105/1001 The White Stripes-Elephant. It’s blues modernised, but stripped of subtlety. Riffy, simplistic and with a lot of push, the songs stand out for the most part. Very well made garage rock may be an apt description. #1001albums

104/1001 Elvis Costello- Imperial Bedroom. Devoid of the big hits, it’s still diverting. The recording and production are incredible and experimental, the songs are good. It just didn’t have that moment where the recognisability lifts the experience, so it’s one for another listen. #1001albums

103/1001 Johnny Cash-American IV: The Man Comes Around. Late period with Johnny sounding vulnerable and old, but still very capable of capturing emotion with his voice. Astoundingly well chosen covers it’s not just about Hurt. #1001albums

102/1001 Joni Mitchell-Hejira. Not my favourite Joni Mitchell album but not far off. This has hugely inventive instrumentation and performance wonderful moving songs and Joni’s voice soaring above it all. Wonderful. #1001albums

101/1001 Richard and Linda Thompson-I Want to See the Bright Lights Tinight. A near perfect record with great songs and performance. One of my favourites. I came at it the wrong way time wise and am always hearing where a band I admire got that idea when I listen to this which just adds to the fun.

100/1001 The Mekons-Fire and Whiskey. Not one for me this. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to latch onto and enjoy because I can’t find it. #1001albums

99/1001 LCD Soundsystem-Sound of Silver. I’ve always enjoyed this record. Electronic music with rock sensibilities and a way of being accessible and musically impressive. Get Innocuous builds and builds and the New York I Love You is as melancholy a love song as has ever been dedicated to a city.

98/1001 Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. It’s groovy and soulful in a way that seems more contrived than, say D’Angelo. It just seems like Maxwell was trying to deliver to a brief and not from the soul. Perhaps too polished? #1001albums

97/1001 Depeche Mode-Violator. There’s a real thrill of recognition when the hits come up when I listen to this. I like that because the rest of the album doesn’t disappoint, it all exists in one space stylistically and in terms of quality, I just don’t know it all yet. #1001albums

96/1001 Janis Joplin-Pearl. Another great record and one that emphasises what a loss she was. A truly distinctive voice, a great band and great songs. Lovely. #1001albums

94/1001 Creedence Clearwater Revival-Bayou Country. Full of joyous southern feeling groove. Its loose, funky and on of the best feeling albums you’re likely to hear. Loved it in all its unfussy wonder. #1001albums

93/1001 The Byrds-The Fifth Dimension. Eight Miles High is a classic, the rest of the album less so. I don’t like their take on Hey Joe, with added lyrics and no menace, the pass at a Scottish folk song is bland & the rest sounds like they’ve thought about what a Byrds record should be and made that

92/1001 The Cure-Pornography. The Cure have always been accessible goth-y music and this is a good example of why that is. I didn’t recognise any of the hits, but I wasn’t put off. There’s enough sensibility to be accessible but this isn’t pop music. It’s darker, more interesting. #1001albums

91/1001 Malcolm McLaren-Duck Rock. It’s an attempt to grab the zeitgeist & does manage to be prescient for the tropes of later hip hop & to beat Paul Simon to ‘bring African influence’ to western music (that was ‘borrowed’ from African slave descendants). Double Dutch has a groove though. I enjoyed

90/1001 Ash-1977. It starts with the sound of a Tie Fighter and is from my youth so why wouldn’t I like it. Unfortunately time has left it a bit period generic sounding but it’s not one I’d turn off. #1001albums

89/1001 Run DMC-Raising Hell. Pretty much the first hip hop I remember from my youth. Nostalgic and still punchy. I enjoyed the trip back. #1001albums

88/1001 Pink Floyd-The Wall. I don’t get all the fuss about Floyd. This seems to me to be rather full of its own cleverness, goes on too long & really is pleased with itself. My favourite parts are how well recorded it is & the little rhythm guitar parts on The Wall. The rest leaves me cold.

87/1001 Bob Dylan-Time Out of Mind. Later period Dylan that still sounds classic with some truly great songs. He still had it. #1001albums

86/1001 The War On Drugs-Lost in the Dream. There’s a folky ambience to this. Sound wise I’ve heard similar things on modern Dylan records, but this is less demonstrative, more insidious, and it does its best to insinuate itself into your consciousness rather than demanding attention. #1001albums

Post the US Labor Day, another shoutout to @tonemonkey.bsky.social for puttin' in the work on this daunting project!

Ian McHugh@tonemonkey.bsky.social · 3w ago

85/1001 Kraftwerk-The Man Machine. Imagine grooves so straight they actually have real groove. It’s an odd experience as it seems at first so robotic and unflowing but it’s not at all. An odd genius. #1001albums

85/1001 Kraftwerk-The Man Machine. Imagine grooves so straight they actually have real groove. It’s an odd experience as it seems at first so robotic and unflowing but it’s not at all. An odd genius. #1001albums

Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson-Winter in America. Groove leads you into a protest against social injustice. This isn’t a divisive record, it’s warm and welcoming yet it deals with some serious stuff in a way that is accessible to all. A wonder. #1001albums

The Cardigans-First Band on the Moon. It’s easy to see why Lovefool was the hit it was. It’s so accessible fun and joyous. That’s not to say the rest of the album is not good it’s just that it goes to some interesting places that people drawn in by the single won’t expect. #1001albums

82/1001 Air-Moon Safari. Ambient. Sounds like summer being lived with very cool people under striped umbrellas by the med with a cool spritz. I quite enjoyed it. #1001albums.

81/1001 Iron Maiden-thé Number of the Beast. It’s Maiden. Expect gallopy beats and the whole thing to be pompous like an unironic Spinal Tap yet strangely good and you’re there. It’ll never be my favourite but it’s not the worst ever. #1001Albums

80/1001 John Lennon-Imagine. A very good album even if john (and Paul) never reached the same heights they did previously in their post Beatles careers this has some wonderful songs and performances. I’ve always liked oh Yoko. Contains one of the top three versions of Jealous Guy. #1001albums

79/1001 Stevie Wonder-Talking Book. Near perfect, Stevie has all the groove, great songs and a wonderful recording. A great length too. You must hear this. #1001albums

78/1001 The Strokes-Is This It. A better than just decent album with good songs, angular riffs and a sound that takes you back to the 70s. I had fun. #1001albums

77/1001 The Lemonheads-It’s a Shame About Ray. Most of my memory of this was the cover of Mrs Robinson. I quite enjoyed the rest of it. Decent songs. Slightly Americana feeling. Not as grungy as I had filed it under. Not a bad listen. #1001Albums

76/1001 James Brown-Live at the Apollo. I love James Brown. This album is good, but… it has always sounded like the band are playing 15% too fast. It’s like the band are being paid by the song not the hour and they have a bar to get to. It doesn’t quite let the funk breathe. #1001albums