This year, I'm not doing Reading Project. Not because I don't have too many unread books (I do), but because I didn't succeed last year, and also because shelf space is currently less of an issue due to ebooks.
However...
A couple of recent conversations reminded me of just how ignorant I am about music. I like music, don't get me wrong, but in the same way I like films: I sometimes watch them, but I don't recognise most actors, let alone directors, and I don't always remember very much.
From what I remember, this stems from two things, but primarily from practicality. While I was at school, I commuted about eight miles by train, so I listened to a fair bit of music on my little radio (this was before MP3 players) or occasionally to CDs on a walkman. However, reception wasn't so great. You'd meet new music at school because people talked about it and you heard new things at parties and so on.
At university I was both busy and insomniac, and reception wasn't great, but I still listened to stuff. Radio announcers and adverts seemed increasingly annoying though, so I tended more and more towards CDs. This meant listening to stuff I already owned, except on the rare occasions someone lent me a CD (which is how I got into Belle and Sebastian, for example). My parents are into classical, big band and rock mostly, so at home that's what we'd tend to have on, or factual programming, rather than music.
I also realised that I can't listen to music, other than instrumentals, while working. Words dig into my brain and distract me despite my best efforts. The same applies while reading, so although in theory I had a lot of time to listen to music, in practice most of it wasn't available for music-listening. And when I was in my room with music-playing equipment, I was usually working, reading or trying (often ineffectually) to sleep. My university days weren't particularly full of parties, I was mostly preoccupied with juggling three subjects, too many hobbies and health, and I deeply dislike clubbing. So... not so much in the music line.
Then I got my first job, in Wales. Reception was appalling and despite my best efforts it wasn't really feasible. My next job landed me in a house whose reception was nuked by a nearby factory. There was no point turning a radio on unless you wanted white noise to shut out distractions, although I did eventually get a digital radio.
At the same time, I'd discovered podcasts, and started downloading programmes rather than being tied to the radio (this was before fast internet was a given; all this streaming and listen-again stuff wasn't an option). Now I could transfer programmes, and music, to an MP3 player and just listen to things I wanted, without the frustrating babble of hosts and adverts.
So basically, I stopped hearing new music because it was hard to listen to the radio at all, and fell back on existing CDs and easily-downloadable podcasts. I mostly listen to podcasts these days, but listen to music when I can't concentrate or sometimes when running - though it needs to be the right kind of music.
Anyway, I want to do something about it, and I've decided to attempt a sort of Listening Project. I will start in 2000, and listen* to every UK Number 1 album from 2000 to 2015.
* providing I can get hold of them without spending money, because I'm not buying a few hundred CDs or a few thousand MP3s, thanks.
Rules of Listening Project
These are the participants:
| Artist | Album | Reached number one |
|---|---|---|
| Shania Twain | Come On Over | 05-Dec-99 |
| Travis | The Man Who | 09-Jan-00 |
| Gabrielle | Rise | 13-Feb-00 |
| Oasis | Standing on the Shoulder of Giants | 05-Mar-00 |
| Travis | The Man Who | 12-Mar-00 |
| Santana | Supernatural | 26-Mar-00 |
| Moby | Play | 09-Apr-00 |
| Tom Jones | Reload | 14-May-00 |
| Whitney Houston | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | 21-May-00 |
| Bon Jovi | Crush | 04-Jun-00 |
| Tom Jones | Reload | 11-Jun-00 |
| S Club 7 | 7 | 18-Jun-00 |
| Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP | 25-Jun-00 |
| Richard Ashcroft | Alone with Everybody | 02-Jul-00 |
| Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP | 09-Jul-00 |
| Coldplay | Parachutes | 16-Jul-00 |
| The Corrs | In Blue | 23-Jul-00 |
| Ronan Keating | Ronan | 06-Aug-00 |
| Craig David | Born to Do It | 20-Aug-00 |
| Robbie Williams | Sing When You're Winning | 03-Sep-00 |
| Madonna | Music | 24-Sep-00 |
| Radiohead | Kid A | 08-Oct-00 |
| All Saints | Saints & Sinners | 22-Oct-00 |
| Texas | The Greatest Hits | 29-Oct-00 |
| U2 | All That You Can't Leave Behind | 05-Nov-00 |
| Westlife | Coast to Coast | 12-Nov-00 |
| The Beatles | 1 | 19-Nov-00 |
| Texas | The Greatest Hits | 21-Jan-01 |
| Limp Bizkit | Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water | 28-Jan-01 |
| Dido | No Angel | 04-Feb-01 |
| Eva Cassidy | Songbird | 18-Mar-01 |
| Hear'Say | Popstars | 01-Apr-01 |
| Stereophonics | Just Enough Education to Perform | 15-Apr-01 |
| Ash | Free All Angels | 29-Apr-01 |
| Destiny's Child | Survivor | 06-May-01 |
| R.E.M. | Reveal | 20-May-01 |
| Shaggy | Hot Shot | 03-Jun-01 |
| Radiohead | Amnesiac | 10-Jun-01 |
| Travis | The Invisible Band | 17-Jun-01 |
| Usher | 8701 | 15-Jul-01 |
| Destiny's Child | Survivor | 22-Jul-01 |
| David Gray | White Ladder | 05-Aug-01 |
| Atomic Kitten | Right Now | 12-Aug-01 |
| David Gray | White Ladder | 19-Aug-01 |
| Staind | Break the Cycle | 26-Aug-01 |
| Slipknot | Iowa | 02-Sep-01 |
| Jamiroquai | A Funk Odyssey | 09-Sep-01 |
| Macy Gray | The Id | 23-Sep-01 |
| Dido | No Angel | 30-Sep-01 |
| Kylie Minogue | Fever | 07-Oct-01 |
| Steps | Gold: Greatest Hits | 21-Oct-01 |
| Michael Jackson | Invincible | 04-Nov-01 |
| Steps | Gold: Greatest Hits | 11-Nov-01 |
| Westlife | World of Our Own | 18-Nov-01 |
| Robbie Williams | Swing When You're Winning | 25-Nov-01 |
| Stereophonics | Just Enough Education to Perform | 13-Jan-02 |
| The Chemical Brothers | Come with Us | 03-Feb-02 |
| Enrique Iglesias | Escape | 10-Feb-02 |
| Sting & The Police | The Very Best of Sting & The Police | 24-Feb-02 |
| Barbra Streisand | The Essential Barbra Streisand | 10-Mar-02 |
| Nickelback | Silver Side Up | 17-Mar-02 |
| Céline Dion | A New Day Has Come | 31-Mar-02 |
| Blue | All Rise | 28-Apr-02 |
| Doves | The Last Broadcast | 05-May-02 |
| Moby | 18 | 19-May-02 |
| Ronan Keating | Destination | 26-May-02 |
| Eminem | The Eminem Show | 02-Jun-02 |
| Oasis | Heathen Chemistry | 07-Jul-02 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | By the Way | 14-Jul-02 |
| Bruce Springsteen | The Rising | 04-Aug-02 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | By the Way | 11-Aug-02 |
| Eva Cassidy | Imagine | 25-Aug-02 |
| Coldplay | A Rush of Blood to the Head | 01-Sep-02 |
| Atomic Kitten | Feels So Good | 15-Sep-02 |
| Paul Weller | Illumination | 22-Sep-02 |
| Elvis Presley | ELV1S | 29-Sep-02 |
| Will Young | From Now On | 13-Oct-02 |
| Foo Fighters | One by One | 27-Oct-02 |
| David Gray | A New Day at Midnight | 03-Nov-02 |
| Blue | One Love | 10-Nov-02 |
| Westlife | Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 | 17-Nov-02 |
| Robbie Williams | Escapology | 24-Nov-02 |
| Avril Lavigne | Let Go | 05-Jan-03 |
| Justin Timberlake | Justified | 26-Jan-03 |
| Kelly Rowland | Simply Deep | 09-Feb-03 |
| Massive Attack | 100th Window | 16-Feb-03 |
| Justin Timberlake | Justified | 23-Feb-03 |
| Norah Jones | Come Away with Me | 02-Mar-03 |
| Linkin Park | Meteora | 30-Mar-03 |
| The White Stripes | Elephant | 06-Apr-03 |
| Coldplay | A Rush of Blood to the Head | 20-Apr-03 |
| Madonna | American Life | 27-Apr-03 |
| Justin Timberlake | Justified | 04-May-03 |
| Blur | Think Tank | 11-May-03 |
