283. Roxy Music | For Your Pleasure (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Do the Strand
2. Beauty Queen
3. Strictly Confidential
4. Editions of You
5. In Every Dream Home a Heartache
6. The Bogus Man
7. Grey Lagoons
8. For Your Pleasure

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For Your Pleasure is an unruly album. The music is combination of glam rock and art rock. This album immediately charges out of the gate with the opening song. It's a manic ride for the first half of the album. There's pulsating drums, loud and frenzied guitar playing and moody synthesizers. Above it all is Bryan Ferry singing in the most dignified manner. The album takes a disturbed turn with In Every Dream Home a Heartache, which is about a blow-up sex doll. The remainder of the album is more mellow and ethereal.

Musically, Roxy Music reinforces my belief that glam rock bands and artists are the ones who remain the truest to original rock and roll. Lyrically, however, they demonstrate a greater maturity, much like David Bowie, which is not in keeping with the spirit of rock and roll.

Furthermore there seem to elements within the glam rock scene, like Brian Eno and even David Bowie, who are moving toward a more experimental kind of music. Both seem interested in expanding the boundaries of rock music, although Brian Eno doesn't seem so concerned about keeping himself within those boundaries, no matter how expansive they may become.

Thus, the real sleeper here For Your Pleasure. There's nothing awry at first. It's like any other slow rock song, but then it begins to morph a third of the way in to a repetitive, moody piece of piano and drums with mantric vocals. While this is not anything out of the ordinary—the Beatles were doing Tomorrow Never Knows nearly a decade ago, for instance—it's a herald to what's just beyond the horizon. In hindsight, it's easy to see how influential Brian Eno will become. The question then is: was it easy to see it then? I think so. He was no different from Peter Gabriel, in that his talent is undeniable and that by leaving Roxy Music he would be better able to actualize his potential.

This album is so good. There are quite a few things to like a lot about it: it's outrageous, it's moody and it's melodic. This is worth listening to and it belongs in every serious album collection. It deserves to be on 1001 Albums list because this album is a herald of big changes to come.

All the songs are amazing. The stand outs are Do the Strand, Beauty Queen, Strictly Confidential, Editions of You, In Every Dream Home a Heartache, Grey Lagoons and For Your Pleasure.

★★★★★★★★★★

282. John Martyn | Solid Air (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Solid Air
2. Over the Hill
3. Don't Want to Know
4. I'd Rather Be the Devil
5. Go Down Easy
6. Dreams by the Sea
7. May You Never
8. The Man in the Station
9. The Easy Blues

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Solid Air is a tempestuous album. The music is blues, folk rock and folk jazz. The foundation is blues and elements of jazz and rock are developed up from there. The songs are truly wild. They often start out very calm and somewhat downcast. Then they all of a sudden loud and uncontrollable. John Martyn generally sings with a dispassionate mumble despite these songs being deeply emotional.

Once again, this is the reason why there is value in listening to the albums on the 1001 Albums list. This is an album I would never have listened to otherwise. And since it's one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard, I would have been the poorer for not ever listening to it. This is worth listening to and it belongs in every serious album collection. For its uniqueness, it deserves to be on 1001 Albums list. I'll be pleasantly surprised to hear another artist or band who is as different.

All the songs are amazing. The stand outs are Solid Air, Over the Hill, Don't Want to Know, I'd Rather Be the Devil, Go Down Easy, Dreams by the Sea, May You Never, The Man in the Station and The Easy Blues.

★★★★★★★★★★

281. Marvin Gaye | Let's Get It On (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Let's Get It On
2. Please Stay (Once You Go Away)
3. If I Should Die Tonight
4. Keep Gettin' It On
5. Come Get to This
6. Distant Lover
7. You Sure Love to Ball
8. Just to Keep You Satisfied

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Let's Get It On is an amorous album. The music is funk and soul. It's really a funky soul album. The funk is ever-present but measured while the soul rides on top. Marvin Gaye switches between his normal mellow, honey-dripping singing voice and an orgasmic, falsetto one.

This is music that can't be meant to actually listen to. For men, this album certainly isn't meant for anything but background music to seduction. And certainly, with this album, Marvin Gaye has given more women weaker knees than any other soul singer.

