Journey Complete!
Finisher #253 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.88
Average Rating
100%
Complete
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
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Taste Profile
1980s
Favorite Decade
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Favorite Genre
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Top Origin
Enthusiast
Rater Style ?
495
5-Star Albums
100
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
|
5 | 2.32 | +2.68 |
|
Sulk
The Associates
|
5 | 2.36 | +2.64 |
|
Haunted Dancehall
The Sabres Of Paradise
|
5 | 2.37 | +2.63 |
|
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
|
5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
|
Cupid & Psyche 85
Scritti Politti
|
5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
|
Metal Box
Public Image Ltd.
|
5 | 2.41 | +2.59 |
|
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
|
5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
|
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
|
5 | 2.48 | +2.52 |
|
New Forms
Roni Size
|
5 | 2.53 | +2.47 |
|
Playing With Fire
Spacemen 3
|
5 | 2.54 | +2.46 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
|
1 | 3.74 | -2.74 |
|
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
|
1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
|
21
Adele
|
1 | 3.69 | -2.69 |
|
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
|
1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
|
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
|
1 | 3.53 | -2.53 |
|
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
|
1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
|
Parachutes
Coldplay
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
Tidal
Fiona Apple
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
|
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
|
Frank
Amy Winehouse
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.78 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 5 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 5 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 5 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 4 | 5 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 5 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 5 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 4.8 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.67 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.43 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 4.5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 5 | 4.6 |
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 4.6 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.6 |
| The Byrds | 5 | 4.6 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.75 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 5 |
| The Doors | 3 | 5 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 5 |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 5 |
| Prince | 3 | 5 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 5 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 5 |
| Roxy Music | 3 | 5 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 5 |
| Pixies | 3 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 5 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 5 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 |
| Echo And The Bunnymen | 3 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 4.29 |
| U2 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Björk | 4 | 4.5 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 4.67 |
| Neil Young & Crazy Horse | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 4.67 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 4.67 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 4.67 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 4.67 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.67 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Cure | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Fall | 3 | 4.67 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Flaming Lips | 2 | 5 |
| CHIC | 2 | 5 |
| Primal Scream | 2 | 5 |
| Manic Street Preachers | 2 | 5 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| T. Rex | 2 | 5 |
| John Lennon | 2 | 5 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 5 |
| The Temptations | 2 | 5 |
| Megadeth | 2 | 5 |
| Elton John | 2 | 5 |
| Curtis Mayfield | 2 | 5 |
| Iggy Pop | 2 | 5 |
| Suede | 2 | 5 |
| Spiritualized | 2 | 5 |
| Dinosaur Jr. | 2 | 5 |
| Can | 2 | 5 |
| The Specials | 2 | 5 |
| The Jam | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Joy Division | 2 | 5 |
| Genesis | 2 | 5 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 5 |
| Dire Straits | 2 | 5 |
| Lou Reed | 2 | 5 |
| Ice Cube | 2 | 5 |
| Traffic | 2 | 5 |
| Jane's Addiction | 2 | 5 |
| Pulp | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Run-D.M.C. | 2 | 5 |
| ZZ Top | 2 | 5 |
| Massive Attack | 2 | 5 |
| Isaac Hayes | 2 | 5 |
| Siouxsie And The Banshees | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| The Band | 2 | 5 |
| New Order | 2 | 5 |
| Sly & The Family Stone | 2 | 5 |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 5 |
| Depeche Mode | 2 | 5 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs | 2 | 5 |
| Big Star | 2 | 5 |
| Scott Walker | 2 | 5 |
| Pavement | 2 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.2 |
| The Who | 5 | 4.2 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 4.33 |
| Blur | 3 | 4.33 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.33 |
| Aerosmith | 3 | 4.33 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 4.33 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 4.33 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 1.33 |
| Taylor Swift | 2 | 1 |
| Adele | 2 | 1 |
| Fiona Apple | 2 | 1 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 2 | 1 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1 |
| Doves | 2 | 1 |
| Christina Aguilera | 2 | 1 |
| Yes | 3 | 1.67 |
| The Mothers Of Invention | 2 | 1.5 |
| Stan Getz | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | 5, 1 |
| John Martyn | 4, 1 |
| Billy Bragg | 1, 4 |
| Coldplay | 4, 1 |
| Sepultura | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (495)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Icarus Line
1/5
You got good noise (Sonic Youth, Blonde Redhead, Unwound, Jesus Lizard, mclusky, Royal Trux, Swans etc etc) and you got bad noise made by copycat bands that have no sound on their own, like this band. It is just noise with a bit of garage rock, or the other way around.. it does not matter.
9 likes
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Listened to this album a lot in 1999, together with Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs. Band is operating in their own universe. A lot of these 1001 albums have a perfect song order and build up. Just like this album, which might take some time to grow. At some point, it gets a bit messy and crowded, with all these little noises, and then "What Is The Light" starts..
8 likes
Robert Wyatt
5/5
One of the most beautiful sounding albums ever. It is very typical English art rock, and I always thought of it as The Hounds of Love of the 70s. It has quite a reputation, and for sure, Radiohead fans will like it. In short: a great album, 5 stars easily.
6 likes
Suede
5/5
This album should be in any Britpop album top 5, together with Coming Up, Now I'm A Cowboy, His 'n' Hers and Different Class.
5 likes
Primal Scream
5/5
Screamadelica, Vanishing Point, Echo Dek, XTRMNTR, Evil Heat are all great albums and just show how good of a band Primal Scream became at a certain moment.
Re Vanishing Point: it is a bit like Darklands from the Jesus and Mary Chain - a really strong album but you automatically compare against Psychocandy. Likewise you compare Vanishing Point to Screamadelica, which is just hard to beat. So I will just give 4 stars but could (should?) have given 5..
..
..oh no hold on: 5 after all :-)
5 likes
1-Star Albums (100)
All Ratings
5/5
The best album opening ever and one of the best albums ever made; should be played through high-quality speakers for maximum effect...
2Pac
4/5
Excellent album, consistent, cinematic, no surprises
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Again an album that I had not listened to for years. Charlotte Street is still a nice song. A solid album, *** I guess ..but there exist so many of these records... and the vocals and lyrics are.. not so strong. ** then.
<Why are not any Felt records on 1001 Album generator and where are The Lotus Eaters?>
Eagles
4/5
Fine country rock album, a bit uneven perhaps, swings back from 5 star to 3 star and back again. Quite a while since I heard it for the last time but could certainly enjoy it.
1/5
A 1 star - could not finish it on this occasion - this is how a Flaming Lips album must sound to some of us. Even got a copy of this album but it makes me want to clean up my record collection.
Brian Eno
5/5
One of the best albums ever - 5 stars is not enough. :-)
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Everything But The Girl surely has made some nice songs including a few classic ones. It was initially a bit of a mystery to me why this album is on the 1001 list. It is certainly well made, but everything sounded rather generic and boring, even for a Sunday morning. However, then it became better and better - it was one of the albums in the list that I did not know already in advance, and my score went up by each listen: 1, 2, 3, 3.3 -> 3.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Listened to this album a lot in 1999, together with Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs. Band is operating in their own universe. A lot of these 1001 albums have a perfect song order and build up. Just like this album, which might take some time to grow. At some point, it gets a bit messy and crowded, with all these little noises, and then "What Is The Light" starts..
Bob Dylan
4/5
Has never been my goto BD album - one really needs to be in a good mood to tolerate the singing - this appears much less of a problem with his 60s albums. But of course Blood on the Tracks is solid and contains quite a few classic Bob Dylan songs. And it is not possible to give an album with Tangled Blue and Idiot Wind anything less than 4 stars, so 4 stars it is.
The Beach Boys
4/5
A big hit single and another great song (Good To My Baby) on Side 1 and several 5 star songs (Please Let Me Wonder, Kiss Me Baby) on Side 2.
David Bowie
5/5
Yet another classical David Bowie album, perfect in every sense.
Elvis Presley
5/5
My score is even for the original album (without later added singles like Suspicious Minds etc).
Mike Oldfield
5/5
To be played at loud volume.
CHIC
5/5
It is hard to give any album that starts with a full 8-minute version of Good Times anything less than 5 stars. The opener and the other two singles, which are also great, form half of the album. Hence, it follows that \[(4+5)/2=4.5 + \mbox{the perfect sound} = 5 *.\]
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
Not the same impact as Pretty Hate Machine, and I remember the slight disappointment after the long wait.
+ the album's sequencing, a classic NIN song (Hurt), all the instrumental bits, the high level of detail in the music (+5)
-: the straightforwardness of the concept, the standard industrial template of the proper songs (-0.5) and especially the awkward lyrics (-1).
Final mark: 5 - 1.5 = 4
3/5
a very solid country album - not sure why it is on the list (disclaimer: I did not know this album and only listened to it twice).
Santana
5/5
Classic songs on a classic Santana album.
Gillian Welch
4/5
Excellent Gillian Welch album, with various 5* songs, such as the opener and the two final songs.
Beatles
5/5
Nick Drake
5/5
A classic Nick Drake album - it is perfect, goes beyond English Folk and clearly belongs to this list.
The Pogues
4/5
Excellent Pogues album, perhaps a bit too traditional and straightforward for me, but contains some great songs, especially when they start to mix the songs a bit with other genres..
Björk
4/5
For me, the rating for Debut:Post:Homogenic used to be "3:4:5", and I had not listened to Debut for 25 years or so. I still think Homogenic is stronger, but Debut sounded fresh and was much better than I had expected (even without the 5* bonus track Play Dead)
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
My impression in 1997: solid & very skilfully constructed album, a couple of very strong tracks.
My impression in 2021: the same and 9+ minutes of a private psychedelic reel is still too much.
Rating: between 3 and 4 stars - depending on the sound volume and speaker set. Seems fair to give 4 stars then.
Lorde
1/5
Nirvana
5/5
Not the same impact as Nevermind and I remember a slight disappointment at the time, but still a classic.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
The first half (5 songs): clearly 5*. Had not listened to the second half for years: Sister Ray is alright but still too long.
(5+3)/2 = 4.
David Bowie
5/5
Classical Bowie album from the 70s - timeless, nothing to add
Beatles
5/5
The Dictators
2/5
Did not know this album, but it sounded like very straightforward punk-rock.
John Martyn
4/5
Hadn't listened to this album for years and had low expectations but after some repeated listening could appreciate it much more now. Thank you 1001albumsgenerator :-)
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Five classic pop-singles + five very strong other tracks - clearly one of the best albums of the 80s.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Some classical songs but also some less interesting songs, should have listened more but like the later LZ more.
Cat Stevens
4/5
Must have been 10 years ago since the last time I listened to this album. The music is easily 5 stars just like any other Cat Stevens album from that period,
but -1 for the lyrics.
The Cardigans
3/5
An OK Cardigans album, but I prefer some of their other albums.
The Kinks
5/5
classic Kinks album, not much else to say
Eminem
5/5
Again an album that I have not played for many years but still sounds fresh to me.
Talking Heads
5/5
Oh this is one of the best albums in the list. The music. The lyrics. All great from start to finish. Too bad one cannot give 10 star!
Beck
4/5
A very good album - I can see why it is on the list but I could never get fully into it - tried again yesterday after 20 years or so, still the same.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Timeless Stevie Wonder album, no comments needed
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Maybe 5 stars would have been meer appropriate - definitely 5 star in 1993 - but now listening to it in one go.. ..it is a bit exhaustive, oh wait, let me just give 5 star anyway..
Primal Scream
5/5
Excellent album, Higher Than The Sun, Come Together, Loaded etc. all perfect. I did not realize how good Primal Scream was ...until Screamadelica came out - afterwards they had a whole sequence of excellent albums.
The Beach Boys
4/5
The Beach Boys made some great music - after all they invented the whole dream pop / shoegaze genre with just one great song: "All I Want To Do" while "Good Vibrations" is the best pop song ever made ..but those songs are not on this record, and Pet Sounds is a small misstep in their oeuvre.
OK, quite a few songs are classics: Sloop John B, God Only Knows, Wouldn't Be Nice, I Know There's An Answer / Hang On To Your Ego, so 3* or lower is impossible to give, but quite a few of the other songs are rather boring.
Tears For Fears
5/5
4.5 star album for me: mostly excellent. and the typical 80s sound is of course the best sound ever.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
a very consistent album, strong guitar songs that are still immediately recognizable: 4.5 again.
Metallica
3/5
Enter Sandman = 5*,
Other songs = 2* (at most)
Production = 5*.
Lyrics = 1*.
Putting everything in a formula and doing some long calculations..
..2.544334 * so just *** in the end.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Never paid so much attention to solo work of CSNY apart from Y. And this is one of the few albums so far that I did know at all, not even the album title rang a bell. Quite a few different genres - the start of the album is not so special but I am glad that I did not give up: at some point there is a whole sequence of excellent songs especially The Treasure (Take one), so definitely 4*
Blur
4/5
Excellent album. Girls & Boys (5*) stands out - it is both annoying and catchy. Prefer Auteurs, Pulp and Suede but Parklife is still an album I put on once and a while. Score: 4.49 -> 4.
Duran Duran
5/5
One of the best pop albums from the 1980s - with great album tracks such as The Chauffeur that are just as good as the hit singles.
PJ Harvey
5/5
True classic in every sense
Funkadelic
5/5
I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe.
Jane Weaver
4/5
Not the status of a 1001 album generator album but, just another one of a massive amount of good albums that are released every year. I did not know this album, but some songs such as Slow Motion (the synths) and Loops in the Secret Society (the guitar) sounded very familiar to me. Clearly, Loops in the Secret Society is Velvet Underground. These songs and also the final two started to grow a bit on me. Vocals are OK too. I would buy this record and give it a 4 but I would never put it in a 1001 list!
The xx
4/5
Apart from house and techno music (and those records are not in the 1001 list unfortunately) there is just very little novelty in populair music in the 21st century. This is also illustrated by this album: it sounds like the xx took a single song of Young Marble Giants as the blueprint for their music. It does not mean it is bad though: the album is excellent and in contrast to all those recent 1001 albums it has certainly built up some status. So in the list? yes. 5-star: no.
The Blue Nile
3/5
I've always found this a nice but also a bit boring album (some songs and the way of singing remind me of slow Peter Gabriel songs). Hats, the follow-up album is quite a bit better.
Badly Drawn Boy
1/5
Never liked the album when it came out and this has not changed despite listening to it twice.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Classic album, had not listened to it for quite a while - one of the few albums I could play any time.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Elis Regina
1/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
The perfect Bob Dylan album
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Son of a Preacher Man is one of the best songs of the sixties, rest of the album is solid, very solid.
Ray Price
2/5
Country music on an album I did not know. I like the typical sixties sound, but it is not something I would regularly play.
Sister Sledge
5/5
One of my favourite Sister Sledge / Chic albums. Two out of 8 songs still sound a bit like fillers to me (Somebody Loves Me and Easier To Love) but the other six songs are really great.
Television
5/5
The title song is a highlight on one of the best albums ever - what some players manage to express with a guitar is amazing and still sounds as fresh as ever- but the rest of the songs is excellent as well.
Radiohead
5/5
perhaps a couple of songs are not so strong as the rest, but still a clear 5* album
Richard Hawley
3/5
Solid album - I had listened to it a few times when it was released and now I again. It is quite pleasant and I may listen to it again in the future, as with so many records: not clear why is in the 1001-list.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
1/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
I always choose for Gish and had not listened to this album fo many years. Never expected at the time that the Pumpkins would become so big. I thought they would reach a status like The Pixies or Sonic Youth but they went stadium-style starting with this album, without making any concessions to their music. OK, the production is more radio-friendly than Gish. But that's a big plus: this is one of the best-produced albums ever, the guitars on this album sounded great and they still do! And the songs are great too - unlike the OK Computer album from a few days ago, there is no single weak song on it. The lyrics are mwah but at least they are not annoying like on The Downward Spiral, so fine.
Frank Zappa
4/5
Never took the time to listen to this album properly but now I did: the Gumbo Variations is 5* - the rest is 3*-4*, so a very decent Frank Zappa album overall: 4*.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
Not the impact of Psychocandy but still a very good album, nice to see it on the list!
Justice
4/5
An electronic album that rocks - always found this a very solid album with some 5* tracks, in particular DVNO and Stress are great. Shame there is not much more French techno/house music in the list (Abstraxion, Romulus, Rone, Worakls etc etc)
The Streets
2/5
It is certainly entertaining enough to listen to once (just like his debut, which sounds exactly the same) - same kind of vibes as an arbitrary Arab Strap record, with these daily-life stories. But unlike Arab Strap, the music is a bit too straightforward to give anything more than two stars - you listen to it once and then that's it.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
This is an album that sounds pretty dated - normally I like that but here it does not work for me. Buffalo Gals is an iconic song of course, and I also still like Soweto and Jive My Baby - the rest of the album is ok-ish, perhaps I was not in the mood for this, but I guess that is the nature of the 1001album-generator.
The The
3/5
Excellent band / 1-man project. Not my favourite The The album though.
Dr. Dre
5/5
It has been a while since I last listened to this, but beats, choice of samples, flow ..so much better than that album of the Streets a few days ago.. It is the Funkadelic/Parliament 70s feel of it.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Never fully got into this record, but it is a solid 70s rock album.
The Doors
5/5
one of the best Doors albums
Machito
2/5
First 50s album from 1001albumsgenerator that I listened to. I did not know this album - the beat is fine - but I would probably not listen to it again - perhaps I was not so much in the mood for it.
Primal Scream
5/5
Screamadelica, Vanishing Point, Echo Dek, XTRMNTR, Evil Heat are all great albums and just show how good of a band Primal Scream became at a certain moment.
Re Vanishing Point: it is a bit like Darklands from the Jesus and Mary Chain - a really strong album but you automatically compare against Psychocandy. Likewise you compare Vanishing Point to Screamadelica, which is just hard to beat. So I will just give 4 stars but could (should?) have given 5..
..
..oh no hold on: 5 after all :-)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
A 5-star album, easily: it is one of these absolute classic albums on the list and one of these timeless albums that stay good no matter how many times you listen to it. Very influential, but most of all: great songs. Of course, the two 10-minute songs stand out but the other songs are very strong too (except for Round & Round even though it still fits).
Green Day
3/5
An OK album with some catchy songs but at the time I liked that Offspring album (Smash) more. The problem with Dookie: it is not fast enough - the songs should have gone through the Ramones machine. :-)
Aerosmith
3/5
Quite liked this album at the time: Love in the Elevator, Janie's Got a Gun, The Other Side, Don't Get Mad, all strong Aerosmith songs, but the album as whole is nowhere near their string of classical albums from the 70s. I am hesitating between 3 or 4 but go for 3 - same argument as before: this is just one of the many solid albums out there and not an album that should be in a 1001-list.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Solid jazz album, unclear why it is on the list
Boards of Canada
5/5
The album is a bit sketchy and I prefer Geogaddi, which is much more coherent. But every time one's attention is fading they come up with some great music on this album as well like Telephasic Workshop. It is a shame that other electronic music which is of equal or higher quality (think Max Cooper or Dominik Eulberg) never shows up in lists like these.. What one can do with electronic sound is so much more than what you hear here.. nevertheless, highly influential album, so 5 stars.
Solange
1/5
Otis Redding
5/5
Classic soul album. Timeless. Can listen to it any moment.
Miriam Makeba
2/5
Had high expectations from this debut album (knowing only a double compilation album of Makeba, which is great: full of 5* songs) but most of this album was not so remarkable.
Orbital
4/5
A very strong electronic album and a blueprint for their later work (which is even beter).
George Michael
4/5
A very strong pop album - ok it is a bit boring here and there and it is not in the same league as an 80s Madonna or Prince album but listened to it a lot at the time and can still appreciate it.
The Young Rascals
3/5
One of the relatively few albums on the list so far that I did not know beforehand. It is OK, but it did not sound like an album-album and I would prefer a best of. Unclear why it is on the list.
Elastica
5/5
This album is a classic 90s britpop album that is great from start to finish. It also sounds just as fresh as it did 25 years ago. Forty minutes. 16 songs. Most of them, especially the semi-Wire/Stranglers covers, very catchy.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
One of these albums that everyone knows and that is so clearly 5 star that there is not much to say.
The Smiths
5/5
One of the best albums of the 80s and this is even without some of their strongest songs from that period that were only released on single!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
At the time I would rated this album as a 4. Excellent but not as good as other Nick Cave albums. Now after relistening to it, I think it is a clear 5.
Taylor Swift
1/5
Nice voice.
David Bowie
5/5
One of my favorite albums ever: sound, songs, all perfect. I thought this album was seen as bit uneven but very solid Bowie album, so great that this is on the list after all.
Steve Earle
5/5
A great countryrock album. I had not listened to it for quite a couple of years. It is still perfect in every sense.
Paul Simon
4/5
This is just one of several excellent Paul Simon solo albums from the early seventies - the singles are clearly 5* songs - the other ones vary a bit. I had not listened to it for many years, and it is interesting to note its influence on artists like Iron and Wine.
Jamiroquai
2/5
I have always much liked the sound of Jamiroquai (and have a copy of Travelling Without Moving), but did not think the songwriting was particularly strong, as confirmed by this album. Some of the tracks are quite nice, like Music of the Mind, but I probably won't listen to this album again.
The Stooges
5/5
Carole King
4/5
This is one of these albums that sometimes work and sometimes not at all. When I listened to it today, I did not get into it so much as before. It should definitely be on the list but I give it a 4.
Metallica
4/5
Compared to the Black album - which I did not think was so strong anymore after listening to it now - I could appreciate this Metallica album much more after re-listening to it.
Talking Heads
5/5
Timeless music. Miles better than most of the other albums on the list.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
A solid LCD Soundsystem album not as good as Sound of Silver (5-star) or This Is Happening (4-star). I would rate it somewhere between a 3 and a 4 as it contains quite a few 4-star songs and not any real weak songs, although the closing track Black Screen is a bit tedious.
