5) Fats Domino: ‘This Is Fats’

Listening to Fats Domino is like slipping into bed on a cold winters evening. He is relaxing, provides warmth, and gives that overall feeling of safety. ‘Blueberry Hill’ epitomizes this completely; it’s a song for young and old alike. In fact, the majority of Domino’s songs follow in a similar vein, there is not much to dislike about Fats.

He is the most popular exponents of the classic New Orleans R&B sound, selling more than any other black R&B star throughout the 1950s. He may not have been as innovative as Chuck Berry or charismatic as Little Richard, yet he is certainly one of the grandfathers of rock and roll and made his mark on music history with his distinctive 12/8 piano led boogie woogie sound. Indeed his 1949 single, ‘The Fat Man’, is consistently mentioned as candidate for the first rock and roll record. Domino’s sound was tried and tested in New Orleans and never really changed throughout his entire career. However, far from being a hindrance, between 1955 and 1963 Fats racked up 35 top 40 singles influencing countless of other musicians along the way, including; the Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

So, therefore, for anyone interested in the early origins of rock n’ roll Fats Domino is a must and this album is a great place to start as it gives an overall feel for his work. The steady beats, the thumping piano, the crooning vocals, and the saxophone solos are all present in this repetitive, albeit distinctive, style. Domino didn't change the world with his music but he sure did make pleasant music to listen to, and dance to for that matter.

Three songs give a great feel for the Fats Domino sound: ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘Honey Chile’, and ‘Blue Monday’; all of which are classic sounds of the 1950s and a great place to start to get introduced to Domino. However, it’s some of the other tracks here which provide the highlights of this album. The ‘Fat Man’s Hop’ plays like a blues jam session and clearly demonstrates Domino’s piano prowess which is always understated in many of his well known songs. ‘Trust in Me’ is a fantastic rock n’ roll number which just makes you want to dance. The R&B track ‘You Done Me Wrong’ is undoubtedly one of the best tracks here with its 12 bar blues and call and answer structure, all underpinned with a swinging rhythm, it’s fantastic.

Stand-out tracks: ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘You Done Me Wrong’ ‘Trust In Me’, ‘Blue Monday’

Rating: 7/10

4) Louis Prima: ‘The Wildest!’

Best known for playing the role of King Louie in The Jungle Book, Louis Prima famously sang one of the best loved Disney songs ‘I Wanna Be Like You’. However, there was much more to Prima than this, as this album clearly demonstrates. He was a gifted musician active from the 1920s right up to his death in the 1970s. Throughout his career he embraced the trends of the day; from New Orleans Jazz, swing, big band and then, throughout the 1950s, as a Vegas lounge act.

It is the latter part of these musical styles to which we turn to on ‘The Wildest!’ The move to Las Vegas was not really a choice for Prima as work was becoming hard to come by. So with his new wife of half his age, Keely Smith, and band in tow they set-up residence at the Sahara and became an instant success. No doubt their surge in popularity was largely due to the excellent stage chemistry between Prima and Smith. One half was a loud, boisterous, cavorting Sicilian-American and the other was a cool, sophisticated and highly talented singer whose detached stage demeanor worked excellently with Prima’s. In many ways they were the early blueprint for Sonny and Cher. Whether that’s a good thing or not is another matter entirely.

In spite of the train wreck this pair may have inspired, it is Prima who was heavily influenced by another man who shared the same name, Louis Armstrong. Prima’s gravelly voice, trumpet playing and scat singing style play offs with his band are all similar to Armstrong’s. Yet unlike Armstrong, Prima was never taken seriously. He was always viewed merely as an entertainer. Such a label is rather harsh and unfair. Prima was a seriously talented musician and a great singer, as was Smith.

‘The Wildest!’ was an attempt to capture the energy and mood of their live Vegas act, and boy did it deliver. It demonstrates a mixture of rock and roll, jump blues, R&B, jazz, and, most importantly, humor throughout. In short this album can be summed up in one word, fun! The personnel totaled no more than eight yet the sound is as full as any big band could create. The wonderful live feel of the album takes the listener on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. The music is by no means as groundbreaking as many albums are considered, but is certainly no less an album for it.

‘Just A Gigolo – I Ain’t Got Nobody’ and ‘When It’s Sleepy Down South’ although very similar are great numbers which encompass what is great about this album with strong orchestration and confident singing. Songs such as ‘For My Baby’ and ‘I’ll be Glad When You’re Dead You Rascal’ demonstrate the great play off humor between Prima and Smith. Whereas ‘Body and Soul’ and ‘Night Train’ showcase Prima’s great trumpet playing. Whereas ‘Body and Soul’ and ‘Night Train’ showcase Prima’s great trumpet playing. However it is ‘Jump, Jive An’ Wail’ which is the highlight of this album. It is as good as any R&B/rock and roll number from this era. This album is highly recommendable for everyone from causal listeners to serious musicians and even those who just want to hear some fun music. A must have for any serious album collection.

