gilest.org

1001 albums
new discoveries and old faves

the number 1001

I’m listening to all of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die playlist.

In alphabetical order, by album title. This page is where I record my progress.

Updates

Key to symbols

👏 = I really liked this album
🤔 = I’d never heard this before

 Tuesday 26 February

  1. #1 Record / Radio City, by Big Start 🤔
  2. 3 years, 5 months and 2 days in the life of Arrested Development
  3. 3+3, by The Isley Brothers 👏 🤔
Never heard this before; really liked it.
  1. 16 Lovers Lane, by The Go Betweens 👏
  2. 69 Love Songs, by The Magnetic Fields 🤔

Friday 1 March

  1. 461 Ocean Boulevard, by Eric Clapton
  2. 1977, by Ash
  3. 1984, by Van Halen
  4. 1999, by Prince 👏
  5. 2112, by Rush
  6. Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 🤔
  7. Abraxas, by Santana

Saturday 2 March

  1. Achtung Baby, by U2

Friday 22 March

  1. Actually, by Pet Shop Boys
  2. After the Gold Rush, by Neil Young
  3. Aftermath, by The Rolling Stones
  4. Agaetis Byrjun, by Sigur Rós 🤔
  5. Aja, by Steely Dan
  6. Alladin Sane, by David Bowie 👏
  7. Alien Lanes, by Guided By Voices 🤔

Thursday 18 April

  1. All Directions, by The Temptations 🤔
  2. All Hail the Queen, by Queen Latifah
  3. All Mod Cons, by The Jam
  4. All That You Can’t Leave Behind, by U2

Tuesday 23 April

  1. Ambient 1/Music for Airports, by Brian Eno
  2. American Beauty, by Grateful Dead
  3. American Gothic, by David Ackles 🤔
  4. American Idiot, by Green Day

Wednesday 8 May

  1. A Girl Called Dusty, by Dusty Springfield
  2. A Grand Don’t Come for Free, by The Streets
  3. A Little Deeper, by Ms Dynamite
  4. A Love Supreme, by John Coltrane Quartet
  5. American IV: The Man Comes Around, by Johnny Cash
  6. American Pie, by Don McClean 👏
  7. Amnesiac, by Radiohead
  8. Among the Living, by Anthrax 🤔
  9. A Night at the Opera, by Queen
  10. A Nod is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse, by Faces
  11. A Northern Soul, by The Verve

Thursday 9 May

  1. Another Green World, by Brian Eno
  2. Another Music in a Different Kitchen, by Buzzcocks
  3. Antichrist Superstar, by Marilyn Manson
  4. Apocalypse Dudes, by Turbonegro 🤔
  5. Appetite for Destruction, by Guns N’Roses

Thursday 16 May

  1. Aqualung, by Jethro Tull
  2. Architecture and Morality, by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
  3. Arc of a Diver, by Steve Winwood
  4. Are you Experienced, by Jimi Hendrix
  5. Arise, by Sepultura 🤔
  6. Armed Forces, by Elvis Costello and The Attractions 👏
  7. Arrival, by ABBA
  8. A Rush of Blood to the Head, by Coldplay

Monday 20 May

  1. A Short Album about Love, by The Divine Comedy
  2. Astral Weeks, by Van Morrison
  3. At Budokan, by Cheap Trick 🤔
  4. At Fillmore East, by The Allman Brothers Band 🤔
  5. At Mister Kelly’s, by Sarah Vaughan and Her Band 👏
  6. At San Quentin, by Johnny Cash
  7. Autobahn, by Kraftwerk

Tuesday 21 May

  1. Automatic for the People, by R.E.M. 👏

Thursday 23 May

  1. A Walk Across the Rooftops, by The Blue Nile
  2. A Wizard / A True Star, by Todd Rundgren 👏 🤔
I thought I knew my 70s stuff pretty well, but I’ve never heard this before, or indeed anything quite like it
  1. Axis: Bold as Love, by Jimi Hendrix
And finally, we reach the Bs! This project may take a tiny bit longer than I had expected…
  1. B-52’s, by The B-52’s 👏
One of the finest pop albums ever made, imho
  1. Back at the Chicken Shack, by Jimmy Smith 🤔

Monday 3 June

  1. Back in Black, by AC/DC
  2. Back to Black, by Amy Winehouse 👏

Tuesday 4 June

  1. Bad, by Michael Jackson
  2. Bandwagonesque, by Teenage Fanclub 👏
  3. Bayou Country, by Creedence Clearwater Revival
  4. Beautiful Freak, by Eels
  5. Before and After Science, by Brian Eno
  6. Beggars Banquet, by The Rolling Stones
  7. Behaviour, by Pet Shop Boys

Monday 10 June

  1. Being There, by Wilco
  2. Berlin, by Lou Reed

Tuesday 11 June

  1. Bert Jansch, by Bert Jansch 🤔
  2. Better Living Through Chemistry, by Fat Boy Slim
  3. Beyond Skin, by Nitin Sawhney
  4. Billion Dollar Babies, by Alice Cooper
  5. Birth of the Cool, by Miles Davis

Tuesday 9 July

  1. Bitches Brew, by Miles Davis
  2. Black Holes and Revelations, by Muse
  3. Black Sabbath, by Black Sabbath

Thursday 8 August

  1. Blonde on Blonde, by Bob Dylan
  2. Blood and Chocolate, by Elvis Costello & the Attractions 👏
  3. Blood on the Tracks, by Bob Dylan
  4. Blood, Sweat & Tears, by Blood, Sweat & Tears
  5. Blue, by Joni Mitchell 👏
  6. Blue Lines, by Massive Attack 👏