Fred Neil
2/5
The music is 3* I would say (of course, the famous song is 5*) but -1 for the vocals, which I did not like so much.
DJ Shadow
5/5
A classic hip-hop / trip-hop album from the nineties: great samples, great atmosphere and very coherent. I listened to it again and still like it very much.
Fever Ray
5/5
Great electronic album, very strong songs: the four singles seem arbitrary choices. Probably the best album of the 2000-2009 decade.
R.E.M.
5/5
Perfect R.E.M album, as I guess everyone knows..
Gang Of Four
5/5
Yes, another classic post-punk album that never gets old and that should be on any best-of list.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Classic, I would say top 5, Bob Dylan album - well-known singles like Sub. Homesick Blues and Maggie's Farm are still very strong but it is all about the last two (also very well-known) songs.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
I only knew the single with Sinead O'Connor. The rest of the album is in a similar style - it is all 3* I would say, but -1 for the production/sound - I won't listen to it again.
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
Had high expectations when this album was released, but usually only listen to the three or four stand-out tracks - rest of the songs = three star. I would say 4* is the appropriate rating.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Great songs - perfect. Probably the most consist album of Elliott Smith and the one I usually go for.
FKA twigs
2/5
Production sounds nice, but it is pretty boring music even after listening to it for a few times.
Eminem
4/5
In my mind I remember this album to be just as strong as its predecessor. But now listening to it again.. it is still a very good album, but 80 minutes is at least 20 minutes too many. I would probably go for Slim Shady again.
Culture Club
3/5
Karma Chameleon and Church of the Poison Mind are two classic 5* songs - the other singles and album tracks are in the range of 2*-3*.
Fats Domino
3/5
Fats Domino is always good to hear.
Various Artists
1/5
Kanye West
5/5
I did not realize that this album is already more than 10 years old.. Still sounds very good to me: lots of strong pop songs and very coherent (as in an album-album). It might be 10-15 minute too long but still a clear 5* for me.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
Classic BH&C album - should be high in every best-of list so no surprise it is included here.
Christine and the Queens
2/5
Production is excellent - songs are not so special.
The La's
4/5
Great album of course - used to be standard 4.5/5-star for me ..but then in 2006 a BBC in Session album was released with superior versions of many songs. This make it a bit difficult to rate it as 5-star.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
Excellent album and my default choice for choosing a Nilsson album.
The Doors
5/5
The previous Doors album from this list: Morrison Hotel is more of a favourite but this album is also very, very good, immediately from the opening song.
Billy Bragg
1/5
Did not pay attention the lyrics, I probably should have, but the music itself was a bit too boring for me.
Circle Jerks
3/5
I did not know this album in advance. It is not in the same league as perhaps better known albums from Black Flag, Minor Threat, Ramones etc. ..some of the songs consist of just a few shouts, but there are some great songs on it too (Beverly Hills, Live Fast Die Young) so it is OK; something I would listen to again.
Metallica
5/5
Best Metallica album, rated previous Metallica albums as 4 (AJFA) and 3 (Black) so this should get 5.
Morrissey
3/5
Just one of many solid Morrissey solo albums, solid as in very solid. Sure, if you select his best solo songs you get material for a couple of albums that nicely compare with any Smiths album, but it is not clear why this album is on the list.
Khaled
1/5
Ella Fitzgerald
1/5
Compilation albums should not be included in the list I think ..but I guess it is a bit of a grey area (thinking of for example "Singles Going Steady" or "Substance"). I can see that this is quality music but it all just sounds very boring to me.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Classic Marvin Gaye album - it is the Marvin Gaye album I probably listen to the most - it is perfect - not much more to say.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Together with Beggars Banquet, which is presumably on the list as well, my favourite Rolling Stones album - a clear top 10-ever album.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Great 80s LC album, even though I usually skip 1-2 songs. The last two songs are very strong have been greatly improved by covers of the Pixies and Nick Cave, respectively. And the same holds for the opening song (by REM)
T. Rex
5/5
Classic T. Rex album, never gets bored ..would be nice if a few more T. Rex albums are included as well.
Kate Bush
5/5
It is very nice to this album on the list, as I always thought the common view was that the album was a bit of a failure with musical experiments that did not fully worked. Something I never understood: the music is great, and I still much enjoy listening to it. OK, Hounds of Love is quite a bit of an improvement, but this one is also definitely 5 star.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Another live album which I agree makes a good case for having live albums included in the list. Yet at the same time I never manage to sit this album out in one go - a bit too much blues and too little rock for me.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
For some reason, the generator generated three live albums in one week or so - I can do without the humming, but these improvised jazz piano songs form definitely a piece of timeless music that never gets old.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Knew this was one of the best known Fela Kuti albums but never got to listen to it. A few days ago I made a mistake with giving a +2 score for Os Mutantes way too early. Did not want to make the same mistake. So listened a few times to Zombie - only two songs after all :-) - and really started to like them: great rhythms and hardly noticed the second time that they both last for 12 minutes or.
Cypress Hill
4/5
Great Cypress Hill album, had not listened to it for many years.
Nirvana
4/5
Should live albums be included on a 1001 album list? I am not sure, but certainly some of these live albums are pretty iconic, like this one - I suppose everyone knows it. It is excellent in many ways (the originals, the perfect covers, the production etc). But it also becomes a little bit boring too at some point - not sure if this is because the songs are so well known, or because it does not rock (pick a Violent Femmes (acoustic) record and you know what I mean).
T. Rex
5/5
In my mind The Slider was always a little bit weaker than Electric Warrior, but after listening to both albums I think they are equally good. Perhaps you need to know the Tyrannosaurus Rex albums or the first T.Rex album (which is also great) in order to realize this: but they are both *universally* good (not just within their own genre).
Os Mutantes
2/5
In the past I tried to listen to an Os Mutantes album before but never got into it, just like today. This type of 60s psychedelic kind of music is a bit of an acquired tase and this album is a bit less accessible than say a Love or Jefferson Airplane album. The album requires a certain mind set / mood in addition to multiple listens. I am not sure if I ever will, so 2 star but with a disclaimer.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
This is one of these albums that I would not have picked myself but can very well understand why it is on the list. But it is a fine album, and probably the Joan Armatrading I have listened to the most. Also: it is not possible to give an album that contains "Love and Affection" anything less than 4 stars.
Röyksopp
4/5
This album was hyped a lot around its release date. Great album overall but perhaps a bit too loungy for me and some of the vocal tracks are so so.. and perhaps not everyone will agree but: just listen to the Mandy remix of "Sparks" how much the album could have been further improved if they had upped the electro bits.
John Lennon
5/5
Classic Album. Classic songs. Classic Rating: 5.
Very interesting to hear "Give Me Some Truth" in the Get Back documentary.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Very nice SFA album - they made so many, none of them grabbed me completely but this one comes very close (just like Outspaced, their b-side compilation album).
Prince
5/5
Classic Prince album, perfect, not much else too say
The Cars
5/5
Best debut album ever. The invention of top 40 radio rock. Let the good times roll.
So its only 1978(!) and new wave rock already never sounded better than on this Cars album full of catchy songs, all played in their typical highly effective style - somehow they managed to get it right, right from the start. The first three songs are winners and is hard to imagine why one would not instantly like this album very much.
And its massive influence is obvious. Think New Pornographers, Weezer, Urge Overkill, the Strokes etc etc
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Superclassic album, every song is a classic -this kind of album shows that a scale from 1 to 10 stars might have been more appropriate than 1 to 5.
Sarah Vaughan
2/5
This is another one of these albums that you know is highly appreciated for good reasons, but it is not for me I am afraid.
The Soft Boys
5/5
Mix Syd Barrett with the Byrds and this is what you get: British psychedelic jangle pop with sixties influences. Great album! Discovered it 25 years or so after its release ..and for me, one of their best songs, "He's A Reptile" is part of the album ..but it is not: it was added in the reissue. The 10 original songs are strong enough to hold their own though and several of them are perfect examples of outstanding songwriting: 5 stars easily.
Elbow
3/5
A couple of strong songs, lots of attention to detail (album sounds great!) but not so many hooks - i bought the album at the time but was never really able to get into it. Art rock with not enough pop.
The Undertones
5/5
The first four Undertones albums are all great (same goes for Skids - not sure if their albums are also on the list but they should). I probably have listened to Hypnotized the most, nonstop catchy pop punk songs.
The Isley Brothers
5/5
One of these perfect 70s soul
albums that never grow old. Some great originals and some great covers. (Would be nice if "The Heat is On" is also on the list but I suppose it isn't.)
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Back in the late nineties Belle and Sebastian made quite some impact with their first three albums. The album opens with "State I Am In" - perhaps their most definitive song: either like you this song and the type of lyrics and you will like the band ..or you don't and in the latter case there is not much need to check out the rest of their oeuvre.
Some other highlights: I Could Be Dreaming and Electronic Renaissance.
The album overall has a demo feel and still has its charms. It is not their strongest effort though (and I was a bit surprised to see it on the list). Some of the songs are a bit too twee for my taste. So I would not be inclined to give this album the full five stars but still rate it as a very solid 4.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Had not listened to this album for at least a decade or so but it still great as expected (and I am not a major Elvis Costello fan, only know his late 70s - mid 80s output). Makes me want to finish his 2016 memoir. I also recommend to have a look at his list of "500 Must-Have Albums" on Vanity Fair - lots of interesting music recommendations.
Adele
1/5
Thought her previous album was the classic one? That one contained at least one great song (Rolling in the Deep)...
The Rolling Stones
5/5
One of the best Rolling Stones albums. Classic songs nonstop, in particular Gimme Shelter: one of their best songs. I also like the Sisters of Mercy version a lot but Merry Clayton brings it to a completely different level.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
Perhaps I was not in the mood for it ..but for some reason I did not manage to get into this album - it still ok of course but I liked it more in the past.
Madonna
4/5
Still remember that after a sequence of rather mediocre albums -say anything after Like a Prayer and this albums- and a string of singles that were good but not great (except This Used to Be My Playground but that was with Shep Pettibone again) ..suddenly ..Frozen was released and after that: the Ray Of Light single and then Substitute of Love and the Power of Goodbye.. in short: the best 4 pop singles of the 90s, seemingly out of nowhere.
So bought the album but felt a bit disappointed as it was made in the same way as in the 80s: great singles (*****) some (very) decent albums tracks (***/****) and some filler (*/**). Think True Blue or Like A Prayer.
Still feel the same after listening to it again today. The 4 singles and the William Orbit contributions are as fantastic as ever, just like a couple of other tracks, but overall it falls short to be of 5-star, just like True Blue and Like A Prayer (to compare, for me, her first album and Like A Virgin are both 5-star).
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Heard this jazz album for the first time - I did not like every song, but when it's good it's very good.
AC/DC
5/5
Massive album in the 80s - still great of course - one of these albums where practically every track could be a single.
Silver Jews
4/5
Had expected American Water instead of this album, but the choice for Bright Flight is not bad either. After all, American Water sometimes sounds half Pavement / half Silver Jews.. and while a Pa/SJ combination is of course a great mix, it is certainly nice to hear Silver Jews "only" and to realize again how good this band was in late 90s - early 00s.
I rate American Water as a clear 5* album. This album contains several 5* songs (in particular Tennessee) but for mr it is a very solid 4 overall (conform to my memory of it).
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Born To Run: The breakthrough album. Actually prefer its predecessor The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle and also Darkness on the Edge of Town, above Born To Run. The songs on Born To Run are perhaps a bit less special. And also: the way the band is playing on WIESS is great - the songs go on for much longer and have this live feel. On Born To Run, songs are shorter and Jungle Land is for me the best song of the album (of course, the title song is iconic). Nevertheless, Born To Run is great too and a 5-star album of course.
Motörhead
3/5
Not sure if live albums should be on the list but this well-known album seems like a proper choice: classic Motorhead songs by the classic Motorhead line up. The songs sound better on the studio albums.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Classic album. Great songs -goes way beyond its genre and probably one of the best albums ever made.
Miles Davis
5/5
Superclassic album - not much more to add
The Temptations
5/5
Perfect Temptations album, very diverse songs that never get bored: great album in every aspect
Erykah Badu
4/5
Excellent Erykah Badu album - very consistent, probably the EB album I have listened to the most at the time.
k.d. lang
2/5
Never got into this album at the time and have the same experience listening to it now - a couple of songs are quite strong though and vocals are excellent.
Megadeth
5/5
yeah this is great - always liked it but it is much more accessible and melodious than I remembered.
Arcade Fire
5/5
Had not listened to it for 15 years or so and liked it more at the time - but still good of course and one of those immediately recognizable albums, like The Bends or Siamese Dream. So will give it 5 star.
Neil Young
5/5
Classic Neil Young album. In a Neil Young top 5 I would put Everybody Knows, After The Goldrush, On The Beach, Tonight's The Night, Comes A Time and this album (and Freedom and Harvest Moon as well, and of course Rust Never Sleeps and Zuma).
Charles Mingus
5/5
One of the best albums of Mingus - not much too add, other than this is a great album.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Had not listened to this album for years - quite a bit of hype at the time so makes sense to have it on the list. 69 songs ..some of them sketchy and not going anywhere, other ones still work very well, although one has to be in the right mood to appreciate the performance instead of getting annoyed by it. I hesitate between 3 or 4 stars but go with my appreciation for it 20+ years ago ..so 4 stars.
Supertramp
5/5
I remember this album was still massively popular throughout the 80s and of course for good reasons: classic album from the 70s when Supertramp released a whole string of these perfect popalbums.
Pentangle
1/5
English folk from the late sixies - I suppose it is a solid album but it is hard to see justification for having this included in the list as even within its genre there are much better albums around from the same time period.
Radiohead
5/5
Great album - the last album of Radiohead that I am familiar with - I was a bit surprised to see this on one the list ..but now after re-listening it again I notice how good it is. I will probably check out the two follow-up albums as well now.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
A 90s rap album I was not familiar with. Listened to int once. Sounds fine but made less impact than some other albums from that period, so will give it a 3.
OutKast
4/5
A typical Outkast album with typical Outkast pop hooks - slightly surprising to see this album is on the list (wasnt the previous one considered to be the classic one?) Anyway it is very strong album even though 73 minute is overkill and hard to take in in one go. Rated it as 4* and still do.
Tangerine Dream
5/5
Still a fantastic album, I do not care too much about the albums before Phaedra (probably a mistake) but everything they made between 74-83 is great (just like the Edgar Froese solo albums from that period). Needs to be played loud and on a good hi-fi system.
Fiona Apple
1/5
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
The two big singles are classic tracks but apart from the Skip Spence track, which is also great, I never cared too much about the other tracks. And still feel the same, listening to it now again. I can understand why this album is on the list but three stars seems to be about right.
Björk
5/5
Had not fully invested in this album at the time: it was always Homogenic and then Post. But last year Debut turned out to be much better than I remembered. And this year the same is even more true for Vespertine, the 2nd 1001 album from Bjork on the list for me.
Mj Cole
3/5
Did not know this album in advance. It sounded quite dated, usually I am fine with that and also in this case.. ..it is certainly an album I would not mind listening to again (it sounds great, especially over headphones). On the other hand, it can easily be replaced by any other solid dance/house UK album from that period. So, hard to see why it is included on the list.
Gang Starr
4/5
Step in The Arena, Daily Operation, Hard To Earn - they always sounded equally good to me - just very consistent, high-quality rap albums- and to have one of these albums included in the 1001 list is very nice.
Elton John
5/5
Classic Elton John album, sounds as good as ever: a clear 5* album of course (and not even his best seventies album!)
Supergrass
3/5
Always thought this was a solid album and that Supergrass is a typical singles band - still think the same although the non-single album track You Can See Me is one of the stronger songs.
Q-Tip
5/5
Had this album as a 4* album, liked it at the time, but of course it was difficult not to compare to A Tribe Called Quest. Now after so many years it actually turned out to be much better than I remembered. It is just a very strong album and I can see why it was included on the list.
King Crimson
5/5
Still a great album. I usually go for a later KC album and had forgotten how good this album was.
The Everly Brothers
5/5
Not sure if this one should be on the list or its predecessor (It's Everly Time) but this one seems to be a very good choice nevertheless. A couple of 3* songs, a couple of 4* songs and quite a few 5* songs. This would be a 4* album normally ..but the 5* songs are super 5* songs covered by many others (think Love Hurts, Stick With Me Baby, Cathy's Clown). So a 5* rating is very justified.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Might be the album that I have listened to the most times ever. This dry drum sound in the first song.. instantly recognizable. I suppose it is Day Dream Nation for most people, but Sister is my number 1 Sonic Youth above Day Dream Nation, Evol, Dirty and Goo.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
One of these classic soundtrack albums that is hard to listen to without thinking about the movie. In my memory, Curtis Mayfield had written stronger songs for The Impressions or his early solo albums. So 4* for the song writing and 5* for the sound. But now listening to it again, I think 5* also for the song-writing is more appropriate.
The Go-Go's
5/5
Contains Our Lips Are Sealed and We Got The Beat and no filler at all. Jane Wiedlin en Belinda Carlisle released excellent solo albums and the other Go-Go's albums are great too, but this album is perfect. Catchy guitar songs, lots of hooks, some kind of new wave blueprint for many 90s alternative rock albums, but what I like most about their music is that -just like the Ramones, Blondie, B-52's - they mix their guitar songs with 60s pop influences, which combined with excellent vocals really makes their music stand out.
Bee Gees
3/5
Surprising to see this album on the list. Can only imagine it would be on the list if it came out at the end of nineties or later (as there is a clear split in the 1001 list between absolute iconic albums and a mixture of solid / bomb albums right about that time when the list is starting to ignore the truly outstanding albums from say the last 20-25 years). In any case, this album is from one of the least interesting Bee Gees periods (expected to see Odessa, guess it is on the list too) where they made 1-2 stand-out singles per album and filled them up with competent stuff. Same goes for this album. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart has become an Al Green classic - it is of a different level than the rest ...which is pleasant but apart from sounding a bit too proggy they sound like other artists on this album (think Beatles especially in It's Just The Way). So one >=5 star song, a couple of 4 star songs (like the 2nd single or the album closer) and number of **/*** songs.
Robert Wyatt
5/5
One of the most beautiful sounding albums ever. It is very typical English art rock, and I always thought of it as The Hounds of Love of the 70s. It has quite a reputation, and for sure, Radiohead fans will like it. In short: a great album, 5 stars easily.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
The 8 album sequence starting with From Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J and ending at Tunnel of Love is 5-star album only, and this is number 6, so five stars.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Classic Johnny Cash album that I had not listened to for many years. It is a fine album but a liitle boring as the songs sound a bit similar.
Morrissey
4/5
Had to check but apparently rated Your Arsenal with 3 stars and wondered why that Morrissey album was on the list. I knew Vauxhall and I is a better album but had not listened to it for at least a decade or so and forgot how much better it is. It contains exactly quite a number of 5-star classic Morrissey songs and I liked it a lot (4 stars, but at the high end so 8/10).
Digital Underground
4/5
Strong an consistent rap album from the golden age that i was not familiar with in advance.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
One of these superclassic albums (just like VU albums 1,2,4) and probably the most perfect album on the list.
Skunk Anansie
1/5
Kraftwerk
5/5
OutKast
5/5
Second Outkast album as prescribed by The List. Rated Stankonia as 4 stars, mainly because it was absolute overkill. This album is almost twice as long as they combined two separate albums into one.. but I always liked it much more. The song material is equally strong as Stankonia (and its predecessors) ..but the album has a much more relaxed sound, which makes it much more listenable.
Iggy Pop
5/5
Lust for Life and The Idiot both sound very much like Bowie albums in disguise and are great Iggy Pop albums. Presumably The Idiot is also on the list - both illustrate the enormous difference in quality between albums on the list over time. (Would also be appropriate if Blah-Blah-Blah is on the list too but I suppose it is not.)
Roxy Music
5/5
From '72-'75 Roxy Music recorded five classic albums; this is album number 2. Its widely known, so not much to say other that than it is yet another iconic pop album from the seventies, like practically every 70s album on this list. (From some reason, after 200+ albums, the generator is still feeding twice as many albums from the seventies than literally every other decade, and all these albums are way better than the average 21st century album on the list.)
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Another classic 5 star album from Simon & Garfunkel except for "America", but that song is easily compensated by the other tracks.
Funkadelic
5/5
Great album of course, Who says a funk band and the title song are two of the best Funkadelic songs ever. must have been great to go to a Funkadelic concert in the seventies..
Suede
5/5
This album should be in any Britpop album top 5, together with Coming Up, Now I'm A Cowboy, His 'n' Hers and Different Class.
Spiritualized
5/5
You know I've Been Here Before etc. is a great begin of a great Spiritualized record, which together with the Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space album, are two of the best albums released in the 90s. I assume the latter album (being their best known album?) is on the list too (together with at least one Spacemen 3 album) but Lazer Guided Melodies is even better.
To compare: some time ago Pitchfork published a nice list of 20 "Dream Pop" albums (Think Galaxie 500, Cocteau Twins, Beach House, Julee Cruise etc). LGM is on place 11 in this list. But even though I would perhaps not qualify LGM as "dream pop" (too much motorik) it should have been much higher in that list...
4/5
At the time I really liked this album and listened to it many times, but nowadays prefer their debut album. WSMG is still an excellent album of course that is way better than any of their later albums and I would still rate it as 4 stars. It is a pity that some of their strongest songs around that time are not included, for example: Talk Tonight and Acquiesce, b-sides of Some Might Say. (It's remarkable, at the time Oasis could - if they had wanted to- have easily released a WSMG Part 2 and it would have been just as strong as WSMG.)
