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Quarkmonkey’s 1001 Album challenge

One man’s thoughts on the 1001 Albums he apparently needs to listen to before he dies

Category: 1001 Albums (page 2)

186. Neil Young – After the Gold Rush

Low on grunge but full of heartbreak, soul and charm, “After the Goldrush” is a powerful beast that’s easy to understimate at first.
Continue reading “186. Neil Young – After the Gold Rush”…
Posted on: March 20, 2017 Last updated on: March 20, 2017 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

185. Black Sabbath – Paranoid

If “Black Sabbath” was a landmark, then this follow-up is a big bastard monolith that towers above it. Tough, fierce and deliciously dark, “Paranoid” is probably Ozzy’s finest hour, and a big scary classic.
Continue reading “185. Black Sabbath – Paranoid”…
Posted on: March 16, 2017 Last updated on: March 16, 2017 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

184. Crosby Stills Nash and Young – Deja Vu

Is there such a thing as Hygge Rock? This album, even if it came from troubled times, is surprisingly cosy to listen to.
Continue reading “184. Crosby Stills Nash and Young – Deja Vu”…
Posted on: January 21, 2017 Last updated on: January 21, 2017 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

183. John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band

Even for an old bastard cynic like me, Lennon’s first proper solo album is a brutal but rewarding experience.
Continue reading “183. John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band”…
Posted on: January 17, 2017 Last updated on: January 20, 2017 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

182. Stephen Stills – Stephen Stills

Packed with musical talent and a good deal of soul, this solo debut from Stephen Stills has a lot to recommend it, even if it never really catches fire.
Continue reading “182. Stephen Stills – Stephen Stills”…
Posted on: November 2, 2016 Last updated on: November 2, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

181. Carpenters – Close To You

They were often dismissed as sentimentalist cheese back in the day, but the years have been kind to Richard and Karen Carpenter. Good thing too.
Continue reading “181. Carpenters – Close To You”…
Posted on: November 1, 2016 Last updated on: November 1, 2016 Comments: 1 Written by: Quarkmonkey

180. The Doors – Morrison Hotel

Showing a different side to The Doors mythology, “Morrison Hotel” is a capable and happy blues album with a few sprightly suprises on board.
Continue reading “180. The Doors – Morrison Hotel”…
Posted on: October 18, 2016 Last updated on: October 18, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

179. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

While arguably not a truly ‘great’ album, this debut from Black Sabbath still has a few choice moments on it, and it’s a landmark in music history too.
Continue reading “179. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath”…
Posted on: October 5, 2016 Last updated on: October 5, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

178. Spirit – The Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus

They’re mostly known as the band in the “Stairway” case, but as Quarkmonkey learns, Spirit could belt out both a decent tune and the odd bit of creativity.
Continue reading “178. Spirit – The Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus”…
Posted on: October 4, 2016 Last updated on: October 4, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

177. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew

This is where I start to struggle. This isn’t the first time I’ve alluded to the fact that I can’t…
Continue reading “177. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew”…
Posted on: October 3, 2016 Last updated on: August 16, 2019 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

176. Derek and the Dominos – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

Ah Eric you smug racist, credit-stealing, overrated cunt… good to see you. Of course, as much as the band’s title wasn’t particularly rocktastic…
Continue reading “176. Derek and the Dominos – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”…
Posted on: September 30, 2016 Last updated on: October 1, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory

175. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory

Quarkmonkey kicks off the seventies with what could be Creedence Clearwater Revival’s finest hour.
Continue reading “175. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory”…
Posted on: September 30, 2016 Last updated on: September 30, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

174. Frank Zappa – Hot Rats

There’s a lot of wizardry to be enjoyed here, and it should be celebrated if only because it’s a Frank Zappa album that I don’t want to punch myself in the head after listening to.
Continue reading “174. Frank Zappa – Hot Rats”…
Posted on: July 1, 2016 Last updated on: July 1, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

173. Alexander Spence – Oar

Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett, Sinead O’ Connor, Ian Curtis, Kurt Cobain… there’s always been a parallel between rock music and mental illness, just as there has been with pretty much any art form worth bothering with.

To say that Skip Spence is no exception is probably underselling it.

Continue reading “173. Alexander Spence – Oar”…
Posted on: June 23, 2016 Last updated on: June 23, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
The Stooges – The Stooges

172. The Stooges – The Stooges

It’s one thing looking back from 2016 and the knowledge of the career and legacy that The Stooges had on rock music, but Cale’s production keeps things in order and it’s a much more focused affair because of it.
Continue reading “172. The Stooges – The Stooges”…
Posted on: June 21, 2016 Last updated on: June 21, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
Scott Walker - Scott 4

171. Scott Walker – Scott 4

Of course, Walker had his fair share of sixties successes, both with the Walker Brothers and on his earlier, Jacques-Brel-heavy albums, but “Scott 4”, his first production composed entirely of his own songs, was a notable critical and commercial failure.
Continue reading “171. Scott Walker – Scott 4”…
Posted on: June 21, 2016 Last updated on: June 21, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
Airport Convention - Liege and Lief

170. Fairport Convention – Liege and Lief

There’s a lot more going on here than the usual “fiddle de dum fair maiden came a walking” bollocks that cynical old arseholes such as myself tend to attach to the British folk genre.
Continue reading “170. Fairport Convention – Liege and Lief”…
Posted on: June 6, 2016 Last updated on: June 6, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
Leonard Cohen - Songs from a Room

169. Leonard Cohen – Songs from a Room

For me at least, one of the big paradoxes of Leonard Cohen is that, for all the outward melancholy, there’s something uniquely uplifting about his songs.
Continue reading “169. Leonard Cohen – Songs from a Room”…
Posted on: June 3, 2016 Last updated on: June 6, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

168. King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King

Now THAT’s how you start an album. It takes about 25 seconds before it kicks in, but when it gets going, the opening track, “21st Century Schizoid Man” explodes through the speakers.
Continue reading “168. King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King”…
Posted on: June 3, 2016 Last updated on: June 6, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
The Kinks - Arthur Artwork

167. The Kinks – Arthur (or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

OK, so we had the Beatles and the Stones doing it for us, but if there was ever a band in the sixties who deserve praise for flying the Union Jack, it’s The Kinks.
Continue reading “167. The Kinks – Arthur (or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire)”…
Posted on: June 2, 2016 Last updated on: June 6, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

166. The Grateful Dead – Live/Dead

The Grateful Dead… why do I feel like I’m opening a Pandora’s box here?

Truth is, I know that the ‘Dead were big. I know that they had a massive following, that back in the day they were a proverbial Hajj for every stoner out there. But yeah, never really paid them any attention.

Continue reading “166. The Grateful Dead – Live/Dead”…
Posted on: May 6, 2016 Last updated on: May 6, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey

165. Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul

The sixties were a golden age of soul, as Otis, Solomon and Marvin would happily testify, but with the decade…
Continue reading “165. Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul”…
Posted on: November 29, 2015 Last updated on: December 17, 2015 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
The Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain

164. The Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain

“Come on people now… smile on your brother… everybody get together.” For most, The Youngbloods are remembered almost entirely for…
Continue reading “164. The Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain”…
Posted on: November 29, 2015 Last updated on: February 10, 2016 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking

163. Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking

I’ve never really got into folk music. Not that I think that there’s anything definitively bad about the genre you…
Continue reading “163. Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking”…
Posted on: November 28, 2015 Last updated on: November 28, 2015 Comments: 0 Written by: Quarkmonkey
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