Friday 9 August

  1. Bluesbreakers, by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
  2. Blur, by Blur
  3. Bone Machine, by Tom Waits 🤔

Monday 12 August

  1. Bongo Rock, by Incredible Bongo Band 🤔
  2. Bookends, by Simon & Garfunkel 🤔
Another surprise: I thought I knew my S&G, but I’d never heard this one before and it’s not at all what I expected it to be…
  1. Born in the U.S.A., by Bruce Springsteen
  2. Born to Run, by Bruce Springsteen
  3. Bossanova, by Pixies
  4. BOSTON, by Boston
  5. Boy in da corner, by Dizzee Rascal 🤔
  6. Bridge Over Troubled Water, by Simon & Garfunkel
First milestone reached: 101 albums in the first 6 months. Wrote a post to tell the world. Right. Next!

Thursday 5 September

  1. Brilliant Corners, by Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins and Ernie Henry
  2. Bringing it all Back Home, by Bob Dylan
  3. British Steel, by Judas Priest 🤔
Dylan/Judas Priest was an interesting transition.
  1. Broken English, by Marianne Faithfull 🤔
  2. Brothers in Arms, by Dire Straits
  3. Brown Sugar, by D’Angelo
  4. Brutal Youth, by Elvis Costello

Monday 16 September

  1. Bryter Layter, by Nick Drake 👏
  2. Bubble and Scrape, by Sebadoh 🤔
  3. Buena Vista Social Club, by Buena Vista Social Club
  4. Bummed, by Happy Mondays
  5. Butterfly, by Mariah Carey 🤔
  6. Caetano Veloso, by Caetano Veloso 🤔
I’ve never listened to any Mariah Carey before, and I’ve never even heard of Caetano Veloso. That’s one thing this project is good at, forcing me to listen beyond my usual boundaries.
  1. Café Bleu, by The Style Council 🤔
Another completely new discovery for me. You’d think, given my age, that I’d be well familiar with The Style Council’s stuff. But no, only the singles. I’d never heard this album before. It’s… jazzy.
  1. Calenture, by The Triffids 🤔

Tuesday 17 September

  1. Call of the Valley, by Shiv Kumar Sharma, Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Brij Bushan 🤔
  2. Can’t Buy a Thrill, by Steely Dan
  3. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, by Lucinda Williams 🤔
  4. Casanova, by The Divine Comedy
  5. Catch a Fire, by Bob Marley & The Wailers
  6. Central Reservation, by Beth Orton
  7. C’est Chic, by Chic 🤔 👏

 Wednesday 18 September

  1. Cheap Thrills, by Big Brother & the Holding Company 🤔
  2. Chelsea Girl, by Nico 🤔
  3. Chicago Transit Authority, by Chicago 🤔

Thursday 19 September

  1. Closer, by Joy Division
  2. Close to the Edge, by Yes 🤔
  3. Club Classics Vol 1, by Soul II Soul
  4. Clube Da Esquina 1, by Milton Nascimento 🤔
  5. Coat of Many Colors, by Dolly Parton 👏
  6. Coles Corner, by Richard Hawley 🤔
  7. Colour by Numbers, by Culture Club

Friday 20 September

  1. Come Away With Me, by Norah Jones
  2. Come Find Yourself, by Fun Lovin’ Criminals
  3. Connected, by Stereo MC’s

Sunday 29 September

  1. Cosmo’s Factory, by Creedence Clearwater Revival 🤔
  2. Country Life, by Roxy Music 🤔
  3. Court & Spark, by Joni Mitchell 👏👏👏👏👏
It’s hard to overstate how important this album is to me. I’ve been listening to it as long as I can remember. I know the words by heart, and sing harmonies, as best I can, to every song as it plays. I turn it up very loud. I play it when I’m driving, when I’m commuting, when I’m working, when I’m doing chores, when I’m relaxing. It gets 5 stars because frankly, it deserves them. Thank you for this gift, Joni.
  1. Crime of the Century, by Supertramp
  2. Crocodiles, by Echo and the Bunnymen

Monday 30 September

  1. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, by Pavement
  2. Crosby, Stills & Nash, by Crosby, Stills & Nash 🤔
  3. Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts, by The Adverts 🤔
  4. Cupid and Psyche 85, by Scritti Politti
  5. Cypress Hill, by Cypress Hill
  6. Da Capo, by Love 🤔

 Tuesday 1 October

  1. Damaged, by Black Flag 🤔
  2. Dare!, by The Human League
  3. Darkdancer, by Les Rythemes Digitales 🤔

Monday 21 October

  1. Darklands, by The Jesus and Mary Chain
  2. Darkness on the Edge of Town, by Bruce Springsteen
  3. Daydream Nation, by Sonic Youth
  4. Debut, by Bjork 👏
  5. Deep Purple in Rock, by Deep Purple 🤔
  6. Deloused in the Comatorium, by The Mars Volta 🤔
  7. Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, by TV On The Radio 🤔
  8. Destroyer, by KISS 🤔
  9. Devil Without a Pause, by Kid Rock 🤔
  10. Devotional Songs, by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan 👏 🤔
Quite a mix in those last 5 or 6 albums. Half a day of stuff that was utterly new to me. I’d never even heard of The Mars Volta or TV On the Radio before.