Rod Stewart
2/5
Not an album I would listen to again. It is not bad but just a bit boring. Rod Stewart made much better albums in the seventies.
Coldplay
4/5
Still Coldplay's best album. Strong songs. Non-stop. It is the What's The Story Morning Glory of the 00s (heard these songs perhaps too many times from everywhere).
The Sabres Of Paradise
5/5
Best Sabras of Paradise album? Probably, starts off with the classic sounds of Bubble and Slide and contains The Balled of Nicky McGuire, one of the best electronic songs of the 90s.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Excellent Elliott Smith album, with very pleasant-sounding songs - I listened to it a lot at the time, as it is very easy to put the album on repeat. I am still a bit surprised to see the album in the list though, as it is basically a repeat of his previous albums - same style, same high-quality songs, same way of singing etc., which is certainly fine, but given that the 5-star album Either/Or is in the list as well, it is like having the same album in the list twice. ****
The Divine Comedy
4/5
Divine Comedy has made the perfect (chamber) pop song numberous times (Our Mutual Friend, Tonight We Fly, The Booklovers etc etc) . This min-album: If. The remaining songs are around 4*. Lyrics: 5* (of course).
Tito Puente
3/5
Milton Nascimento
2/5
The Triffids
5/5
Discovered this album a few years after it was released and it was the first Triffids album for me. Not sure if that is why I like it the most (the other Triffids albums are also great) but apart from the so-so production, this is a 5* album in every other aspect, introspective guitar rock that sounds very Australian, David McComb was one of the best singer-songwriters ever.
Violent Femmes
5/5
Classic and timeless VF album - shows how to rock without playing loud.
Peter Frampton
2/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Hadn't listened to this album for years - it is a good live album of course, just like those classic live albums from Thin Lizzy, The Who, Motorhead, Rush etc etc but I still much prefer the studio albums especially in the cases that involve these tedious drum solos.. as in this one.. but still definitely 4 star.
D'Angelo
5/5
Great debut album - pretty perfect. I say 9/10 but only because the follow-up, Voodoo (assume it is the list too) is even better (10/10).
Janis Joplin
4/5
A solid 4-star album, with a couple of 5-star songs.
Eric Clapton
5/5
I might prefer Slowhand but am not sure - both are classic EC albums.
The Mamas & The Papas
5/5
Classic album. Non-stop timeless songs. I would say: best debut album ever and should be in any in top 10 of any best of list.
MGMT
4/5
At the time I thought this was more of a singles band: the singles are all 5-star and instantly recognizable. In fact, the whole first half of the album is 5-star and then it drops a bit: a score of 8/10 seems about right to me.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Everything But The Girl has made some nice songs including a few classic ones. It is not clear to me why this album belongs to the 1001 list. It is well made, but I prefer the sound of their older albums. Just like today I had tried to get into this album at the time but never managed.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Great TM album in every aspect.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Best rap album ever. Easily just listen to Buggin' Out.
Prince
5/5
Classic album in every aspect with singles and non-singles that are equally strong - I would say: Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain and Sign o'the Times are the best four Prince albums.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
a couple of super 5-star evergreens and some very solid songs; if played on a decent hifi the album sounds as great as ever (and there are even a couple of better CCR albums around..)
Roxy Music
5/5
The perfect debut - The first five Roxy Musis albums are all 5 star albums - this is one is a super 5-star album.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
It is clear why this live album has status but I am not convinced live albums should belong to the list - this and the overfamiliarity of the material (I dont think I will listen to it again) make the album a bit hard to rate..
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
Would be nice if the list contains a few more Dinosaur Jr albums, but otherwise this is an excellent choice. One of the best Dinosaur Jr albums: perfect songwriting (Let It Ride, Budge, etc) + perfect guitar playing + perfect sound = 5 *****.
Rush
5/5
Perhaps they started as a Led Zeppelin kind of band, but from 1976-1987 Rush released 9 classic albums in a row with their own unique sound (every single album from 2112 to Hold Your Fire). Moving Pictures is a superclassic: one of these albums where it is difficult to pick out the best songs.. well thought-out lyrics, guitars, bass, synths, vocals...everything ties perfectly well together.
Can
5/5
Classic Can album. Tago Mago - Ege Bamyasi - Future Days - Soon Over Babaluma: a sequence of 4 consecutive 5-star albums.
The Kinks
5/5
Another great 60s album of the Kinks - I always rated it above Face to Face, which I gave 5 stars half a year ago or so. The two singles are evergreens of course but the majority of the other songs are equally good and some of them are just as known as well.
The Youngbloods
5/5
Did not know this album yet but it is excellent in every aspect and I have listened to it non-stop for several times.
Gary Numan
5/5
Classic electronic album. If you have not listened to the album for a while, then the songs all sound a bit the same perhaps. But another reason for that is just that they are all of high quality and very consistent: the two singles Cars and Complex do not stand out at all.
The Adverts
5/5
The Adverts only made two albums. I usually go for album number two, Cast of Thousands ..always found it hard to understand that that album was not well liked at the time. In contrast to Crossing the Red Sea, it is more new wave and less punk rock. But that is not say that CRS isn't great too.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Another classic VU album (first 4 are 5 stars)
Megadeth
5/5
Great metal album right from the start. I stick to general opinion here and claim that this one and Rust in Piece are their two best albums, as confirmed by the fact that both are included in the 1001 list. I listened to the 2004 cd remasters - not sure if there is some discussion on these (probably there is) but both cds sound excellent.. (afterwards I listened to the original Countdown to Extinction, which sounded ok but not so good as these remasters).
Gorillaz
3/5
Whereas Demon Days is still pretty strong, I am quite a bit surprised that this album has stood the test of time and is in the list. Bought it on cd at the time, but never got into it. And now, 20 years later, became bored again quite soon by the concept and the general mediocrity of the song material. Of course, I am not talking about the two biggest singles: Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 (note that the Soulchild remix is much better than the original version). The other two singles are ok too. The rest is 1-2-3 star. So three stars overall seems about right.
The Specials
5/5
The Specials 2 (more pop songs) will is more of a favourite, but their debut is almost just as good and the album style is -after relistening- not even that far away from the follow-up. I would put both in the list, together with the two Fun Boy Three albums (which are 5 star as well).
Butthole Surfers
1/5
Human Cannonball is great - 5 stars - but the other songs are not only less catchy - they are completely unlistenable. (10x1+1x5)/11 stars
Alanis Morissette
1/5
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Had given this album a try before out of curiosity but still do not see why this is an "essential" album - experimental pre-industrial 70s music that deliberately sounds ugly and lo-fi (it sounds exactly as what you would expect it to sound like). The follow-up "20 Jazz Funk Greats" is better (more pop) and would be a more appropriate choice for this list (i assume it is included as well).
The Jam
5/5
The Jam: great singles throughout but also a real album band who made a string of 5-star albums including this one.
Bob Dylan
4/5
From 25 years ago: the last really good Bob Dylan album, just short of 5 stars for me.
Miles Davis
5/5
Timeless classic, not much else to say..
Public Enemy
4/5
The first four PE albums are all great (of course numbers 2 and 3 are super-classic). This one is number 4. It is a little too long perhaps - the first half is 5, the second half is 4 star.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Heavily Gang of Four influenced album, which always sounds fine to me, but where GoF's albums are still timeless, FF did not really stood the test of time: the songs (even the singles) turned out to be quite a bit less strong than they were in my memory. Still a solid album, miles better than the other GoF derivatives from that time..
Jungle Brothers
5/5
There should be quite some albums from Black Sheep, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, Tribe Called Quest etc in the list. Most of their albums in period 87-94 or so.. all five stars, including this one of course.
Fairport Convention
4/5
The first five Fairport Convention albums are all excellent in the range 4 - 4.5 - 5. This is number 3. The material is perhaps a bit less consistent than Liege & Lief but still it is very good of course.
The Clash
5/5
Another 70s album with a massive reputation. But still, apart from their debut (their best album), Clash albums are always a bit inconsistent but with so many 5 star songs this is still five stars of course.
Taylor Swift
1/5
Better than Evermore (the album generated half a year ago)
Neu!
5/5
As great as ever - very essential album, just like its two predecessors (I assume the first album is in the list as well but the second one should be too on basis of its first half).
B.B. King
3/5
Traditional blues, very well played.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Excellent Billy Bragg - Wilco collaboration. I liked this album much more than Bragg's "Talking With the Taxman About Poetry" which was generated by the list generator some time ago. Not sure if this is due to Wilco (probably the best American country-rock band from the last 30 years or so) but will check some more Billy Bragg albums..
Faust
5/5
After "Neu! '75" another classic German experimental rock album from the early 70s on the list - this is my favourite Faust album - it is experimental but also very accessible and listenable at the same time (i would have been quite a bit surprised if it had not been included in the list).
Beatles
5/5
No need to listen to this album again in order to rate it: one of these super-classic albums that is in every best-of album list. each individual song fully analyzed, (but of course the album still works best when played as a whole).
The Temptations
5/5
Apart from singles I am not so familiar with the Temptations output in the seventies and had just overlooked this 1972 album. In short, it turned out to be another great Temptations/Whitfield album - with one mega-classic song of twelve minutes - while the other songs, including a cover of a very familiar song - are excellent too, in particular I liked their version of Isaac Hayes' Do Your Thing. Definitely 5 stars.
Jacques Brel
4/5
Great Jacques Brel live album of course, these chansons are obviously all of 5-star quality, and their live versions are often better than the studio ones..
But not sure if live albums should be included in this list, even though some are quite legendary and some of them have several tracks that do not appear on any studio album. Tough choice, as Olympia 64 satisfies both criteria.. so 4 stars then in the end.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
Did not know this album / band - not sure if it belongs to the list but I quite liked it: good-sounding 60s garage rock except for the last song (Melody..), which I would give 5 stars.
The Smiths
5/5
Another one of these huge pop-albums that shows how big the difference is between a true classic and the average, very good 1001-album (like these Morrissey solo albums that are included in the list as well). Contains non-stop Smiths classics: I Know It's Over, Bigmouth and There's a Light etc.
The The
5/5
The perfect The The album, still like it very much. Just noticed that some months ago for some reason I rated Infected with only three stars. I have now listened to that album again as well and am surprised. I still think it is not as good as Soul Mining but I should have given that album four stars.
The Beau Brummels
4/5
Did not know the band did know the album and had to get used to it, but the music, some kind of 60s folk/country rock, started to grow on me (must have played the album 5 times or so) and in the end I liked it quite well.
Supergrass
4/5
Supergrass: for me, a typical UK singles band, with albums -to which I had not listened for ages- that are solid at best. A while ago we had In It For The Money: 3 stars for me. I Should Coco, their debut is not that much different ..but the singles are even stronger and I like quite a few (but not all) non-album tracks as well - very surprising that Strange Ones wasn't one of the singles: 4 stars.
PJ Harvey
5/5
Great PJH album, songs are as strong as ever -perhaps Rid of Me is even better, but this is obviously 5-stars.
Air
5/5
Late 90s classic. Still a great album, so 5 stars, with a note that its successor (10000000 Hz Legend) is the real classic (1000000 stars)
Sonic Youth
5/5
For me, this album will be forever matched with that Hal Hartley movie ..Simple Men from 30 years ago. Since then I have forgotten all about that movie except for the out-of-nowhere dance scene on Kool Thing. The album nicely fits in the 5-star album sequence: Evol - Sister - Daydream Nation - Goo - Dirty - it might not be so universally strong as the other four but easily 5 stars of course.
Pixies
5/5
This was my favourite Pixies album for many years - in my memory it was quite a big thing when it got released - Pixies were relatively popular in the Netherlands (see the VPRO Onrust en Pinkpop '89 videos on Youtube - especially the VPRO recordings are as great as ever). Of course the previous albums are just as good. All 5 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Excellent Nick Cave & Bad Seeds album - was slightly disappointed when it was released due to their impressive previous album, Let Love In. ...25+ years later, I still find Murder Ballads a bit too uneven for giving 5 stars - a solid 4.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Together with Exile on Main Street (and Let It Bleed), my favourite two Rolling Stones albums - a clear top 10-ever album. And they even left out songs like Jumpin' Jack Flash..
The Human League
5/5
The 3rd HL album, for some strange reason the first two albums are not universally liked but Dare is one of the best albums from the 80s, must be the perfect pop album ever.
Joy Division
5/5
TDK D90:
Side A: Unknown Pleasures
Side B: Closer
Both, very obviously, 5 stars, just like all the other JD material on Still and Substance.
Pretenders
5/5
The best record of Pretenders, when they were still making new wave music.. ..some catchy singles but especially with lots of strong album tracks, like the first triple of songs..
The Gun Club
5/5
The first four Gun Club albums are all classics - always liked The Las Vegas Story the most - less blues and more new wave / post-punk -I guess it is not on the list but really should- but in any case Fire Of Love is great too, punk-blues might be the best qualification. It is quite intense and needs to be played as loud as possible.
5/5
Best album of Blur? Blur is not in the same league as the Auteurs, Pulp or Suede.. but this album turns out to be just as strong as I remembered (it just needed a few extra spins and un-comparison with the Gun Club album from the day before) and it even does not include Popscene...
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
5/5
I do not own a copy of this album and had not listened to it for a long time. True sixties classic from a musician who was obviously very talented. The kind of psychedelic rock that is still very accessible, as it is mixed with strong and classic song-writing.
Incubus
2/5
Was not into Incubus at the time. The sound is that typical 90s cross-over metal that has not aged well. Lyrics idemdito. Some kind of Faith No More-light but without the strong songs.
John Martyn
1/5
The previous JM album on the list, Solid Air, is quite strong (4 stars) but I could not get into this album, which I had not heard before; the closing track was just annoying.
R.E.M.
5/5
The 5th REM album was the first one I knew. They had a streak of 8+ five-star albums...
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Music of my mind - talking book - innervisions - this album - song in the KoL: should all be on this list.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
From memory, UK guitar bands just before Britpop took off: Madchester / Shoegaze / Wedding Present / St Etienne and ..Teenage Fanclub.
Bandwagonesque might be the best album from a very solid band, who made a string of very decent albums. It is nice to see this album on the list, like that album from the La's, just short of 5 stars for me.
The Who
5/5
Classic album. Timeless (there must be quite a few albums of The Who on the list).
Finley Quaye
1/5
Iron Maiden
5/5
As far as I understand this albums is seen as the best Iron Maiden album - I would agree with this, although they have made a whole string of 5* albums in the 80s - this might be the best heavy metal album ever..
The Boo Radleys
5/5
The perfect Boo Radleys album - I prefer their shoegaze period but can also appreciate their britpop albums afterwards, and Giant Steps falls exactly in the middle. Lots of strong songs whilst the shoegaze is still there.
Genesis
5/5
One of many classic Genesis albums. I am probably more inclined to listen to one of their 80s albums: Duke / Abacab / Genesis / Invisible Touch are all 5-star but probably not on this list. From their Peter Gabriel period, I had only expected to see the Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, but of course Selling England By The Pound is an appropriate choice too.
Marty Robbins
1/5
I only knew the first song (Big Iron) and it is a great song. Also thought the other songs written by MR stood out above the rest of the material, but in general this album was just too boring (reminded me of all those Elvis Presley soundtrack albums).
Happy Mondays
3/5
Preffered the Charletans and Stone Roses over any other Madchester band from that time but this album is ok as well, the sound is a bit dated but it contains several well-known singles and some good album tracks, 3.5 stars
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
This album is slightly more experimental than its predecessor, but it is equally accessible and just as good. Like any other great Fleetwood Mac album (FM, Rumours, this one, Mirage, Tango in the Night, all 5 stars) each of the songs is immediately recognizable as a CMcV/LB/SN song... ..yet you get the feeling that although these songs would still be good, they would be quite a bit less good if they had appeared on any of their solo albums.
The Who
5/5
Not as good as The Who Sell Out but still a classic album of course.
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
Metal Box and Flowers of Romans are both 5-stars. First Issue clearly has been influential, contains several 5-star tracks (PI, Low Life), and plays well at loud volume, but is rather uneven and has some boring moments like the spoken word part of Religion and the album closer, Fodderstomf (which I usually skip).
7/10 so 4/5stars.
Brian Eno
5/5
Classic Eno album - not as good as his first three albums but still 5 star of course.
Prince
5/5
Again a super-classic. Prince released from 1978-1992 an album every year except from 1983. But given the high quality of the b-sides, he could have released a 5 star album in 1983 as well. (Out of all the Prince albums from that period, Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O the Times are obviously 5 star. Lovesexy, Parade or Around the World are say 4.5 star so 5 star should these be on the list... )
Bee Gees
4/5
Had expected this to be on the list, given the album's reputation as the best Bee Gees album of the sixties/early 70s. Not sure why: most of those albums seem to consist of >>5* singles and some lesser material. And in my memory this album is quite uneven as well (apart from being a bit more orchestral). Listened to it again a few times todays and it started to grow on me: 4 stars.
The Zombies
5/5
one of the best albums of the sixties
Pink Floyd
5/5
A couple of days ago the generator generated Tommy and now The Wall. Just like Tommy the lyrics on their own are not so special but the music and the overall atmosphere is as great as ever of course.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Great EC album from his classic period. Check out his list of "500 Must-Have Albums" on Vanity Fair.
AC/DC
5/5
AC/DC in their classic period when almost every song they wrote became a rock standard - the louder the better.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Classic Bob Marley & The Wailers album, 5 star like any other BM from that period but this one together with Catch A Fire, might be their best but it is hard to say ..would be nice if some of their earlier albums are in the list as well.
Yes
2/5
Bought this album on cd once, together with The Yes Album, against my better judgment. Rated The Yes Album as 1* some months ago, but now listened to both albums again and think both of them are at least listenable. In fact, the well-known album closer on Fragile is even quite good. (but still, it would have been nicer if 90125 had been on the list..)
Madonna
4/5
At the time I thought it was the best Madonna album, but now it sounds a bit flat and some of the songs appear to be pretty weak.. probably the first Madonna album that had some 3* singles..
Still, it contains some classic Madonna / Leonard singles (the first two songs are obviously 5*) and most of the songs are 4*. So 4 stars seems to be about right (but I would not have included it on the list..).
Stereo MC's
3/5
EMF. Jesus Jones. Beats International. The Shamen, ..The Stereo MCs.. etc. Typical early 90s UK dance music that sounded quite dated even by end of 90s (at least to me, I still like the sound of 80s dance music very much). Songs itself are fine though ("Connected" is 5*) and perhaps, with a different production, this might have been a semi-classic - not on the level of Screamadelica (1991) or The White Room (1992) or Blue Lines (1991) but still, definitely a proper 3* album I would say...
The Doors
5/5
One of the best debut albums ever. After LA Woman and Morrison Hotel, the third Doors album so far.. all 5*
Carpenters
5/5
As the two singles compilations are perfect, I usually do not listen to regular albums of the Carpenters. However, some of these are excellent too, like this one. First half is perfect (5*). Second half has a decent share of 5* moments, but is perhaps a little inconsistent. Overall: 5*.
Saint Etienne
5/5
Classic UK electronic pop album from the early nineties just like Screamadelica (1991) or The White Room (1992) or Blue Lines (1991) or Morning Dove White (1993). Has Saint Etienne ever made a bad album? (Tiger Bay should be on the list as well, and last year's I've Been Trying To Tell You was one of the best albums from 2022.)
5*, some favourite songs: She's The One and Like A Swallow.
Apparently "Dazzle Ships" was a big inspiration for the album, but as always there are plenty of other music references as well (after all, Bob Stanley's "Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop" (2013) is one of the best books about popular music ever).
Dire Straits
5/5
This is not "Making Movies" which is one of the best albums ever made (and presumably included on the list as well) but still easily 5 star of course (just like Love Over Gold and Brothers in Arms).
Dolly Parton
5/5
Almost-perfect Dolly Parton from the 70s - the only DP album I know so a bit hard to compare it to the rest of her work. The album isn't nonstop 5-star but the first half and quite a few second half songs definitely are.
The Divine Comedy
5/5
From the 90s DC albums, I might prefer "Promenade" above "Casanova", as it contains "The Booklovers" and "Tonight We Fly", but this album contains "Theme from Casanova" and "Something for the Weekend". So hard to say..
The Monks
5/5
Up until now only knew a couple of Monks songs (from Nuggets, Fall covers, soundtracks etc) but had never listened to the album. This album is much, much better than your average 60s garage rock album. Together with "Elephant Mountain" the two best albums that I found out about through the 1001 Album Generator. (Unfortunately I listened to the version with bonus tracks - skip these tracks!)
Queen
5/5
One of these superclassic albums of the 70s.. perfection of style.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
Just like Showtime this DR album gets a bit on my nerves and hard to listen to in one go.
Lou Reed
5/5
Classic Lou Reed album. I am sticking to general consensus here and rate this album as his best one. "Berlin", "Transformer", "Street Hassle" and "New York" are all 5-star albums.
808 State
4/5
Late 80s electronic album from the UK. Pacific 202 still sounds as great now as it did in the 80s. The other tracks are very good: 8/10 overall
The Avalanches
5/5
One of these electronic albums that works on many different levels. Should definitely be on the list.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Of course, Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication are better rap albums, but this album is still as entertaining as it was in the 80s, with over-the-top lyrics and rap/rock songs that are heavily influenced by Run DMC (which I hope are included in the list as well). Favourite song that even made the Dutch Top 40 at the time: No Sleep Till Brooklyn, a nice Motorhead reference and a Kerry King guitar solo (still expecting a Slayer album from the generator as well..).
On a side note: Beasties Boys Book is one of the best books ever on the history of a band.
David Gray
2/5
David Gray is the Adele from the early 00s. Their albums are very popular (you could hear White Ladder everywhere 20-25 years ago) and very skilfully made, and whilst listening to a couple of songs is nice, listening to a whole album in one go might be a bit too much. WL contains quite a few very strong songs and I was thinking about a 3-star score or so, but had forgotten about the horrible 9-minute Soft Cell cover in the end (+5* original -> -5* cover).
