In September 2020, Rolling Stone magazine released their most recent list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which includes a greater variety of artists and genres than previous lists. Looking through the list, there were many albums I’d never listened to before and a few I’d never even heard of. In fact, counting it up, I found that I’d only listened to 140 of the albums, although I’d heard songs from many more. So I’ve decided my project for 2021 is to listen to 10 albums each week and write up some thoughts about each one.
Previous Posts:
Artist: Neil Young
Album: After the Gold Rush
Year: 1970
Label: Reprise
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: No
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: No
Favorite Tracks:
- “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
- “Southern Man”
Thoughts: This feels like one of the poppiest Neil Young recordings, perhaps because it came out just after the Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young collaboration on Déjà Vu. The country folk sound almost is reminiscent of Laurel Canyon. “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is a terrific song, although I’ve always liked the St. Etienne version better.
Artist: Erykah Badu
Album: Baduizm
Year: 1997
Label: Kedar
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: No
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:
Favorite Tracks:
- “Afro (Freestyle Skit)”
- “Certainly”
Thoughts: I wasn’t too impressed by Mama’s Gun so I was hoping for a better experience with Baduizm. I’m not the first one to observe this, but Badu sounds like Billie Holliday performing R&B and soul. But I tend to like the jazzier tracks
Artist: David Bowie
Album: Hunky Dory
Year: 1971
Label: RCA
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Changes”
- “Oh! You Pretty Things”
- “Life on Mars?”
- “Song for Bob Dylan”
- “Queen Bitch”
Thoughts: This is the earliest album where Bowie sounds like the artist we know as Bowie. This is a nonsensical thing to say, of course, because Bowie is defined by a changing sound. But here we get the glam rock that evolved out the folk, pop, and cabaret sounds of his early work.
Artist: Miles Davis
Album: Bitches Brew
Year: 1970
Label: Columbia
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?:
Favorite Tracks:
- All of them
Thoughts: On August 19, 1969, Miles Davis and his band began recording this album in a studio in New York City. The day before and 90 miles to the northwest, the Woodstock Festival concluded in Bethel, New York. Davis set to record an album that would appeal to the festival goers, especially fans of Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone who appeared at the festival. I don’t know if Davis was specifically thinking of Woodstock at the time, but it is an interesting historical coincidence. Of course, he was in the right place at the right time to see the Harlem Cultural Festival performances of B.B. King, Nina Simone, and Hugh Masekela just two days earlier.
Artist: The Doors
Album: The Doors
Year: 1967
Label: Elektra
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Break on Through (To The Other Side)”
- “Soul Kitchen”
- “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”
- “Back Door Man”
- “Take It As It Comes”
Thoughts: I don’t know think the reputation of The Doors is all that solid these days, but back in the 1980s, that 60’s-nostalgia-drenched decade when classic rock radio was born, The Doors were overrepresented and overrated. The band basically had one terrific album and maybe 6 other good songs. Fortunately, this is the terrific album. The Doors debut is a blues rock collection with the swirling organ for a psychedelic touch, but less of the avant-garde experimentation and pretentiousness that mars their later work (although “The End” shows this tendency at its best).
Artist: John Lennon
Album: Plastic Ono Band
Year: 1970
Label: Apple
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Working Class Hero”
- “Remember”
- “Love”
- “God”
Thoughts: John Lennon’s working through a lot of anger and issues on his first true post-Beatles recording. For some reason the tracks on this album don’t get the Classic Rock exposure of some of Lennon’s other albums, but it’s a solid collection.
Artist: AC/DC
Album: Back in Black
Year: 1980
Label: Atlantic
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Hell’s Bells”
- “Back in Black”
- “You Shook Me All Night Long”
Thoughts: Did you know that this 41-year-old album is currently ranked at 72 in the Billboard Hot 200 chart? It’s right there a few spots after The Weeknd and few spots ahead of Doja Cat. In fact, there is only one non-compilation album older than Back in Black that is ranked higher, but we’ll get to that in my final entry of this series. A few years ago I took my daughter for a playdate with a preschool friend who had a record player and played this album for us because it was his favorite. This bodes well for Back in Black to continue to be in the Hot 200 for the foreseeable future.
Artist: Dusty Springfield
Album: Dusty in Memphis
Year: 1969
Label: Atlantic
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Just a Little Lovin'”
- “Son of a Preacher Man”
- “No Easy Way Down”
Thoughts: You’ve got to appreciate an album that starts off with a song with a plea for everyone in the world to start their day off by having sex. It looks like every significant songwriter of the time period got a song on this album: Mann & Weil, Coffin & King, Randy Newman, Bacharach & David, et al. Of course, the songs need Dusty to bring them to life. “Son of a Preacher Man” by John Hurley & Ronnie Wilkins is a song that will always remind me of a road trip to New Orleans when a couple of the women in our group sang along full-throatedly.