Monday 28 October

  1. Diamond Life, by Sade
I was a big Sade fan when I was a teenager, which was odd. At least, I wasn’t completely sure why, because the rest of my music taste at the time was far, far away from Sade. But I remember owning all the Sade albums and playing them a lot.
  1. Different Class, by Pulp 👏
And Pulp, OMG Pulp. I discovered them when Intro came out, and worshipped the mic that Jarvis Cocker sang into. Different Class is a masterpiece, but not Pulp’s only masterpiece.
  1. Dig Your Own Hole, by The Chemical Brothers
  2. Dire Straits, by Dire Straits
  3. Dirt/Unplugged, by Alice in Chains 🤔
The thing about this project is that it forces me to listen to things I would never otherwise consider listening to. Like Alice in Chains, for example.
  1. Dirty, by Sonic Youth
  2. Disintegration, by The Cure 👏
  3. Disraeli Gears, by Cream

Wednesday 6 November

  1. Document, by REM
I discovered REM when Radio 1 DJ Steve Wright played The one I love, and my teenage brain latched on to it immediately. I was a dedicated fan for years afterwards.
  1. Dog Man Star, by Suede
  2. Dookie, by Green Day
  3. Doolittle, by Pixies

Thursday 7 November

  1. Double Nickels on the Dime, by Minutemen 🤔
  2. Dry, by PJ Harvey 👏
  3. Duck Rock, by Malcolm McLaren
  4. Dummy, by Portishead
  5. Dusty in Memphis, by Dusty Springfield

Monday 18 November

  1. Either Or, by Elliott Smith 🤔
  2. Electric, by The Cult
  3. Electric Ladyland, by Jimi Hendrix
  4. Electric Warrior, by T.Rex 🤔
  5. Elephant, by The White Stripes
  6. Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, by Laura Nyro 🤔
  7. Eliminator, by ZZ Top

Tuesday 19 November

  1. Ellington at Newport 1956, by Duke Ellington 🤔
  2. Elvis is Back, by Elvis Presley 🤔
  3. Emergency on Planet Earth, by Jamiroquai
  4. Endtroducing… by DJ Shadow

 Wednesday 20 November

  1. England’s Newest Hit Makers, by The Rolling Stones
  2. En-Tact, by The Shamen
  3. Entertainment, by Gang of Four 🤔

Friday 22 November

  1. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, by Neil Young 🤔
  2. Every Picture Tells a Story, by Rod Stewart 🤔
  3. E.V.O.L by Sonic Youth 🤔

Tuesday 3 December

  1. Exile on Main Street, by The Rolling Stones
  2. Exit Planet Dust, by The Chemical Brothers
  3. Exodus, by Bob Marley and The Wailers
  4. Faith, by George Michael
  5. The Fat of the Land, by Prodigy
  6. Faust IV, by Faust 🤔
200 albums down! We’re into the Fs!

Tuesday 10 December

  1. Favourites: from Samba Esquema Novo 1963, to Africa Brasil 1976, by Jorge Ben Jor 🤔
  2. Fear of a Black Planet, by Public Enemy
  3. Fear of Music, by Talking Heads

Wednesday 11 December

  1. Fela with Ginger Baker Live!, by Fela Kuti 🤔
  2. Felt Mountain, by Goldfrapp
  3. Fifth Dimension, by The Byrds
  4. Figure 8, by Elliott Smith 🤔

Saturday 21 December

  1. First Band on the Moon, by The Cardigans
  2. Fisherman’s Blues, by The Waterboys
  3. Five Leaves Left, by Nick Drake
  4. Floodland, by Sisters of Mercy 🤔
  5. Follow the Leader, by Korn 🤔
  6. Folsom Prison Blues, by Johnny Cash
  7. Foo Fighters, by Foo Fighters

Thursday 9 January 2020

  1. Forever Changes, by Love
  2. For Your Pleasure, by Roxy Music
  3. Four Classic Albums, by Count Basie 🤔
  4. Fragile, by Yes 🤔
  5. Framed / Next, by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band 🤔
  6. The Frank Sinatra Collection, by Frank Sinatra 🤔

Thursday 16 January

  1. Franz Ferdinand, by Franz Ferdinand
  2. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, by Bob Dylan
  3. From Elvis in Memphis, by Elvis Presley 🤔

Friday 17 January

  1. Fromohio, by fIREHOSE 🤔
  2. Fulfillingness’ First Finale, by Stevie Wonder

Herein occurred A Gap, where Many Things Happened, but Not Very Much Listening To This List Of Albums.

Monday 16 March

  1. Funhouse, by The Stooges 🤔
  2. Future Days, by CAN 🤔
  3. Fuzzy, by Grant Lee Buffalo 🤔
  4. Fuzzy Logic, by Super Furry Animals 👏

Tuesday 17 March

  1. Garbage, by Garbage
  2. Gasoline Alley, by Rod Stewart 🤔
  3. The Genius of Ray Charles, by Ray Charles 🤔
  4. Germ-Free Adolescents, by X-Ray Spex 🤔
  5. Getz / Gilberto, by Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto 🤔
  6. The Gilded Palace of Sin and Burritos, by the Flying Burrito Brothers 🤔
  7. Gold, by Ryan Adams 👏

Wednesday 18 March

  1. Goo, by Sonic Youth
  2. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, by Elton John
  3. Good Old Boys, by Randy Newman

Thursday 19 March

  1. The Good, The Bad & The Queen, by The Good, The Bad & The Queen 🤔
  2. Gorillaz, by Gorillaz

Rather a lot of Damon Albarn in one go, there.