The Pharcyde
5/5
Entertaining album from The Pharcyde - classic status, had certainly expected it on the list.
The Waterboys
5/5
Listened to te Collectors Edition a few times today, but will give a vote for the original album from 1988, which I had listened to a lot in the past: one of the best albums of The Waterboys and a clear 5* album.
The Waterboys should appear a few more times in the list - again an example of a band whose music was more than the sum of its parts (also illustrated by the extra songs on the Collectors Edition, which are great too).
Suede
5/5
The follow-up, Dog Man Star, is several stars better but this album is great too of course. Coming Up ishpikd be on the list too. Suede is a really good example how good a band can be in their prime: the b-sides during Suede-DogManStar-Coming Up are of similar quality as the tracks on these three albums.
R.E.M.
5/5
Standard REM album.
Frank Sinatra
1/5
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
Classic CSN album from '69, not the same classic status as Deja Vu, but still an easy 5 stars, just like the classic CSN album from '77 (the latter being the ultimate yacht album after all).
I realized that the debut album of the modern CSN variant, Fleet Foxes, is also approaching semi-classic status status (released 15 years ago) yet that album is not in the same league as CSN(Y)...
Hole
4/5
Guitar rock from the end of the 90s: combo of grunge / power pop, with excellent songs that still sound fresh today. At the time I rated it as a 4-star album but close to 5 (that is, 8/10).
5/5
Still a great album just like Dare or Dazzle Ships. Very well crafted. Strong songs and the perfect sound. I following concensus here and say that this is the best album from ABC but the follow-ups, Beauty Stab and Zillionaire, are excellent too.
George Jones
1/5
I can appreciate some of these George Jones / Tammy Wynette duets (had expected a George Jones / Tammy Wynette album in the list) but this album is just too boring.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Always had this down as a 4* album but only remembered a few songs. It is obviously very well made (with Let Love Rule as the 5* stand-out song) and generally enjoyable, just like Kravitz's second and third album. But a little bit too pastiche (same with other acts at that time like Ween / World Party / Jet Black Joe).
The Saints
4/5
I am not so familiar with the Saints but as expected this album was great. Favourite song no your product. Maybe it just falls short of being 5 star.
Ice Cube
5/5
Classic Ice Cube album, nice surprise to see this album on the list instead of its predessors. Contains Check Yo Self, probably IC's best single ever.
The Stone Roses
5/5
By far the best UK album from 1989. The year after Some Friendly got out but I still rate the SR album higher.
Dr. Octagon
4/5
Excellent Kool Keith album. Great, spooky beats.
3/5
These concert recordings have some reputation and they sound absolutely great (5 star music), but I do not think such live albums should be included in the list. For sure, numerous major artists have given great concerts playing their best songs... and each of them could have a similar album as this one.
Maybe if this album had an official release in 1966 it would have been a bit different but still live albums do not make much sense to me. Hence, a neutral 3 stars.
Mercury Rev
5/5
Had MR down as a fairly experimental band. Their previous albums were fine, but then they suddenly came up with a highly accessible pop album. Perfect sequencing. Perfect atmosphere and very strong song-writing. My favourite record from 1998.
5/5
Best American rock band from the first half of the 80s when they made five 5* albums. Probably their LA album is even a bit better but it is always a hard choice. Wild Gift contains songs like Adult Books and Universal Corner etc.
5/5
Classic DB album.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Solid RS album, with a good mix of originals and covers, quite an improvement from Gasoline Alley.
Traffic
5/5
Expected to see Mr Fantasy instead of JB Must Die, and hadn't listened to the latter album for a long time - turned out to be great (5 star songs except the first one).
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Have some vague memories that later AM albums get better but never cared too much for their debut and always struggled a bit to get through it in one go. Had the same experience today, but things got better after a second listen. There is a lot of energy and some of the songs are actually quite nice. Highlight: "Fake Tales of San Francisco" (a great song!)
Jane's Addiction
5/5
Classic rock album. "Been Caught Stealing" was a proper hit on MTV at the time - still think it is very catchy. These days there seems to be quite a bit of controversy around the real-life story behind "Three Days", but without this context the song still sounds as epic as ever. Five stars (just like their previous two albums and despite its typical early 90s sound/production).
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Classic LC album (certainly his first four are all 5 stars and this is number 3).
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
With all these double A-side singles that they released at the time ..practically every song has been an evergreen hit. Previously rated the Bayou Country album (5 stars), but I always liked this album even more. Great opening song and on this album the JF originals are miles better than the cover songs except for IHITTGV.
Crowded House
3/5
Well-crafted and pretty flawless album, but a bit light-weight to be in the list (3 stars in 1991.. 3 stars in 2022).
The Hives
3/5
First song made me realize i was listening to a compilation album - it does not make sende to include such albums! Hence, thr neutal score.
10cc
5/5
10cc album that was new for me - mainly know their later albums and had ecpected one of those. However, this album turned out to be great after a few listens.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
A solid album, but it simply does not make sense to pick an arbitrary EH album and put it in the list. Literally everyone knows that Wrecking Ball is the EH classic from her >90s material.
Beatles
4/5
Fourth Beatles album so far. Ruby Soul, White Album, Abbey Road are all clear 5 star albums. AHDN contains a couple of truly great songs of course, so hard to give a score < 4,, but also a bit too much filler for a 5 star rating.
5*: A Hard Day's Night, I Should Have Known Better, Can't Buy Me Love, Any Time At All.
2*: I Am Happy Just To Dance With You, Tell Me Why
3*-4*: the other seven songs.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
The Jungle Line and Harry's House / Centrepiece are 5-star songs and I can see the rationale for including this album on the list. I do not care too much about the other songs but overall like the album much better than Blue.
Chicago
4/5
Solid debut double album - steady 4 star - except Free Form Guitar (according to wikipedia, this was an influential song but it is just horrible to listen to)
Sepultura
5/5
Classic trash metal album. Not a big fan of the genre but knew this album and it is perfect of course.
Talking Heads
5/5
Another classic album from the best band tbat features in the 1001 album list.
Metallica
1/5
A pity that live albums are included on the list but this one is not so good anyway.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Excellent album of BM & The W. Third album of them generated so far. Although it contains the largest portion of Bob Marley hits, I always thought Catch A Fire or Natty Dread were generally stronger albums. Nevertheless this album is still a very clear 5 of course.
Nina Simone
3/5
The way of singing is a bit too much for me, but in general this is a nice Nina Simone album.
- prefer the David Bowie version of Wild Is The Wind.
- either Way I Lose is a great song.
Travis
1/5
Why is this non-album on the list. How does this compare with the average 1001 album? It seems randomly picked and moreover: the list already contains White Ladder.
Pearl Jam
3/5
Classic rock, slightly boring but Black is a 5 star song. (much prefer Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, Nevermind etc but of course, Ten is miles better than all these copycat bands that turned up afterwards).
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Music of My Mind
Talking Book
this album
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Songs in the KoL
Should all be on this list - so far this seems to be the case.. (3rd SW album generated until now)
The White Stripes
4/5
The White Stripes never made an <4* album. At the time I thought of this album as a way of perfecting their sound. Nowadays I am a little less impressed and believe White Blood Cells, and possibly De Stijl are the better WS albums. Still it is a very good album of course.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
The first four Pet Shop Boys albums are great, full of instant-classic singles. But the quality drop begins here. In my memory, Very was still a good album (4 stars) and listening to it again, the album still has its moments. But the songs are not so memorable and the production is pretty dated (unlike the previous four albums which still sound fresh).
fIREHOSE
4/5
This album was new to me and required some repeated listening. Really liked it (it might not compare to the Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime, but that album is perfect and would be hard to match anyway).
The Replacements
5/5
Great album from a great band - might be the best 80s album in the list (which in an ideal world should contain a couple of more albums of the Replacements)
Janet Jackson
4/5
Had high expectations in 1989, as JJ's previous album of a few years was simply perfect, with classic singles (Nasty, What Have You Done For Me Lately, The Pleasure Principle, When I Think Of You etc) and OK perhaps a little filler...
But was quiet a bit disappointed when RN1814 came out - in particular the singles of RN18 were merely ok-ish and less catchy. Overall the album turned out to be quite decent though. The signature sound of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Now listening to it again, I still think it is a very solid album, on the high 3 star / low 4 star end.
Final vote: 3.5 -> 4, due to great 80s production.
Underworld
3/5
Freur / Underworld (with or without Darren Emerson) is a great electronic band of course.
But why this album and not Dubnobasswithmyheadman?
Maybe the latter is on the list too, but once again you get the impression that the composers of the 1001 list lost grip on the list at some point during the nineties.. (go for the big canonic albums from the previous decades, but pick arbitrary albums from later decades)
Anyways: played loud on a decent hi-fi set, this album still sounds as great as ever. Really tried to like it at the time. However, it misses the synth-pop influences that its predecessor still had, and when not played very loud, the album becomes a bit boring.
Venom
1/5
Too boring.
Nick Drake
5/5
Another classic Nick Drake album generated by the list.
Ozomatli
1/5
Must be nice to see live
Sisters Of Mercy
5/5
Sister of Mercy's debut album is better of course so should have been on the list (as well). .. but Floodland has built up some status over the years and led to a massive number of copycat groups until even nowadays. So seems fine to be included in the list.
It is practically a 1-person project and I much like how consistent it is in every aspect. Songs are all 4-5 star. Production is fantastic so clearly 5 star overall.
The Who
3/5
<review for the original 1970 37-minute release>
Excellent songs but prefer the studio recordings (of the non-covers) and still believe live albums should be excluded from the list (even though this one certainly has a lot of status).
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
First album of Captain Beefheart might be his best. Combination of blues and psychedelic rock: very accessible but still far from being straightforward. Favourite track: Electricity.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Did not know this album. Nice 70s-film-music style. Includes some very well executed cover songs.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Beastie Boys
5/5
Obviously, one of the best hiphop albums ever made.
Bert Jansch
1/5
Goldfrapp
3/5
Is Goldfrapp the Lenny Kravitz of the electropop?
Many of their albums have the perfect sound and always contains a good share of strong songs but also sound a bit too much pastiche. A good example here is Cologne Cerrone Houdini: very obvious references to 70s euro disco (not only in the title but also the Amanda Lear way of singing etc). It is a 5-star song so great, but I am a little less keen on all those English folk references and usually go for a different Goldfrapp album. Overall score: 3.5.
Black Sabbath
5/5
SZA
1/5
Daft Punk
5/5
My least favourite Daft Punk album, but still 5 stars of course. (Or so I thought, afterwards listened to Discovery - this time liked Homework better.)
Al Green
5/5
Like more or less any other Al Green 70s album: five stars.
Deep Purple
5/5
5 Star Deep Purple Album. Big overlap with Made in Japan but the studio album is much better.
Kanye West
4/5
Nice debut album, flows very well.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Top 3 best albums ever:
3. David Bowie: Let's Dance (even better if the movie version of Cat People had been included)
2. Madonna: Like A Virgin (version with Get into the Groove)
1. This album: perfect as is.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
A bit too gimmicky for me (and in my memory Better Living through Chemistry" was better) but Praise You is still a 5 star song.
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
Classic Dinosaur Jr album, I never liked it as much as I liked Bug, but in particular the prototype shoegaze elements are great and it is still a 5-star album of course.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
After all the albums from Lorde, Taylor Swift, Solange, Adele, CTRL, Christine and the Queens, etc. etc. finally, the list generates an album from the last 15 years that can be viewed a modern classic.
1/5
..
Elvis Costello
5/5
Classic debut album of Elvis Costello, and the start of quite a long sequence of 5* EC albums.
Bon Jovi
4/5
Bon Jovi are the Pet Shop Boys from the American guitar rock in the sense that at their first 4 albums or so, they wrote extremely catchy hit songs: take Runaway from '84, or on this album: You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive, all 5-stars songs. But then at some point the albums became solid at most. Always thought this was due to their Bruce Springsteen influences taking over, but On Slippery When Wet it is BS all over, but is mixed with 80s pop music. Still sounds great and at the time, I really liked the album. But would have rated it as 4-star album, as the song material was a little too inconsistent. Really wanted to give it 5-stars this time, but stick to my view from 35 years ago.
The B-52's
5/5
Classic B-52s album.
Bobby Womack
4/5
The best Bobby Womack album from the 80s? In any case, an excellent album with quite a reputation, just like part II. Just short of 5 stars for me - as it is hard not to compare it with his classic albums from the early 70s.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Cover album. Excellent voice and nice production - solid apart from the terrible Ray Charles cover -not sure why it is on the list
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
Classic album from one of the best UK bands from the 80s - does not contain a single weak song. Ome of these like-it-or-not albums and this factor is more or less determined by whether or not you like the first song: Burn It Down / Dance Stance, one of their best singles. The bonus edition contains the Plan B single which is very different from the version on the follow-up album when they (that is, Kevin Rowland) changed style. I do appreciate that album as well and although concerts from that lineup must have been great to attend, a concert by the original Dexys lineup, with horn section, must have been more special.
Queen Latifah
4/5
Solid album - it is not my go-to 80s hip hop album and I had not listened to it for quite some time but still like it.
Jane's Addiction
5/5
Perhaps the best Jane's Addition album - it is the most consistent one for sure. In any case, the first three JA albums are all 5 star.
Japan
5/5
Quiet Life, Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Tin Drum definitely belong to the list of best pop albums ever made. Sure, Roxy Music is everywhere, especially on Quiet Life, but they are much more than a slowed-down RM synth-pop clone - the songs and production are incredibly strong, and the whole concept is just perfectly executed.
Cornershop
3/5
Another album that I had not listened to for a long time. I was never into it but always liked the relaxed sound. The latter also means the record lacks some urgency: lost my attention during each spin today - despite some great songs.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Thought this was an excellent album at the time, a bit over-hyped perhaps, but definitely 4 star - it is one of the rare albums on 1001 from the last 25 years that you would actually expect to see included on such a list.
Roni Size
5/5
This album on computer speakers: 2*
This album on headphones: 5* and that's the way I first listened to it at the time, so I go with the 5*
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Did not like Fast Car at the time and ignored the album. Since then I changed my view a bit. It is actually a pretty good album - heavily influenced by Joan Armatrading but sufficiently different. By far her best album.
Randy Newman
4/5
John Lee Hooker
3/5
It's ok but I prefer some older JLH music.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
One of these superclassic albums.
Femi Kuti
1/5
U2
5/5
Timeless classic - perhaps not as good as The Yoshua Tree or The Unforgettable Fire -but probably shared number 3 with Boy and War in the top 5 of Best U2 albums.
Ravi Shankar
1/5
For sure, this is influential music, but I lack the open mind to go for it and just found it unlistenable on this occasion.
Tina Turner
5/5
Another one of these perfect 80s albums that only got better over time. I like everything about it: TT's vocals, the strong song writing, the slick production, it is all simply perfect. Standout song is of course Better Be Good To Me. Best song of the 80s? It has these Miami Vice vibes - it is even better placed on that first classic MV soundtrack album (as with every song on that soundtrack).
Aerosmith
5/5
Had expected either Toys in the Attic or Rocks or perhaps even both. The former album might be a bit stronger overall, but of course both are proper Aerosmith classics. Compare this to Pump (also in the 1001 list but just a solid rock album) and hear the difference!
Pulp
5/5
Pulp, together with Suede and The Auteurs: the top 3 "britpop" bands from the mid-90s. His N Hers, Different Class and This Is Hardcore are all 5 star albums, but their music from 83-93 is not even *that* different in form and quality.. ..some of their old work is actually pretty great too (just wildly inconsistent).
Anyways, Different Class was the best albums of the 90s and it aged pretty well. I am listening to some remastered version and every song sounds as great as ever. It is also an album where the order of the songs is perfect.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Timeless album, a bit inconsistent and I might like some other S&G albums a bit more, but still a classic album of course
Aretha Franklin
5/5
A classic album.
The Prodigy
4/5
Not a superfan of rave music and The Prodigy in particular - it seems like they are playing the same track over and over at slightly varying speeds - but some times it works and I can appreciate it so overall still a reasonably strong electronic album.
7/10 = 4 stars
Dirty Projectors
2/5
Both Bitte Orca and Swing Lo Magellan teceived quite a bit of hype at the time.
From memory: Swing Lo Magellan is their most accessible album and I do not mind listening to it (in fact, Gun Has No Trigger is a great song)..
..whereas Bitte Orca was just a bit too much Pitchfork for me - it certainly has some good moments but can also irritate in other songs.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Landmark album in every aspect that contains many classic tracks: Rock Box is almost just as good as Walk This Way; Hard Times might even be better than the Kurtis Blow original; and It's Like That is a big single (19997 remix is even better) while Sucker MCs is another legendary rap track and the other two singles (30 Days, Hollis Crew) are 5* too. The remaining three tracks, including Jam Master Jay, are also very good and well known.
Michael Jackson
5/5
David Bowie
5/5
Another superclassic DB album.
JAY Z
5/5
Great Jay-Z album - not sure if this is because of the excellent choice of sampled songs (samples are based on great songs) but of course the way these songs are sampled by Jay-Z / Kanye West is very smooth as well.
Robbie Williams
1/5
UK 90s hit parade pop is non-comparable with the decade before, and this is another "late" album that seems to be selected on basis of sale numbers. At its best moments the albums it sounds like an Elton John record but even a bit more sentimental. That could be nice though, but the songs themselves are just not so memorable.
Arcade Fire
4/5
First three AF albums are all recommendable. Funeral: 5. Neon Bible: 4.5. Suburbs: 4. Last album does have a fair share of 5-star songs as well, but it is just hard to take in one go. While the music is excellent, something that does not help are the rather silly lyrics - this holds for all their albums though..
The Shamen
2/5
A surprising choice given that Boss Drum was the big hit album. Only remembered Move Any Mountain. Rest of the album is of a similar flavour. Competent dance music with some good moments but an act like the Prodigy has done the same kind of music better.
Julian Cope
5/5
Going to give this a 5. I always liked the album, especially Safesurfer of course, but there is a lot more to like: the songwriting.. lyrics.. general atmosphere, same vibes as that Soft Boys record from the 70s: Underwater Moonlight. So, it is great that both are included on the list.
Big Black
5/5
Classic 80s album with big reputation that I never got around to but I knew it would be excellent of course.
The Modern Lovers
5/5
Great album in every aspect (like many other Jonathan Richman albums). Hard to believe it took 4 years before it was released.
Queen
4/5
Used to be a 5 star album for me in the 80s but listening to it again now I was less impressed. It still has some great moments, but fall short of 5 stars.
4/5
Very solid snd accessible PJ Harvey album, strong songs.
Joy Division
5/5
Classic album
ZZ Top
5/5
Despite their great 80s albuns this is still the best ZZ top album as it contains Waiting for the Bus.
Sabu
1/5
The Prodigy
3/5
A little boring but OK-ish Prodigy album, which was pretty disappointing at the time - liked the first two Prodigy albums quite a bit more.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Loudness war album and one of the most noticeable. This is a pity, as this comeback album came as quite a surprise to me at the time. Despite being a couple of songs too long, it is even the best RHCP album I know (only know Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Mother's Milk and BSS Magik).
The Only Ones
5/5
Great debut album: 5*. The other two Only Ones albums are also 5* but not as good as their first one: nonstop classic guitar songs, several of which covered by other bands over the years. Favourite song: The Beast.
Queen
5/5
Big leap forwards from Queen II. Close to perfection, and one but best Queen album for me:
1. A Night at the Opera
2. Sheer Heart Attack
3. The Game
4. News Of The World
5. A Kind of Magic
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Never cared too much about this one despite being obvious that JF was a massive talent and apart from the LC cover.
LL Cool J
5/5
Great LL Cool J album, almost just as good as his debut (Radio, one of the best rap albums from the 80s).
Basement Jaxx
3/5
After almost 25 years, still a nice album: very accessible ..but also very throw-away-able and replaceable by many other solid dance albums, so despite its success when it was released I am not sure if it belongs to the list.
Sex Pistols
5/5
Classic punk album - one of these timeless albums...
David Bowie
5/5
Another classic from David Bowie which easily beats the majority of the albums on the 1001 list, contains his best song (Station to Station) and two excellent singles. The Wild Is the Wind cover at the end is good but does not fit so well.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
Rated Dark Lands as 4 due to a somewhat unfortunate comparison it to this album. Influential album (think Raveonettes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club etc). Strong pop songs, buried under a big dosis of dust. Due to all the 60s pop references, it has a bit similar feel as those Ramones songs except that Psychocandy is no punk rock.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Generated by the list generator the day after we got Psychocandy. It is equally good and probably even more influential. One of the best albums of the 90s.
The Sonics
3/5
Solid 60s garage rock album. Not spectaculair but just solid.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Nice album of course that I had not listened to for quite a while. You get the feeling that Cash could have made numerous albums in this style and in fact he did. As such, it is not clear to me why this particular one is on the list.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Nice live jazz album with a big reputation - not spectacular, but very easy to listen to.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Classic rap album. Lots of 5 star moments but never fully worked for me: the dialogue between the songs is highly annoying (I know it is part of the story-telling concept, but it stops me from putting the record on again).
The Jam
5/5
Great album. Always thought of All Mod Cons as the better album, but after listening to Sound Affects again for 3-4 times, I am not sure anymore. Anyways, both of them are obviously 5 star albums of course.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Massive overkill of this album in the 80s, but nice to listen to it again after 30-35 years or so. Iconic album with iconic songs and album cover, a bit uneven for 5 stars.
Sebadoh
5/5
Surprising choice (had expected Bakesale, one of the most popular records on 90s university campuses?)
