1001 Album Complaints

There are a number of “dudes listen to 1001 albums” podcasts out there. What makes this one distinctive is that these particular dudes are all experienced musicians. They have expertise they can bring to bear. This has its downside. As long time musicians they have an overly narrow perspective on what good music is supposed to do, and they have a hard time dealing with anything wherein conventional musical craftsmanship is not the focus (cough cough Gang of Four cough cough cough). But I’ll give them credit for trying—they do listen closely, even when they flat don’t get what the album of the week is trying to do. And they’re funny and they bounce off each other well, so there’s that.

This review specifically is in reference to the Harry Nilsson episode. This is essentially a Wikipedia reading by a bunch of dorks having no clue what they’re talking about, little frame of reference, and frankly terrible taste. It was really hard to get through.

Just discovered this podcast while searching for an episode on the Stone Roses, and loved their take on the self-titled album. It’s an excellent combination of historical background, technical analysis, and entertaining banter.

Boring and unoriginal takes. The kind of stuff you find on Wikipedia and YouTube. Some of it flat out wrong too. Not the sort of insight I’d expect from “musicians”.