Artist: Sly and the Family Stone
Album: There’s a Riot Goin’ On
Year: 1971
Label: Epic
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Family Affair”
- “Time’
- “Runnin’ Away”
Thoughts: Somehow I missed listening to this album before, because only “Family Affair” sounds familiar. The musical style is deeper and funkier with more ruminative and bleak lyrics than on previous Sly and the Family Stone recordings. It is quite good!
Artist: Beyoncé
Album: Beyoncé
Year: 2013
Label: Parkwood/Columbia
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Mostly but not all
Favorite Tracks:
- “Pretty Hurts”
- “Blow”
- “Partition”
- “XO”
Thoughts: I passed on listening to Beyonce prior to Lemonade (which I could not ignore) so it is good to check out her earlier catalog. The songs on this album are in a fascinating array of styles reflecting many eras of R&B and pop while still being original. I found some of the tracks dragged on too long and turned into mini-operas but my overall impression is positive.
Running List of Albums I’d Listen to Again
- 500. Arcade Fire, Funeral
- 498. Suicide, Suicide
- 497. Various Artists, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
- 494. The Ronettes, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes
- 489. A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector from Phil Spector and Various Artists, Back to Mono (1958-1969)
- 487. Black Flag, Damaged
- 485. Richard and Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
- 483. Muddy Waters, The Anthology
- 482. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
- 481. Belle and Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister
- 478. The Kinks, Something Else by the Kinks
- 477. Howlin’ Wolf, Moanin’ in the Moonlight
- 469.Manu Chao, Clandestino
- 465. King Sunny Adé, The Best of the Classic Years
- 464. The Isley Brothers, 3 + 3
- 462. The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin
- 459. Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon: The End of the Day
- 457. Sinéad O’Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
- 456. Al Green, Greatest Hits
- 455. Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley
- 453. Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
- 452. Diana Ross and the Supremes, Anthology
- 451. Roberta Flack, First Take
- 448. Otis Redding, Dictionary of Soul
- 446. Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidanada
- 444. Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
- 443. David Bowie, Scary Monsters
- 440. Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner’s Daughter
- 439. James Brown, Sex Machine
- 438. Blur, Parklife
- 437. Primal Scream, Screamadelica
- 435. Pet Shop Boys, Actually
- 433. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
- 431. Los Lobos, How Will the Wolf Survive?
- 430. Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True
- 429. The Four Tops, Reach Out
- 428. Hüsker Dü, New Day Rising
- 427. Al Green, Call Me
- 426. Lucinda Williams, Lucinda Williams
- 425. Paul Simon, Paul Simon
- 424. Beck, Odelay
- 423. Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
- 422. Marvin Gaye, Let’s Get It On
- 421. M.I.A., Arular
- 417. Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come
- 416. The Roots, Things Fall Apart
- 415. The Meters, Looka Py Py
- 414. Chic, Risqué
- 413. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cosmo’s Factory
- 412. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Going to a Go Go
- 409. Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead
- 408. Motörhead, Ace of Spades
- 406. Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
- 405. Various, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era
- 403. Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele
- 402. Fela Kuti and Africa 70, Expensive Shit
- 401. Blondie, Blondie
- 400. The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat
- 398. The Raincoats, The Raincoats
- 397. Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
- 395. D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah
- 392. Ike and Tina Turner, Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner
- 390. Pixies, Surfer Rosa
- 388. Aretha Franklin, Young, Gifted and Black
- 387. Radiohead, In Rainbows
- 386. J Dilla, Donuts
- 385. Ramones, Rocket to Russia
- 384. The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
- 380. Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um
- 378. Run-DMC, Run-D.M.C.
- 377. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell
- 375. Green Day, Dookie
- 374. Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues Singers
- 373. Isaac Hayes, Hot Buttered Soul
- 371. The Temptations, Anthology
- 369. Mobb Deep, The Infamous
- 368. George Harrison, All Things Must Pass
- 365. Madvillain, Madvillainy
- 364. Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food
- 363. Parliament, The Mothership Connection
- 360. Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove
- 358. Sonic Youth, Goo
- 357. Tom Waits, Rain Dogs
- 356. Dr. John, Gris-Gris
- 354. X-Ray Spex, Germfree Adolescents
- 351. Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure
- 350. Stevie Wonder, Music of My Mind
- 349. MC5, Kick Out the Jams
- 348. Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator)
- 347. GZA, Liquid Swords
- 346. Arctic Monkeys, AM
- 345. Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
- 344. Toots and the Maytals, Funky Kingston
- 343. Sly and the Family Stone, Greatest Hits
- 342. The Beatles, Let It Be
- 341. The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
- 338. Brian Eno, Another Green World
- 337. Bob Dylan, John Wesley Harding
- 335. Bob Dylan and the Band, The Basement Tapes
- 334. Santana, Abraxas
- 333. Bill Withers, Still Bill
- 332. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
- 330. The Rolling Stones, Aftermath
- 329. DJ Shadow, Endtroducing…
- 328. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
- 326. Prince, Dirty Mind
- 323.The Clash, Sandinista!