  1. GRACE, by Jeff Buckley 🤔
  2. Graceland, by Paul Simon
  3. Green, by REM 👏

Wednesday, 25 March

  1. Green Onions, by Booker T and the MGs 🤔
  2. Green River, by Creedence Clearwater Revival 🤔
  3. Greetings from LA, by Tim Buckley 🤔
  4. Grievous Angel, by Gram Parsons 🤔
  5. Gris Gris, by Dr John
  6. Groovin’ by The Young Rascals 🤔
  7. Guitar Town, by Steve Earle 🤔
  8. Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs, by Marty Robbins 🤔
  9. The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, by The Incredible String Band 🤔
  10. Happy Trails, by Quicksilver Messenger Service 🤔
  11. Hard Again, by Muddy Waters 🤔
  12. Harvest, by Neil Young

Thursday, 26 March

  1. Head Hunters, by Herbie Hancock 🤔
  2. Headquarters, by The Monkees 🤔
  3. Heartattack and Vine, by Tom Waits 🤔
  4. Heaven or Las Vegas, by Cocteau Twins 👏

Friday, 27 March

  1. Heavy Weather, by Weather Report 🤔
  2. Hejira, by Joni Mitchell 👏

Probably my 2nd-favourite Joni album, and another one I’ve listened to countless times. It has an atmosphere to it, something in those opening guitar swooshes just grabs me and transports me. Amazing. I used to have this album on vinyl, and played it in my student digs on quiet afternoons when I should have been studying.

  1. Henry’s Dream, by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
  2. Here Come the Warm Jets, by Brian Eno
  3. Here My Dear, by Marvin Gaye 🤔

Tuesday, 31 March

  1. Heroes, by David Bowie
  2. Highway 61 Revisited, by Bob Dylan
  3. The Hissing of Summer Lawns, by Joni Mitchell 👏

Wednesday 1 April

  1. The Holy Bible, by Manic Street Preachers
  2. Homework, by Daft Punk

Saturday 4 April

  1. Honky Tonk Hereos, by Waylon Jennings 🤔
  2. Horses, by Patti Smith
  3. Hot Buttered Soul, by Isaac Hayes 🤔👏
  4. Hot Fuss, by The Killers
  5. Hot Shots II by The Beta Band 🤔
  6. The Hour of Bewilderbeast, by Badly Drawn Boy

Sunday 5 April

  1. Hunky Dory, by David Bowie 👏
  2. Hunting High and Low, by A-Ha
  3. Hypnotised, by The Undertones
  4. I Against I, by Bad Brains 🤔
  5. The Idiot, by Iggy Pop 👏
  6. I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, by Sinead O’Connor
  7. If I Could Only Remember My Name, by David Crosby 🤔👏
  8. If I Should Fall From Grace With God, by The Pogues

Monday 6 April

  1. If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears, by The Mamas & The Papas 🤔
  2. If You’re Feeling Sinister, by Belle and Sebastian
  3. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night), by The Electric Prunes 🤔
  4. Illinois, by Sufjan Stevens 👏
  5. Illmatic, by Nas 🤔
  6. I’m a Lonesome Stranger, by Merle Haggard & The Strangers 🤔
  7. Imperial Bedroom, by Elvis Costello & The Attractions 👏
  8. I’m Your Man, by Leonard Cohen
  9. In a Silent Way, by Miles Davies
  10. I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, by Aretha Franklin
  11. The Infotainment Scan, by The Fall 👏

Tuesday 7 April

  1. Ingenue, by k.d. lang 👏
  2. In It For The Money, by Supergrass 👏
  3. Innervisions, by Stevie Wonder 👏
  4. Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D’Arby 👏
  5. In Utero, by Nirvana 👏

Wow, a pretty good day’s albums, huh?

So, right then: 300 albums down . Next!

Monday 13 April

  1. Iron Maiden, by Iron Maiden
  2. I Should Coco, by Supergrass 👏
  3. Is This It? by The Strokes
  4. It’s A Shame About Ray, by The Lemonheads 👏

Tuesday 14 April

  1. It’s Too Late To Stop Now, by Van Morrison
  2. Jagged Little Pill, by Alanis Morrisette
  3. Jazz Samba, by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd 🤔
  4. John Barleycorn Must Die, by Traffic 🤔
  5. The Joshua Tree, by U2

Friday 17 April

  1. Ju Ju, by Siouxsie and the Banshees
  2. Kala, by M.I.A 🤔 👏
  3. Kenya, by Machito 🤔
  4. Kenza, by Khaled 🤔

Friday 24 April

  1. Kick Out The Jams (Live), by MC5 🤔
  2. Kid A, by Radiohead
  3. Kilimanjaro, by The Teardrop Explodes
  4. Killing Joke, by Killing Joke 🤔
  5. Kimono My House, by Sparks
  6. Kind of Blue, by Miles Davis
  7. Kings of the Wild Frontier, by Adam & The Ants

Monday 27 April

  1. Lady in Satin, by Billie Holliday 🤔
  2. Lady Soul, by Aretha Franklin 👏
  3. The La’s, by The La’s 👏
  4. The Last Broadcast, by Doves
  5. L.A. Woman, by The Doors
  6. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, by Derek & The Dominos 🤔
  7. Lazer Guided Melodies, by Spiritualized