In the 90s Lou Barlow (as Sentridoh) and Prince were alike, releasing big selections of songs without proper quality control. However, as Sebadoh, on Sebadoh III - B&S - Bakesale ..certainly not the case. I like Bakesale (5) and Sebadoh III (5) a bit more, but rate B&S above Harmacy (4). Contributions of Gaffney and Loewenstein are as always uneven, but on B&S I would say things are generally fine. In fact, my favourite three songs are Soul and Fire (B), Happily Divided (L) and Think (B), but Bouquet for a Siren (G) and Sister (L) are also excellent.
4.5 (due to a couple of weak songs) -> 5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Classic Led Zeppelin album, which used to be my favourite. First half 5: Second half: 4. Overall 4.5 -> 4.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Expected Cripple Crow instead of this album.
Banhart, Coco Rosie, Anthony, Joanna N etc were very popular 15-20 years ago. More of a challenge to listen to most of these artists these days - songs are still strong but somehow the mannered way of singing and lyrics have become more annoying.
However, back in 2005 I really liked Cripple Crow and bought Rejoicing on the strength of CC. There are good songs on it, one was used in a horror movie, so will give it a 3, but overall it is a bit hit and miss and vocal style is "on the edge".
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
In my memory this was a 5* Eric Clapton record but listening to it now: a hit & miss, still it got Layla, I Looked Away, Tell The Truth and a handful of other 5* songs on it.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
On a rope on a rope got me hanging on a rope.. still a great punk rock song and their biggest single. Probably Group Sounds is a bit better (4 stars, at least in my memory) but SDS is quite good as well of course. Quite a surprise to see its inclusion in the list.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Maybe the last truly great Neil Young album? I have not heard most of its >90s output so could be very wrong here - in any case great album!
TLC
5/5
Great R&B album, with a bit of hip hop, from the early 90s, contains a number of proper hit songs (Creep, Waterfall) but the rest of the material is very strong too. Clearly stands out from all the other R&B albums from that time.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Have the Drive-By Truckers ever made a bad record? This one is fine but not my favourite (would go for some later album). It is a bit exhaustive, and the vocals have been better on later records as well.
The Cure
5/5
More or less everything the Cure brought out before 1990 is 5 star (afterwards, it is 2-3 star). This album is from 1982 so it is 5 star. Atmosphere over songs. Belongs to the sequence 17 Seconds - Faith - Pornography so the other two albums should be on the list too.
Deep Purple
5/5
Let A = {Deep Purple In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head, Burn}.
((Every album in A is 5*) AND (DPiR is in A)) => DPiR is 5*.
Thundercat
3/5
Only knew the album from its glowing reviews a few years ago. Listened to it 4-5 times, but could not get into it. Mostly ok, but just a little boring, even though the more accessible songs (Show You The Way, Walk On By, Them Changes) are very smooth (4-5 star for sure).
5/5
New wave classic from the end of 70s, and together with 'Freedom of Choice', my favourite Devo album. The first four tracks could be skipped but the sequence Mongoloid - Shrivel Up = 5-star new wave songs.
Beatles
5/5
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
In my memory the predecessor of this album is much better than Smokers Delight, which is one of many boring triphop albums that got related at that time.
Massive Attack
5/5
The ultimate triphop album? It is excellent throughout in every aspect, with nice samples, except for the Light My Fire cover at the end (ending with Heat Miser would have been perfect).
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Classic Jimi Hendrix, faultless just like Are You Experienced and Axis (which are a lot shorter and which I know a bit better).
Heaven 17
5/5
Classic synth-pop album. Perfect in every way (lyrics, art work, song writing) and part of a perfect 3-album streak with its two successors, The Luxury Gap and How Men Are.
Sam Cooke
3/5
Live Sam Cooke album. I did not know this album but knew practically every song. It is a live album which I do not think should belong to the list. Hence 3 stars but the music is obviously 5 stars.
Judas Priest
4/5
A 5 star heavy metal album ruined to 4 star by too horrible songs. United (1) and Red, White & Blue (<<<1). The latter might be the worst heavy metal song ever.
4/5
A Day In the Life is one of the best songs written, so this album should be 5 star. A couple of other nice songs too, but there is way too much filler and the album as a whole is quite a bit behind Revolver (10/10).
Radiohead
5/5
Great album but I need to be a bit in the right mood to appreciate the voice of Thom Yorke and the Morning Bell version does fit but is less good than the version on Kid A. Anyways, I liked it then and like it now so let me give it the full stars it deserves.
Nick Drake
5/5
A classic Nick Drake album: close to perfection, a bit sparser than the other two Nick Drake albums (only vocals and guitar). All three of them are on the 1001 list, and I assume Nick Drake is the only artist with a 100% score.
Jeff Beck
3/5
Solid Jeff Beck album, very different from later albums such as Blow by Blow or Wired. I am not a big fan of this or either of these two other albums, but it depends on the moment. It is certainly not bad.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Tom Petty should be in the list with at least one album, but had not immediately expected this one though. Nevertheless, strong debut album with some generic songs and some highlights but overall, a great sound.
songs: 3/4/5
sound: 5
total score: 4
Isaac Hayes
5/5
2 classic songs get Isaac Hayed and become 100 times as long. Anyway: great soul album from >50 years ago that I had not listened to for many years.
Ash
1/5
Pretty unlistenable. Songs are so weak and derivative that it is difficult to imagine why this album has such a good reputation.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Was more impressed by this album at the time of its release, but in the end Fleet Foxes turned out to be more of a typical Pitchfork band (the lyrics, the way of singing etc). Not that this record is bad, but the songs themselves are just not very strong, and when in the mood for music like this, I would just go for a CSN record or so.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Great Kraftwerk album: superclassic, superinfluential, noting to add.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
At the time Nick Cave's music started to feel a bit exhaustive. Was not impressed too much by Nocturama, and then this follow-up double-album felt like overkill.. ..only to discover many years afterwards that it is actually full of pretty strong songs. Still, I would say it is not "classic" Nick Cave, and that it should not be included on the list (plenty of other NC albums that are better qualified - I also wonder whether we get any Flying Nun albums, or whether the Australasian part of the list is merely limited to Nick Cave and Crowded House).
Amy Winehouse
4/5
This album sounded fresh at the time in some way, but as with other retro-albums (think Lenny Kravitz or Fleet Foxes) I prefer to go back to the times it refers to, so in this case just to put on a Stax album. I will give it a 4 instead of the usual retro-3, as the album is so strong in many aspects.
Sonic Youth
5/5
My favourite Sonic Youth album after Sister: non-stop 5* rock songs, highly accessible without doing any concessions to their sound.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
Must be one of the best post-punk albums ever made, and one of my favourite albums all time, and it is just one of the many 5-star Siouxsie & The Banshees albums... (best track: Into the Light)
Def Leppard
5/5
After 35+ years, this album still sounds as great as ever, and for sure it is DL's best album.
Van Morrison
5/5
Out of the 10+ VM albums I know, always thought of Moondance as VM-light, in the sense as being one of his most accessible albums - had not listened to it for at least 15 years or so...
..but after the album finished, iTunes went seamlessly over into playing Tupelo Honey (skipping His Band and the Street Choir due to the alphabetical ordering) and I only realized this after a couple of songs, even happened to me twice...
..reason: the songs and atmosphere change quite a bit on the B-side (once Come Running begins).
Anyways, pretty great album overall due to the perfect 5-star A-side (with Into the Mystic as the absolute highlight). It is not Def Leppard (the previous artist generated by the list) so I was initially doubting to give it 5 stars, but
side A: 5-superstars
side B: 3/4/5 stars
overall: > 8/10 so just about 5 stars, whereas Astral Weeks is of course 10/10 and Into the Music is a firm 9/10 if I remember correctly.
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
The opening song and a few others ones were certainly nice, but the slow songs were rather tedious to listen to (the pace of the list generator is pretty relentless if you are not in the mood for a certain type of music).
John Cale
5/5
Classic John Cale album. Hard to see why anyone would give fewer than 5 stars for it.
Earth, Wind & Fire
5/5
One of many classic EWF albums. There is a lot of great music on the first five EWF albums. Head to the Sky is also 5 stars for instance and striongly commendable, but this one (album number 6) is the first one that is really perfect from beginning -> end. Soul / funk music combined with proper, high-quality song-writing played very skilfully.
Fugees
3/5
Another one of these albums that was a big hit at the time and that I could appreciate while not being a massive fan of it. It is interesting that the list makes you go back to these albums. Time for a re-appreciation? I still think it is an OK album with enough to like: it is very accessible, has some nice songs Lauryn Hill plays a major role etc. But it is also a bit too straightforward, and the choice of overfamiliar covers is a bit too obvious even though there are some nice interpretations. Does not help that I listened to Kendrick Lamar (a very different level) for almost all day. Hence, 3 stars.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Thought this album was a bit too long at the time (like "20 minutes too long" and certainly like last-song-too-long) but once got I into it again, liked it very much and the less catchy songs started to become alive.
Portishead
5/5
Liked the previous two albums of Portishead as well, but Third is of a completely different level, less trip hop and more electronic pop music. One of these rare albums that sound experimental and accessible at the same time. Especially like the way it is influenced by electronic music from the 70s as in Machine Gun. And The Rip must be one of the best songs ever - great built up.
PJ Harvey
5/5
Great PJ Harvey album, liked it more than the previous three PJH albums (after which I lost interest somewhat).
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
This album is part of my cd collection, but I am not a big fan of this group. Just like those Jefferson Airplane albums or Joplin solo, the music has classic status, but it is simultaneously a bit boring and exhaustive to listen to: Musically these blues/psychedelic rock songs are not always so interesting (it is not Jimi Hendrix say).
On the plus side: once you get into the music again and ignore some of the over-the-top elements, it is not bad of course, and in this case: Piece of my Heart is a perfect example of how an interpretation of a classic song can truly exceed the original version.
Patti Smith
5/5
Patti Smith made many great albums but this is still her best in every aspect.
The Byrds
5/5
Yeah, this is great. Great songs, atmosphere, vocals, harmonies etc etc. Apart from the sounds at the end of CTA-102, I also like the psychedelic rock elements here - think they work well, in contrast to the Cheap Thrills album we had a few days ago. One of my favourite Byrds albums, only like The Notorious Byrd Brothers even more.
Garbage
4/5
At the time I really liked the record, it outlived its stay very quickly though. Catchy yes ..but something is missing. Lyrics are silly for most of the time - I am only happens when it rains (boeie) - even though they got nice references (e.g. to the Jesus & Mary Chain). But it is not that. I will still give it 4 stars for being so catchy, but it is a bit too calculated. I listened to the 20th Anniversary and liked the extra tracks more. The Vic Chesnutt cover is great. The Nelly Hooper remix of no1 crush is so much better than the original - it somehow gets it right and adds the missing element.
Original album: 3.5 (best song: Stupid Girl - probably because it is the Clash)
20th anniversary: 4
The War On Drugs
4/5
It is hard to understand that this album is almost 10 years old already. Mixing motorik with Bruce Springsteen. Got several 5* tracks, in particular an ocean in between the waves, which might have been my favourite song from 2014. But the album is a little on the long side: 45 minutes would have been perfect, just like the albums that influenced it.
Wilco
4/5
A small surprise to see this double album from Wilco, probably one of the best American bands from the last 30 years or so. Always liked it, but it is nowhere near A Ghost Is Born or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot..
Beach House
4/5
Beach House's Teen Dream was my in step album of this band. I like its dreamy sound, the vocals and SILVER SOUL is superstrong. But I was a bit disappointed at the time. There are several nice songs, but also quite a few that are a bit average. Their follow-up album Bloom is quite a bit stronger.
Bloom: 5* (9/10)
This one: a solid 4* (7.5/10)
By the way, nobody knows this, but they used to be called "Beach Boys" and in 1970 already wrote their signature song "All I Want To Do", which is the blueprint for the rest of their work.
James Taylor
3/5
Sure, this singer-songwriter folk/country rock album has classic status and so naturally belongs to the list. It is in my album collection, but when I listened to it a few times today, I just found the overfamiliar songs a little bit too boring to give it more than 3 stars.
Terence Trent D'Arby
5/5
One of the weirdest things in pop music history. One of the best singers of the last 35-40 years makes, out of the blue, a smash hit debut album second half 80s (8M copies sold):
this album which contains several great songs, including two absolute classics, and is nearly perfect in terms of production and flow..
.. then has some moderate European success a couple of albums later down the line (with songs just as strong as his debut modulo "Wishing Well" & "Sign Your Name")..
...and then changes his name, and just disappears to Italy, where he regular goes on tour, while all the time releasing 75-min to 3-hour albums, most of which could have easily been cut down to 3*-4* albums of 35-40 minutes.
It is a bit of a mystery why in 1995 the Vibrator tour (with a great band with amongst others, Kevin Wyatt) did not put him back on the map - just listen to the impressive live version of "Let Her Down Easy" recorded in London '95 on Youtube.
..or not? -> check a 2017 Guardian interview or Nick Duerden's Exist Stage Left...
Eagles
5/5
Classic album, pretty timeless.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
ABBA
4/5
Excellent album of course with mega-classic songs, but not in the same league as "Visitors", due to a bit too much filler. Version reviewed = original version without Fernando (5* song) and Happy Hawaii (1* song). It does not make sense at all to add these two songs if you finish the album with "Arrival".
The Cure
5/5
Perfect Cure album - just like every other <1990 cure album
Roxy Music
5/5
Clearly, the best British band ever with the best lyrics ever in general.
Consensus back in the early 90s or so seemed to focus on the first three Roxy Music albums as being the ultraclassic albums. Only found out ten years later that Stranded and Siren and Avalon are 5* star alums too, and consensus seem to have changed in the meantime.
The Band
5/5
The Band has made a whole string of great albums. This is their best one (most consistent) and another superclassic album on the list (not really comparable to the most recent inclusions)
The Black Crowes
4/5
A timeless southern rock album that scores, just like their follow-up work (but only know the first three albums) zero points for originality - say a little later band like the Drive-by Truckers for instance have a sound much more their own - whereas the Black Crowes are more operating like Lenny Kravitz. Their "Hard to Handle" cover is great.
Jethro Tull
1/5
Can't stand this flute - I was once saw this band in a Prague concert 20 years ago or so, only knowing a few songs - it all sounded the same.
Steely Dan
5/5
Perfect Steely Dan album, but aren't they all?
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
Great album, but no idea why this one has been include instead of the one before: consensus album Orange, which is definitely 5 star and was a bit hit at the time with lots of buzz.
Frank Black
3/5
Surprising to see this album on the list (it doesn't belong I think).
Got this album as a birthday present at the time and listened to it a lot. But now I struggle to finish it. The number of songs is just too exhaustive, and the material is too inconsistent and in general does not reach Pixies level ..even though occasionally it gets close (there are some really good pop songs on it).
My vote in 1994: 4 stars
My vote in 2023: 3 stars
Ramones
5/5
This is how pop music should sound - almost 50 years old and still one of the best albums ever made.
William Orbit
3/5
Accessible William Orbit record, easy to listen to, a bit outdated sound, fine.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Another classic Elvis Costello record, out of all the ones he made this one would definitely be in my top 3.
The Stooges
5/5
Superclassic Stooges album.
Tori Amos
5/5
Still a pretty perfect album (voice, piano, song writing etc) apart from the lyrics and some misfires.
Shivkumar Sharma
1/5
The Band
5/5
Birth of the Americana genre? Just rated its successor, which is also in the list and which I always thought to be the better album (10/10). This one is great too of course (9/10).
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
The first three QoSA albums are all very good albums 4/5. This one starts off great, but then the songs become a bit too similar.
My vote in 1998: 4/5 and Kyuss = 5/5
My vote in 2023: exactly the same.
Slipknot
1/5
About 25 years ago there appeared a whole generation of "nu metal" bands.. which were all terrible (apart from SoaD they were great) If you still care, don't ever let me knooooww.. this kind of singer-songwriter stuff is a bit too whiny for me.
Dire Straits
5/5
One of the best albums ever made: top 10 album (together with Madonna's Like A Virgin, David Bowie's Let's Dance, Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA, Blondie's Parallel Lines, Prince's Purple Rain, Human League's Dare, Tina Turner's Private Dancer and MBV), and that despite a couple of lesser songs.. The Brothers in Arms scene in the 44th episode of West Wing is one of the greatest moments in American television history and this is for a great part due to this song.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
It is not in my top 3 RS (1. Exile, 2. Beggars Banquet 3. Let It Bleed - all of which generated by the generator before) but still a clear 5.
David Holmes
3/5
Music for movies mixed with trip hop. I have this album in my cd collection but never fully got into it ..as with most trip hop it is ok, but is also a bit boring.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Classic Kraftwerk album. The first Kraftwerk album I listened to - did not like it back in the early 80s, but adjusted my view in the 90s: it is obviously a great album.
Hanoi Rocks
5/5
Yeah, this is great. Due to the fatal car incident with their drummer and the Motley Crue singer, I somehow always associated this band with MC and never paid it the attention it deserves. Turns out: it does not have those silly glam rock sing along refrains, but it is much more rock n roll: think New York Dolls a decade earlier. My bad.
Portishead
5/5
"Third" is quite a bit better, but this is such an iconic trip hop album, hard to give anything other than 5 stars.
for comparison:
Dummy 9/10
Third 10/10
Frank Ocean
5/5
A clear 5 for me at the time of its release. Just very strong songwriting - in particular the back-to-back songs Pyramids-Lost. Now listening to it again, I still like the many highlights of the record, but some other songs have become slightly annoying. Still 5 stars, but just about.
Yes
2/5
Thought I had already voted for this album, but it turned out to be Close to The Edge. We also had Fragile, so this is the third Yes album on the list...
..which is 3 too many. In the 80s / early 90s I quite liked bands such as Genesis / Marillion / Twelfth Night / Pendragon / Aragon / Eloy etc or Rush. Couldn't stand bands like ELP, Focus ..or 70s Yes.
Still gave these three Yes albums several tries and even own them on cd due to their classic status. This one is the best out of 3, it is close to 3 stars.
Aphex Twin
5/5
Obviously 5 stars for one of the best electronic albums ever made (but note that the 1001 list has an extremely narrow range when it comes to electronic music).
Tom Waits
4/5
A bit surprising to see this album included. It is just a very good early 80s album by Tom Waits from the period before Swordfishtrombones - Rain Dogs - Frank's Wild Years, which should all three be on this list. In any case, this is a pretty straightforward album that contains several classic songs, while all the other songs are good-very good: 4 stars overall.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Classic MBV album. OK, Loveless is a bit better, while Isn't Anything is perhaps a bit more accessible. Both albums have a great sound and are very melodic, but it might take a while before one discovers the melodies. They're definitely not suited for the tight 1-album-per-day regime of the 1001albums generator, and due to this surely have a much lower rating than they should have.
The Go-Betweens
5/5
Hard to say but this might be my favourite Go-Betweens album (only know their first six albums). It has no Cattle and Cane, but lots of other really strong songs. I can also strongly recommend Robert Foster's book Grant and I (from 2018 or so).
Oasis
3/5
This rocks more than that its successor, which I gave 4 stars a year ago, and in my memory this album was the better album out of the two. But today the vocals are irritating like hell. Together we flyyyyyyy blah blah.
To be fair, on a different moment, I might enjoy it again, so 3 stars.
The Icarus Line
1/5
You got good noise (Sonic Youth, Blonde Redhead, Unwound, Jesus Lizard, mclusky, Royal Trux, Swans etc etc) and you got bad noise made by copycat bands that have no sound on their own, like this band. It is just noise with a bit of garage rock, or the other way around.. it does not matter.
New Order
5/5
Low-Life is great of course, even a bit better than Brotherhood and Technique, which are obviously 5 stars too. But of course the album you expect to see in a list like this is Power Corruption and Lies.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
A great Jimi Hendrix album. The second one generated by the list generator so far. A timeless classic. Very well known, so not much to add, except that it must be the album with the best closing song ever: Bold As Love.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
A difficult to rate album. In some sense it is great. A perfect sound. A perfect production. A perfect album title. Four 5* singles. But certainly half the album consists of boring covers and pretty weak songs. Hence, I usually go for some of their 12"s and hardly ever listen to one of their two albums (their Liverpool album has its moments too but is quite a bit weaker even). It has the looks of a classic, and it could have been a classic if they had cut it down to 35-40 minutes.
M.I.A.
5/5
A big improvement from M.I.A.'s debut. The Clash. The Pixies. Even Ottawan gets in the mix.
Echo And The Bunnymen
5/5
Again another superclassic 5-star album, just like their second, third and fourth album, which presumably are included on the list as well.
Talking Heads
5/5
The first six Talking Heads studio albums are all timeless classic albums (5*). This is number 4 so five stars. (Might be their most celebrated work, but I would not say that it stands out.)
Iron Butterfly
1/5
A well-known 60s album but I did not know it apart from the title song, which must have been a giveaway for the Incredible Bongo Band. The title song is based on a great riff and I can see that this album works in certain settings. But this album represents all the bad elements of 60s popular music. It is an exercise in ugliness.
Blur
4/5
I always thought this was a very solid album, but a bit forced. I like the previous typical britpop albums more. But their next album 13 is quite a bit better, and sounds like a more natural deviation from their initial style. In any case this album is still much better than the Oasis albums on the list, but not as good as the Pulp / The Auteurs / Suede albums from that period.
Duke Ellington
2/5
The only Duke Ellington album in my collection. The music is pretty inoffensive and easy-to-listen-to jazz, but still in my view, live albums should not be included in a list like these, even if they are from the 50s.
Brian Eno
5/5
Ambient albums like this one miss that pop feeling so are not particularly exciting. Still, this is such a landmark album in the genre, it must be given 5 stars of course.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Did not know PCO, but realize they have been quite influential and recognized some of their better known later work.
This album: liked the accessible, melodic parts, less keen on the more experimental parts, and might prefer their later work..