| Justin Timberlake | Justified | 18-May-03 |
| Stereophonics | You Gotta Go There to Come Back | 08-Jun-03 |
| Radiohead | Hail to the Thief | 15-Jun-03 |
| Evanescence | Fallen | 22-Jun-03 |
| Beyoncé | Dangerously in Love | 29-Jun-03 |
| The Coral | Magic and Medicine | 03-Aug-03 |
| Robbie Williams | Escapology | 10-Aug-03 |
| Eva Cassidy | American Tune | 17-Aug-03 |
| The Darkness | Permission to Land | 31-Aug-03 |
| Muse | Absolution | 28-Sep-03 |
| Dido | Life for Rent | 05-Oct-03 |
| R.E.M. | In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 | 02-Nov-03 |
| Blue | Guilty | 09-Nov-03 |
| Dido | Life for Rent | 16-Nov-03 |
| Michael Jackson | Number Ones | 23-Nov-03 |
| Westlife | Turnaround | 30-Nov-03 |
| Will Young | Friday's Child | 07-Dec-03 |
| Dido | Life for Rent | 21-Dec-03 |
| Will Young | Friday's Child | 04-Jan-04 |
| Dido | Life for Rent | 11-Jan-04 |
| Katie Melua | Call Off the Search | 25-Jan-04 |
| Norah Jones | Feels like Home | 15-Feb-04 |
| Katie Melua | Call Off the Search | 29-Feb-04 |
| George Michael | Patience | 21-Mar-04 |
| Usher | Confessions | 28-Mar-04 |
| Anastacia | Anastacia | 04-Apr-04 |
| Guns N' Roses | Greatest Hits | 18-Apr-04 |
| D12 | D12 World | 02-May-04 |
| Guns N' Roses | Greatest Hits | 09-May-04 |
| Keane | Hopes and Fears | 16-May-04 |
| Avril Lavigne | Under My Skin | 30-May-04 |
| Keane | Hopes and Fears | 06-Jun-04 |
| Faithless | No Roots | 13-Jun-04 |
| Keane | Hopes and Fears | 20-Jun-04 |
| The Streets | A Grand Don't Come for Free | 27-Jun-04 |
| Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 04-Jul-04 |
| McFly | Room on the 3rd Floor | 11-Jul-04 |
| Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 18-Jul-04 |
| The Streets | A Grand Don't Come for Free | 25-Jul-04 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | Live in Hyde Park | 01-Aug-04 |
| Anastacia | Anastacia | 15-Aug-04 |
| Maroon 5 | Songs About Jane | 22-Aug-04 |
| The Prodigy | Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned | 29-Aug-04 |
| The Libertines | The Libertines | 05-Sep-04 |
| Natasha Bedingfield | Unwritten | 12-Sep-04 |
| Embrace | Out of Nothing | 19-Sep-04 |
| Green Day | American Idiot | 26-Sep-04 |
| Joss Stone | Mind Body & Soul | 03-Oct-04 |
| R.E.M. | Around the Sun | 10-Oct-04 |
| Ronan Keating | 10 Years of Hits | 17-Oct-04 |
| Robbie Williams | Greatest Hits | 24-Oct-04 |
| Il Divo | Il Divo | 07-Nov-04 |
| Eminem | Encore | 14-Nov-04 |
| U2 | How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb | 28-Nov-04 |
| Robbie Williams | Greatest Hits | 19-Dec-04 |
| Green Day | American Idiot | 02-Jan-05 |
| Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 09-Jan-05 |
| The Killers | Hot Fuss | 16-Jan-05 |
| The Chemical Brothers | Push the Button | 30-Jan-05 |
| Athlete | Tourist | 06-Feb-05 |
| Keane | Hopes and Fears | 13-Feb-05 |
| Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 20-Feb-05 |
| Doves | Some Cities | 27-Feb-05 |
| G4 | G4 | 06-Mar-05 |
| 50 Cent | The Massacre | 13-Mar-05 |
| Stereophonics | Language. Sex. Violence. Other? | 20-Mar-05 |
| Tony Christie | Definitive Collection | 27-Mar-05 |
| Natalie Imbruglia | Counting Down the Days | 10-Apr-05 |
| Basement Jaxx | Basement Jaxx: The Singles | 17-Apr-05 |
| Akon | Trouble | 24-Apr-05 |
| Bruce Springsteen | Devils & Dust | 01-May-05 |
| Akon | Trouble | 08-May-05 |
| Steve Brookstein | Heart and Soul | 15-May-05 |
| Faithless | Forever Faithless – The Greatest Hits | 22-May-05 |
| Gorillaz | Demon Days | 29-May-05 |
| Oasis | Don't Believe the Truth | 05-Jun-05 |
| Coldplay | X&Y | 12-Jun-05 |
| James Blunt | Back to Bedlam double-dagger | 10-Jul-05 |
| McFly | Wonderland | 04-Sep-05 |
| James Blunt | Back to Bedlam double-dagger | 11-Sep-05 |
| David Gray | Life in Slow Motion | 18-Sep-05 |
| Katie Melua | Piece by Piece | 02-Oct-05 |