Tuesday 28 April

  1. L’eau Rouge, by The Young Gods 🤔
  2. Leftism, by Leftfield
  3. Legalize it, by Peter Tosh 🤔
  4. Le Tigre, by Le Tigre 🤔👏
  5. Let it Be, by The Replacements 🤔
  6. Let it Bleed, by The Rolling Stones
  7. Let Love Rule, by Lenny Kravitz
  8. Let’s Get It On, by Marvin Gaye
  9. Let’s Get Killed, by David Holmes 🤔
  10. Lexicon of Love, by ABC 👏
  11. Licensed to Ill, by Beastie Boys 👏
  12. Liege and Lief, by Fairport Convention 🤔

Wednesday 29 April

  1. Life’s Too Good, by The Sugarcubes 👏
  2. Life Thru A Lens, by Robbie Williams
  3. Like a Prayer, by Madonna

Thursday 30 April

  1. Like Water for Chocolate, by Common 🤔
  2. Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1, by George Michael 👏
  3. Little Earthquakes, by Tori Amos
  4. Live and Dangerous, by Thin Lizzy

Tuesday 19 May

  1. Live at Leeds, by The Who
  2. Live at the Regal, by B.B. King 🤔
  3. Live / Dead by The Grateful Dead 🤔
  4. London Calling, by The Clash
  5. Lost Souls, by Doves 🤔
  6. Low, by David Bowie 👏 💯

Ah, Low. I’ve been waiting for this moment. Not many months go by without me listening to Low, by far my favourite Bowie album and possibly my favourite album full stop. Another gift to the world.

Wednesday 20 May

  1. Low End Theory, by A Tribe Called Quest 👏
  2. Low-Life, by New Order 👏

Thursday 21 May

  1. Lust for Life, by Iggy Pop 👏
  2. Machine Head, by Deep Purple 🤔
  3. The Madcap Laughs, by Syd Barrett
  4. Made in Japan, by Deep Purple 🤔
  5. Madman Across the Water, by Elton John 🤔

Blimey. Double-Purple today.

Friday 22 May

  1. Make Yourself, by Incubus 🤔
  2. Mama’s Gun, by Erykah Badu 🤔
  3. Manassas, by Stephen Stills 🤔
  4. Marquee Moon, by Television

Saturday 23 May

  1. Mask, by Bauhaus 🤔
  2. Maverick a Strike, by Finlay Quaye
  3. Maxinquaye, by Tricky 👏
  4. Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, by Maxwell 🤔
  5. McCartney, by Paul McCartney
  6. Medulla, by Bjork
  7. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, by The Smashing Pumpkins
  8. Melody AM, by Royksopp
  9. Mermaid Avenue, by Billy Bragg and Wilco
  10. The Message, by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

Tuesday 26 May

  1. Metal Box, by Public Image Ltd 🤔
  2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, by Lauryn Hill
  3. Moby Grape, by Moby Grape 🤔
  4. Modern Life is Rubbish, by Blur 👏
  5. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vols 1 & 2, by Ray Charles 🤔
  6. Moondance, by Van Morrison
  7. Moon Safari, by Air 👏

Wednesday 27 May

  1. More Songs About Buildings and Food, by Talking Heads
  2. More Specials, by The Specials
  3. Morrison Hotel, by The Doors

Thursday 28 May

  1. Moss Side Story, by Barry Adamson
  2. Mott, by Mott the Hoople
  3. Moving Pictures by Rush 🤔
  4. Mr Tambourine Man, by The Byrds
  5. MTV Unplugged in New York, by Nirvana
  6. Muddy Waters Live at Newport 1960, by Muddy Waters 🤔

Tuesday 2 June

  1. Murder Ballads, by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
  2. Murmur, by REM 👏
  3. Music, by Madonna
  4. Music for the Jilted Generation, by The Prodigy
  5. Music for the Masses, by Depeche Mode 👏

Tuesday 16 June

  1. Music from Big Pink, by The Band 🤔
  2. Music from the Penguin Cafe, by Penguin Cafe Orchestra 🤔
  3. My Aim is True, by Elvis Costello
  4. My Generation, by The Who
  5. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, by Brian Eno and David Byrne

Can’t believe I’ve never listened to any Penguin Cafe Orchestra before.

Wednesday 17 June

  1. Myths of the Near Future, by Klaxons 🤔
  2. Natty Dread, by Bob Marley and the Wailers
  3. Nebraska, by Bruce Springsteen
  4. Neon Bible, by Arcade Fire
  5. Nevermind, by Nirvana

Wednesday 24 June

  1. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
  2. New Forms, by Roni Size
  3. New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84), by Simple Minds
  4. The New Tango, by Astor Piazzolla & Gary Burton 🤔
  5. New Wave, by The Auteurs
  6. Nick of Time, by Bonnie Raitt 🤔

Thursday 9 July

  1. Nighthawks at the Diner, by Tom Waits 🤔
  2. Nilsson Schmilsson, by Harry Nilsson
  3. Nixon, by Lambchop 🤔
  4. Non-Stop Erotic Caberet, by Soft Cell
  5. No Other, by Gene Clark 🤔
  6. No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith, by Motorhead 🤔
  7. Nothing’s Shocking, by Jane’s Addiction
  8. The Notorious Byrd Brothers, by The Byrds 🤔
  9. The Number of the Beast, by Iron Maiden 🤔

Wednesday 15 July

  1. Oar, by Alexander “Skip” Spence 🤔
  2. Ocean Rain, by Echo and the Bunnymen
  3. Odelay, by Beck
  4. Odessa, by Bee Gees
  5. Oedipus Schmoedipus, by Barry Adamson 👏

