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August 3, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Challenge: You Gotta Have Goals…Or Else You End Up With This As Your Goal

download (1)I’ve had this book for a while – I have the 2005 version, it’s been updated I gather. I don’t know that it’s really any sort of resource, but it is the sort of book that someone like me owns. I haven’t ever read it right through, and I haven’t really ever had a plan to.

I was curious enough, a couple of years ago, to flip through it and put a tick by every album I had heard that is in the book. Someone had asked what percentage I thought I’d heard and I guessed that it would be more than 50%. I think it was closer to 80% in the end, I remember counting around 800 ticks anyway. Yes, my life is pretty exciting.

Anyway, what about those other 200 albums. What have I missed? Have I not had my fill of shit music and good music already? (The only two genres of music that exist). I worked in music retail, I’ve been reviewing albums for close to two decades – I’ve listened to bucket-loads of shit. caac

I’m disappointed this book mentions more albums by Morrissey than Frank Sinatra. That is just plain wrong. My record collection has more Sinatra than Morrissey. As any good record collection should.

Why are there only three Beach Boys albums that you must hear – and there are three Kanye West albums that you must hear? (I say that as if snotty about it yet I’ve listened to at least twice that amount of Kanye West albums, some of them I even liked). Three My Bloody Valentine albums that you must hear? Surely they mean one. Only four Miles Davis albums? I used to own an iPod that had over 100 Miles Davis albums. IMG_3952

Today, for example, while contemplating this I could have been checking out Machine Gun Etiquette (the album!) or Group Sex (the album!) Instead I spent most of this morning listening to Randy Newman bootlegs…and I sometimes think I could spend most mornings listening to just Randy Newman and my world (if not yours) would be (in) a better place. But I also need to listen to the good and the bad by the great and the average – listen to it all. I think on some level that’s been part of my goal with music. A maddening and absurd goal – to listen to it all – but there you go. And here we are!

I have no idea why I am writing this – or why I write about music at all anymore…beyond hoping to fill my day, maybe brighten yours and possibly try to understand the music a little more.

So I’m going to delve into this book, and read the entries about the albums I haven’t previously heard – as I’m listening to the records. Maybe I’ll write a few thoughts about these “First Listens”. (Or not).

The idea possibly arrived when I surprised myself recently by realising I had never heard Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water in its entirety. (Well, that’s fixed, that’s another tick, getting towards 81% of the book covered now, eh…)

That was a pleasant experience though. I love Simon & Garfunkel. And had heard 80-90% of that album’s songs – but not as an album. In this age of the apparent death of the album – it’s taking a while! – I am still calmly fixated with records. With albums. With the idea that a body of work is housed in and on something called an album. That, in some cases, it’s a cohesive work, in other cases a shambolic mess. That both instances offer rewards. That it is now more fascinating for me to listen through to Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants or his soundtrack to Jungle Fever than it is Songs In The Key of Life or Fulfillingess’ First Finale.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love Songs In The Key of Life, I know every crackle on the record, every crease on the cover of the copy I’ve had in my life since my birth – the same year the album came out by the way! And I sometimes think Stevie never wrote anything downloadbetter than You Haven’t Done Nothin’ so Fulfillingess would be on my list of favourites for that alone, never mind every other great song it houses. But I also collected up everything he’s ever done because of my love for Songs In The Key of Life and the song You Haven’t Done Nothin’ and the album Fulfillingess’ First Finale. I couldn’t just have and hold on to Talking Book and Music of My Mind and the other great gems from that man. I had to hear the mistakes and missteps and find the magic or madness in those too…

Joni Mitchell singing with James Taylor or playing with Jaco Pastorius? Of course! Beautiful! But you have to also admire that Joni would go on to duet with Billy Idol. Well, you don’t have to. But I do. To this day I’ll never understand the fever-dream that brought about that pairing. But I know all her albums, so I know that song. Will I find other classic duets – or mad, weird pairings – on albums I thought I never needed to hear or never thought about? Sure, probably, why not…

Maybe I’ll find some great thing I never have heard. Or I’ll understand a little bit more about why certain albums become some sort of “classic” for an era I was never part of, or a signpost, a set of moments to sum up a moment in time and place and space for someone/anyone…

It’s come to this. My life’s goals were probably meant to be more, or better, but I’d like to tick off all 1001 of these albums…even as I struggle to find time to write reviews of other new albums too…

It’s an extravagant and pointless struggle. But it’s mine. So here goes…

(I’m such a nerd I’ve made sure this post is 1001 words long – what a dickhead!)
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93 Responses to The 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Challenge: You Gotta Have Goals…Or Else You End Up With This As Your Goal

  1. spotty says:
    August 3, 2017 at 10:44 am

    and how many freaking johan sebastian bach records do you have?

  2. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 1: Fats Domino – “This Is Fats!”

  3. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 2: Machito – “Kenya”

  4. Pingback: The Vinyl Countdown # 520

  5. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 3: Tito Puente – “Dance Mania Vol.1”

  6. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 4: Ramblin’ Jack Elliott – “Jack Takes The Floor”

  7. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 5: Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio – “At Mister Kelly’s”

  8. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 6: Joan Baez – “Joan Baez”

  9. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 7: Elvis Presley – “Elvis Is Back!”

