> Spanky's 100 Album Listening Project

wrote:

Any; Crosby Stills Nash, etc or Van der Graaf Generator, or Cream or Procol Harum?

Don’t know. Look at the list in the OP.

Album 11 of 100

Listen date: September 26, 2026
Artist: Johnny Cash
Album: At Folsom Prison
Genre: Country / Live
Headphone: Sennheiser HD 600
Chain: Warm

This was one where I went in with higher expectations than the album ultimately met. It was good, but I think I had been expecting more of Cash’s bigger hits.

“Folsom Prison Blues” is a great opening song, and one I know well and enjoyed again here. “Cocaine Blues” was another highlight. I knew of it, but I’m not sure I had heard it many times. “25 Minutes to Go” was fun, and I also liked the closing “Greystone Chapel.”

The biggest surprise was June Carter appearing for “Jackson.” That is another great song, and I hadn’t realized her voice could sound so raw and powerful.

The rest was more mixed for me. I felt Cash leaned too heavily on the prison-song theme. One or two might have been enough, but three or four started to feel repetitive. Some of the other material also sounded a little plain and similar from song to song.

What I really loved was the rawness of the recording: the fingerpicking, the string noise, and the sense of the room. At times, Cash’s voice seemed to reverberate off a concrete wall at the back of the space. I wasn’t sure whether that was natural or enhanced in the studio, but the effect stood out.

The HD 600 is still fairly new to my collection, and its reputation did not disappoint with this album. Everything just sounded right.

Project status after this listen: 11 of 100 completed.

Album 12 of 100

Listen date: October 10, 2026
Artist: The Clash
Album: London Calling
Genre: Punk / Rock
Headphone: Sennheiser HD 599
Chain: Clean

This one wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, though there were several songs I enjoyed. “London Calling” and “Train in Vain” were the only tracks I already knew, and both were definitely enjoyable. I also liked “Jimmy Jazz,” “Lost in the Supermarket,” and “The Guns of Brixton.”

The different genres really stood out. The album felt decidedly not punk to me, at least compared with the Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, or Black Flag. Maybe closer to the Dead Milkmen, with some of the variety I associate with Green Day. I also thought I heard hints of early new wave.

As with several other albums in this project, I found myself drawn to the bass. It’s an instrument I never really noticed much before, and it keeps catching my attention during these listens.

I’d probably give this album another listen, but I’m not sure it will ever become a favorite.

Project status after this listen: 12 of 100 completed.

Album 13 of 100

Listen date: October 31, 2026
Artist: Radiohead
Album: OK Computer
Genre: Alternative Rock
Headphone: Sennheiser HD 800 S
Chain: Clean

This was my second attempt at listening. The first time, I was tired and ended up dozing off through the middle portion, so I wanted to return to it for a complete listen.

I still stand by my initial description of this album as “chill,” but that needs a little explanation. I found it lush, layered, symphonic, and immersive. There was a lot going on, but the overall vibe felt low-key.

“Paranoid Android” grew on me this time. It felt like the heaviest song on the album, and initially it had been the exception to that chill impression, but I ended up liking it on the second listen.

“Exit Music (For a Film)” was perhaps my favorite among the songs I didn’t recall hearing before. I also enjoyed the bass on “Airbag.”

One surprise was realizing how many of these songs I had heard before without registering that they were Radiohead. The album also reminded me somewhat of The Dark Side of the Moon.

Project status after this listen: 13 of 100 completed.