I think I worked out that, if I’d stuck rigidly to two albums per day from the point at which I started, I’d be done by now. But I’ve taken all the weekends off, I’ve not stuck religiously to the weekdays either, I took a fortnight’s break when I got to the halfway point and the family.caress all went on a caravan holiday to Clacton for a week a couple of weeks ago so now I’ve got this backlog.
It’s been enjoyable, though. I’ve listened to some good stuff. I’ve listened to a decent amount of good new stuff too. Not new new, obviously, but I mean new to me. It’s helped me with my tentative, budding interests in freeform jazz and seventies funk music, a couple of areas into which I’ve never previously delved.
I’ve listened to a lot of crap too, mind. Or, at least, a lot of apparently fine music that happens to leave me cold, anyway. I had a feeling I wasn’t a big Kanye West fan and, having listened to something like five of his albums now (with at least one still to go), turns out I was right in that assumption. Turns out I really don’t like Neil Young either. Or Joni Mitchell. Or Bob Dylan, especially (still got another three Dylan albums to go, I think).
Most concerning aspect remaining for me as things stand is that I’m not particularly keen on The Beatles and, although I’ve sat through a couple of Beatles albums (and a clutch of solo Beatles albums too) so far, I’ve still got something like FIVE more awaiting me within the top fifty. But, in a way, that’s sort of why I’ve been doing it. I’m hoping to broaden my mind a bit, listen to these long-acknowledged classics with a little more objectivity. Maybe hear something in those tunes I’ve been missing previously, you know?
All things being well, today I shall be listening to Exodus by Bob Marley (reggae is another relatively unexplored territory for me so I’m hoping for something intriguing here), Straight Outta Compton by NWA (an album I’ve owned since the eighties) and, if I’ve got time, Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette. That’s nos. 71-69 on the list.
(with apologies for the off-topic sojourn)