I think this is a good album. It certainly creates a romantic mood, which isn't really what I'm looking for when listening to music alone. No matter what, the music is really good, especially the bass and there are some good drum fills. I think it's worth listening to once. It's a must for any bachelor and for serious music collectors. It deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list because this is the work that many far-inferior soul singers have ripped off.

All the songs are good. The stand outs are Let's Get It On, Please Stay (Once You Go Away), If I Should Die Tonight, Keep Gettin' It On, You Sure Love to Ball and Just to Keep You Satisfied.

★★★★★★★★★★

280. Genesis | Selling England by the Pound (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Dancing with the Moonlit Knight
2. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
3. Firth of Fifth
4. More Fool Me
5. The Battle of Epping Forest
6. After the Ordeal
7. The Cinema Show
8. Aisle of Plenty

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Selling England by the Pound is a majestic album. The music is progressive rock. That means most songs filled with long instrumental jams. And with Genesis, especially on this album, each song is packed full with lyrics, too. Genesis is heavy on the keyboards and less reliant on the guitar.

The songs are uniquely English, the same way the Kinks' Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the English Empire) is English; it's about modern English society told via Victorian era musical and lyrical references. Peter Gabriel's lyrics feature a wide range of characters acting within the stories he tells. It's something that seems unique to Genesis' style.

While Genesis is a progressive rock band, they don't seem to have shared the close relations that other prog rock bands shared with each other. Thus, Genesis differs greatly, stylistically. However, Genesis seems to be the band which fulfils most completely the qualities that makes one a prog rock band. Arguably, the lyrics are the most colorful and sensible. During long instrumental jams, Genesis does a better job transitioning from one section to another. I think the albums, especially this one, are more conceptionally cohesive. I think Genesis rarely included filler. Even More Fool Me and Aisle of Plenty adhere to the mood and concept of the album.

I've been listening to this album for almost thirty years and it's still magical. This album is certainly worth listening to. It's a must-have for progressive rock listeners.  I think it deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list for being one of the best prog rock albums.

All the songs are good. The stand outs are Selling England by the Pound, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), Firth of Fifth, The Battle of Epping Forest, After the Ordeal and The Cinema Show.

★★★★★★★★★★

279. Lou Reed | Berlin (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Berlin
2. Lady Day
3. Men of Good Fortune
4. Caroline Says I
5. How Do You Think It Feels
6. Oh Jim
7. Caroline Says II
8. The Kids
9. The Bed
10. Sad Song

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Berlin is an unsettling album. The music is rock, but it's got elements of chanson and cabaret. Many of the songs have orchestral support. It's a concept album and music establishes the mood of each song. The music is quite depressing, but there is a lot of melody.

The story is about two Americans lovers living in Berlin, Germany at the time of the Cold War. They are into sex and drugs. The man seems misogynistic and abusive toward the woman. The woman at some point tries to commit suicide. By the end of the album she ends up losing custody of her children because of her sexual promiscuity. I'm sure I've left out essential story elements. Like most concept albums, the songs work better telling discrete stories than with combining to create a coherent whole.

This album was hard to like at first, but the songs are catchy. The story isn't so disturbing until it's clear the woman has children. It's sad to think about kids growing up surround by parents who are so troubled. And despite all the bad things that come with living in that environment, I'm sure it's damn awful from a child's point of view to be taken away from his parents.

The album is worth listening to. I'm not sure if Lou Reed intended to make an album that realistically portrays such an awful side of life, but I think it's a rare gem that tries to be mature and honest about the world. For that reason I think it deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are good. The stand outs are Berlin, Lady Day, Men of Good Fortune, How Do You Think It Feels, Oh Jim, Caroline Says II, The Kids, The Bed and Sad Song.

★★★★★★★★★★

278. Can | Future Days (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Future Days
2. Spray
3. Moonshake
4. Bel Air

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Future Days is an aimless album. The music is ambient. Typified by Damo Suzuki's nonsense vocals, the music on each song just seems to meander from one idea to the next. The music is generally mellow and ethereal. Rather than finding a groove, except from Moonshake, the band finds a mood. The guitar is really what establishes the mood. And it has a Robert Fripp sound.