Stand-out tracks: ‘Just a Gigolo – I Ain’t Got Nobody’, ‘(Nothing’s Too Good) For My Baby’, ‘Jump, Jive An’ Wail’, ‘Buona Sera’.

Rating: 8/10

3) The Louvin Brothers ‘Tragic Songs Of Life’

I’ll be honest, I was against this album before I even listened to it. Firstly, I had never heard of The Louvin Brothers; secondly, the thought of having to listen to 1950s southern country music was almost soul destroying. If that wasn’t bad enough the cover of the two brothers grinning from ear to ear with guitar and mandolin in hand was enough to make me run for the hills, a mandolin for crying out loud!

I did a little research prior to listening and it would appear the lives of the brothers, well one of them at least, was tragic enough. Charlie and Ira Louvin were in fact real brothers. Yet that is the only thing they appeared to have shared. Whereas Charlie was the sensible brother of the two; Ira was an alcoholic, womanizer, short-tempered sort who was shot in the back three times by his third wife only to survive that to be killed by a drunk driver in 1965.

Anyway, time to get to the album. On first listen I was thinking the album’s title should be shortened to The Louvin Brothers ‘Tragic Songs’. It was fairly uninspiring stuff and the urge to hit skip halfway through was irresistible. In fact if you weren’t listening intently it was hard to decipher where one song ended and the other began.

Always one for punishment, I persisted. The repeated listens were certainly rewarded. This album certainly has some strong points. The first which stands out from the very start is the flawless close harmonies. Charlie’s baritone and Ira’s pure high tenor trade off and fuse with breathtaking ease and effort as only brothers can. Their close harmony set the bench mark for others (such as the Everly Brothers) to follow.

The dichotomous nature of the album is also quite interesting. If you were to read the lyrics alone it is clear this is an album of heartbreak, misfortune and even murder yet play the album and you will realize this is set to upbeat catchy melodies. I’ve been humming many of them without even knowing it the past few days. It’s happy and uplifting music set to very simple arrangements of guitar, mandolin, bass fiddle and snare drum. It’s simple yet very effective and these songs certainly succeed in telling a story, very much in the tradition of old folk music.

Yet it is also this very reason which makes this album rather challenging at times. The BPM rarely shifts throughout the entire album, everything is simple 4/4 or 3/4 time and although the vocals are technically perfect, there is little emotion contained within them which makes it hard to connect to the lyrics being sung.

In general the album starts off very well, the first four strong songs but there is certainly repetitiveness to the whole affair and a few songs are forgettable, especially in the middle section of the album. However, the brothers have succeeded in turning what could have a been a depressing and mundane album and turned it into something quite enjoyable, in places.

Stand-out tracks: ‘Kentucky’, ‘Let Her Go’, ‘What Is Home Without Love’, ‘Katie Dear’

Rating: 6/10

2) Elvis Presley: 'Elvis Presley'

Who could possibly have imagined the revolution this relatively unknown 21-year-old (outside of Memphis) was to have on popular music when he released his debut album back in 1956. Elvis' eponymous debut was an amalgamation of different recording sessions throughout January at his new record label RCA with additional material supplied from his first label, Sun Records.

Protocol of the 1950s dictated that the ‘better’ songs, with greater selling potential, were released as singles; whereas albums were usually filled with lesser qualities songs. Therefore this album is by no means perfect, in fact given today’s standards of albums it comes across as a rather clumsy record in production and execution.

However, that should not detract from some greatness contained within. There is no mistaking Elvis’ idiosyncratic vocals and the overall energy of the album is infectious, such as the cover of Charles’ ‘Ive Got A Woman’, Richards’ ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down’. The energy is not only contained to Elvis, but also his great musicians; the pioneering Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D J Fontana. There simple yet effective arrangements work perfectly for Elvis and together they venture on quite a wide range of genres which is admirable in itself; covering country, rockabilly, R&B, blues and pop.

Proceedings start off excellently with the infamous ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (only included as Perkin’s had already released the song himself and Elvis was contractually obliged to wait until he could release it as a single himself). In saying that I still enjoy Perkins' version as much if not more than the Kings. Some of the Sun recordings included, such as ‘I Love You Because’ and ‘I’ll Lever Let You Go’ come across as less than impressive. Also, although Tutti Frutti’s frenetic pace is a great effort, I would still rather listen to the original any day.

