No, sir. No time this year. Since roughly February I’ve been listening to (and then posting a short review on another website for) every album on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list (the 2020 update). Some days, I’ve listened to and reviewed three albums; some days, two; some days, none at all. It’s been a fairly loose timeframe. Anyway, I’ve still got about 70 albums to get through and I really want that particular challenge squared away by Spagvember. I’m going to struggle to get that done, but if I really pick up the pace it’s possible.
500 album reviews in one year. You do enjoy a challenge, I’ll give you that.
Maybe next year you could try reviewing the same album every day? No, wait, you tried something like that last Spagvember and it ended messy 
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)
Excuse me butting in on this … I used to be bored stiff by all of the above, but what is worth mentioning, that both Dylan and Neil kinda sneak up on you … you can be minding your own business and suddenly you go, ‘yeah, I get it!’, a sort of eureka moment. Personally I can’t say the same for Joni, she still bores the arse off me - but what I’m saying is that a lot of great music won’t register or resonate on the first or even first few listens - Having said that, Kanye West may be someone’s idea of a genius but to me it’s utter shite … I thank you 
Forgive me if I’ve mentioned this before but some years ago when I turned 52 it struck me as a brilliant idea to work through every year of my life, one year each week by watching films only from that year, reading a book from that year and listening to music only from that year. 52 years in 52 weeks. Sounds like a perfect project for a geek like me.
Here’s what I learned.
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I’m even worse at maths than I thought. I started the challenge with 1960, the year of my birth which means I actually needed 53 weeks not 52 so the whole thing had to run into the first week of the following year.
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There were great films released every year, many of which I had never seen or previously ignored because I thought I wouldn’t like them. I discovered some new favourites out of this which was a real surprise to me.
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Every book I read (I aimed at bestsellers or prize winners from each year) was also good and, again, I discovered some new favourites.
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My music tastes which I prided myself on being pretty eclectic were largely set in stone and anything released after the 1980s which wasn’t from a genre I already liked I just couldn’t connect with. I did discover new artists I hadn’t really heard of or given a fair crack but they almost all fell into the “sounds like something I already like” category. So I already liked rock and soul and jazz and funk and reggae and some electronic stuff and the pop music of my youth but anything outside of that I just couldn’t appreciate. Hip Hop, Rap, what is now known as R and B, Pop music from the past 20 years? Couldn’t do it.
Essentially, I discovered that I could be pretty open to almost any new stuff except music which, if I didn’t already like it just plain irritated me. Now that could just be me but I have a feeling I’m pretty typical in this way.
Final point, Aldo is right though. Young and Dylan can creep up on you if you let 'em.
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I didn’t knew that such a thing existed as people who don’t like Neil Young.
Lynyrd Skynyrd fans. 
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Yeah, I get that. 
It’s happened to me with a number of artists over the years as I’ve aged and my tastes have changed/deepened/widened/whatever. And I liked some Dylan. I didn’t mind The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan or John Wesley Harding, and I really quite liked Bringing it All Back Home. And I’ve still got Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited and Blood on the Tracks to listen to.
As to Neil, well, Harvest wasn’t completely intolerable and some of the CSNY stuff was okay but mostly he set my teeth on edge. That’s not to say I won’t have an epiphany with him one day, as you’ve suggested I might. These things can happen, for sure. Not this year though. I’m not quite dead enough for Neil Young yet. 
I used to think, ‘How can anyone listen to that bloody awful whining noise!?’ , but somehow the content of the songs overtakes that initial negative reaction, and you’ll start to yearn for his unique dirge
Dylan is a little hit or miss with me, but I am a fan of ‘Blood on the Tracks’, though I don’t envy your task of cramming all this stuff in to a short period of time. Anyway, good luck with your project.
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Sorry gents, I moved this conversation to a slightly more relevant thread since I’d pulled the Horror Films thread way off topic. My fault entirely, amigos. Apologies again. 
The wonderful Hans Zimmer soundtrack for to ‘No Time to Die’…
https://youtu.be/jk__o2kpbzc
https://youtu.be/x-2N3MrNalw
https://youtu.be/NJvLR6cfpIM
Love the Foo Fighters. What a shame. Taylor Hawkins was only 50 years old. RIP
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Any of you guys checked out Ryukibass on YouTube? He does some super funky covers of many great Spaghetti Western themes
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A little bit of happy, inspirational Elvis to set me up for the day… 
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Went to see this guy at the weekend.
Good gig and it kept me from watching the England France game so a win win
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The remastered “poliziotto sprint” soundtrack now available on various music streaming services
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A Youtube fav that I keep re-visiting.
Good for them for recognising Morricone as a genius.
Whistling…not so brill…but sombreros off to the amigo for trying…I don’t know if I would have the courage in front of a live audience.
I think that what makes this special, is that everyone appears to be having fun…
Got to admit, the guy on the guitar has nailed it (especially for ‘GBU’), and is very good.
New Year’s resolution…add to bucket-list…learn to play the guitar, and master those great notes from ‘GBU’!!
Also: Visit ‘Sad Hill’…Now, that WOULD be a dream come true…
Sombreros off to you folk…wherever you are now. 
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