This album is decent, but it's not gripping. It's easy to zone in and out of the music. It's hard to know if that was intentional or not. In hindsight it's easy to say that was the intention. It's worth listening to, but I'm ambivalent about it being on the 1001 Albums list. Either they were pioneers in a new genre or they made a crappy album. Based on their previous work I think it's the former and this album was intentional.

All the songs are good. The stand outs are Future Days and Bel Air.

★★★★★★★★★☆

277. John Cale | Paris 1919 (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Child's Christmas in Wales
2. Hanky Panky Nohow
3. The Endless Plain of Fortune
4. Andalucia
5. Macbeth
6. Paris 1919
7. Graham Greene
8. Half Past France
9. Antarctica Starts Here

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Paris 1919 is a cheerless album. The music is baroque pop, or pop with strings and horns. Despite the orchestration on many of the songs, this is a very straightforward and simple album musically.

I don't think it's possible for John Cale to sound more devoid of emotion or despondent than on this album. Even the opening song which seems to be upbeat gets the life sucked out of it when he starts singing. And by the time he gets to the final song he's got nothing left to give as is made abundantly clear by his whispering and it's abrupt end. It's true that Macbeth is lively and upbeat, but the life quickly dissipates. The music is great though. It's full of beautiful melodies which are good at concealing their sadness.

This album really grew on me. I certainly dreaded listening to it after hearing it for the first time, but now I find it to be beautifully sad. It's certainly worth listening to, but I'm not sure why it needs to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the long songs are very good. The stand outs are Child's Christmas in Wales, Hanky Panky Nohow, The Endless Plain of Fortune, Andalucia, Paris 1919, Graham Greene and Half Past France.

★★★★★★★★★☆

276. Hawkwind | The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Earth Calling
2. Born to Go
3. Down Through the Night
4. The Awakening
5. Lord of Light
6. Black Corridor
7. Space Is Deep
8. Electronic No. 1
9. Orgone Accumulator
10. Upside Down
11. 10 Seconds of Forever
12. Brainstorm
13. 7 By 7
14. Sonic Attack
15. Time We Left This World Today
16. Master of the Universe
17. Welcome to the Future

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The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London is a blistering album. The music is hard rock. The songs vary between long, thick, intense guitar-laden sings heavy on jamming and light on singing, and cosmic keyboard-driven, spoken-word interludes. A quite notable feature is the melodic, lyrical bass lines the weave their way effortlessly through a powerful wall of sound.

The music is relentless, pulsating, loud, single-minded and merciless. It does seem like standing at the edge of the ocean while being continuously pummelled by large, fast-moving ocean waves that are being created by a powerful storm out at sea. That is, doing that while resisting with all one's effort from being knocked over and tossed around by the sea.

This album is both overwhelming and comical when listening for the first time. The album is so long that it was hard to get my bearing for where I was in the album. The album also has, for a story or concept, all this pseudo-scientific and futuristic mumbo jumbo, as if 1960s hippie culture had been transplanted in a faraway future near the end of the universe's existence. Despite being silly and outlandish at first, the nonsense story ultimately adds to the experience, that is, if one is able to suspend disbelief and hold in one's guffaws.

This album is worth listening to hands down. It is more than just an album, it's an experience. The audiences who did in fact experience this performance got their money's worth. This album definitely deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list; not only because is it excellent, but also because hardly any bands will ever be so adventurous again. Like King Crimson's Larks' Tongue in Aspic, this album is the high point of progressive rock.

All the long songs are outstanding. The short songs are pretty good, too if you are willing to suspend disbelief.

★★★★★★★★★★

275. The Wailers | Catch A Fire (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Concrete Jungle
2. Slave Driver
3. 400 Years
4. Stop That Train
5. Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)
6. Stir It Up
7. Kinky Reggae
8. No More Trouble
9. Midnight Ravers

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Note: Catch A Fire was originally released in packaging resembling a large Zippo lighter which is depicted on the left above. The cover on the right is what was used when the album was sold using traditional LP packaging.

