Day 9 - Back to reality and a change to the goalposts

First day back at work for 2017 today for both of us today. This is when we'll see how well disciplined we can be...

Robert Dimery (the author of the 1001 Albums to hear before you die book) has updated the list 3 times since the 2005 edition. On each occasion he has swapped out 10 albums for more recent releases. We think that's cheating a little bit (plus, some of the ones he redacted are really good) so we've decided we're going to listen to all 1031 albums that have so far been included in the book.

So, the target for 31st December 2017 is now 1031 albums.

That's about 86 a month. So far so good...

Album 33/1031

Living Colour - Vivid (1988)

All tracks written by Vernon Reid, except where noted.

Original
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Cult of Personality"	Reid, Muzz Skillings, Corey Glover, Will Calhoun	4:54
2.	"I Want to Know"		4:24
3.	"Middle Man"	Glover, Reid	3:47
4.	"Desperate People"	Calhoun, Reid, Glover, Skillings	5:36
5.	"Open Letter (To a Landlord)"	Reid, Tracie Morris	5:32
6.	"Funny Vibe"		4:20
7.	"Memories Can't Wait"	David Byrne, Jerry Harrison	4:30
8.	"Broken Hearts"		4:50
9.	"Glamour Boys"		3:39
10.	"What's Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song)"	Reid, Glover	3:56
11.	"Which Way to America?"		3:41

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivid_(Living_Colour_album)

Golf's verdict: I saw them at the Reading Festival in 1990 on a mid-afternoon slot and - sadly on the strength of this - they did not make much of an impression on my 17 year old indie-kid brain. This has got the funk and it also rocks. Cult of Personality and What's Your Favorite Color? were the stand-outs. A great companion to the Chilli Peppers from yesterday. Going on the 'to buy' list.

Maire's verdict: I thought I knew what Living Colour sounded like - couldn't have been further from the truth. Really enjoyed it.


Album 34/1031

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - With Eric Clapton (1966)

Side one

1. "All Your Love" (Otis Rush) – 3:38
2. "Hideaway" (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) – 3:17
3. "Little Girl" (Mayall) – 2:36
4. "Another Man" (Mayall) – 1:47
5. "Double Crossing Time" (Clapton, Mayall) – 3:04
6. "What'd I Say" (Ray Charles) – 4:28

Side two

1. "Key to Love" (Mayall) – 2:08
2. "Parchman Farm" (Mose Allison) – 2:22
3. "Have You Heard" (Mayall) – 5:56
4. "Ramblin' on My Mind" (Robert Johnson) – 3:08
5. "Steppin' Out" (L. C. Frazier) – 2:30
6. "It Ain't Right" (Little Walter) – 2:45

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues_Breakers_with_Eric_Clapton

Golf's verdict: A mixture of blues standards and originals written by Mayall to sound like blues standards. Enjoyed it a lot, but not an essential purchase. What'd I Say cover not a patch on the original either!

Maire's verdict: Nice to listen to but, to be honest, will probably have forgotten it by the end of the week.

Album 35/1031

Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Re-Hash"	Damon Albarn	3:37
2.	"5/4"	Albarn	2:39
3.	"Tomorrow Comes Today"	Albarn	3:12
4.	"New Genious (Brother)"	Albarn, Odetta Gordon	3:57
5.	"Clint Eastwood" (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien)	Albarn, Teren Jones	5:39
6.	"Man Research (Clapper)"	Albarn	4:32
7.	"Punk"	Albarn	1:36
8.	"Sound Check (Gravity)"	Albarn	4:40
9.	"Double Bass"	Albarn	4:44
10.	"Rock the House" (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien)	Albarn, Jones, Dan Nakamura, John Dankworth	4:08
11.	"19-2000"	Albarn	3:27
12.	"Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)" (featuring Ibrahim Ferrer)	Albarn, Ibrahim Ferrer, Lázaro Villa	3:36
13.	"Starshine"	Albarn	3:31
14.	"Slow Country"	Albarn	3:35
15.	"M1 A1"	Albarn, John Harrison	3:54

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorillaz_(album)

Golf's verdict: I largely ignored this on its original release, though Demon Days and Plastic Beach (albums number 2 and 3 following this debut) got quite a lot of playtime. Damon Albarn proving he's not just a fey indie pop star, but the single remixes for Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 are better than the album versions included here.

Maire's verdict: Okay - nothing to write home about.