| Franz Ferdinand | You Could Have It So Much Better | 09-Oct-05 |
| Sugababes | Taller in More Ways | 16-Oct-05 |
| The Prodigy | Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 | 23-Oct-05 |
| Robbie Williams | Intensive Care | 30-Oct-05 |
| Westlife | Face to Face | 06-Nov-05 |
| Il Divo | Ancora | 13-Nov-05 |
| Madonna | Confessions on a Dance Floor | 20-Nov-05 |
| Eminem | Curtain Call: The Hits | 04-Dec-05 |
| The Strokes | First Impressions of Earth | 08-Jan-06 |
| James Blunt | Back to Bedlam double-dagger | 15-Jan-06 |
| Hard-Fi | Stars of CCTV | 22-Jan-06 |
| Arctic Monkeys | Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | 29-Jan-06 |
| Jack Johnson | In Between Dreams | 26-Feb-06 |
| Corinne Bailey Rae | Corinne Bailey Rae | 05-Mar-06 |
| David Gilmour | On an Island | 12-Mar-06 |
| Corinne Bailey Rae | Corinne Bailey Rae | 19-Mar-06 |
| Journey South | Journey South | 26-Mar-06 |
| Embrace | This New Day | 02-Apr-06 |
| Morrissey | Ringleader of the Tormentors | 09-Apr-06 |
| The Streets | The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living | 16-Apr-06 |
| Shayne Ward | Shayne Ward | 23-Apr-06 |
| Gnarls Barkley | St. Elsewhere | 30-Apr-06 |
| Snow Patrol | Eyes Open | 07-May-06 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | Stadium Arcadium | 14-May-06 |
| Orson | Bright Idea | 04-Jun-06 |
| Sandi Thom | Smile... It Confuses People | 11-Jun-06 |
| Keane | Under the Iron Sea | 18-Jun-06 |
| Lostprophets | Liberation Transmission | 02-Jul-06 |
| Muse | Black Holes and Revelations | 09-Jul-06 |
| Razorlight | Razorlight | 23-Jul-06 |
| James Morrison | Undiscovered | 06-Aug-06 |
| Christina Aguilera | Back to Basics | 20-Aug-06 |
| Snow Patrol | Eyes Open | 27-Aug-06 |
| Kasabian | Empire | 03-Sep-06 |
| Snow Patrol | Eyes Open | 10-Sep-06 |
| Justin Timberlake | FutureSex/LoveSounds | 17-Sep-06 |
| Scissor Sisters | Ta-Dah | 24-Sep-06 |
| The Killers | Sam's Town | 08-Oct-06 |
| Robbie Williams | Rudebox | 29-Oct-06 |
| Girls Aloud | The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits | 05-Nov-06 |
| Jamiroquai | High Times: Singles 1992–2006 | 12-Nov-06 |
| George Michael | Twenty Five | 19-Nov-06 |
| Westlife | The Love Album | 26-Nov-06 |
| Take That | Beautiful World | 03-Dec-06 |
| Amy Winehouse | Back to Black | 14-Jan-07 |
| The View | Hats Off to the Buskers | 28-Jan-07 |
| Norah Jones | Not Too Late | 04-Feb-07 |
| Mika | Life in Cartoon Motion | 11-Feb-07 |
| Amy Winehouse | Back to Black | 25-Feb-07 |
| Kaiser Chiefs | Yours Truly, Angry Mob | 04-Mar-07 |
| Ray Quinn | Doing It My Way | 18-Mar-07 |
| Take That | Beautiful World | 25-Mar-07 |
| Kings of Leon | Because of the Times | 08-Apr-07 |
| Avril Lavigne | The Best Damn Thing | 22-Apr-07 |
| Arctic Monkeys | Favourite Worst Nightmare | 29-Apr-07 |
| Linkin Park | Minutes to Midnight | 20-May-07 |
| Maroon 5 | It Won't Be Soon Before Long | 27-May-07 |
| Rihanna | Good Girl Gone Bad | 10-Jun-07 |
| Traveling Wilburys | The Traveling Wilburys Collection | 17-Jun-07 |
| The White Stripes | Icky Thump | 24-Jun-07 |
| Editors | An End Has a Start | 01-Jul-07 |
| The Chemical Brothers | We Are the Night | 08-Jul-07 |
| The Enemy | We'll Live and Die in These Towns | 15-Jul-07 |
| Paul Potts | One Chance | 22-Jul-07 |
| Kate Nash | Made of Bricks | 12-Aug-07 |
| Elvis Presley | The King | 19-Aug-07 |
| Newton Faulkner | Hand Built by Robots | 26-Aug-07 |
| Hard-Fi | Once Upon a Time in the West | 09-Sep-07 |
| Kanye West | Graduation | 16-Sep-07 |
| James Blunt | All the Lost Souls | 23-Sep-07 |
| Foo Fighters | Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace | 30-Sep-07 |
| Bruce Springsteen | Magic | 07-Oct-07 |
| Sugababes | Change | 14-Oct-07 |
| Stereophonics | Pull the Pin | 21-Oct-07 |
| The Hoosiers | The Trick to Life | 28-Oct-07 |
| Eagles | Long Road out of Eden | 04-Nov-07 |