Catch A Fire is a relaxed album. The music is reggae. The songs are slow, laid-back and bouncy. The bass plays a more prominent role and it sounds more like how a bass sounds in blues and jazz than in rock. The staccato guitar style is what makes the music "bounce". The vocals are laid-back, but that doesn't mean there aren't serious things being sung. Slave Driver and 400 Years are two that are clearly serious.

It's quite refreshing to hear a brand new style of music. I suppose there's a connection to the blues or jazz somehow, but it's not obvious to a simple music listener like me. Reggae is unique. (I do know that the style is a descendant of ska and rocksteady, and that either of those have some relation to blues or jazz).

I think this album is quite nice. I certainly liked the music. It's actual quite melodic. It came as quite a surprise to me that I liked all of the songs, meaning that I expected to find a dud or two. The songs singing about the reggae lifestyle were lost on me, though. We'll see with the other reggae albums coming up whether they are more accessible to a wider audience. Also, while the songs are different, the rhythm doesn't seem to vary much. 

I am surprised that it took so long for a reggae band to make it on the 1001 Albums list. Surely, one of the first albums deserves to be on the list, or were the Wailers the first to do something remarkable with the style? No matter what, this album is worth listening to and deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand outs are: Concrete Jungle, Slave Driver, 400 Years, Stop That Train, Baby, We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby), Stir It Up, Kinky Reggae, No More Trouble and Midnight Ravers.

★★★★★★★★★★

274. King Crimson | Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part One)
2. Book of Saturday
3. Exiles
4. Easy Money
5. The Talking Drum
6. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part Two)

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Larks' Tongues in Aspic is a violent album. The music is progressive rock. King Crimson, or rather, Robert Fripp likes to push the dynamic range within a song to the limit. And he likes to go from one extreme to another in a minimal about of time. It's as if he's trying to re-create the Big Bang in song. There's nothing more shocking then that burst of music nearly four minutes into the first song. I'm not sure what other bands make so much use of dynamic range.

This use of dynamic range also helps to make the band's extended instrumental jams, which occur on each song, more interesting. That there are moments of peaceful calm and frenzied chaos, makes the album seem sinister, aggressive, unpredictable and dangerous.

I think this album is absolutely stunning. King Crimson gets progressive rock right, just not all at once. The two key elements of prog rock to me are: a thematically unified album and extended instrumentals that are not overindulgent. The first two incarnations of King Crimson, from 1969 to 1972, succeed at the former. The third incarnation, which starts with this album, succeeds at the latter. Larks' Tongues is one of my personal favorites, so of course I think it's worth listening to. I also think it belongs in a serious record collection, especially one that is open to prog rock. I also believe this album deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list since it's one of the finest examples of prog rock.

All the songs are excellent. The stand outs are: Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part One), Book of Saturday, Exiles, Easy Money, The Talking Drum and Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part Two).

★★★★★★★★★★

273. David Bowie | Aladdin Sane (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Watch That Man
2. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
3. Drive-In Saturday
4. Panic in Detroit
5. Cracked Actor
6. Time
7. The Prettiest Star
8. Let's Spend the Night Together
9. The Jean Genie
10. Lady Grinning Soul

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Aladdin Sane is a riotous album. The music is rock. Most songs move forward on a powerful and relentless rhythm. The melodies are infectious and bountiful. David Bowie's lyrics may or may not be meaningful, but they are fun and colorful; there's nothing like songs referencing drugs, riots, transvestites, masturbation and Che Guevara.

David Bowie is coming on fast and furious now. One might think he's a lot like the Beatles, seeing how he's at the vanguard, but they'd be wrong. Whereas everyone was able to follow the Beatles, I don't even think anybody can see where Bowie is—he's that far ahead! It may not even be that Bowie's better than the Beatles; it's possible that it's just that the music has gotten worse, except, that is, for Bowie. He's not innovative or experimental like the Beatles, but that's gone out of fashion anyway; he just knows how to write a great song.

I think this album is absolutely magnificent. David Bowie seems at his best on this album. Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust are masterpieces, but this album seems so sophisticated and profound. Bowie has certainly expanded his range. I also believe he's at his charismatic best on this one. He so entertaining and makes androgyny sexy! This album is a must for serious collectors and it certainly belongs on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are outstanding!