In any case, nice 1001 discovery!
Slint
5/5
The perfect postrock album and it already appeared in 1991. Probably one of the albums that I listened the most to in the nineties.
New Order
5/5
At the time of Technique's release I was listening to Substance non-stop and was initially a bit disappointed. But in the end this turned out to be the last truly great New Order album.
Klaxons
2/5
Atlantis To Interzone still sounds great (rave) but unfortunately stands out on a rather unremarkable album (no rave). Bought this album in 2007 or so, after hearing the Soulwax remix of Gravity's Rainbow, and felt rather disappointed when listening to the flat original.
Bad Company
5/5
Great album. I much prefer this over Free. Less blues. More rock. It really rocks! Miles better than the average album from the 21th century.
De La Soul
5/5
Crazy for daisies, captures it all. Classic hip hop album. (In my memory follow-up albums were stronger, but it is not true, this album is perfect as it is.)
One of the two Faces albums in my album collection - might be the best one. I would not go so far to call this a classic, but it is certainly a very decent album.
Spacemen 3
5/5
Perfect mix of VU, Suicide and Stooges, as noted in some other review. Only really started to listen to Spacemen 3 when Spritualized was releasing Ladies and Gentlemen and had ignored them before, but yeah, this is still great.
Red Snapper
2/5
I liked Prince Blimey - it felt very organic at the time and had some good songs too. Making Bones had its moments, but nowadays just sounds very outdated. Did not listen to any of their other work so it was rather surprising to see this album on the list. It should not have.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
The best Sly & TFS album. Probably the best album on this list even.
Stereolab
5/5
Practically everything McCarthy did in the 80s and Stereolab in the 90s is 5 star. I am inclined to go for Peng or Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements or one of the two Switched On compilations, as I like the motorik sound more, but ETK is the best example of their more sophisticated sound. Great lyrics. Great songs.
John Prine
2/5
Middle of the country road music.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Liked this album, did not know it before except for the Rod Stewart semi-cover, but the mix between Brazilian samba and American funk works well.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Big album at the time but never fully got into it and was disappointed after Mother's Milk. For starters, it is very long and lyrics are - as per RHCP default - terrible, but a new low is reached with the title song. Just like Wonderwall I cannot listen to Under The Bridge anymore. Yet, the instrumental basis of several songs is great, but the vocals and lyrics are so weak and annoying that the album is pretty unlistenable in one go (even though I still managed) and it is just too hard to justify a score of +3.
Hüsker Dü
5/5
A Friday night in late November 1995: Husker Du is gone for years now, but Grant Hart is still alive those days and giving a solo-concert in the Brouwershoeck. Next to a couple of busy "alternative rock" pubs where people are oblivious to the fact that a legend is playing next door. It is supposed to be a 2-person concert, but the other musician is ill. Hart is switching to guitar on this occasion and is just performing classic Husker Du songs by himself. A heckler in the 60-person audience is disrupting Girl Who Lives From Heaven Hill. Afterwards, Hart gets interviewed in the locker room, where we pick up our coats...
..not sure if any songs from that concert came from this pretty perfect, final HD album. The album is a far cry away from their initial hardcore work and contains a melodic mix of typical Hart / Mould songs, as always Hart songs being the best, but not by much: the overall quality is just very high. This is how guitar rock should sound. The album closes with what might be their strongest song: You Can Live at Home, a Grant Hart song, obviously..
Led Zeppelin
5/5
In general I prefer the late LZ albums, or at least that's what I thought. This really is a great Led Zeppelin album.
Neil Young
5/5
Neil Young released 45 studio albums (plus lots of other work with others of course). Albums 2-5 (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - After The Gold Rush - Harvest - On The Beach) are all 5 star super classics, just like Album 6: this one. Not much else to add.
Willie Nelson
4/5
I always thought this was WN's best album, I still like it but I would not put it in my own 1001 album list, 4 stars.
5/5
Another great Kinks album, and not only the hit singles but also tracks like Yes Sir, No Sir. A timeless classic.
Elvis Presley
4/5
This used to be my favourite Elvis Presley studio album, and it is still excellent, but From Elvis in Memphis, a 1001 album generated a year ago or so, is better.
I had forgotten how much "E is Back!" sounds like a typical 50s album until I realized it was released in 1960 already.
Four stars
Tricky
5/5
At the time, I liked this more than the Portishead debut album, even though that one is still 5 star too. In any case, Maxinquaye is still great in every aspect. Later albums, especially Nearly God and Pre-Millennium Tension, still had their moments but are not so good as Tricky's debut album.
Shuggie Otis
5/5
Great soul / funk album. I always thought the production could be a bit less lo-fi, but it does not matter.
MC Solaar
3/5
Had not listened to an MS Solaar album before. It was certainly OK, very relaxed style of rapping. No classic but I would definitely put this up more often.
7/10 = 4 stars.
Traffic
5/5
Had expected to see Mr Fantasy in this list butthen we got JB Must Die, and now their second album appears. All three albums are 5 stars, but Mr Fantasy impressed me the most and hope it is still included in the list.
Lucinda Williams
4/5
Excellent album, 5 stars in my memory, but now listening to it again after quite some years, I felt underwhelmed by several songs. The album also suffers from the fact that Lucinda Williams' best songs can be found on her previous albums. But still an excellent album of course.
Wild Beasts
5/5
The Wild Beasts were, together with These New Puritans, one of the most interesting bands in the UK from the last 15 years. Bought every album when it was released (except for their last one). It is not immediately clear to me which one to choose for a 1001 list, but Two Dancers is an appropriate choice given its impact in 2009-10.
One could argue that due to the vocals of one of the two singers and synths they sound a little bit too much like The Associates and that band is of a completely different level, but still.. the songs and production.. it is all great.
Art rock how art rock should sound: 9/10.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Daydream Nation is generally seen as SY's best album. For me:
1. Sister.
2. Dirty
3. Daydream Nation
4. Evol
5. not sure: too much choice.
Differences are small though. In any case, great album, 10/10.
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
By far, Cyndi Lauper's best album (I guess True Colors is her only really good song not on this album). Liked it in the 80s and I like it now, which should count for something.
Girl Just Want To Have Fun, Time After Time and She Bop are 5*, while Money Changes, All Through The Night, Yeah Yeah Yeah are 4* just like the Prince cover, but Witness, and He's So Unusual are less special. This, plus the longevity factor, gives a weighted average of 5*.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Previously rated The Hissing Of Summer Lawns as 3* and always liked that album more than Blue due to the over-the-top way of singing on Blue. It is highly annoying, only partially compensated by the quality of the songs (which become better when played more often). 5/10 = 3 *
Neil Young
5/5
I am following consensus here and this is one of my top 5 NY albums, together with Harvest, After the Gold Rush, Tonight's the Night and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.
Some notes:
- I might like the straightforwarded but up-tempo cover of On The Beach by the Walkabouts a bit more.
- Ambulance Blues is one of the best songs Neil Young has ever written.
The Clash
5/5
The best Clash album. Of course, other Clash albums are 5* too but their debut is short and has the most energy.
Skepta
1/5
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
OK, no Rollercoaster Ride or Sleep the Clock Around, but this could still be Belle & Sebastian's most consistent album. Great song-writing. There is a live version of Seeing Other People, which is even better than the album version.
Marianne Faithfull
5/5
Generally seen as Marianne Faithfull's best album (but I am not so familiar with her work except for the string of 60s singles, some albums from the early 00s and this 1001 album). In any case, Broken English is of course an excellent album, which just falls short of being a true classic (say 9/10 so still 5*).
David Bowie
4/5
Solid David Bowie album. I like it of course but nonsense to include it in the list. (Outside is 5* and Blackstar is 5*, any David Bowie album in between is solid.)
Ray Charles
4/5
A record somewhat similar to an album the list generated a month ago, Elvis is Back. Here, some popular songs get a Ray Charles version. I do not listen to it often but can appreciate it. It sounds fine and exactly what you expect.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Great live album. Music is clearly 5 stars, but I do not think live albums should be included on the list.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Sonic Youth's four best albums:
1. Sister.
2. Dirty
3. Daydream Nation
4. Evol
5. not sure: too much choice.
Differences are small though. In any case, great album, 10/10.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Great EC album from his classic period. Check out his list of "500 Must-Have Albums" on Vanity Fair.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
At the time had this album on cassette tape, with Treasure on the flip side: both are timeless classics and two of the best pop albums made during 1980-90. HoLV has a more dreamy sound, much lighter than Treasure, but that's rather deceptive.
David Bowie
4/5
Had this album down as a 5-star album. Listening to it again after six years or so, I still believe the album is better than its predecessor (4 stars) with more 5-star songs, but no match to DB's best work.
The Next Day: 4 stars (7/10)
Blackstar: 4 stars (8/10).
Le Tigre
5/5
Strong songwriting throughout. Had not listened to this album for a long time, but the opening song is immediately recognizable. Clearly one of the best pop albums from the 90s.
Meat Puppets
5/5
One of the best American Guitar albums ever made.
Cee Lo Green
4/5
Not a 5* album (way too long and too inconsistent) but songs like The One (with EW&F sample), I Am Selling Soul, Scrap Metal etc are very good, so definitely a 4* album.
The Stranglers
5/5
I like the sound, the guitar playing, the keyboards. Everything stands out.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Excellent, but at also a bit boring, as the straightforward rock n roll songs and ballads are so overfamiliar.
Eels
1/5
Beck
3/5
Solid Beck album, 4* in my memory (18 years ago), but it is a bit too long - even though there are some great songs at the end. Not in the same league as Odelay. I previously rated that album as 4*, so 3* for Guero seems appropriate.
Favourite song: Scarecrow, one of the best songs Beck has written.
Sheryl Crow
1/5
1993: did not like this album.
2023: same.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Surf's Up and its predecessor Sunflower are the two best BB albums and together with Holland probably the only three BB 5-star albums. Most songs on Surf's Up require a couple of listens and then become better and better. Favourite tracks: Surf's Up, one of the best album closers ever, and 'Til I Die.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Only knew their debut, but this album is very similar in quality. I like the relaxed sound, the beats, flow etc. Some highlights: What's Golden, of course, and One of Them.
4 stars (8/10)
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Outlaw country. Sounds good but also a bit too polished and boring .. still I would not mind listening to it again
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
A very ugly sounding progrock album in every aspect. Hopefully there will be some early Marillion albums or so in the list as well. To compensate.
Buck Owens
2/5
Straightforward honky tonk country album from the sixties. Title song is catchy but not in a good sense. I would not listen to this again.
Buzzcocks
5/5
A classic Buzzcocks album, writing credits for Shelley, Diggle and even a couple of Devoto / Shelley songs. Obviously 5 stars.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
First three albums of DMR are all five stars (10/10). This is album 2.
Nas
5/5
Influential hip hop album and one of the best known 90s rap albums. But the problem with 90s rap albums or later is that 80s rap is so much better (yet many of those albums are not in the list). I often like a 90s rap song only to discover that it is based around a sample of a much better Kurtis Blow or Whodini song (apart from all the usual soul / funk / synthpop samples). The same here, but it is all perfectly done so a high rating is definitely justified.
5 (9/10)
Arcade Fire
4/5
Band peaked 15 years ago (see YouTube live videos) when they released their first three albums. Previously rated Funeral as 5 star and The Suburbs as 4. Their second album is somewhere in between. Only really becomes strong with Intervention (except for a small dip in song 8, some weird kind of Bruce Springsteen copy song).
Simply Red
4/5
Simple Red: mega-hits through covers and had almost forgotten how many excellent original material they have..
On this album: Jericho, Holding Back The Years, Picture Book, Come To My Aid: 4*, all at least 4 star. And the same goes for their cover of Money's Too Tight To Mention.
Don't like their Sad Old Red and their Talking Heads cover, but the remaining songs are fine.
4 stars (7/10)
Sufjan Stevens
1/5
Brrr
Raekwon
5/5
Downgraded Enter The Wu-Tang to 3 stars some 18 months ago and was not sure what to expect of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. But no, sounds - apart from its length - still as good as ever.
Brian Wilson
3/5
Some recycled Beach Boys music. Extremely well made, but also reminds me of all these horrible American indie bands Brian Wilson is single-hand responsible for..
The Young Gods
5/5
Had not been listening to this album for many years but still like it just as much. The way the songs are built up. The sound. It is alll great. Industrial music that does not sound ugly.
Gram Parsons
4/5
Had not listened to Grievious Angel for a long time (usually prefer to go for Sweetheart of the Rodeo or so) but GA is an excellent album of course: perfect vocals, best version of Love Hurst, several other 5-star songs such as 1000 dollar wedding, in my hour of darkness. The other songs are obviously strong as well, but I care less about them.
Overall score: 8/10 (mainly 3-star and 4-star songs and three absolute 5-star songs)
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Excellent Emmylou Harris album, timeless. 8/10
Linkin Park
1/5
The lyrics and music very nicely align.
Joe Ely
2/5
Did not know this album before. I understand it is a classic in its genre (Allmusic: 5, Christgau: A, Rolling Stone: 4.5) and it sounds very competent to me, but I won't be listening to it again.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Mixed bag and contains only one true classic: Smooth Criminal. The rest:
- Way you make me feel is 5*
- Man in the mirror is 1*
- All other songs are in between.
overall score in 1987: 8/10
overall score in 2023: 7/10.
Minutemen
5/5
Double Nickels on the Dime is one of the best double albums ever together with Sign O The Times, The Wall, Exile on Main St, Day Dream Nation, Tusk, Blonde on Blonde, Tago Mago, All Things Must Pass, The River etc. It is better than the fIREHOSE album generated by the 1001albumsgeneator some time ago (even though fIREHOUSE was a very decent band as well of course).
The Who
4/5
Always rated this as a very good Who album with some classic songs but not their best (that would be Who's Next).
Lambchop
4/5
A bit too inconsistent to be in the same league as What Another Man Spills or Is A Woman, but still a very good Lambchop album of course, with some of their best songs: You Masculine You, Up with People, The Book I Haven't Read, The Petrified Forest.
Score: 8/10
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Bought this album on cd when it was released at the time, on the strength of its predecessor. Yoshimi was certainly not disappointing, but always rated Soft Bulletin a bit higher. Now after 20 years I am not so sure anymore. Yoshimi has a very relaxed atmosphere, is even more accessible than Soft Bulletin, but in particular has a very relaxed sound and lots of really good pop songs. I would say both albums are 5 star and the best FL albums, so agree with the list on this occasion.
Bad Brains
5/5
Their best album? It is the only one I know (apart from the Banned in DC compilation), but I would not be surprised if it is true. It is a bit of a mix between hardcore and some kind of funk metal. Very strong songwriting, so much better than all the numerous bands it has inspired - on which I am usually less keen.
Tom Waits
2/5
Tom Waits has made many strong 4*-5* albums, but this one is just plainly boring even after 5 minutes let alone 75.
score: 3/10
The Mars Volta
3/5
Really liked Relationship of Command at the time and had put some effort in liking The Mars Volta. But unlike At the Drive In, the Mars Volta's music is not so catchy, and also on this attempt it is not working for me except for some song fragments here and there.
score: 5/10
Soul II Soul
2/5
Actually own a cd copy of this album and its successor, but hardly listen to it. It is all done very tastefully but it is also quite boring music.
Air
3/5
Saw the movie at the cinema - it was ok, just the Picnic at Hanging Rock of the 90s - which I also thought was an ok movie but nothing super special. Same holds for the VS soundtrack. I wondered if I had appreciated this album more had it been a regular Air album, but then listened to 10,000 Hz Legend (one of my favourite albums ever), and the difference is massive.
score: 7/10
50 Cent
3/5
OK rap album, some catchy songs, but way, way too long.
score: 6/10
Minor Threat
5/5
Yeah, this is great as it has ever been, and Fugazi even better. On a side note: I would not call it an album but an EP.
Steely Dan
5/5
Perfect Steely Dan album. It took an extra listen but then I got into it again.
ABBA
4/5
Always listened to the extended version with extra 5 star singles such as the day before you came and then you get a 5 star album. The original is a bit too inconsistent, but still my favouritr ABBA album: 8/10
Scissor Sisters
3/5
My view in 2004: Laura is a 5 star song. The Pink Floyd cover is good. Other songs are OK in general, but a bit too much pastiche. My view in 2023: exactly the same, and I do not feel this album belongs to the list despite its sale success. Score: 5/10.
Eurythmics
5/5
Contains two of the best 80s singles with Love Is A Stranger and Sweet Dreams. It is not the perfect synthpop album, but the number of 5 star songs is such that I still rate it as a 5 star album, just like its two successors Touch and Be Yourself Tonight.
9/10
The Fall
5/5
The Fall and McCarthy/Stereolab are the best European bands from the 80s-90s. The generator already did a Stereolab, and now we get the debut Fall album. You could argue perhaps that later Fall songs were a bit more instant-melodic (LA / Hit the North etc) depending on which of the 1000 Fall members was in the band at a certain time, but these are just epsilon-differences. Life at the Witch Trails already sounds as the definitive Fall album. 10/10
Lana Del Rey
5/5
A couple of years ago, Chemtrails was a bit of Lana Del Rey overkill: consistently high quality songs, but it felt more of the same. Now listening to it again in 2023, I can appreciate the album much better. There are more country influences and apart from the tittle song, the songs are overall less strong, but just a little, than the second half of Norman FR!, which is more inconsistent (but might still the best Lana del Rey album?) In any case, the Chemtrails album is a very strong addition the list. Score: 9/10.
Faith No More
5/5
One of my favourite bands early 90s and listened a lot to this album, just like Introduce Yourself and Angel Dust and King for a Day. Not clear which one I like the most, might be The Real Thing.
Score: 9/10
Ryan Adams
4/5
Solid Ryan Adams album, not in the same league as Heartbreaker. I had forgotten how long it is even without "Side 4". It was always a 3-star album for me, and one can feel that there is a hidden 4*+ album of 35-40 minutes in it. But will give the extra star due to the 9-minute song Nobody Girl.
Score: 7/10
John Lennon
5/5
Music is a clear 5 star overall obviously, but I am not so keen on the lyrics (cf. Mother or the last "song", which should be skipped). So, whereas the 5 stars for the Imagine album were easy to give ..giving 5 stars to this albums feels more difficult to justify, but still.. 5 stars.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Not in the same league as The Low End Theory, but still a very good debut album of course.
Dwight Yoakam
1/5
Straightforward country album - even as background music simply too annoying to give anything more than 1 star.
Donald Fagen
5/5
The best Donald Fagen album in my memory. It could be qualified as some Steely Dan light version, but I like it just as much (apart from Ruby Baby).
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
Listened a lot to Jean-Michelle Jarre in the 80s and at the time thought Equinoxe to be his best album. But got back from this 10-15 years ago when I start buying his albums on cd, and it really should be Oxygene of course.
The Who
4/5
In my memory, indeed the best Who album, but today I could not fully appreciate it despite multiple listens. Several 5 star songs but also several songs midway like The Song is Over that are less special.
N.E.R.D
1/5
Extremely bland and boring.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Music is ok but less keen on the vocals.
The Yardbirds
4/5
Accessible psychedelic rock album from the 60s. I have a copy of the 12-song UK version, and the review is for that version. Highlights: I Can't Make Your Way and Turn Into Earth. But most of the other songs are also very good. A little too inconsistent for 5 stars.
Brian Eno
4/5
Highly influential Brian Eno / David Byrne album, some 5* tracks like Mea Culpa, but I always find the album as a whole a little bit too boring to listen to (just like the albums of Art of Noise) and would choose the Avalanches' Since I Left You over My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Mediocre Justin Timberlake album. Weak songwriting. The production is nice of course, but the follow-up album is quite a bit better.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Previously rated Safe As Milk as 5 and also own a copy of Trout Mask Replica. Gave TMR another try, but just like many previous attempts, it still sounds like a bad Tom Waits record ..even though it should be the other way around.
John Grant
4/5
Prefer to listen to the Czars - even thought they never fully delivered on their albums, they had some absolute stand-out songs and John Grant is probably the best singer of the 90s. Grant's solo albums sound different, and I liked his vocals more on the Czars records, but Queen of Denmark contains enough high-quality material for a 4-star rating.
Ms. Dynamite
1/5
Frank Sinatra
1/5
Own a cd copy of this album, but that was a mistake. Superannoying music in every aspect.
Missy Elliott
4/5
High-quality hiphop album. Beats are very nice, just like the Justin Timberlake album a couple of days ago, but the overall song material of Supa Dupa Fly is much stronger. Always find it hard to say if this album is better than any of other Missy Elliott albums and why this particular one is included in the list, but presumably the fact that this was the first album may have something to do with that.
score: 8/10
Blondie
5/5
Presumable the 5-star albums "Blondie" and "Eat to the Beat" are also included in the list, but "Parallel Lines" is Blondie's most consistent album and one of the best albums ever.
Superclassic: 10/10
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
Previously rated Hot Rats as 4 stars. Also own a copy of WOIFTM on cd, but had not listened to it for at least 20 years or so. In my memory: a 3-star perhaps 4-star album on a good day.
2023 view: Anti-hippie and right-wing mockery is fine of course. However, the typical Frank Zappa way in which this is done makes the whole album (not only the final "song") almost completely unlistenable and highly annoying, despite some catchy tune here and there. It is just not funny at all in contrast to the Real FZ autobiography, which is a great read!
So: 1 star (2/10) despite its historical value.
The Damned
5/5
Re The Damned: I like several of their other albums (especially Phantasmagoria) but this album is clearly their best, strong songwriting throughout, a clear classic.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Not necessarily the best Led Zeppelin album, but for sure it contains their best song: When the Levee Breaks, which got sampled 240 times according to whosampled.com. I do not know the original version of this song, but the LZ version just sounds great. Of course STH, Black Dog, Rock N Roll are 5 star and the rest is in the 3-4 star range.
score: 9/10
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Strong debut album, best Sugarcubes album by consensus. The postpunk influences are great - favourite songs: delicious demon; blue eyed pop; deus; sick for toys. Other songs are good as well. Just fall short of 5 stars.
score: 8/10.