| Westlife | Back Home | 11-Nov-07 |
| Leona Lewis | Spirit | 18-Nov-07 |
| Radiohead | In Rainbows | 06-Jan-08 |
| Amy Macdonald | This Is the Life | 13-Jan-08 |
| Scouting for Girls | Scouting for Girls | 20-Jan-08 |
| Adele | 19 | 03-Feb-08 |
| Jack Johnson | Sleep Through the Static | 10-Feb-08 |
| The Feeling | Join with Us | 24-Feb-08 |
| Amy Winehouse | Back to Black – The Deluxe Edition | 02-Mar-08 |
| Duffy | Rockferry | 09-Mar-08 |
| R.E.M. | Accelerate | 06-Apr-08 |
| Duffy | Rockferry | 13-Apr-08 |
| The Kooks | Konk | 20-Apr-08 |
| The Last Shadow Puppets | The Age of the Understatement | 27-Apr-08 |
| Madonna | Hard Candy | 04-May-08 |
| Scooter | Jumping All Over the World | 11-May-08 |
| Neil Diamond | Home Before Dark | 18-May-08 |
| The Ting Tings | We Started Nothing | 25-May-08 |
| Usher | Here I Stand | 01-Jun-08 |
| Paul Weller | 22 Dreams | 08-Jun-08 |
| Coldplay | Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | 15-Jun-08 |
| Basshunter | Now You're Gone – The Album | 20-Jul-08 |
| Coldplay | Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | 27-Jul-08 |
| ABBA | Gold: Greatest Hits | 03-Aug-08 |
| The Script | The Script | 17-Aug-08 |
| The Verve | Forth | 31-Aug-08 |
| Metallica | Death Magnetic | 14-Sep-08 |
| Kings of Leon | Only by the Night | 28-Sep-08 |
| Oasis | Dig Out Your Soul | 12-Oct-08 |
| Keane | Perfect Symmetry | 19-Oct-08 |
| AC/DC | Black Ice | 26-Oct-08 |
| Pink | Funhouse | 02-Nov-08 |
| Girls Aloud | Out of Control | 09-Nov-08 |
| Il Divo | The Promise | 16-Nov-08 |
| Leona Lewis | Spirit | 23-Nov-08 |
| The Killers | Day & Age | 30-Nov-08 |
| Take That | The Circus | 07-Dec-08 |
| Kings of Leon | Only by the Night | 11-Jan-09 |
| The Script | The Script | 18-Jan-09 |
| White Lies | To Lose My Life... | 25-Jan-09 |
| Bruce Springsteen | Working on a Dream | 01-Feb-09 |
| Lily Allen | It's Not Me, It's You | 15-Feb-09 |
| Kings of Leon | Only by the Night | 22-Feb-09 |
| The Prodigy | Invaders Must Die | 01-Mar-09 |
| U2 | No Line on the Horizon | 08-Mar-09 |
| Ronan Keating | Songs for My Mother | 22-Mar-09 |
| Lady Gaga | The Fame | 05-Apr-09 |
| Bob Dylan | Together Through Life | 03-May-09 |
| Green Day | 21st Century Breakdown | 17-May-09 |
| Eminem | Relapse | 24-May-09 |
| Paolo Nutini | Sunny Side Up | 07-Jun-09 |
| Kasabian | West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum | 14-Jun-09 |
| Michael Jackson | Number Ones | 28-Jun-09 |
| Michael Jackson | The Essential Michael Jackson | 05-Jul-09 |
| Calvin Harris | Ready for the Weekend | 23-Aug-09 |
| Arctic Monkeys | Humbug | 30-Aug-09 |
| Vera Lynn | We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn | 13-Sep-09 |
| Muse | The Resistance | 20-Sep-09 |
| Madonna | Celebration | 27-Sep-09 |
| Paramore | Brand New Eyes | 04-Oct-09 |
| Barbra Streisand | Love Is the Answer | 11-Oct-09 |
| Editors | In This Light and on This Evening | 18-Oct-09 |
| Alexandra Burke | Overcome | 25-Oct-09 |
| Cheryl Cole | 3 Words | 01-Nov-09 |
| JLS | JLS | 15-Nov-09 |
| Leona Lewis | Echo | 22-Nov-09 |
| Susan Boyle | I Dreamed a Dream dagger | 29-Nov-09 |
| Michael Bublé | Crazy Love | 27-Dec-09 |
| Paolo Nutini | Sunny Side Up | 03-Jan-10 |
| Florence and the Machine | Lungs | 17-Jan-10 |
| Paolo Nutini | Sunny Side Up | 31-Jan-10 |
| Alicia Keys | The Element of Freedom | 07-Feb-10 |
| Glee Cast | Glee: The Music, Volume 1 | 21-Feb-10 |
| Lady Gaga | The Fame | 28-Feb-10 |
| Ellie Goulding | Lights | 07-Mar-10 |
| Boyzone | Brother | 14-Mar-10 |
| Lady Gaga | The Fame | 21-Mar-10 |
| Boyzone | Brother | 28-Mar-10 |
| Lady Gaga | The Fame | 11-Apr-10 |
| Plan B | The Defamation of Strickland Banks | 18-Apr-10 |
| AC/DC | Iron Man 2 | 25-Apr-10 |
| Plan B | The Defamation of Strickland Banks | 02-May-10 |
| Diana Vickers | Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree | 09-May-10 |
