1001 Albums Summary

This album reminds me of being a kid and my dad blasting music while cooking dinner. My senses would be overwhelmed by the vibration of the noise and the smells from the kitchen. It's that kind of unsettled wonder of being dipped into someone else's world from before you existed.

How can you hear the opening horns for "Let's Stay Together" and not get pumped? Al Green's voice is so smooth, and my only complaint is that his vocals get buried in this mix and it's hard to understand what he's saying. Otherwise it's super groovy and mellow, perfect for Sunday Morning breakfast.

This has a Dead Kennedys meets a new wave Beatles sort of vibe. Nothing really stood out to me. I do appreciate the Northern Ireland representation :D

For some reason I find Elvis Costello's voice super obnoxious, so listening to this was... painful. It reminds me of a dad-rock cover band. The songs repeat the same vocal and musical phrases over and over. The reggae attempt at the end was the absolute worst of it. I think I understand the appeal, but he is not for me.

This is quintessential 90s listening, from T-Boz's sultry voice, down to the ridiculous interludes before the songs. Love it.

I appreciate any incorporation of strings into a song, so Eleanor Rigby was the standout on this album. I enjoyed the incorporation of the sitar, as well. Got To Get You Into My life is also a bop. Everything else was standard Beatles and inoffensive.

Groovy choral music interspersed with backing strings. What's not to like?

Groovy for sure, but fairly repetitive with very little variety. The songs could have been cut in half and nothing would have been lost. The worst song on this album, "At Last I Am Free" is the longest at over 7 minutes, and it did not deserve the fire bass runs it featured. I did enjoy the vibe, though, since disco strings are my aesthetic, but I wouldn't listen to this again. Listen to "Le Freak" and call it a day.

Marching band folk music for people who like Ben Folds and Ben Gibbard.

This is an enjoyable, bouncy, electric instrumental listen, and really good for productivity. Definitely rolling this into my rotation.

I'm sure this album is great for people who like this style of singing. I, unfortunately, do not.

I'm not a fan of U2, and this is a great representation of their sound.

Ramblin' is an understatement for the verbal vomit that happens on this album. Every time it would start to pull me in, a monologue, lyrical repetition, or a yodel pulled me back out again.

I thought I was listening to the same song until I was halfway through the album. The drummer uses the same fill for almost everything, and it's a aural barrage of repetitive riffs the whole way through. Also, the singer is truly terrible. I think Tool stole their vibe and made it actually listenable.

The beginning is pretty much what I would expect in a jazz bar in Grand Rapids at 7pm on a Friday. Then, starting with "A Gospel", it veers sharply into bad white 80s rap, followed by generic 80s synth pop, to 60s-esque horn music. This album is tonally all over the place, and none of it is great.

Classic, filled with bangers.

Meh.