- 320. X, Los Angeles
- 319. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
- 317. Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin
- 316. The Who, The Who Sell Out
- 310. Wire, Pink Flag
- 309. Joy Division, Closer
- 308. Brian Eno, Here Come the Warm Jets
- 307. Sam Cooke, Portrait of a Legend
- 306. Al Green, I’m Still In Love With You
- 304. Bill Withers, Just As I Am
- 301. New York Dolls, New York Dolls
- 299. B.B. King, Live at the Regal
- 297. Peter Gabriel, So
- 294. Weezer, Weezer
- 293. The Breeders, Last Splash
- 292. Van Halen, Van Halen
- 289. Björk, Post
- 288. The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers
- 287. The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man
- 283. Donna Summer, Bad Girls
- 282. Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours
- 279. Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York
- 278. Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy
- 276. Radiohead, The Bends
- 275. Curtis Mayfield, Curtis
- 274. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo
- 273. Gang of Four, Entertainment!
- 272. The Velvet Underground, White Light/White Heat
- 267. Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime
- 266. The Beatles, Help!
- 263. The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night
- 262. New Order, Power, Corruption & Lies
- 261. Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
- 260. The Slits, Cut
- 259. Janis Joplin, Pearl
- 257. Dolly Parton, Coat of Many Colors
- 256. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
- 254. Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters
- 252. Devo, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
- 250. Buzzcocks, Singles Going Steady
- 246. LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out
- 245. Cocteau Twins, Heaven of Las Vegas
- 242. The Velvet Underground, Loaded
- 240. Sam Cooke, Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
- 239. Boogie Down Productions, Criminal Minded
- 238. Kraftwerk, Trans Europe Express
- 237. Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger
- 236. Daft Punk, Discovery
- 232. John Coltrane, Giant Steps
- 229. Patsy Cline, The Ultimate Collection
- 228. De La Soul, De La Soul Is Dead
- 227. Little Richard, Here’s Little Richard
- 226. Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
- 223. John Lennon, Imagine
- 221. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
- 220. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Déjà Vu
- 215. Grateful Dead, American Beauty
- 213. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
- 212. Nina Simone, Wild is the Wind
- 211. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures
- 210. Ray Charles, The Birth of Soul
- 209. Run-DMC, Raising Hell
- 206. David Bowie, Low
- 205. Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman
- 202. Björk, Homogenic
- 201. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders
- 198. The B-52’s, The B-52’s
- 197. The Beatles, Meet the Beatles!
- 195. Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen
- 193. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Willy and the Poor Boys
- 192. Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill
- 191. Etta James, At Last!
- 190. The Who, Tommy
- 189. Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out
- 185. The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet
- 184. Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual
- 181. Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home
- 178. Otis Redding, Otis Blue
- 177. Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story
- 176. Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet
- 175. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
- 174. Jimmy Cliff and Various Artists, The Harder They Come: Original Soundtrack
- 173. Nirvana, In Utero
- 172. Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water
- 171. Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
- 170. Cream, Disraeli Gears
- 169. Billy Joel, The Stranger
- 167. Depeche Mode, Violator
- 166. Buddy Holly, 20 Golden Greats
- 165. R.E.M., Murmur
- 164. Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison
- 162. Pulp, Different Class
- 161. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby, Stills, & Nash
- 156. The Replacements, Let it Be
- 155. Jay-Z, The Black Album
- 154. Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace
- 153. PJ Harvey, Rid of Me
- 150. Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska
- 149. John Prine, John Prine
- 148. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
- 146. Blondie, Parallel Lines
- 144. Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti
- 143. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground
- 142. Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.
- 141. Pixies, Doolittle
- 140. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Catch a Fire
- 139. Black Sabbath, Paranoid‘
- 138. Madonna, The Immaculate Collection
- 137. Adele, 21
- 136. Funkadelic, Maggot Brain
- 135. U2, The Joshua Tree
- 134. Fugees, ‘he Score
- 132. Hank Williams, 40 Greatest Hits
- 131. Portishead, Dummy
- 130. Prince, 1999
- 127. Ray Charles, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
- 125. Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique
- 124. U2, Achtung Baby
- 123. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II
- 122. Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral
- 121. Elvis Costello, This Year’s Model
- 120. Van Morrison, Moondance
- 119. Sly and the Family Stone, Stand!
- 116. The Cure, Disintegration
- 114. The Strokes, Is This It
- 113. The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead
- 111. Janet Jackson, Control
- 109. Lou Reed, Transformer
- 108. Fiona Apple, When the Pawn …
- 107. Television, Marquee Moon
- 104. The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers
- 103. De La Soul, Three Feet High And Rising
- 102. The Clash, The Clash
- 101. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
- 99. Taylor Swift, Red
- 98. Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
- 94. The Stooges, Fun House
- 92. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis: Bold as Love
- 88. David Bowie, Hunky Dory
- 87. Miles Davis, Bitches Brew
- 86. The Doors, The Doors
- 85. John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band
- 84. AC/DC, Back in Black
- 83. Dusty Springfield, Dusty in Memphis
- 82. Sly and the Family Stone, There’s a Riot Goin’ On
- 81. Beyoncé, Beyoncé
Panorama of the Mountains 