| Keane | Night Train | 16-May-10 |
| The Rolling Stones | Exile on Main St. | 23-May-10 |
| Pendulum | Immersion | 30-May-10 |
| Jack Johnson | To the Sea | 06-Jun-10 |
| Christina Aguilera | Bionic | 13-Jun-10 |
| Oasis | Time Flies... 1994–2009 | 20-Jun-10 |
| Eminem | Recovery | 27-Jun-10 |
| Kylie Minogue | Aphrodite | 11-Jul-10 |
| Eminem | Recovery | 18-Jul-10 |
| Arcade Fire | The Suburbs | 08-Aug-10 |
| Eminem | Recovery | 15-Aug-10 |
| Iron Maiden | The Final Frontier | 22-Aug-10 |
| Eminem | Recovery | 29-Aug-10 |
| Katy Perry | Teenage Dream | 05-Sep-10 |
| Brandon Flowers | Flamingo | 12-Sep-10 |
| The Script | Science & Faith | 19-Sep-10 |
| Phil Collins | Going Back | 26-Sep-10 |
| The Script | Science & Faith | 03-Oct-10 |
| Tinie Tempah | Disc-Overy | 10-Oct-10 |
| Robbie Williams | In and Out of Consciousness: | 17-Oct-10 |
| Kings of Leon | Come Around Sundown | 24-Oct-10 |
| Cheryl Cole | Messy Little Raindrops | 07-Nov-10 |
| Susan Boyle | The Gift | 14-Nov-10 |
| Take That | Progress dagger | 21-Nov-10 |
| Rihanna | Loud | 02-Jan-11 |
| Bruno Mars | Doo-Wops & Hooligans | 23-Jan-11 |
| Adele | 21 dagger | 30-Jan-11 |
| Foo Fighters | Wasting Light | 17-Apr-11 |
| Adele | 21 dagger | 24-Apr-11 |
| Lady Gaga | Born This Way | 29-May-11 |
| Arctic Monkeys | Suck It and See | 12-Jun-11 |
| Take That | Progress | 19-Jun-11 |
| Lady Gaga | Born This Way | 26-Jun-11 |
| Beyoncé | 4 | 03-Jul-11 |
| Adele | 21 dagger | 17-Jul-11 |
| Amy Winehouse | Back to Black | 31-Jul-11 |
| Nero | Welcome Reality | 21-Aug-11 |
| Will Young | Echoes | 28-Aug-11 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | I'm with You | 04-Sep-11 |
| Example | Playing in the Shadows | 11-Sep-11 |
| Ed Sheeran | + | 18-Sep-11 |
| Kasabian | Velociraptor! | 25-Sep-11 |
| James Morrison | The Awakening | 02-Oct-11 |
| Steps | The Ultimate Collection | 16-Oct-11 |
| Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | 23-Oct-11 |
| Coldplay | Mylo Xyloto | 30-Oct-11 |
| Florence and the Machine | Ceremonials | 06-Nov-11 |
| Susan Boyle | Someone to Watch Over Me | 13-Nov-11 |
| Michael Bublé | Christmas | 20-Nov-11 |
| Rihanna | Talk That Talk | 27-Nov-11 |
| Olly Murs | In Case You Didn't Know | 04-Dec-11 |
| Amy Winehouse | Lioness: Hidden Treasures | 11-Dec-11 |
| Michael Bublé | Christmas | 18-Dec-11 |
| Ed Sheeran | + | 01-Jan-12 |
| Adele | 21 | 08-Jan-12 |
| Bruno Mars | Doo-Wops & Hooligans | 15-Jan-12 |
| Adele | 21 | 22-Jan-12 |
| Ed Sheeran | + | 29-Jan-12 |
| Lana Del Rey | Born to Die | 05-Feb-12 |
| Emeli Sandé | Our Version of Events dagger | 19-Feb-12 |
| Adele | 21 | 26-Feb-12 |
| Emeli Sandé | Our Version of Events dagger | 04-Mar-12 |
| Bruce Springsteen | Wrecking Ball | 11-Mar-12 |
| Military Wives | In My Dreams | 18-Mar-12 |
| Paul Weller | Sonik Kicks | 25-Mar-12 |
| Madonna | MDNA | 01-Apr-12 |
| Nicki Minaj | Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded | 08-Apr-12 |
| Adele | 21 | 15-Apr-12 |
| Jack White | Blunderbuss | 29-Apr-12 |
| Marina and the Diamonds | Electra Heart | 06-May-12 |
| Keane | Strangeland | 13-May-12 |
| Emeli Sandé | Our Version of Events dagger | 27-May-12 |
| Gary Barlow & The Commonwealth Band | Sing | 03-Jun-12 |
| Justin Bieber | Believe | 24-Jun-12 |
| Linkin Park | Living Things | 01-Jul-12 |
| Chris Brown | Fortune | 08-Jul-12 |
| Newton Faulkner | Write It On Your Skin | 15-Jul-12 |
| Elton John vs. Pnau | Good Morning to the Night | 22-Jul-12 |
| Plan B | Ill Manors | 29-Jul-12 |
| Conor Maynard | Contrast | 05-Aug-12 |
| Rihanna | Talk That Talk | 12-Aug-12 |
| Emeli Sandé | Our Version of Events dagger | 19-Aug-12 |
| Rita Ora | Ora | 02-Sep-12 |
| The Vaccines | Come of Age | 09-Sep-12 |
| The xx | Coexist | 16-Sep-12 |
| The Killers | Battle Born | 23-Sep-12 |
| Mumford & Sons | Babel | 30-Sep-12 |
| Muse | The 2nd Law | 07-Oct-12 |
