189. Van Morrison – Moondance
It’s a different beast to “Astral Weeks”, true, but “Moondance” is a joyful and far more accessible offering than Van Morrison’s first landmark album.
188. Deep Purple – In Rock
Even though it’s not as iconic as “Led Zep II” or “Paranoid”, “In Rock” stands as a monument to what rock was going to become.
187. Led Zeppelin – III
Critically mauled on its release, Led Zeppelin III didn’t quite have the Whole Lotta Lovin’ that the audience wanted, but the years have been kind to the band’s attempt to spread their wings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
WHERE THE HELL IS!? #1. INXS – Kick
Seen by many critics as mainstream, INXS’s 1988 album “Kick” is a smart funk-rock hybrid by a band, and a rock icon, at their glorious prime.
The “1001 Albums…” 2016 Edition is here!
The 2016 edition of “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” is here, and there’s more than a few notable absences.
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.
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.
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…
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…
175. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory
Quarkmonkey kicks off the seventies with what could be Creedence Clearwater Revival’s finest hour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.