★★★★★★★★★★

272. Incredible Bongo Band | Bongo Rock (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Let There Be Drums
2. Apache
3. Bongolia
4. Last Bongo in Belgium
5. Dueling Bongos
6. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
7. Raunchy '73
8. Bongo Rock '73

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Note: The album cover on the left side is for the original US release; the one on the right is for the original UK release.

Bongo Rock is a exciting album. The music is quite lively and rhythmic, featuring bongos, keyboards and various horns and some guitar. The songs are all instrumentals, even the cover version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

I think this is a fun album to listen to. I especially like good instrumental songs and they are in profusion here. It does take some time to get comfortable with all of the songs. I didn't find In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida interesting at first, and now it's something to marvel at. The interlude is really good.

I think this album is worth listening to. It's one whose relevance had to wait until hip-hop and big beat came into being. And so any fan of those genres should be familiar with at least Apache, Bongolia and Last Bongo In Belgium. In that way, this album is way ahead of its time because the rhythms being played were so useful. However that's probably just accidental more than intentional. And that's why this album doesn't need to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Let There Be Drums, Apache, Bongolia, Dueling Bongos, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and Bongo Rock '73.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

271. Lynyrd Skynyrd | (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. I Ain't the One
2. Tuesday's Gone
3. Gimme Three Steps
4. Simple Man
5. Things Goin' On
6. Mississippi Kid
7. Poison Whiskey
8. Free Bird

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(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) is a sincere album. The music is Southern rock; although, I'm not sure what that means. British bands have been defining blues-inspired rock since the late 1960s and that's what everyone who played blues rock tried to emulate. Then in the early 1970s American bands defined their own brand of blues-inspired rock. A defining difference is American blues rock incorporates elements of country music, including lyrical references. I think that's what makes Lynryd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers different from, say, Led Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones.

There's a real down-to-earth feeling I get with this album. The lyrics and song themes seem more personal, immediate and relevant. The music also seem straightforward and uncluttered or unburdened.  I think, most importantly, the music just sounds fresh and the lyrics unpretentious.

This album is pretty darn good. Although, there are quite a few long songs, the album moves quite briskly. The album never becomes tedious. Certainly, it's worth listening to and I would recommend it to anyone looking to build a serious album collection, but I don't think it needs to be on the 1001 Albums list. It isn't stylistically different from what the Allman Brothers have been doing.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: I Ain't the One, Tuesday's Gone, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, Things Goin' On, Mississippi Kid, Poison Whiskey and Free Bird. Yep, once again, that's all of them!

★★★★★★★★★★

270. The Rolling Stones | Exile on Main St. (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Rocks Off
2. Rip This Joint
3. Shake Your Hips
4. Casino Boogie
5. Tumbling Dice
6. Sweet Virginia
7. Torn and Frayed
8. Sweet Black Angel
9. Loving Cup
10. Happy
11. Turd on the Run
12. Ventilator Blues
13. I Just Want to See His Face
14. Let It Loose
15. All Down the Line
16. Stop Breaking Down
17. Shine a Light
18. Soul Survivor

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Exile on Main St. is a singular album. The music is rock and roll with songs that extend to its roots, country and blues. While the album reaches back to the beginning, it extends forward with use of backing singers and horns. It's impressive to have so much going on while maintaing so much clarity. And it's not that backing singers and horns haven't been used before, I just haven't heard it with straight up rock and roll.

I think this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. The Rolling Stones have always been plagued by inconsistency. Despite having many good albums, their catalogue is not unblemished. And even among the good albums, there are many songs that just don't resonate.

This album is different. Every song belongs and works to improve the others. It's true that this album doesn't have very many big hits on it as other of their albums do and it's true that it takes a while to warm up to the album. But it's worth the effort because these songs are some of their strongest. So, it's certainly worth listening and does belong in every serious album collection. It also deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list for being the gold standard of modern rock and roll albums.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Rocks Off, Rip This Joing, Shake Your Hips, Casino Boogie, Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Sweet Black Angel, Loving Cup, Happy, Turd on the Run, Ventilator Blues, I Just Want to See His Face, Let It Loose, All Down the Line, Stop Breaking Down, Shine a Light and Soul Survivor. Yep, that's all of them!