| Mumford & Sons | Babel | 14-Oct-12 |
| Jake Bugg | Jake Bugg | 21-Oct-12 |
| Taylor Swift | Red | 28-Oct-12 |
| Calvin Harris | 18 Months | 04-Nov-12 |
| Robbie Williams | Take the Crown | 11-Nov-12 |
| One Direction | Take Me Home | 18-Nov-12 |
| Rihanna | Unapologetic | 25-Nov-12 |
| Olly Murs | Right Place Right Time | 02-Dec-12 |
| Bruno Mars | Unorthodox Jukebox | 16-Dec-12 |
| Emeli Sandé | Our Version of Events dagger | 23-Dec-12 |
| Calvin Harris | 18 Months | 06-Jan-13 |
| Emeli Sandé | Our Version of Events | 13-Jan-13 |
| Motion Picture Cast Recording | Les Misérables | 20-Jan-13 |
| Biffy Clyro | Opposites | 03-Feb-13 |
| Motion Picture Cast Recording | Les Misérables | 10-Feb-13 |
| Emeli Sandé | Our Version of Events | 24-Feb-13 |
| Bastille | Bad Blood | 10-Mar-13 |
| David Bowie | The Next Day | 17-Mar-13 |
| Justin Timberlake | The 20/20 Experience | 24-Mar-13 |
| Paramore | Paramore | 14-Apr-13 |
| Michael Bublé | To Be Loved | 21-Apr-13 |
| Rudimental | Home | 05-May-13 |
| Caro Emerald | The Shocking Miss Emerald | 12-May-13 |
| Rod Stewart | Time | 19-May-13 |
| Daft Punk | Random Access Memories | 26-May-13 |
| Disclosure | Settle | 09-Jun-13 |
| Black Sabbath | 13 | 16-Jun-13 |
| Kanye West | Yeezus | 23-Jun-13 |
| Tom Odell | Long Way Down | 30-Jun-13 |
| Mumford & Sons | Babel | 07-Jul-13 |
| Jay-Z | Magna Carta... Holy Grail | 14-Jul-13 |
| Robin Thicke | Blurred Lines | 21-Jul-13 |
| Jahméne Douglas | Love Never Fails | 28-Jul-13 |
| Richard & Adam | The Impossible Dream | 04-Aug-13 |
| Avenged Sevenfold | Hail to the King | 01-Sep-13 |
| The 1975 | The 1975 | 08-Sep-13 |
| Arctic Monkeys | AM | 15-Sep-13 |
| Kings of Leon | Mechanical Bull | 29-Sep-13 |
| Haim | Days Are Gone | 06-Oct-13 |
| Miley Cyrus | Bangerz | 13-Oct-13 |
| John Newman | Tribute | 20-Oct-13 |
| Katy Perry | Prism | 27-Oct-13 |
| Arcade Fire | Reflektor | 03-Nov-13 |
| Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP 2 | 10-Nov-13 |
| Lady Gaga | Artpop | 17-Nov-13 |
| Robbie Williams | Swings Both Ways | 24-Nov-13 |
| One Direction | Midnight Memories dagger | 01-Dec-13 |
| Robbie Williams | Swings Both Ways | 15-Dec-13 |
| Ellie Goulding | Halcyon | 05-Jan-14 |
| Bruce Springsteen | High Hopes | 19-Jan-14 |
| Ellie Goulding | Halcyon | 26-Jan-14 |
| You Me at Six | Cavalier Youth | 02-Feb-14 |
| Bombay Bicycle Club | So Long, See You Tomorrow | 09-Feb-14 |
| Katy B | Little Red | 16-Feb-14 |
| Bastille | Bad Blood | 23-Feb-14 |
| Pharrell Williams | G I R L | 09-Mar-14 |
| Elbow | The Take Off and Landing of Everything | 16-Mar-14 |
| George Michael | Symphonica | 23-Mar-14 |
| Sam Bailey | The Power of Love | 30-Mar-14 |
| Kaiser Chiefs | Education, Education, Education & War | 06-Apr-14 |
| Paolo Nutini | Caustic Love | 20-Apr-14 |
| Lily Allen | Sheezus | 11-May-14 |
| Michael Jackson | Xscape | 18-May-14 |
| Coldplay | Ghost Stories | 25-May-14 |
| Sam Smith | In the Lonely Hour | 01-Jun-14 |
| Kasabian | 48:13:00 | 15-Jun-14 |
| Lana Del Rey | Ultraviolence | 22-Jun-14 |
| Ed Sheeran | x dagger | 29-Jun-14 |
| Collabro | Stars | 24-Aug-14 |
| Royal Blood | Royal Blood | 31-Aug-14 |
| Sam Smith | In the Lonely Hour | 07-Sep-14 |
| The Script | No Sound Without Silence | 21-Sep-14 |
| alt-J | This Is All Yours | 28-Sep-14 |
| George Ezra | Wanted on Voyage | 05-Oct-14 |
| Ella Henderson | Chapter One | 19-Oct-14 |
| Ben Howard | I Forget Where We Were | 26-Oct-14 |
| Taylor Swift | 1989 | 02-Nov-14 |
| Ed Sheeran | x dagger | 09-Nov-14 |
| Pink Floyd | The Endless River | 16-Nov-14 |
| One Direction | Four | 23-Nov-14 |
| Olly Murs | Never Been Better | 30-Nov-14 |
| Take That | III | 07-Dec-14 |
| Ed Sheeran | x dagger | 14-Dec-14 |
| George Ezra | Wanted on Voyage | 04-Jan-15 |
| Sam Smith | In the Lonely Hour | 11-Jan-15 |
| George Ezra | Wanted on Voyage | 18-Jan-15 |