Tuesday 28 July

  1. Off the Wall, by Michael Jackson
  2. Ogdens Nut Gone Flake, by Small Faces 🤔
  3. OK Computer, by Radiohead 👏
  4. OK, by Talvin Singh
  5. Olympia 64, by Jacques Brel 🤔
  6. One World, by John Martyn

There now followed another Another Gap, in which not much Listening To Albums Happened. But that gap came to an end:

Saturday 26 September

  1. The Only Ones, by The Only Ones 🤔
  2. On the Beach, by Neil Young
  3. Orbital 2, by Orbital 👏
  4. Os Mutantes, by Os Mutantes 🤔
  5. Otis Blue, by Otis Redding 🤔
  6. Out of the Blue, by ELO 👏
  7. Palo Congo, by Sabu 🤔
  8. Parachutes, by Coldplay
  9. Parallel Lines, by Blondie 👏
  10. Paranoid, by Black Sabbath
  11. Paris 1919, by John Cale
  12. Parklike, by Blur
  13. Parley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme, by Simon & Garfunkel 👏
  14. Paul’s Boutique, by Beastie Boys 👏
  15. Paul Simon, by Paul Simon

Sunday 27 September

  1. Peace sells, but who’s buying? by Megadeth
  2. Pearl, by Janis Joplin
  3. Peggy Suicide by Julian Cope
  4. Pelican West Plus, by Haircut 100

Monday 28 September

  1. Penthouse and Pavement, by Heaven 17
  2. People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, by Tribe Called Quest 👏
  3. Pet Sounds, by The Beach Boys 👏
  4. Pheadra, by Tangerine Dream 🤔

Monday 7 December

  1. Phrenology, by The Roots 🤔
  2. Picture Book, by Simply Red

Tuesday 8 December

  1. Pictures at an Exhibition, by Emerson Lake & Palmer 🤔
  2. Pieces of the Sky, by Emmylou Harris 🤔
  3. Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches, by Happy Mondays
  4. Pink Flag, by Wire 👏
  5. Pink Moon, by Nick Drake
  6. Play, by Moby
  7. The Pleasure Principle, by Gary Numan
  8. The Poet, by Bobby Womack 🤔
  9. Porcupine, by Echo & The Bunnymen

Tuesday 29 December

  1. Pornography, by The Cure
  2. Power in Numbers, by Jurassic 5 🤔
  3. The Predator, by Ice Cube
  4. Pretenders, by Pretenders

Thursday 31 December

  1. Private Dancer, by Tina Turner
  2. Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, by Lynyrd Skynyrd 🤔

Wednesday 6 January 2021

  1. Protection, by Massive Attack
  2. The Psychadelic World of the 13th Floor Elevators, by 13th Floor Elevators 🤔
  3. Psychocandy, by The Jesus and Mary Chain
  4. Pump, by Aerosmith

Thursday 7 January

  1. Purple Rain, by Prince 👏
  2. Q: Are we not mean? A: We are Devo, by Devo

Friday 8 January

  1. Queen II, by Queen
  2. Quiet Life, by Japan
  3. Rage against the machine, by Rage Against the Machine
  4. Ragged Glory, by Neil Young 🤔
  5. Rain Dogs, by Tom Waits
  6. Ramones, by Ramones
  7. Rapture, by Anita Baker 🤔
  8. Rattlesnakes, by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions 👏
  9. Rattus Norvegicus, by The Stranglers
  10. Raw like sushi, by Neneh Cherry 👏

Wednesday 13 January

  1. Raw Power, by The Stooges
  2. Real life, by Magazine 🤔
  3. The Real Thing, by Faith No More
  4. Red headed stranger, by Willie Nelson 🤔
  5. Regatta da Blanc, by The Police
  6. Reign in Blood, by Slayer 🤔
  7. Rejoicing in the hands, by Devendra Banhart 🤔
  8. Remain in light, by Talking Heads
  9. Remedy, by Basement Jaxx

Fair to say I have never listened to any Slayer before. It was … educational.

Sunday 24 January

  1. Rid of me, by PJ Harvey
  2. Rings around the world, by Super Furry Animals 👏
  3. Rio, by Duran Duran
  4. Rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust, by David Bowie 👏
  5. The Rising, by Bruce Springsteen 🤔

FINALLY. We’re half-way through.

My one concern is that my source playlist on Spotify has only 2,145 songs remaining, which doesn’t feel like enough for another 500 albums… I suspect I’m missing a few. Hey ho.

Monday 25 January

  1. Ritual de lo Habitual, by Jane’s Addiction
  2. Rock Bottom, Robert Wyatt 🤔
  3. Rock ‘n’ Soul, Solomon Burke 🤔

Wednesday 27 January

  1. Roots, Sepultura 🤔 👏

Another example of something I would never normally listen to. Quite shouty isn’t it? The more I listened to this, the more I liked it.

  1. Roxy Music, by Roxy Music
  2. Rumours, by Fleetwood Mac 👏
  3. Rum Sodomy and the Lash, by The Pogues
  4. Run-DMC, by Run-DMC
  5. Rust in Peace, by Megadeth 🤔
  6. Rust never sleeps, by Neil Young 🤔

Thursday 28 January

  1. Safe as milk, by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band 🤔
  2. Sail Away, by Randy Newman
  3. The Savage Young Sonics, by The Sonics 🤔
  4. Savane, by Ali Farka Touré 🤔
  5. School’s Out, by Alice Cooper 🤔
  6. Scissor Sisters, by Scissor Sisters

I’d never heard of The Sonics before, and I’m surprised about that.

Also: Alice Cooper’s album did not sound how I expected it to sound.