★★★★★★★★★★

269. Al Green | Let's Stay Together (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Let's Stay Together
2. La-La for You
3. So You're Leaving
4. What Is This Feeling?
5. Old Time Lovin'
6. I've Never Found a Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)
7. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?
8. Judy
9. It Ain't No Fun to Me

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Let's Stay Together is a handsome album. The music is soul with a little funk thrown in. The music is mellow, even on the songs with  horns, and works from a slow groove. Al Green's voice is the key instrument on this album, of course, and it's wonderful and complements the music quite well. If this had been done in the contemporary R&B style emerging in the '70s it would have been a failure.

Al Green seems like the natural successor to Sam Cooke. The other great soul singers don't ooze sex appeal and as much as those two. (Otis Redding might fit in there somewhere, though). Al Green is more intimate while Sam Cooke is more of a lady-killer.

I think this is a enjoyable album. Romantic music isn't my cup of tea. Fortunately, soul music is listenable. Despite being soul rather than being R&B, this album is a preview to disco. It seems that funk songs that are tame are nothing more than proto-disco songs. So, Al Green is heading into dangerous territory. It's not that disco itself is bad; rather it's the deluge of talentless musicians and vapid songs that is unleashed that's the problem. No matter, this album is worth listening to and it deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Let's Stay Together, La-La for You, So You're Leaving, Old Time Lovin', How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and It Ain't No Fun to Me.

★★★★★★★★★☆

268. War | The World Is a Ghetto (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. The Cisco Kid
2. Where Was You At
3. City, Country, City
4. Four Cornered Room
5. The World Is a Ghetto
6. Beetles in the Bog

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The World Is a Ghetto is a cool album. The music is funk with some soul mixed in. I suppose it's not unexpected for a funk band to jam, but these despite the heavy grooves which most time keep one grounded in the here and now, a couple of the jams have an eerie psychedelic and ethereal quality to them. That's certainly something to be expected for a late '60s psychedelic band or a prog rock band, but not a funk band.

The sound quality is nice. The instruments can be heard clearly and they are balanced against each other quite well.

I think this is a darn good album. It's fun and certainly worth listening to. While all the songs are good, I think it's too disjointed to be a coherent album. I almost think this album doesn't belong on the 1001 Albums list, but there's some pretty interesting things being done musically on songs like Four Cornered Room and The World Is a Ghetto that seem ahead of their time.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: The Cisco Kid, City, Country, City, Four Cornered Room and The World Is a Ghetto.

★★★★★★★★★☆

267. David Bowie | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Five Years
2. Soul Love
3. Moonage Daydream
4. Starman
5. It Ain't Easy
6. Lady Stardust
7. Star
8. Hang On to Yourself
9. Ziggy Stardust
10. Suffragette City
11. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a quintessential album. The music is rock. Give an album the simple sensibility of rock and roll and weave a story through the songs and the result will be something like Ziggy Stardust, albeit probably less outlandish. To achieve that requires the sensibility of progressive rock.

Ziggy Stardust tells the story of the last five years before the earth is destroyed when an alien named Ziggy Stardust comes to earth to bring hope to the doomed inhabitants. This album is filled with brilliant riffs and melodies, but what makes this album so catchy is David Bowie and his powerful charisma. He adds emotion and fun to a potentially uninteresting and uncompelling story.

I think this is an absolutely brilliant album. Without a doubt, it's worth listening to and belongs in any serious collector's collection. This album belongs on the 1001 Albums list because like most other glam albums it breathes new life into rock music. David Bowie has made an album that tells a story and rocks while doing so. This is one of the benefits of listening to this list. I had little understanding or appreciation for David Bowie before. Now his music is indispensable to my collection.

All the songs are equally outstanding after listening to them many, many times. My favorites are: Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain't Easy, Star, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City and Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.