  10. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 11: Ray Price – “Night Life”

  11. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 12: Jacques Brel – “Olympia 64”

  12. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 13: Solomon Burke – “Rock ‘N Soul”

  13. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 14: Dusty Springfield – “A Girl Called Dusty”

  14. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 15: The Mamas & The Papas – “If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears…”

  15. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 16: Paul Revere & The Raiders – “Midnight Ride”

  16. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 17: The Yardbirds – “The Yardbirds” (aka ‘Roger The Engineer’)

  17. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 18: Nina Simone – “Wild Is The Wind”

  18. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 21: Moby Grape – “Moby Grape”

  19. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 22: The Beau Brummels – “Triangle”

  20. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 24: The Young Rascals – “Groovin’”

  21. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 56: 10cc – “Sheet Music

  22. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 55: Tangerine Dream – “Phaedra”

  23. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 54: Bad Company – “Bad Company”

  24. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 52: Waylon Jennings – “Honky Tonk Heroes”

  25. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 50: Hawkwind – “Space Ritual”

  26. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 46: Milton Nascimento/ Lô Borges – “Clube Da Esquina”

  27. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 51: Mott The Hoople – “Mott”

  28. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 45: Hugh Masekela– “Home Is Where The Music Is”

  29. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 36: Chicago – “Chicago Transit Authority”

  30. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 30: Iron Butterfly – “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”

  31. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 29: The Incredible String Band – “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter”

  32. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 28: Hariprasad Chaurasia, Brij Bhushan Kabra and Shivkumar Sharma – “Call Of The Valley”

  33. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 19: Astrud Gilberto – “Beach Samba”

  34. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 15: The Mamas & The Papas – “If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears…”

  35. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 9: The Everly Brothers – “A Date With The Everly Brothers”

  36. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 37: The Youngbloods – “Elephant Mountain”

  37. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 40: Traffic – “John Barleycorn Must Die”

  38. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 43: Gene Clark – “White Light”

  39. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 49: War – “The World Is A Ghetto”

  40. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 58: Burning Spear – “Marcus Garvey”

  41. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 47: David Ackles – “American Gothic”

  42. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 61: Rush – “2112”

  43. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 67: Ian Dury – “New Boots and Panties!!”

  44. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 68: The Adverts – “Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts”

  45. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 70: Throbbing Gristle – “D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle”

  46. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 72: Willie Colón & Rubén Blades – “Siembra”

  47. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 74: Chic – “C’est Chic”

  48. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 75: Siouxsie and the Banshees – “The Scream”

  49. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 76: Sister Sledge – “We Are Family”

  50. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 77: Holger Czukay – “Movie!”

  51. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 81: The Cramps – “Songs The Lord Taught Us”

  52. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 83: The Undertones – “Hypnotised”

  53. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 87: The Go-Go’s – “Beauty And The Beat”

  54. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 90: The Psychedelic Furs – “Talk Talk Talk”

  55. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 92: Madness – “The Rise & Fall”

  56. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 93: Haircut One Hundred – “Pelican West ”

  57. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 91: ABBA – “The Visitors”

  58. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 94: Orange Juice – “Rip It Up”

  59. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 95: The Birthday Party – “Junkyard”

  60. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 98: Hanoi Rocks – “Back to Mystery City”

  61. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 99: Echo & The Bunnymen – “Porcupine”

  62. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 100: Cocteau Twins – “Treasure”

  63. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 101: Minor Threat – “Out of Step”

  64. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 103: Abdullah Ibrahim – “Water From An Ancient Well”

  65. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 104: The Mekons – “Fear and Whiskey”

  66. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 105: Big Black– “Atomizer”

  67. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 106: Scritti Politti– “Cupid & Psyche 85”

  68. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 107: Nanci Griffith – “The Last of the True Believers”

  69. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 108: Bad Brains– “I Against I”

  70. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 109: Anthrax– “Among The Living”

  71. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 110: Laibach – “Opus Dei”

  72. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 111: Napalm Death – “Scum”

  73. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 112: The Triffids – “Calenture”

  74. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 113: Fishbone – “Truth and Soul”

  75. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 114: Happy Mondays – “Bummed”

  76. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 115: Dwight Yoakam – “Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room”

  77. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 122: The Shamen – “En-Tact”

  78. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 129: Ice Cube – “The Predator”

  79. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 130: William Orbit – “Strange Cargo III”

  80. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 131: Girls Against Boys – “Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby”

  81. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 133: Drive Like Jehu – “Yank Crime”

  82. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 134: Orbital – “Snivilisation”

  83. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 135: Skunk Anansie – “Post Orgasmic Chill”

  84. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 136: Les Rythmes Digitales – “Darkdancer”

  85. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 137: Britney Spears – “…Baby One More Time”

  86. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 138: Limp Bizkit – “Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavored Water” 

  87. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 139: Mike Ladd – “Welcome To The Afterfuture” 

  88. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 140: Red Snapper – “Our Aims Is To Satisfy”

  89. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 142: Destiny’s Child – “Survivor”

  90. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 143: Christina Aguilera – “Stripped”

  91. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 144: Cee-Lo Green – “Cee-Lo Green…Is The Soul Machine”

  92. Pingback: The 1001 Albums Challenge # 145: Liars – “They Were Wrong, So We Drowned”

  93. Pingback: Completing the 1001 Albums Challenge 

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