Wednesday 17 February

  1. The Score, by Fugees
  2. Scott 2, by Scott Walker 🤔
  3. The Scream, by Siouxsie and the Banshees
  4. Screamadelica, by Primal Scream

Sunday 21 February

  1. Scream, Dracula, Scream, by Rocket from the Crypt 🤔
  2. Scum, Napalm Death

Thursday 25 February

  1. Sea Change, by Beck
  2. Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, Dexys Midnight Runners
  3. Selling England by the Pound, Genesis
  4. Seventeen seconds, The Cure
  5. Sex Packets, Digital Underground 🤔
  6. SF Sorrow, The Pretty Things 🤔
  7. Shaft, Isaac Hayes
  8. Shake your money maker, The Black Crowes
  9. Sheer heart attack, Queen
  10. She’s so unusual, Cyndi Lauper
  11. Shleep, Robert Wyatt 🤔
  12. Siamese Dream, Smashing Pumpkins
  13. Signing off, UB40 👏

Monday 15 March

  1. Since I left you, The Avalanches
  2. Sincere, MJ Cole 🤔
  3. Sister, Sonic Youth 👏
  4. Skylarking, XTC 👏
  5. The Slider, T-Rex
  6. Slippery when wet, Bon Jovi 👏

Thursday 18 March

  1. Smash, The Offspring 🤔
  2. Snivilisation, Orbital
  3. The soft bulletin, The Flaming Lips
  4. Solid air, John Martyn 👏
  5. Something/anything, Todd Rundgren 🤔
  6. Songs for swinging lovers, Frank Sinatra
  7. Songs from a room, Leonard Cohen
  8. Songs from the big chair, Tears for Fears 👏
  9. Songs in the key of life, Stevie Wonder
  10. Songs of Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen

Lots of songs, and lots of Leonard Cohen today.

Friday 19 March

  1. Songs the lord taught us, The Cramps 🤔
  2. Soul mining, The The 👏
  3. Sound affects, The Jam
  4. Sound of silver, LCD Soundsystem 👏

Friday 26 March

  1. Sounds of India, Ravi Shankar 🤔
  2. Space ritual, Hawkwind 🤔
  3. The Specials, The Specials
  4. Stand!, Sly & The Family Stone 🤔
  5. Stankonia, Outkast 🤔
  6. Stardust, Willie Nelson 🤔
  7. Station to station, David Bowie
  8. Stephen Stills, Stephen Stills 🤔

Lots of stuff that was new to me today.

Tuesday 30 March

  1. Step in the area, Gang Starr 🤔
  2. Steve McQueen, Prefab Sprout 👏
  3. Sticky fingers, The Rolling Stones
  4. Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
  5. The Stooges, The Stooges
  6. Stories from the city, stories from the sea, by PJ Harvey 👏
  7. Strange Cargo III, William Orbit 🤔

Wednesday 31 March

  1. The Stranger, Billy Joel
  2. Street Life, The Crusaders 🤔
  3. Suede, Suede
  4. Sunday at the Village Vanguard, The Bill Evans Trio 🤔
  5. Sunshine superman, Donovan
  6. Supa Dupa Fly, Missy Elliott 🤔
  7. Supafly, Curtis Mayfield 🤔

Tuesday 13 April

  1. Superunknown, Soundgarden 🤔 👏
  2. Surfer Rosa, Pixies 👏
  3. Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane 🤔
  4. Suzanne Vega, Suzanne Vega 👏
  5. Sweet Baby James, James Taylor 🤔
  6. Sweet Dreams, Eurythmics
  7. Sweetheart of the rodeo, The Byrds 🤔

Wednesday 21 April

  1. Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits
  2. Synchronicity, The Police
  3. System of a Down, System of a Down 🤔
  4. Tago Mago, CAN 🤔
  5. Talking book, Stevie Wonder

Wednesday 26 May

  1. Talking Heads ‘77, by Talking Heads
  2. Talking with the taxman about poetry, by Billy Bragg 👏
  3. Talk talk talk, by The Psychedelic Furs
  4. Tanto Tempo, by Bebel Gilberto 🤔
  5. Tapestry, by Bob Belden 🤔
  6. Tea for the tillerman, by Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam
  7. Technique, by New Order 👏
  8. Teenage head, by Flamin’ Groovies 🤔
  9. Teenager of the year, by Frank Black

Technique is something of a generation-defining album and it certainly defines something for me. It came out when I was 18 or 19, at a time when my own musical horizons were constantly expanding further. One of those albums I’ll still be listening to in old, old age.

Thursday 24 June

  1. Tellin’ stories, The Charlatans
  2. Ten, Pearl Jam
  3. That’s the way of the world, Earth Wind & Fire 🤔
  4. The Dandy Warhols Come Down, The Dandy Warhols

Monday 28 June

  1. There’s a riot goin’ on, Sly and the Family Stone 🤔
  2. There’s no place like America today, Curtis Mayfield 🤔
  3. They were wrong, so we drowned, Liars 🤔
  4. Third, Soft Machine 🤔

A day of new discoveries for me. Soft Machine was a bit of a slog, blimey.

Tuesday 29 June

  1. This is hardcore, Pulp
  2. This nation’s saving grace, The Fall
  3. This year’s model, Elvis Costello & The Attractions
  4. Thriller, Michael Jackson
  5. Throwing Muses, Throwing Muses
  6. Tical, Method Man 🤔

Wednesday 7 July

  1. Tidal/When the pawn, by Fiona Apple 🤔
  2. Timesless, Goldie
  3. Time Out, Dave Brubeck Quartet
  4. Time (The Revelator), by Gillian Welch
  5. Tommy, The Who 👏
  6. Tonight’s the night, Neil Young 🤔
  7. Trafalgar, The Bee Gees
  8. Transformer, Lou Reed 👏

I confess I struggled with the Neil Young. Just not my cup of tea.