Yet there are gems included. ‘Trying To Get To You’ is one of the best early recordings Elvis ever made. Similarly, Elvis’ stripped rendition of ‘Blue Moon’ complete with falsetto oohs is exemplary. The final track ‘Money Honey’ starts off like Mancini’s ‘Pink Panther’ theme tune but transforms into a fantastic R&B number.

The albums cover is similarly a landmark. It is one of the most iconic photos of Elvis and was subverted by the Clash for ‘London Calling’ twenty years later.

Stand-out tracks: ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Trying To Get To You’, 'Blue Moon’, 'Money Honey’

Rating: 7/10

1) Frank Sinatra 'In The Wee Small Hours'

It is rather fitting that a book’s s title which suggests one to do exactly what is states opens with an album’s title which does the same. Frank Sinatra’s ‘In The Wee Small Hours’ is intended to be listened to alone and late at night. If the album cover wasn’t proof enough alone, then what's contained within will certainly resolve the matter. Just prior to the album being made, Sinatra famously separated from Ava Gardner and it was this which apparently provided the overarching theme for the album; sixteen ballads all based around the theme of lost love.

In a decade in when the single was king, albums merely served as a randomly compiled collection of an artist’s hits to date. Frank Sinatra’s ‘In The Wee Small Hours’ was noticeable for two reasons. Firstly, it was released as a double 10”, unusual for the time; and secondly, this album marked the consolidation of Sinatra’s (and indeed everyone’s attempt) to perfect the concept album as an art form.

The knowledge I possess of Frank Sinatra revolves purely around the never ending ‘best of’ collections which have been constantly trawled out by the record companies over the years. These predominately consist of the up-tempo swing numbers which everyone is familiar with. Thankfully, I have been introduced to a completely different side of Sinatra, that of a desperate and depressed man whose heart has been broken.

There are two main reasons why this album works so well in what it intends to do. The first of which is Nelson Riddle (the arranger) who perfectly creates a melancholy mood from start to finish with sparse orchestral rhythm sections formed by guitar, celesta, and flourishes of strings, and completed with Bill Miller’s delicate piano playing. It is this mood of loneliness and desolation which creates the perfect conditions for Sinatra to take centre stage with what forms the second reason this albums success; Frank's flawless vocals. Sinatra injects the perfect level of sincerity and emotion into the songs without ever becoming over indulgent or over-the-top.

The opening track, the only one specifically written for the album, is a stunning opener, as is the cover of Ellington’s ‘Mood Indigo’. Other highlights from this album are the cover of Cole Porter’s ‘What Is This Thing Called Love?’ and ‘I Get Along Without You Very Well’. The only negative thing about this album is that at sixteen tracks long consisting solely of ballads around one theme, it does run the risk of fading into the background at times. Yet in a way, given the whole theme of the album this could well be an intended by-product of the album. However, it's certainly not everyday I am prepared to engage in fifty minutes of stories from a heartbroken man. Overall though, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. This surely has to be a contender for greatest break-up album of all time.

Stand-out tracks: 'In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning', 'Mood Indigo', 'What Is This Thing Called Love?'

Rating: 7/10

The Project Begins!

My long, arduous mission is about to commence. I am about to be hurled back to 1955 and embrk upon a 1001 album journey through the ages until we reach 2005. Along the way I will encounter a whole range of genres; from pop, R&B, folk, hip hop, country, electronic, jazz, punk, grindcore, heavy metal, alternative rock, progressive rock, easy listening, to 1950s style rock and roll. On the one hand, I am thrilled that I will be introduced to a whole range of artists which I would otherwise not have known as well as revisit classic albums and artists and reveling in the majesty of these classic albums. On the other hand, I am under no illusion this is going to be entirely joyful. Indeed, there are a number of albums on this list which are going to be anything but pleasurable to listen to. However, I am certain the positives are going to outweigh the negatives (at this point in the project anyway).

So why do this?

1) I love music.

2) I love a challenge.

3) I hope to be introduced to a whole range of music I otherwise wouldn't listen to.

I am not going to set any time limit to complete this task. Whenever I get the time I will listen to and critique the albums in order. I just hope I have the time and, more importantly, the will to make it to the end. A number of revisions have been made to the original publication to include albums after 2005. If by some miracle I make to the end of the book, I will include the albums included after 2005 as an extension.

So without further ado, I present to you 1001 albums to hear before you die through the eyes of Steve Sloan.