the sound.
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme: really nice, smooth jazz
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home: I really, really love this album.
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited: idk if it's because I listened to it right after Bringing it All Back Home and I was having a bit of a Dylan overdose but it sort of drags a lot by the end. It contains some absolute bangers tho.
Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch: nice folk album also you know what? For having been recorded on semi-professional equipment in somebody's broom closet this thing sounds incredible.
B.B. King - Live At The Regal: I ruined my experience by accidentally listening to the album on shuffle but it was still great. B.B King has such a beautiful voice.
Buck Owens and his Buckaroos - I've Got A Tiger By The Tail: really fun country album
Otis Redding - Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul: oh fuck this is so so good
The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics!!!: it's a fun album but it's hard to fully appreciate just how new and hard this sound was.
The Who - My Generation: what a way to start a career. This is an absolutely iconic album.
1966
The 13th Floor Elevators - They Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators: the big hit out of this album was nice and the electric jug sounds incredible but jesus christ this album is boring.
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds: this is so nice.
The Byrds - Fifth Dimension: it's fine but their previous entry on this list was miles better. Their mix of folk rock and psychedelic rock is a bit dull.
Donovan - Sunshine Superman: the first couple of songs are a bit too subdued for me but then the album really picks up. The songwriting is great and the arrangements are incredible. Also great mixing.
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde: gonna be honest I didn't remember this album being that good.
The Kinks - Face to Face: the album is great, the fact that the band's previous record weren't on the list not so much.
Love - Da Capo: no idea who these people are but the album is really pleasant. That 18 minutes closing track is far too long tho.
Uh-oh, it didn't save me the updates on a few album so i will have to go from memory:
The Mamas and The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears: delightful vocal harmonies, Monday Monday and California Dreaming are the two strongest songs on here.
John Mayall with Eric Clapton - Blues Breakers: some very good blues tbh
Monks - Black Monk Time: delightfully deranged
Fred Neil - Fred Neil: no memory of this, I do remember that I heard one of the songs in some movie
Paul Revere and The Riders - Midnight Ride: it was fine?
The Rolling Stones - Aftermath: back at this after weeks and weeks and I'm not gonna lie it was mostly because i did not want to listen to this. I don't like this album, i don't like the Stones (bar a couple of songs) and Mick Jagger sounds like a cunt.
Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme: it's a great album. It's so warm and beautiful.
Nina Simone -Wild is the Wind: this album is insanely beautiful.
The Yardbirds - The Yardbirds: this shit is great also The Pussycat Dolls sampled The Yardbirds?
The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!: this makes for an interesting listening experience, I'm not sure i like everything on it but it is a pretty fun album.
1967:
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: it's honestly just delightful.
The Beau Brummels - Triangle: it's alright, some tracks are almost magical but not quite.
Tim Buckley - Hello and Goodbye: it's fine, I really love his voice there's something that really grabs your attention.
Buffalo Springfield- Buffalo Springfield Again: it's nice background music but I'm starting to get a bit tired of all of this folk-rock? At least it's a mercifully short album.
The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday: it's fine but i liked their previous album on the list better.
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band - Safe as Milk: Honestly? who the fuck cares about this?
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen: sounds quite magical but i feel far too restless for this at the moment.
Country Joe and The Fish - Electric Music For The Mind And Body: tumblr didn't save my review of this and i have absolutely no recollection of this album. Had go double check to make sure I didn't accidentally skip it but apparently I listened to it a few days ago.
Cream - Disraeli Gears: it's good but I'm in the mood for something more exciting.
The Doors - The Doors: it's fine, contains a few absolute classics but I've never been a massive Doors fan.
The Electric Prunes - Electric Prunes: great stuff, and absolute joy to listen to.
Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved Another Man The Way I Love You: this album is absolutely delightful.
Astrud Gilberto - Beach Samba: it's whatever honestly
Merle Haggard and The Strangers - I'm a Lonesome Fugitive: as most great country albums it's 3 chords and the truth. The tunes are simple but nice and the lyrics are telling interesting stories.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?: it's good, it's rock music taking a heavier, darker turn.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love: even better than the other Hendrix' album.
The Kinks - Something Else By The Kinks: man I love this band so much.
Love - Forever Changes: really solid and nice album
Loretta Lynn - Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Loving On Your Mind): really great stuff here.
Moby Grape - Moby Grape: it's nice
The Monkees - Headquarters: it's a really nice album, No Time really packs a punch.
Nico - Chelsea Girl: I like the arrangements but I find Nico's singing to be unbearable.
Pink Floyd - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn: such a fun album
The Young Rascals - Groovin: this was so good and so fun.
Frank Sinatra with Antonio Carlos Jobim - Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim: it's a Frank Sinatra album not much to say.
The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico: starts pretty great then it just drags on and on. Sometimes on here Nico doesn't sound as bad.
The Who - The Who Sell Out: the concept helps out a lot, there are some absolute bangers and a bunch of fine songs.
1968:
The Band - The Band: what is even the point of this album.
The Beatles - The Beatles: didn't need to be a double album, half of the songs on here are just fillers. The bangers are very much present tho.
Jeff Beck - Truth: nice and heavy, a tiny bit too slow tho.
Big Brother and The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills: there's a reason why most people only remember 2 songs on this album...
Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears: yeah no.
Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum: okay this is great, why is only half of the album on spotify?
The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers: it's nice and under 30 minutes.
The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo: the start of country rock is very nice.
Caetano Veloso - Caetano Veloso: I know that the guy didn't like his first solo album but it sounds pretty neat to me...
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison: it's a great album.
Dr. John, The Night Tripper - Gris-Gris: not sure what's going on but it's pretty neat.
Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul: Miss Aretha could sing and had excellent taste regarding what she sang.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland: finally something nice and heavy
The Incredible String Band - The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter: you really don't have to hear this.
Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: this fucks extremely hard.
The Kinks - The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society: yeah I just really like The Kinks and this album is great.
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks: this shit is far too rambly for me.
Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes: not sure I like everything on this album but at least it's interesting. And mostly catchy.
Laura Nyro - Eli And The Thirteen Confessions: this stuff is god tier and you know it from the first note. You can also hear just how much influence it had on so many artists.
The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow: it makes a really pleasant listen. I know that it's a concept album about one guy but I paid 0 attention to the plot.
The Rolling Stones ‐ Beggars Banquet: idk man, it's nice but I do find the Rolling Stones a pretty underwhelming band.
Sharma, Chaurasia and Kabra - Call of the Valley: took me a while to track this one online, if the one on youtube I managed to find is the reall Album then it's pretty good.
Small Faces: Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake: it's not bad but I don't particularly care for this.
Traffic -Traffic: it seems good but I'm not vibing with this today.
The United States of America - The United States of America: sort of can't wait for the psychedelic era to be over. There was some interesting stuff here but i didn’t find this an enjoyable listening experience.
The Velvet Underground- White Light / White Heat: i cannot stress just how much I don't care about this band and most of their output.
Scott Walker - Scott 2: now THIS is fun. Baroque Pop is often forgotte but jesus if it's fun. It's big and pompous and majestic and so meaty. it feels like you can sink your teeth into the instrumental.
The Mothers Of Invention - We're Only In It For The Money: this was so much fun both lyrically and musically.
The Zombies - Odessy And Oracle: I am in love with this album.
1969
The Band - The Band: this was nice and i really enjoyed the album.
The Beatles - Abbey Road: not my favourite Beatles' album but it does have two of the best songs George Harrison ever wrote so...
Bee Gees - Odessa: I have no memory of this album
Tim Buckley - Happy Sad: a bit too unexciting for me.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica: I'm not sure of what the hell is going on here. I'm sure they had fun recording it?
Johnny Cash - At San Quentin: man that guy really knew how to entertain a crowd.
Chicago - Chicago Transit Authority: it's fine but I could have died wothout listening to it and I wouldn't have missed much.
Leonard Cohen - Songs From A Room: the man was more of a poet than musician most of the time so yeah excellent lyricism but not much going on musically
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country & Green River: both excellent albums with an abundance of fun and catchy songs. CCR wasn't active long but they gave us so much.
Crosby, Stills and Nash - Crosby, Stills and Nash: this felt like a very flimsy record. The armonies were nice, the rest of it not so much
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way: i really like this, it has a really great atmosphere.
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left: it was fine
Fairport Convention - Liege And Lief & Unhalfbricking: They aren't my cup of tea and I just don't care about their music. I tried so hard to make it past the first 3 songs in both album but I just couldn't.
The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace of Sin: this is not the type of music you expect from a band with this name but it's pretty nice country rock.
Grateful Dead - Live/Dead: it's nice, a tad bit too long for people who arent really into the band.
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul: this is revolutionary
King Crimson- In The Court Of The Crimson King: I love this album so much.
The Kinks - Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire): The Kinks are usually a good band and this is one of their finest albums (not my favourite tho)
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I & II: I genuinely love these album so much. And in hindsight you can hear that the gears were really starting to turn for hard rock and heavy metal.
MC5 - Kick Out The Jam: not really to my taste but its pretty good.
The Pentangle - Bakset of Light: This is nice nice.
Elvis Presley - From Elvis In Memphis: it's nice, but I'm not sure it belongs on this list?
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trail: 1) this is a great name for a band and 2) the goddamn 25 minute suite that's a cover of a 2 minute song is gold.
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed: imho one of the best albums by the stones but also it sounds like any other album by the stones and boy was i glad when it was over.
Sly & The Family Stone - Stand: very funky album. ngl the 5 minuts of the n-word with the hard r were mildly uncomfortable but aside from that it's very enjoyable.
Alexander Spence - Oar: it's mice but it does sound like an album by someone who did a lot of acid and spent 6 month in a mental health facility.
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis: it's a shortish album, but it's so good that it makes time fly and it leaves you wanting more.
The Stooges - The Stooges: side A was great, side B was alright.
The Temptations - Cloud Nine: this is so so good.
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground: yeah no, i still dislike most of the output from this group.
Scott Walker - Scott 4: every other album by this guy is on this list and deservedly so.
The Who - Tommy: I love this album. The music is great and the plot is fucking insane.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere: some incredible guitarwork on this.
The Youngbloods - Elephant Mountain: forgot to write my thoughts right after. I don't remember anything about this album but I remember linking it.
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats: really neat album. I'm especially fond of the bits that sound like a more elevated version of the local carnival band music.
1970:
Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs: there's a couple of high points but overall it was just fine.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath: the beginning of heavy metal still sounds incredible and like such a departure from the psychedelic stuff.
Black Sabbath - Paranoid: such a great album.
The Carpenters - Close To You: it's a great album but going from paranoid to this is a bit of a weird experience.
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory: CCR are just great.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déjà Vu: much much more solid than the CS&N album on the list.
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew: banging title but I preferred his previois entries on the list.
Deep Purple - In Rock: this is just an overall excellent album.
Derek and The Dominos - Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs: a very solid album.
The Doors - Morrison Hotel: when these guys decided to go hard they went hard. The guy they brought in to pla bass for like two tracks is so fucking good.
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter: no fucking clue what the title is supposed to me but jesus this is a great folk album
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass: triple albums should be illegal. Nobody has enough quality material to make a triple album actually bearable. And I hate the production so much.