Tuesday 13 July

  1. Treasure, by Cocteau Twins 👏
  2. Tres Hombres, by ZZ Top 🤔
  3. The Trinity Session, Cowboy Junkies
  4. Trio, by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris 🤔
  5. Truth and Soul, by Fishbone 🤔
  6. Truth/Beck-Ola, by Jeff Beck 🤔
  7. Tubular Bells, by Mike Oldfield
  8. Tusk, by Fleetwood Mac

Wednesday 14 July

  1. The Band, by The Band 🤔
  2. The Beach Boys Today! by The Beach Boys
  3. The Bends, by Radiohead
  4. The Boatman’s Call, by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Monday 2 August

  1. The Chirping Crickets, by The Crickets
  2. The Clash, The Clash
  3. The College Dropout, Kanye West 🤔 👏
  4. The Colour of Spring, Talk Talk 👏
  5. The Contino Sessions, by Death in Vegas 🤔

Colour of Spring was a huge influence on teenage me back in the day. One of the best albums, and not even the best one by Talk Talk! What a band. What a sound.

Tuesday 10 August

  1. The Coral, by The Coral
  2. The Doors, by The Doors
  3. The Downward Spiral, by Nine Inch Nails
  4. The Fool, by Warpaint 🤔
  5. Twelve dreams of Dr Sardonicus, by Spirit 🤔
  6. The Undertones, by The Undertones
  7. Unhalfbricking, by Fairport Convention
  8. Unknown Pleasures, by Joy Division 👏
  9. Urban Hymns, by The Verve 👏

Wednesday 11 August

  1. Van Halen, by Van Halen 🤔
  2. Vanishing point, by Primal Scream
  3. Vauxhall and I, Morrissey
  4. The Velvet Underground, by The Velvet Underground
  5. The Velvet Underground & Nico, by The Velvet Underground & Nico
  6. Vento De Maio, by Elis Regina 🤔
  7. Very, by Pet Shop Boys

Thursday 12 August

  1. Vespertine, Bjork
  2. Violator, Depeche Mode 👏👏👏👏👏
  3. Violent Femmes, by Violent Femmes 🤔
  4. Virgin Suicides, by Air 🤔

Violator is another one of life’s landmarks. I was already a Mode fan, but when this one came out it just … blew me away, I suppose. The sounds, the songs, the artwork. I was somewhat obsessed by it, and remain addicted to listening to it every few months or so. One of those records.

Wednesday 18 August

  1. The Visitors, ABBA
  2. Viva Hate, Morrissey
  3. Vivid, Living Colour 🤔
  4. Volume 4, Black Sabbath
  5. Vulgar display of power, Pantera 🤔
  6. Walking Wounded, by Everything But the Girl 👏
  7. Want One, by Rufus Wainwright 🤔
  8. Want Two, by Rufus Wainwright 🤔

 Thursday 19 August

  1. Warehouse, by Hüsker Dü
  2. War, by U2
  3. Water from an ancient well, by Abdullah Ibrahim et al 🤔
  4. We are family, Sister Sledge
  5. Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not, by Arctic Monkeys
  6. What’s going on, Marvin Gaye
  7. When I was born for the 7th time, by Cornershop
  8. White blood cells, The White Stripes
  9. White ladder, David Grey
  10. White light, Gene Clark 🤔
  11. White light / White heat, by The Velvet Underground

Monday 23 August

  1. The Who Sell Out, The Who
  2. Who’s Next, The Who
  3. The Wildest!, Louis Prima
  4. Wild Gift, by X 🤔
  5. Wild is the wind, by Nina Simone 👏
  6. Will the circle be unbroken, by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 🤔
  7. Winter in America, by Brian Jackson & Gil Scott-Heron 🤔
  8. Wonderful Rainbow, by Lightning Bolt 🤔

 Wednesday 25 August

  1. Woodface, by Crowded House
  2. The world is a ghetto, by War 🤔
  3. The Yes Album, by Yes
  4. Yoshimi battles the pink robots, by The Flaming Lips 🤔
  5. Young Americans, by David Bowie 👏
  6. Younger than yesterday, by The Byrds 🤔
  7. Your Arsenal, by Morrissey
  8. You’ve come a long way baby, by Fatboy Slim
  9. Zombie, by Fela Kuti 🤔

And with that, we reach a milestone in this project: 692 albums down, and the playlist I was using as source material has run out of songs. This is a serious problem. I’m 309 albums short.

Thursday 26 August

Right. Armed with a copy of the original 1001 albums book, I’ve started ticking off the albums I’ve listened to (above) and making list of the rest. So with that in mind, we’ll start again: as before, in alphabetical order by album title. Starting with our old chums, The Beatles.

  1. Abbey Road, The Beatles 👏
  2. Ace of spades, Motorhead
  3. Actually, Pet Shop Boys 👏
  4. All things must pass, George Harrison 👏
  5. American Dream, LCD Soundsystem

I mean, you’d think I’d have noticed something was wrong with the playlist in the first place, given that Abbey Road wasn’t on it. Then again, maybe it was created before The Beatles’ archive was made available on Spotify. Anyway.

Filed under: music and projects
(12 August 2019)