★★★★★★★★★★

266. The Temptations | All Directions (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On
2. Run Charlie Run
3. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
4. Love Woke Me Up This Morning
5. I Ain't Got Nothin'
6. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
7. Mother Nature
8. Do Your Thing

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All Directions is a bifurcated album. The music is soul and funk. The songs vary from standards like The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) to social commentary like Run Charlie Run. And that's how the music divides, too. The safer ones being soul and the more adventurous ones being funk. The main feature here, of course, is the Temptations voices. There isn't a finer group of voices in music.

The songs are all good enough to stand alone. There isn't a bad one among the bunch. The problem is that they don't jell. So then the album seems more like a collection of hit songs than an album with a common thread running through it.

Then there is Papa Was a Rollin' Stone. This is another outstanding song both for the music and vocals. In fact, prog rock bands should take a look at the Temptations' playbook on how to make long songs compelling. The problem with the song is then its inclusion among so many short songs. When there are eight songs and one comprises over a third of the album's length, it just unbalances the the whole thing.

I think this is an enjoyable album and it's worth listening to, but since it would seem to be more of a compilation of songs than a "true" album, I don't think it belongs on the 1001 Albums list. Rather individual songs can appear on a 1001 Songs list. 

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Run Charlie Run, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, I Ain't Got Nothin', The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face), Mother Nature and Do Your Thing.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

265. Alice Cooper | School's Out (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. School's Out
2. Luney Tune
3. Gutter Cat Vs. the Jets
4. Street Fight
5. Blue Turk
6. My Stars
7. Public Animal #9
8. Alma Mater
9. Grande Finale

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School's Out is a daring album. The music is hard rock. And more! With the West Side Story elements in Gutter Cat Vs. the Jets and in Grande Finale, this is hard rock-cum-musical. Although, the story is elusive. There's also a sampling of nightclub music with Blue Turk.

With the mix of styles, I'm not sure who the audience is that Alice Cooper is trying to reach—Theater-going types who think they're missing out on essential rowdiness and mischief or young, blue-collar, beer-drinking men who realize they lack refinement? 

I think this is an entertaining album. And it's also likeable. Unfortunately, I don't think it succeeds in whatever it was meant to achieve.  It doesn't fail because of the concept; it fails because it's incoherent. So, it's worth listening to at least once, and it does improve the more times it's listened to. However, I don't think it deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list. If the concept had been clearer it certainly could've been a timeless classic.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: School's Out, Luney Tune, Blue Turk, My Stars, Public Animal #9 and Grande Finale.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

264. Roxy Music | Roxy Music (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Re-Make/Re-Model
2. Ladytron
3. If There Is Something
4. 2 H. B.
5. The Bob (Medley)
6. Chance Meeting
7. Would You Believe?
8. Sea Breezes
9. Bitters End

N.B. This is the track listing for the original UK release. The original US release and all subsequent releases contain the song "Virginia Plain" which is located between the third and fourth songs. 

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Roxy Music is an energetic album. The music is glam rock or art rock. What that means for Roxy Music is that they are a more accessible kind of progressive rock. The style is just as adventurous, but the songs are more manageable and it's more melodic. The topics are also more down-to-earth, like skirt chasing.

This album really just explodes out of the gate and maintains a hectic pace until it loses some steam and focus on the second half. It's been a while since music has been this animated.  They share the energy of The Stooges, MC5 and The Flamin' Groovies, but are more intellectually challenging.

I think this is a fantastic album. It seems to breathe life into the music world which is otherwise suffering from too many vapid pop artists, and too much dominance from bloated and introverted prog rock and hard rock bands. It's also another indication that music is finally getting away from the psychedelic, Beatles-dominated '60s. I don't what Roxy Music's relevance is to the future bands to come, but it is clear that, at that point in time, they belonged to the future rather than the past. (Certainly some of Brian Eno's electronic sounds appear in music two or three decades from this point as if it were something new and innovative.) This album is certainly worth listening to and most definitely belong on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Re-Make/Re-Model, Ladytron, If There Is Something, 2 H. B., Sea Breezes and Bitters End. If the US release is included, then Virginia Plain is also among the stand-outs.

★★★★★★★★★☆