Korn
1/5
In 25 years my view on this album has not changed.
Norah Jones
1/5
Missy Elliott
4/5
Second ME album in a few weeks as prescribed by the generator. Own a cd copy and perhaps listened to Work It a couple of times in the past too much. But I still like the 80s hiphop references a lot - also on several on the other songs, and the Timbaland beats rule as always. However, all the talking in between the tracks is super-annoying. A reminder of why I hardly listen to the album in one go. It disrupts the flow (same goes for many other hiphop albums from that period). Overall 4 stars again.
Burning Spear
5/5
Great reggae album from the 70s. Got it on a cd together with the dub version, and one should really listen to both albums in one go to fully appreciate this album (similar to "In the Light / In the Dub") but anyways.. 5 stars of course.
Slade
2/5
Knew this album, but it is not the kind of glam rock I usually like to listen to. It is miles away from T. Rex, David Bowie, Mott The Hoople etc. The album cover is rather silly and says it all. Some catchy songs though - it is a pity that many of their classic singles were non-album tracks... Score: 2 stars.
The Cure
4/5
The last classic Cure album, but around the period when they started to make these inconsistent double albums. Disintegration is way too long but contains a hidden 5 star 38-minute album if you simply cut it to Plainsong (5 star, in need of a proper shoegaze remake - after all the song is a blueprint for the sound of a band like M83), Love Song (5 star), Lullaby (super 5 star), the title track (5 star), Pictures of You (4 star), Homesick (4 star) and, say, one out of the set {Closedown, Prayers of Rain, The Same Deep Water As You, Untitled}.
Moby
4/5
Big hit album at the time and still a nice album but nowhere near Everything is Wrong, the only Moby classic (and some tracks of Play are just a repeat of EIW).
score: 7/10
The Undertones
4/5
No Teenage Kicks, but plenty of other great songs on this pop-punk debut of the Undertones. However, it is a bit too straightforward to get the full 5 stars - it does not help that its successor, Hypnotized, is a significantly stronger album.
score: 8/10.
The Byrds
5/5
Their best album in particular due to the two King/Coffin songs but overall it is a timeless classic of course.
Solomon Burke
5/5
Saw Solomon Burke once in Newcastle just before he passed away later that year on a flight to Amsterdam. This album is from 1964. I did not know it but recognized half of the songs. The other tracks were generally great as well.
M.I.A.
2/5
I like her follow up quite a bit (rated it as 5 stars some time ago) but just like 18 years ago, her debut album is still a hard listen - there are some nice beats but the songs are less catchy and get on one's nerves very quickly.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Very good Alice Cooper album with a big hit (the title track) and a couple of other great songs. But maybe a bit too much cabaret and not enough rock. So very good but not on the same classic level as Killer (best opening song ever ...telephone is ringing), Love It To Death and Billion Dollar Babies, which are all 5-star albums.
score: 8/10.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Only have a copy of Greetings From LA and did not know this album before. It is quite impressive, and one can still hear its influence on modern day artists. I rate half of the songs (3, 6-8, 10) as 5 star. These also happen to be the most accessible songs. I could not get into the other half, such as the 9-minute title song.
Miles Davis
5/5
In my memory this was a clear 5-star Miles Davis album. Still liked the album of course - after all, it was a major influence on Laughing Stock, one of the best albums ever - but it took a while before I was convinced again.
score: 9/10
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Music is 4-5 star. Singing is 1-2 star (I do not recall this so much from Pieces of a Man, the only GSH album I knew). Overall: 3 stars.
Serge Gainsbourg
5/5
French concept album, which was to be expected to be included in the 1001 list. Apart from a (great) compilation album, it is the only Serge Gainsbourg album in my cd collection. The plot is pretty stupid, but I am not able to understand the lyrics anyway, and the music is great, especially the final song, Cargo Culte.
Score: 5 stars (9/10)
The Psychedelic Furs
5/5
One of the albums (just like Talk Talk's Laughing Stock) that for some reason you could practically buy for free in every record store in the nineties in the Netherlands. And so I did at the time. One of my favourite albums from the 80s and not sure which of the first four Psychedelic Furs albums is the best one. Talk Talk Talk contains the original Pretty in Pink - I prefer their 86 Americanish movie version, but this version fits the rest of the album much better.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
1/5
man with guitar and some singing - i prefer this over frank sinitra, but it is still very average compared to other 50s music.
my predicted score in 1958: 1
my real score in 2023: 1.
Depeche Mode
5/5
Up to Violator all DM albums (that is, their first seven albums) are more or less 5 star. Occasionally, there is a weak song or so, but even the B-sides from this period are generally great. There is a slight quality drop on the next three albums, but only slight: still 4 star for sure. Their final 5 albums are patchy: 3 star perhaps, but must admit that I haven't hear their last album.
This album is number six, so 5 stars. It contains several DM classic songs, in particular, Never Let Me Down and Strange Love, and it is one of their most consistent efforts.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
My vote in 1995: 5 stars (10/10)
My vote in 2023: 4 stars (7/10) for historical reasons and as most of the songs still hit the 4-star level..
However, the songs make less impact now and are nowhere as strong as I remembered. In fact, I could not identify any single 5-star song, and it became very obvious that Gish and Siamese Dream are the better albums. The song lyrics are pretty horrible too - back in 1995 I was aware of this as well but could not care...
Shack
1/5
Never heard of this band - probably ignored the UK press a little bit in those years after the britpop hype, but this is not for me..
Public Enemy
5/5
Superclassic rap album. Nothing to add. Score: 10/10.
k.d. lang
2/5
The first song, a Chris Isaak cover, is quite good and the rest of the album is not bad either (better than Ingenue, generated a year ago or so). But the record is too much pastiche for me (just like World Party, Lenny Kravitz etc) - if in the mood I would just go for an original 50s album.
ZZ Top
5/5
Tres Hombres is the best ZZ top album (10/10), followed by Eliminator (9/10). Presumably everyone knows this album. In the Netherlands Gimme All Your Lovin' was the big hit, followed by Sharp Dressed Man. Everywhere else in the world it was Legs. These are 5-star songs on Eliminator, just like Got Me Under Pressure and I Need You Tonight, so practically the first half of the album. The fourth single, TV Dinners, is 5-star too. The other songs are almost consistently 4-star. Together with the 80s' top production and the sound (I like the synths a lot!) you get a 5-star album, easily.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Had not listened to this album for twenty years or so. It is better than the previously 1001list-generated We're Only In It For The Money. The majority of the songs are catchier, but also on Freak Out!, too many tracks are parody genre songs: well executed but ultimately not so interesting and a bit too boring to listen to more than once. There are some nice exceptions, such as "Trouble Every Day", and three stars would have been about right, but the final two "songs" (25% of the album length) bring it down to two stars. Hopefully some of the later Frank Zappa albums will also be included on the list (apart from Hot Rats, which has been generated already as well).
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
Not clear why this album is included in the list. It is rather generic but very well-made background music, nice enough to get 3 stars, but somewhat ruined by the songs (partially) sung in English.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Some people claim that you can recognize some 5-star albums already in the first couple of minutes. For this album, I completely agree, a great record in every aspect.
Overall score:10/10
Peter Gabriel
4/5
PG III, IV, So are are all 5-star albums, and in my memory the same goes for Passion (but would need to check). PG I (Car) contains Solsburry Hill and the best version of Here Comes the Flood, both classic 5-star songs. I much like the other typical art rock songs as well, but the album is (just like PG II) a little too uneven for five stars - I always skip the couple of Randy Newman-ish tracks.
Overall score: 8/10.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
Cool It Down was my favourite record from 2022, and It's a Blitz! is their second-best album. It is not as perfect as Cool It Down (or perhaps I like their version of shoegaze even more than their version of electro-pop). But anyway: no weak songs and many great ones (and sometimes the music is not even that far away from Cool It Down).
For me, this was a 4-star album (8/10) in 2009 and it is true that a couple of songs in the middle (Dull Life / Shame and Fortune) are a bit less memorable, but after non-stop listening to it today I rate it as 5-star (9/10) in 2023.
Mylo
3/5
Given that there are so many more adventurous electronic dance albums around, I am not sure why this rather straightforward album is in the list. The hits Drop The Pressure and In My Arms are OK, just like several of the other songs. Hearing the title song (some kind of Negativland cover) once seems enough.
On a side note, a remix version of one of the songs is much better than its original: the Étienne de Crécy remix of Paris 400. The unremixed version is nice, but the remix is great and beats every track on Destroy R&R.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
At the time, this was the first Prefab Sprout album that I listened to, and in my memory it was a 4-star album. Listening to it again now, I find the album a bit more boring than I remembered and I dislike the lyrics. But the first half (that contains all the singles) is stronger than the second one and contains some nice songs, so 3 stars overall.
Simple Minds
5/5
My favourite Simple Minds album used to be Once Upon a Time (I like the commercial Big Music sound). Then it became this album (the consensus album) but ultimately would go for Real to Real Cacophony. All three albums are very different from each other, but obviously 5 stars. There is not a single weak track on New Gold Dream and the songs are in the "right" order. A perfect album.
Overall score: 10/10.
KISS
5/5
Shout it Shout it Shout it out loud. You Gotta Have a Party. And I agree, this is of course a 5-star rock album. Probably the best Kiss album, but I like most of their 70s output.
The Smiths
4/5
A very solid Smiths album, not as good as their other three studio albums: it contains a couple of classic Smiths songs but most songs on SHWC are 4 star, and overall I would rate the album as 4 star (8/10) (and would not have included it on the list).
John Coltrane
5/5
True jazz classic. I like it that albums get better and better once you listen to them more often. I had not listened to this album for many years, so needed to go through the same progress all over again.
Guided By Voices
5/5
I expected Bee Thousand instead of Alien Lanes, but always slightly preferred Alien Lanes, for me their best (and most consistent) album: great sound, great songs from both Robbert Pollard and Tobin Sprout (but I only know 10 albums or so from the period up to Do The Collapse and not the hundreds of albums they made afterwards).
I like the length of the songs, probably the album would be less interesting / listenable if the production was not so lo-fi or if the songs were proper songs instead of short sketches. Out of the 28 songs, I would only skip the annoying 1-minute song Ex-SuperModel
scote: 9/10
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Only knew the debut album of BST. This is the follow-up and feels more accessible. I thought it was a pretty strong records, vocals are not top but I liked most of the songs and in particular the trumpets.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Timeless classic: >> 10/10 (just like Axis and Electric Ladyland)
Tim Buckley
4/5
The band and the songs: 5 stars. The vocals: 2 stars. Overall: 4 stars.
(A couple of weeks ago the generator generated Goodbye and Hello, a very different album, which I also rated as 4 star: a totally different style and better way of singing but less consistent.)
Ute Lemper
2/5
Had some difficulty to finish the album. I tried it before but the songs did not stick, just like on this occasion. Too much late-period Elvis Costello and too little Divine Comedy perhaps.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Probably the best Goldfrapp album. I like it when it is dreamy or cinematic but less so when they push the vocals too much, as especially on Deer Stop.
The Specials
5/5
One of my favourite albums ever, quite a bit better and more varied than their debut (also 5-star) for a big part due to Jerry Dammers, but song contributions of other band members are also great.
Favourite song: the 7.5 minute extended version of Stereotypes.
Tortoise
5/5
Hard to believe it is almost 30 years ago this was released. I liked it then and I like it now. Favourite song: Djed, of course.
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
Very good album of course that I had not listened to for many years. Close to 5 star, but not in same league as other bands from that time, such as Echo & The Bunnymen.
score: 8/10.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Took a bit to get back into. Songs are sometimes a little too straightforward but mainly great, and this is a pretty flawless, timeless rock album.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
S&tB debut album - it is their noisiest album and in my top 3 of S&tB albums. (Two days ago we had the Teardropes Explodes debut, a more psychedelic version of post-punk which I also like, but Scream is of a different level.)
Barry Adamson
3/5
I am reading Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars at the moment so a nice coincidence to get this album. I never could get into the music, maybe a little too cinematic and a bit boring but the albumcertainly has its moments.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
New discovery for me. Spotify links to the double album release: "Love Songs" and "Devotional Songs", and it took a couple of songs before I had figured this out. From what I heard I liked the opening song of Love Songs the most - great beat - but Devotional Songs is excellent as well, close to 5 stars for me.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Much liked this album in the early 90s when it was a big hit. Now it is a bit too boring to listen to in one go but the couple of fast songs are still great.
Public Enemy
5/5
Classic Public Enemy album. Nothing to add. Just like Fear Of A Black Planet (which I may like a little bit more).
Cheap Trick
4/5
Yes great songs of course and this album has a big reputation, but it is a live album. And as such, not so appropriate to rate: how to compare it with studio albums? The "Cheap Trick" and "In Color albums are 5 star. Let me just leave At Budokan at 4 star, my current rating average, but just due to the "live album issue".
The Monkees
3/5
New album for me (only have a copy of a greatest hits album).
Difficult album to rate. I listened to it 3-4 times. I am not so bothered with the Beatles references even though the opening song is overdoing it a bit. In fact, as expected, there are some very nice songs on it, but perhaps a couple too many that are less special and have this 3-stars feel.
overall score: 3 stars.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
This is a classic psychedelic rock album that I always had managed to avoid, as I thought it would be boring. This happens to be correct. The music is not bad, but the album is a struggle to listen to in one go. Won't play again in the future (necessary condition for a +3 score).
Merle Haggard
2/5
Unknown album for me - only know MH songs from a compilation cd. Opening song is a classic, but I would not listen to this country album again.
Giant Sand
4/5
American Guitar and a couple of piano songs, atmospheric.
Really liked this album at the time, but it did not strike me as a stand-out Giant Sand album - they just made a lot of strong albums over the years. Listening to it again, I still like it a lot, Well Dusted for the Millennium and Satellite are the 5-star songs.
Score: 8/10 (close to 5*)
Fairport Convention
5/5
This album never gets old, and is no doubt the best folk rock album ever made - I am not a major British folk rock fan, but it is one of these albums that exceeds their genre.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
In my memory a 5 star ELO album, but I listened to it twice and although still very good overall, I am no longer convinced it is 5 stars.
score: 8/10
Björk
5/5
Another great Bjork album, and I almost like it just as much as Homogenic. Initially was on the fence as there are some songs that were hard to get into. This still holds to some extent, but other tracks like Stonemilker, Lionsong and Blake Lake are exceptionally strong and compensate for a 5-star rating.
Green Day
3/5
Typical Radio 2 Top 2000 band, and for some reason this particular album is their most appreciated one, and it also shows up in this list. Sounds ok, as in the way I remembered it: some very catchy pop songs while some of the rock songs are a bit draggy, and the album is too long. Cannot say I like it better or worse than Dookie, so 3 stars again.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
At the time I agreed with the consensus that the album was a bit of a comeback and also quite liked its successor Devils & Dust. But these days, this album is a struggle to listen to in one go - lots of material that sounds like typic Bruce Springsteen but the extra touch is missing (except for Nothing Man, the only true classic) and the album is just way, way too long - if half of the songs would have been cut this would have easily been a 4-star album.
vote in 2002: 8/10
vote in 2023: 6/10
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Clearly an influential album in the UK so I can see why it is on the list. Never cared too much for it though (standard blues songs), but the band sounds excellent when you listen to the stereo version (3 stars) instead of the mono version (2 stars).
Marvin Gaye
5/5
One of these perfect super-classic timeless albums that sound 5* from the first second.
Throwing Muses
5/5
So far, the list generator prescribed quite a few American college rock albums from the 80s (practically all are very obvious 5-star albums), but the Throwing Muses were still missing. Luckily their debut is included in the list. Great album from a great band. It is their most intense album: some combination of punk and jangle pop and all songs are winners.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Knew Fishscale has a high reputation but still had expected to see Supreme Clientele. Anyway, this is good, in fact it is very good but also long. Even the original album is clocking well over an hour. Could have been *very easily* a 5-star album if the weaker songs were left out. This is more like a general point, true for many albums from the 90s/00s on this list. In essence they could just be as strong as the 1001 albums from the decades before, but their length is ruining it.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Liked this band a lot around 2004-05 but after that the vocals quickly became very irritating. Vocals are not great on Youth And Young Manhood either, and after the previous 1001 album (NYD debut), the album sounds rather boring. But overall this is still a very solid southern rock album of course.
score in 2004: 9/10
score in 2023: 7/10.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Yank Crime sounds as if someone put an At The Drive In album and an Unwound album in a blender. That is good of course, but got mixed feelings for this album. Always liked it more than Rocket from the Crypt (and am surprised both RftC and DlJ are both in 1001) but it took multiple listens to get into again, and in the end it is just too exhaustive and inconsistent for me to fully appreciate it.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Would always go for Stardust which presumably is included in the list as well. RHS contains enough highlights for a +3 score, but is also a bit dull at times - would not listen to it anytime soon again.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Timeless soul album, one of AF's best albums.
1/5
No idea why this is on the list, given that one could also have picked an Oneida album or something from These New Puritans. My thoughts about this record in 2004: way too pretentious without backing it up with any strong songs. My thoughts in 2023: exactly the same. I do like their later albums - these are much more listenable, even though writing tunes might never be their strongest suit.
Bill Callahan
4/5
Big surprise, knew it would be good, but also expected boring - saw Callahan once in Prague 21 years ago doing a solo concert, and quite a few Smog songs that sounded great on album did not hold up. Might be the case with this collection as well, but on the album they all sound great apart from Faith/Void, which is ok but a bit dull even with tasteful instrumentation.
favourite song: Too Many Birds + Eid Ma Clack Shaw (but the latter could simply be as it is Psycho Killer in disguise :-) ).
overall score: 8/10 (classic Smog would be 9/10 or 10/10, but perhaps the comparison to older work, with different song structures, is a bit unfair for an artist that has simply made too much high-quality music over the years to keep track of)
This U2 record is very bland but does not offend (unlike any later U2 album). The Brian Eno sound is there, but in essence they simply seem to have forgotten to write any good tunes, apart from Wild Honey and New York: the first one sounds a bit like a b-side, but is my favourite song (4 star); the second one is a proper rock song (4 star). I can appreciate Beautiful Day and Elevation (both 3 star) and a few other songs.
Overall score in 2000 = overall score in 2023 = 5/10.
New York Dolls
5/5
One of the best debut albums ever. Guitar rock as guitar rock should sound. I like it for exactly the same reason as the debut album of the Ramones - the songs are a bit longer and slower, but the sixties pop influences are very similar.
Depeche Mode
5/5
The best Depeche Mode album where they perfected their sound and production. One of these albums were all the songs are placed in the right order, the perfect flow. Their b-sides from this period are also very good, but below the songs that made it to the album.
Pink Floyd
5/5
This Pink Floyd album made a big impression 30-35 years ago and listened to it lot. Expected to be disappointed but no: still a great album in every aspect, and objectively one of the best debut albums ever.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Great voices of course, and the material is pleasant to listen to, but the songs do not really stick. Have a copy of this album, and in my memory this was a 3-star album. Memory confirmed.
Animal Collective
3/5
Ultimate Pitchfork band? AC belongs to this group of American guitar bands that at some point in the 2010s enjoyed some mainstream succes. I would prefer a band like Deerhunter but can appreciate AC / Panda Bear as well even though their experimental beach-boys-influenced style is a bit exhaustive. This is their most accessible and successful album and I think including it in this list is justified, but I would not put it in my personal 1001 list (would go for Sung Tongs perhaps).
Laibach
4/5
OK, this is great: Live is Life was "made" for Laibach, and same goes for One Vision. These two songs might be the best what they ever did (and both LiL versions are excellent) the other five songs are good too but have a little less impact, so overall 8/10.
Little Simz
2/5
UK rap/hip hop album from a few years ago, did not know it. Music: not bad or so. Lyrics: not for me. It is short - a good thing compared to all those 90s/00s 80-minute albums.
The Fall
4/5
<version that includes Why Are People Grudgful>
I like this Fall album, but am surprised it is on the list: it is not so consistently great as their earlier work. I knew about half of the songs from some John Peel sessions. The last couple of songs (not WAPG - which is excellent of course just like Lost in Music - but the ones before) are a bit weaker.
Overall score: 4 stars, with songs that vary from 3 to 5 stars.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Outstanding art rock/ pop album in every aspect except for some of the lyrics perhaps but here i do not care, my rating in 1986: 10/10 and in 2023: 10/10.
Suzanne Vega
1/5
Vega has written several 5 star songs of course but not on this album, at least not for me, it is ultraboring.
Louis Prima
4/5
.Entertaining 50s album - new for me, liked it a lot.
American Music Club
3/5
Only know the albums Everclear and Mercury from AMS. This one is presumably the best AMS album, but I hear little difference with the other two. It is well made, contains a couple of truly great songs, but also quite a few I do not care too much about.
Magazine
5/5
One of my favourite albums all times - postpunk does not get any better than this.
Common
4/5
A little on the long side and dont like the lyrics but the music is excellent of course and out of the Common albums I know this one might be its best.
Van Halen
3/5
Known as a classic 80s rock album but I never understood why. The 80s synth rock sound is perfect, however there is only one truly catchy song (Jump) - the other tracks are at the 2*-3* level.
Van Morrison
4/5
This was never a supercool album but still had it down as a 10/10 album, and the music is clearly five stars, but after not having listened to it for many years, I could not take in the vocals and am also pretty indifferent towards the lyrics (which luckily are miles away from VM current type of lyrics and mode of thinking).
