Reading over Powerstars' review of Nirvana's "Nevermind" brought to my attention that there are many, many albums considered (probably rightly) total classics which I have never even listened to, and I probably really should. We're talking the likes of OK computer/Kid A, Close to the edge, Transformer, Reign in blood, all that sort of thing. I was going to just run another new section in the Playlist, but then I thought no, this needs its own journal in order to work properly, so here I am, making yet another.
I'm not going to be reviewing these albums: no point, as most of you more than likely know them inside out anyway. What I will do is give my impressions, both first and later. So I'll listen to an album once, write my sketchy impressions of it, then later (some time later) after I've had a chance to spin it a few more times and get more deeply into it, I'll come back with a "redux" of it, to see if my opinion has changed, for better or worse. Oh yeah: there will be no YouTubes, for the same reason as stated above. What would be the point?
The impressions will as I say be basic: things like how I felt one minute into the album, how I thought it sounded, how it developed if at all, and so on. I'm open to suggestions for albums, though generally I'm gong to tend to stay within my own preferred genres. So it's not likely I'll be listening to "Never mind the bollocks" anytime soon! Of course, if someone can make a persuasive argument for why I should listen to a particular album I'll be prepared to listen.
This will be the journal wherein I hope to see a decent amount of comments, as people either tell me I don't know what I'm talking about (what's new?)
or ask me how I avoided hearing THAT album for so long, whether I like it now and just general discussion about albums you guyses will knows a lots mores than mes.
Of course, with three other journals to keep going don't expect to see daily updates here; I'll be lucky if I can do one a week. But hopefully it may provide both some new listening pleasure for me and a fresh perspective perhaps on albums that most of you know intimately. New eyes, as they say. Or in this case, ears.
Anyhoo, I'll be back a little later with the beginnings of a list. I already know which one is going to be looked at first, but will hold off announcing that just yet. Oh yeah, even if I hate an album, even after repeated listens, can't understand why it's so highly rated, I'll still write about it.
Okay then, off I go to make my list! PM me if you have any ideas, or once the journal's approved drop in a comment.
Till later
Troll
Okay then, here's the first draft of my list. This is of course in no way complete or comprehensive, and has been put together basically by reference to the top 500 albums according to
"Rolling Stone" --- I know, I know! But I just wanted an idea! --- and that list of "1001 albums you must hear before you die." As I say, I'm open to suggestions and if I have an album here by an artiste that someone knows is not considered their most classic, let me know.
A quick word on ratings: later in the journal I decided to instigate a rating system. This has of necessity to be built around both how much I liked or did not like the album and its overall popularity as a classic album, so even if I didn't enjoy a particular album but recognise it as a bona fide classic, it would have to get a reasonably high rating. It wouldn't do, for instance, for me to go rating, say, The Joshua Tree low, even if I didn't like it personally. The rating will therefore be an amalgamation of the album's standing and my own reaction to it.
I've tried to limit the list to one per artist, otherwise I'll be at this till I die. Here's what I've come up with so far. These are in alphabetical order, though that does not in any way mean they will be processed in that order.
ABC - The Lexicon of Love
AC/DC - Back in Black
Antlers - Hospice
Arcade Fire --- Funeral
The Auteurs - New Wave
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Big Star - #1 Record
David Bowie – Low
Kate Bush - The Hounds of Love
Can- Tago Mago
The Cars - The Cars
Catherine Wheel - Chrome
The Clash - London Calling
Terence Trent D'Arby - Introducing the Hardline According to...
Miles Davis -
Bitches Brew
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Earth Wind and Fire - That's the Way of the World
Echo & the Bunnymen -
Ocean Rain
ELP -
Tarkus
Faith No More --- Angel dust
Funkadelic ---
Maggot brain
Gang of Four –
Entertainment!
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On?
The Go- Betweens -
16 Lovers Lane
Human League - Dare!
Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814
Michael Jackson – Thriller
The Jam – All Mod Cons
The Jesus and Mary Chain ---
Psychocandy
Judas Priest --- British Steel
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced...
Bob Marley - Exodus
Massive Attack – Mezzanine
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Neutral Milk Hotel --- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Nirvana - Nevermind
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Orange Juice -
Rip It Up
Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes
PIL -
Metal box
Portishead -
Dummy
Primal Scream - Screamadelica
Pulp - Different Class
REM - Automatic for the People
RHCP - Californication
Todd Rundgren -
Something/Anything
Paul Simon – Graceland
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water
Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
Sisters of Mercy --- Floodlands
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Slowdive --- Souvlaki
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Talking Heads ---
Remain in Light
Sonic Youth ---
Daydream Nation
Peter Tosh - Wanted Dread and Alive
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Pere Ubu -
Dub Housing
Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues
Weezer –
Blue
The White Stripes - Elephant
Wilco ---
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Yes - Close to the edge
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres