50. Bob Dylan – Bringing it all Back Home Well, how can you not like an album that kicks off with “Subterranean Homesick Blues”? I first heard that aged… Continue reading “50. Bob Dylan – Bringing it all Back Home”…
49. The Sonics – Here are the Sonics!!! One could argue that it was a bit irresponsible for the 1001 publishers to stick this one right after Jerry… Continue reading “49. The Sonics – Here are the Sonics!!!”…
48. Jerry Lee Lewis – Live at the Star Club Hamburg If ever there was an artist who unashamedly oozed rock and roll from its very beginnings, then Jerry Lee Lewis… Continue reading “48. Jerry Lee Lewis – Live at the Star Club Hamburg”…
47. Buck Owens and his Buckaroos – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail The first time I listened to this, driving down to Southampton on a drizzly afternoon, it felt like an album… Continue reading “47. Buck Owens and his Buckaroos – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail”…
46. The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones One thing that’s struck me recently, listening to The Beatles’ “Please Please Me” is how much it DOESN’T sound unsure… Continue reading “46. The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones”…
45. Dusty Springfield – A Girl called Dusty Handy Tip: When you listen to this album, one great way to improve the experience even more is to get… Continue reading “45. Dusty Springfield – A Girl called Dusty”…
44. Solomon Burke – Rock n’ Soul “Without soul, there’d be no rock and without rock, there’d be no soul.” – Solomon Burke Well I started this… Continue reading “44. Solomon Burke – Rock n’ Soul”…
43. Jacques Brel – Olympia 64 So there we were driving to Ikea on Saturday morning, the lad in the back seat and a weekend ahead.… Continue reading “43. Jacques Brel – Olympia 64”…
42. The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night TWAAAAANNNNGGG!!!! There’s no mistaking the intro to this one. “A Hard Day’s Night” feels like a trumpet call – this… Continue reading “42. The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night”…
41. Stan Getz/João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto When Stan Getz unleashed “Jazz Samba” with Charlie Byrd just a year before, he kicked off a revival of love… Continue reading “41. Stan Getz/João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto”…
40. James Brown – Live at the Apollo One of the things that worried me when I started this 1001 albums adventure was that, eventually there were going… Continue reading “40. James Brown – Live at the Apollo”…
39. Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady So how am I doing on this jazz stuff? Have I earned my stripes yet? By now there’s been a… Continue reading “39. Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady”…
38. Sam Cooke – Live at the Harlem Square Club Love this album. Sam Cooke, who was tragically (and suspiciously) shot in a hotel in 1964, never really got the… Continue reading “38. Sam Cooke – Live at the Harlem Square Club”…
37. Phil Spector and Friends – A Christmas Gift for You Let’s face it – Christmas music is hardly the domain of musical genius… it’s a haunting and dark time where… Continue reading “37. Phil Spector and Friends – A Christmas Gift for You”…
36. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan It’s interesting that, just like the last album I reviewed, this is not the debut of a legendary artist that… Continue reading “36. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan”…
35. The Beatles – With the Beatles “IT WON’T BE LONG YEAH….” If ever an album burst into life, flying the flag for a revolution of music… Continue reading “35. The Beatles – With the Beatles”…
34. Ray Price – Night Life Another hidden surprise here. Ray Price was a part of the country heritage that sprang up in 1940s Nashville. He… Continue reading “34. Ray Price – Night Life”…
33. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba The other night, I streamed this album over AirPlay as I was having a meal around a friend’s house, and it’s a telling testament to this bossa nova trailblazer that we were only about 30 seconds in before the conversation turned to “Mad Men”. Continue reading “33. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba”…
32. Booker T and the M.G.s – Green Onions Seeing as it wasn’t long since Jimmy Smith liberated the Hammond organ from gospel church uncoolness, this fiery album,… Continue reading “32. Booker T and the M.G.s – Green Onions”…
31. Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music It’s only when I look back now, in the context of the era, that I realise just quite how… Continue reading “31. Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music”…
30. Bill Evans – Sunday at the Village Vanguard Who knows? Maybe I’ll start liking jazz after all. I’m sure there’s got to be a good fifty or so… Continue reading “30. Bill Evans – Sunday at the Village Vanguard”…
29. Muddy Waters – Muddy Waters at Newport You know how I said I’ve been listening ahead on these, so usually I’m about five albums ahead of what… Continue reading “29. Muddy Waters – Muddy Waters at Newport”…
28. Jimmy Smith – Back at the Chicken Shack There’s something nice about the sound of the Hammond organ. In these enlightened days when we can look back at… Continue reading “28. Jimmy Smith – Back at the Chicken Shack”…
27. The Everly Brothers – A Date with The Everly Brothers Looking back, the years have not been kind to the Everly Brothers. They cranked more than a few hits in… Continue reading “27. The Everly Brothers – A Date with The Everly Brothers”…