A love of music, a previous life as a sound engineer, an unhealthy (and expensive) obsession with hi-fi, the chance discovery by my (long suffering) wife of Rolling Stone’s Top 500 albums and the unavoidable arrival of my 50th year are what have led me here…
The challenge….
To listen to, and review, all of these albums by the time I hit 50 (or as close as I can get – I am currently only 17 months late and counting).
Having scanned the list the thought of listening to some of the entries makes my toes curl. However I will try and put aside any preconceptions and attempt to listen to them all in an open and unbiased way. The list initially seems a little US-centric (not surprising as it is Rolling Stone after all), and also contains a lot of ‘old stuff’. However I was never one to need an excuse to dive into a ‘record bin to find a record you always wanted all your life’ – thanks Nanci.
All of the albums will be listened to at least 3 times, to give an initial impression and then a more in depth listen. I also think that a rating for the album as a whole and a rating for the best track is a useful idea, but I may not adhere rigidly to this.
Then, whether or not I agree with the eminent contributors to Rolling Stone (much harder to do!).
This Herculean task will also be interspersed with other music I have been listening to, which will hopefully make it not such a route march.
All ably assisted by the aforementioned wife (put the kettle on love!)…