| Mark Ronson | Uptown Special | 25-Jan-15 |
| Meghan Trainor | Title | 01-Feb-15 |
| Bob Dylan | Shadows in the Night | 08-Feb-15 |
| Sam Smith | In the Lonely Hour | 15-Feb-15 |
| Imagine Dragons | Smoke + Mirrors | 22-Feb-15 |
| Sam Smith | In the Lonely Hour | 01-Mar-15 |
| Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | Chasing Yesterday | 08-Mar-15 |
| Sam Smith | In the Lonely Hour | 15-Mar-15 |
| Kendrick Lamar | To Pimp a Butterfly | 22-Mar-15 |
| James Bay | Chaos and the Calm | 29-Mar-15 |
| The Prodigy | The Day Is My Enemy | 05-Apr-15 |
| All Time Low | Future Hearts | 12-Apr-15 |
| Paul Simon | The Ultimate Collection | 19-Apr-15 |
| Josh Groban | Stages | 26-Apr-15 |
| Blur | The Magic Whip | 03-May-15 |
| Mumford & Sons | Wilder Mind | 10-May-15 |
| Brandon Flowers | The Desired Effect | 24-May-15 |
| Will Young | 85% Proof | 31-May-15 |
| Florence + the Machine | How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful | 07-Jun-15 |
| Muse | Drones | 14-Jun-15 |
| Florence + the Machine | How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful | 28-Jun-15 |
| Lionel Richie | The Definitive Collection | 05-Jul-15 |
| Ed Sheeran | x | 10-Jul-15 |
| Years & Years | Communion | 17-Jul-15 |
| The Chemical Brothers | Born in the Echoes | 31-Jul-15 |
| The Maccabees | Marks to Prove It | 07-Aug-15 |
| Dr. Dre | Compton | 14-Aug-15 |
| Cilla Black | The Very Best of Cilla Black | 21-Aug-15 |
| Jess Glynne | I Cry When I Laugh | 28-Aug-15 |
| The Weeknd | Beauty Behind the Madness | 04-Sep-15 |
| Iron Maiden | The Book of Souls | 11-Sep-15 |
| Stereophonics | Keep the Village Alive | 18-Sep-15 |
| David Gilmour | Rattle That Lock | 25-Sep-15 |
| Disclosure | Caracal | 02-Oct-15 |
| Rudimental | We the Generation | 09-Oct-15 |
| Faithless | Faithless 2.0 | 16-Oct-15 |
| Jamie Lawson | Jamie Lawson | 23-Oct-15 |
| 5 Seconds of Summer | Sounds Good Feels Good | 30-Oct-15 |
| Elvis Presley | If I Can Dream | 06-Nov-15 |
| One Direction | Made in the A.M. | 20-Nov-15 |
| Adele | 25 dagger | 27-Nov-15 |
| David Bowie | Blackstar | 15-Jan-16 |
| David Bowie | Best of Bowie | 05-Feb-16 |
| Coldplay | A Head Full of Dreams | 12-Feb-16 |
| Adele | 25 | 19-Feb-16 |
| The 1975 | I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It | 04-Mar-16 |
| Adele | 25 | 11-Mar-16 |
| ZAYN | Mind of Mine | 07-Apr-16 |
| The Last Shadow Puppets | Everything You've Come to Expect | 14-Apr-16 |
| The Lumineers | Cleopatra | 21-Apr-16 |
| PJ Harvey | The Hope Six Demolition Project | 28-Apr-16 |
| Beyoncé | Lemonade | 05-May-16 |
| Drake | Views | 12-May-16 |
| Radiohead | A Moon Shaped Pool | 19-May-16 |
| Drake | Views | 26-May-16 |
- Each album should be listened to in order (but not repeatedly, in case of returns to No 1.)
- Each album should be listened to completely
- Songs I really don't like can be cut short early
- Songs I can't get hold of are disqualified
- Songs I can't get hold of without paying are disqualified
- Songs that are actually offensive are disqualified
- Bands that are actually offensive are disqualified
Additional rules
- Friends and well-wishers (heck, enemies) are welcome to recommend albums that are not UK No. 1 Hits for my listening.
- Recommendations are not guaranteed a place in the Listening Project 2016
- Friends and well-wishers are warned that I might completely hate your music
- Enemies are warned that I might love your music
- Albums submitted by friends should have lyrics available somewhere to satisfy my curiosity
- There are (of course) no language limits on friend-albums, although languages that I understand at least a little bit would be preferable to appreciate the music
This list is horrifically anglophonic. If I can find lists of No 1 Hit Albums for the UK's minority languages, I'll consider incorporating those too.
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