Slipknot
1/5
The second Slipknot generated by the 1001 generator. Was surprised they even made it to the list once ..but twice, huh? The music is better than a Korn or a Linkin Park or etc, but the whiny in-your-face lyrics and the "singing" is completely ruining the extra star.
Amy Winehouse
1/5
Why is this album on the list. It is totally unremarkable and Back to Black was already included (good album that would not make it on my own 1001 list but one can the rationale for including it in the list).
5/5
Really like this album - have a cd copy of it but had not listened to it for years - the psychedelic rock from that time is not my genre - but on this album it is beaten by a strong pop feeling.
Wilco
5/5
An obvious 5 star Wilco album, with a fair share of Wilco classics.
Beyoncé
5/5
Each album of Destiny's Child / Beyoncé solo always contained a couple of killer songs but I always struggled to listen to their albums in one go. This album is different - it is great from start to finish.
Motörhead
3/5
It is ok and contains a super-classic song, but every time I listen to this album I cannot shake off the feeling that I am listening to the same song 10 times in a row. Iike the bonus tracks from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP much better - very catchy songs with Girlschool - but of course these songs cannot be taken into account.
Destiny's Child
3/5
A little on the long side - I listened to the international edition but 45 minutes would have yield a close-to-perfect pop album.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
In my memory this was a classic glam rock album and I had it down as an easy 5 stars. But listening to it several times today I got less sure. Songs like "All the Way from Memphis" and "Violence" are still 5*, but I found quite a few of the other tracks are a little boring. So it seems this album did not stand the test of time, unlike other albums from that time, such as the New York Dolls debut, which still sounds as great as ever.
overall score: 8/10
King Crimson
4/5
First half: 3 stars, a little too much prog for for me.
Second half: 5 stars, this half rocks.
Overall: 4 stars.
(I would rate the KC debut, Red, Discipline as 5 star).
Neneh Cherry
4/5
Still a very good late 80s album - perhaps it sounds a little less fresh to me than it did in 1989, but the first two songs are classics, while the other tracks are solid 3*-4* songs.
Tom Waits
4/5
Out of the trilogy Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Frank Wild's Years, I liked this album the least but still expected a five star. However, I would argue 8/10 is more appropriate, as some of the tracks are just quite a little irritating (whereas other ones are still great).
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
This album was better than I expected - some of the songs are quite strong, but I am not a big fan of these San Fransisco 60s psychedelic rock albums - dont care about the lyrics and the style of singing. Three stars seems to be about right.
The Police
3/5
Least favourite album of the Police: one absolute classic, a semi-classic, one clear 1-star song and the other tracks 2 or 3 stars.
Kid Rock
1/5
As terrible as expected
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
To me this is still the "new" MBV album that I had not got around to listen to, but then I discovered it is already eleven years old. In any case, I listened to it today multiple times. It is excellent and contains both accessible and less accessible songs (towards the end). I liked all of them, and this is a 5* album. To compare: the previous two MBV albums are 10/10 (made more impact and have a bit stronger songs) whereas I would give this one 9/10.
The Police
4/5
Some absolute 5-star classic songs and a classic 5-star album in my memory, but not consistent enough. I would say a solid 4-star.
Napalm Death
1/5
Too boring.
The Beta Band
4/5
Fine Beta Band album even though the vocals are so so. In my memory, Hot Shots II, its predecessor was a bit better and same goes for the material on the 3EPs. But still there is enough stuff to like, such as Wonderful, which sounds like the blueprint of a Beta Band song.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
It is not Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which is in a different league, and I never fully understood why this FBB record has classic status, but it is still a very decent countryrock album that I like to listen to once and a while.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Great live album, but still feel live albums should not be on the list, so 3 stars.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Album still sounds fine, clearly more guitar than house, perhaps it is a bit hard to judge the music knowing there are some superior remixes out there. Probably Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches is a bit better but it depends on one's mood. In any case: solid album.
Germs
2/5
Always ignored this American punk album a little and today heard it for the first time - the songwriting is a bit on the weak side and I would not listen again.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Not much to say here: iconic soundtrack album with vintage IH soul music. Can be listened without the movie - in particular the 19 minute jam at the end is great.
Soundgarden
5/5
A modern rock classic.
Deerhunter
5/5
Glad this one is on the list. It was my 2nd most favourite album from 2010. Perhaps I liked it a bit better then than now - listening to it again now it is noticeable that not every song is strong - but still a great record overall, and I will have to go for 5 stars.
Favourite song: Desire Lines, which seems to be the consensus view
Score: 9/10
Little Richard
4/5
Classic Rock n Roll.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
At the time of release in 1999: was much impressed by this album and its successor Easy Down The Road. Perhaps not as good as There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You, but still getting very close.
Listening to it again now: songs are still very good, but BPB's voice is slightly annoying and gets a little on my nerves (whereas that Palace Brothers record still sounds as great as ever).
score in 1999: 9/10
score in 2024: 8/10
Mudhoney
5/5
Yeah this is still a near-perfect grunge record with fast, catchy songs all over - had not listened to Mudhoney for many years and thought the album may have that outdated grunge sound, but it still sounded fresh, and I like it very much.
Elvis Costello
3/5
To quote another listener: "Reasonable album but it doesn't keep up with much of Costello's earlier work."
I agree with this. The album is also too long. Some songs might probably grow a bit after repeated listens, but every time I put this album, I am not so inclined to listen to it again immediately (unlike EC albums from his classic period).
The Byrds
5/5
Absolute classic and best countryrock album ever, a notch above earlier 1001 albums from Flying Burrito Brothers / Gram Parsons: more variety in the songs / song-writing, better vocal harmonies, Roger McGuinn has the better voice etc.
Hookworms
1/5
Unremarkable songs and way too derivative to get anything more than 1 star.
Nitin Sawhney
1/5
Did not like it 25 years ago and one cannot argue it is not well made, but it still has that typical muzak feeling.
Cowboy Junkies
5/5
The only Cowboys Junkies album that I know. It does not rock but here it does not matter. Atmosphere is perfect (weren't the songs recorded in a church or so) Timeless classic.
Moby Grape
4/5
Rather inconsistent psychedelic countryrock album, to which I do not listen too often, but when it is good it is really good.
The Verve
4/5
Had this down as a 4 star album but needed a few spins to get back into it. It is still a really good album (britpop mixed with psychedelic rock in the "right" way) with one absolute 5-star song (History) but Urban Hymns made a much bigger impact at the time.
90s view: 4 stars
20s view: 4 stars
Girls Against Boys
4/5
A really good GVSB album - first album in the sequence:
Venus Luxure No1 Baby - Cruise Yourself - House of GVSB,
basically, the same album repeated three times - could also be due to their distinctive guitar sound... In any case, I like Cruise Yourself a little more than the others (4-5-4).
Living Colour
4/5
The best LC album. Cult of Personality is still great. The Talking Heads cover is great too, just like several other songs such as Broken Hearts. Falls short of 5 stars for me, but a solid 4*: 8/10.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
New album for me. A couple of good songs and a great album cover, but the majority of this album is competent yet rather unremarkable country music, and I would not listen to the album again.
Anita Baker
3/5
Had not listened to this album for quite some time. A very smooth 80s soul/r&b megaseller and easy to listen to once and a while.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Another JM album on the list that I cannot get into anymore - vocals are less annoying than on Blue though, 3 stars again.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
Excellent Youssou N'Dour album from the 80s. I did not know it but as expected liked it a lot, close to 5-star.
Madonna
3/5
What is this album doing in this list?!
"Madonna" and "Like A Virgin" are 5 star. "True Blue" is 4.5 and "Like a Prayer" is 4 star. "Frozen" is 4 star, just like "Confessions on a Dance Floor".
All other Madonna albums are 3 star at most. Out of these remaining albums, Music is one of the best. It is perhaps a bit more consistent than Frozen, but Frozen contains four absolute 5-star singles, and Music contains none: a couple 4 star, a couple 2 star, rest is 3 star.
my vote in 2000: 6/10
my vote in 2024: 6/10
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Perhaps one Run-DMC album in the list would have been enough, to give space to acts like Newcleus and Whodini, and I am not sure which one I like more (the Run-DMC debut or this one). But 5 stars obviously.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
Not in the league of CCR but it would be a little weird to have a 1001 without LS, and for sure, this is the album to include. Not every song is as strong as the highlights: Tuesday's Gone, Free Bird, Simple Man, but that's already half a record of classic songs, but overall 9/10.
Mudhoney
4/5
In my view 23-minute EPS should not be on the list. It makes just as much sense as including live albums. I would say this EP is not as good as the proper Mudhoney album on the list but it is certainly 4 stars.
Common
3/5
OK hiphop album: easy listening and smooth, but it is also a bit too straightforward and a little boring. Favourite song: Testify, but that is just because of the catchy Honey Cone sample. Opinions seem to differ, but "Like Water For Chocolate" (also included the 1001 list) is a much better album.
Rahul Dev Burman
1/5
70s soundtrack, occasionally catchy, mostly annoying
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
funky hiphop, still quite nice: 7/10 and no need to listen to any other FLC album.
Genesis
5/5
Had not listened to this album for many years. Perhaps a bit too much prog but definitely a classic album. And, unlike these overlong 90s albums on the list, the fact that it is a double album does not matter.
Doves
1/5
Bought a cd copy of this album at the time, inmediate regrets, it is like Coldplay, Elbow etc. Why listen to this when the new Sleater-Kinney is out?
The Fall
5/5
Clearly belongs to the top 5 of best Fall albums, includes LA and Paint Work and lost of other strong songs.
Sade
5/5
Another super-classic album from the 80s: smoothness made to perfection.
I might have listened to it too much in the past, but it is still great (and I am not a fan of the genre - if not well done this type of music becomes pretty boring).
Aimee Mann
2/5
Rush
4/5
The music is great, still like it a lot, but minus 1 for the lyrics.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Very good RW album, which I did not know in advance. Not in the same league as Rock Bottom, but still very good.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
Still an OK album, but I would say Car is a much better album.
score in 2008: 7/10
score in 2023: 7/10
Johnny Cash
4/5
Music is five stars, and I like it more than the other famous JC album At Folsom Prison. Still, live albums should not belong to the list in my view, but this one is a bit of an exception, 4 stars then.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
One of the best albums of NC & BS - non-stop classic Nick Cave songs.
Spiritualized
5/5
One of the best albums of the 90s, my favourite Spiritualized album together with Lazer Guided Melodies which is also on the list (and which is even a little better).
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
the coolest and cleverest album of 2003? i think i agree! i remember it as a 4 star album but it is actually much better.
Sparks
5/5
Lots of great songs on this Sparks album, in particular the album closer Equator. Not as good as later work like No1 in Heaven but still a 5 star album (9/10) obviously
Suicide
3/5
Used to like this album a lot. The New York/Lou Reed vibes. The Cherree song. The electronic sound. etc. But nowadays cannot stand the screaming and prefer the Alan Vega and Martin Rev album. But this is still an influential album that certainly belongs to the list.
Björk
4/5
Not my favourite Bjork album, but still very good with a decent share of 5 star songs.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Push the Sky Away is the last Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album I was familiar with. It is an excellent record, but they have so many killer records (basically anything during the period: From Her to Eternity - Let Love in) there is always a better album to get back too.
Ghosteen: knowing the back story I understand it is a highly personal album, and that might be one of the reasons I could hardly connect with the record at all initially. The other reason is that most of the tracks at first just sound like (very) sad, slow soundscapes, often with some spoken word / minimal singing over it. It is only until Ghosteen Speaks that things changed a little. A really good song. Leviathan also good and the rest of the album stays on track. In fact, Ghosteen is pretty impressive too, especially after a couple of listens.
So, initially, I thought I would probably not listen to it again but during the afternoon I backtracked completely and now believe it is another truly outstanding Nick Cave record.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Nice 70s album - I agree that this is the type of album that should be in this list, but I always skip the bonus tracks, as after 12 songs it becomes a bit too much of the same. So 3 stars (for the original album) seems about right.
XTC
5/5
For years only had "Nonsuch" on tape.. solid album, I liked it at the time of release, but it is overkill and not the best starting point. Drums and Wires, Black Sea, English Settlement, Skylarking are all clear 5-star albums for different reasons. Skylarking is full of great pop songs, one of these albums with songs that require several listens and then becomes very addictive, as it is so melodic and works on different levels.
score: 10/10.
side note: "Dear God" is no fit with the other songs and makes the album worse overall. As it was only added to the album later on, I excluded it.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Not an fan of Rufus W. Music is not bad but just a bit boring and not catchy enough, so album a clear is 2 star but the 5 star 9-minute album closer compensates the other songs.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Fine Stephen Stills album, which was new to me.
Steely Dan
5/5
Perfect Steely Dan album just like practically all their albums
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Superclassic album. Some Girls Wander By Mistake. Sisters of Mercy etc etc
The Killers
4/5
Hard to imagine this record is already 20 years old. I liked it at the time but did not think it was super special: some big, catchy pop singles, several OK songs and a few fillers.
score: 8/10 (should it be on the list? mwah, perhaps)
Kelela
2/5
Great sound, but it is like listening to a Janet Jackson album but then without any catchy songs.
Haircut 100
4/5
Had not listened to this album quite some time, I would not say it is a classic and not quite sure why it should be on the list, but it is one out of many excellent UK pop albums from the 80s.
Orbital
5/5
Extremely good album. Together with Insides, Dubnobasswithmyheadman and Exit Planet Dust, probably my favourite 4 electronic albums from the 90s.
Alice Cooper
5/5
Perfect. Non-stop great rock songs. I go with the consensus view on this album. The opening song must be the best cover song ever. Billion Dollar Babies might be my favourite Alice Cooper song etc etc. Clearly, AC's best record and one of the best albums from the 70s.
Score: 10/10
Boston
5/5
Near-perfect. Great rock songs and one superclassic. Great production. Together with REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity, two of the best classic radio rock albums ever made.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Some good songs. Some annoying songs. In my memory the album was a bit better.
The Kinks
5/5
The consensus view seems to be that this is the best Kinks album. I might like some albums like Arthur a bit more, but obviously VGPs is a 5-star classic.
Morrissey
4/5
Comeback album. Played this record a lot in 2004, as it is very listenable and contains some very strong songs. Lacks the feeling of a 5-star album though.. still has this rather bland sound, despite all the great songs on it.
score: 8/10 (I am puzzled why the list instead of only Smiths albums contains Morrissey solo albums - even three of them - it does not make sense.)
Soft Cell
5/5
Perfect synth-pop album with way above average vocals, and the most famous cover song ever? Its other evergreen song, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, has been a little ruined for me due to overexposure and that horrible David Gray cover. Rest of songs and the whole vibe of the album, all great.
score: 10/10
footnotes:
1. Score is for the original 10-track album and not the version with all the extra material (which is not bad and even contains some of their best material such as Torch).
2. Highly recommended: the 9-minute long 12" mix of Tainted Love that at some point changes into Where Did Our Love Go, which is simply perfect.
Dr. John
3/5
One of these albums that contains some great material (here, for instance, the first and last song) but can also be really irritating (and for that reason I prefer Gumbo or In the Right Place over this album).
overall: $(1+5)/2 = 3$
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
It is very hard to listen to the vocals which get on my nerves (just like Radiohead vocals but there is a compensation through the song material). Want Two had a 5* song.
David Crosby
1/5
Crosby was fine in CSNY but his solo work is- unlike S/N/Y solo records - incredibly boring, no proper tunes, unlistenable.
Van Morrison
2/5
Music is nice but these days I really started to dislike the vocals.
The Crusaders
3/5
The title song/opening track is one of these instant-recognizable hit songs from late 70s that was sampled numerous times just like the second track (My Lady). The other tracks are more jazz than funk, and it is no surprise that they are hardly sampled at all. So, this is a strange album with a great first half (5*) and a much less interesting second half (2*).
Overall: 3* (would never listen to 2nd half again).
Ride
5/5
Top 5 Shoegaze album. Might even be number 2 after MBV's Loveless but Ferment, Going Blank Again, Isn't Anything, Just for a Day, Souvlaki, Whirlpool, Everything's Alright Forever, Giant Steps, The Comforts of Madness, In Ribbons, Raise, Spooky etc. are also all great albums too (I much prefer the Shoegaze period in the first half of the 90s before Britpop took over in the second half).
Tom Waits
5/5
Had this album on tape when it got released before buying a cd copy at some point. One of these albums that is hard to listen to in heavy rotation, but obviously very high quality and very listenable. Not the same impact as Franks Wild Years but clearly 5*.
Nirvana
5/5
Modern rock album, which became massively popular in no time. Clearly, the best album from the nineties.
Love
4/5
Typical an album that I hardly listen to, but when I do listen to it remember again how good it is. Opinions seems to be divided about Revelations, the 18-minute side B of this record. I actually quite like it, while side A - with six short songs - is very good as well. Close to 5 stars .
(I am slightly surprised this is included in the list but I guess Forever Changes will be generated as well at some point).
Turbonegro
3/5
The last band I expected to see on this list. Are you ready for the darkness. I am ready and give 3 stars.
Killing Joke
5/5
The best Killing Joke album with best opening song ever. Superclassic.
Billy Joel
2/5
From memory this was an OK BJ album but it contains some of his most iritating songs.
Ian Dury
5/5
The best Iain Dury album - very British and a great record in every aspect.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Mixed views: psychedic pop elements are very nice especially in the last song but I probably wont listen to this album again.
Michael Kiwanuka
1/5
Too generic.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
For many years I thought that Faith Healer was a Recoil song. Solid glamrock album, lots of highlights but also contains a few songs that are a little irritating.
The Style Council
5/5
Despite a slight overall quality drop from the Jam, Style Council have of couse made some great albums too, in particular this one. Very smooth.
Richard Thompson
4/5
A strong and super well-known UK folk rock album and contains their best song: The Calvary Cross, but for me Shoot Out the Lights is their best overall album.
score: 8/10
Big Star
5/5
#1 Record, Radio City and Third should all 3 be in the 1001.
Syd Barrett
5/5
(nothing to add - one of these superclassic albums that obviously belong to any list)
Screaming Trees
4/5
Surprising choice. Must have been >twenty years since the last time I listened to this album. I would have picked a different ST/ML album, but this is still a very good psychedelic grunge rock album.
score in 1996: 4 stars
score in 2024: 4 stars
Big Star
5/5
#1 Record, Radio City and Third should all 3 be in the 1001.
Steve Winwood
4/5
Sophisti pop. I taped Back in the High Life back in 1986 and liked it a lot at the time. Discovered Arc of a Diver only 15 years later or so, and was less impressed. Today: I appreciate the overall smoothness, the synths on While You'll See A Chance and like Night Train a lot, but still cannot get fully into the album and prefer the Traffic albums. score: 7/10.
Sinead O'Connor
5/5
I still remember the high expectations and buzz about this album at the time.
score in 1990: 9/10
score in 2024: 9/10
(The Lion and The Cobra = 10/10, not generated by the generator so far)
Beastie Boys
4/5
First three BB albums: 5 stars. This one contains Sabotage (best videoclip from the 90s) but is a little inconsistent.
score: 8/10.
Gene Clark
3/5
This Gene Clark folk/country rock album is fine (somewhere between 3 and 4 stars) but not clear why it should be included in the list. In the past I was quite a bit disappointed when I bought a cd copy, had rather high expectations knowing No Other which is an exceptionally good 70s album (which apparently was not understood at that time)
Wire
5/5
Think of a Number. Divide it by 2. Five stars.
<first 3 Wire albums all 5 stars - this is number 1>
The United States Of America
3/5
Pfff - this album is difficult to rate: given its classic status and influence on bands I like a lot, I listened to it several times over the years. The material really switches between 1 star and 5 star and is the ending brilliant or just bit of a gimmick. I am not sure.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
This is not a bad album, the German stuff is actually very good, but the English vocals are ruining it a bit, and I cannot see myself listening to it again, so 2 stars.
Sepultura
2/5
The quality difference with Arise is major. Yet there are a few really good songs on this album, but in general it is just too much nu-metal for me, especially the vocals.
Blue Cheer
3/5
New album for me. From 1968. Blues rock. Heavy metal. Stoner Rock. It is all there. Sound is great, but the songs themselves are a little less special. Must have been great to see in concert.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
1/5
Overdose on bluegrass/ country-western.
1/5
Van Halen
4/5
Running With The Devil, Ain't Talking About Love, Jamie's Cryin: all 5 star classic songs. Overall: just short of 5 stars.
score: 8/10
Astor Piazzolla
1/5
Sounds very pretty as background music (while working) but the album feels out of scope.
Liz Phair
5/5
Liz Phair, Urge Overkill, Lemon Heads, Juliana Hatfield, The Breeders, Sebadoh etc etc all made some excellent indie rock albums during the first half of the 90s (counterpointing all those copycat grunge albums). Exile In Guyville is one of these albums. At the time I liked, for some reason, Phair's second album Whip-Smart a bit more, but in 2024, playing both albums back to back, I can see the appeal of EiG much clearer and agree EiG is the better album. I am not sure if I can still stand the typical 90s-indie-rock lyrics, but just give five stars for nostalgia reasons.
Nico
3/5
The only Nico album I know (should still check out The Marble Index and Desertshore given their reputation) and I don't know any album that sounds more like a late 60s album than this one. Some great songs (These Days, Chelsea Girls) some less special. Vocals, an acquired taste.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
Another great DMR album. I like it just as much as the first two DMR albums.
score: 10/10.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
A classic American hardcore/punk album from the early 80s. One of these albums that feel like a definitive statement (never felt inclined to check out any other DK albums).
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
Hip hop album, which I did not know in advance, sounds pleasant and has some nice songs, but is way too long and overall a bit too middle of the road / boring.
Fiona Apple
1/5
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
One superclassic song and a great sound, but always find this album as a whole a bit boring (even though it is short) and I like these tracks more on Stax compilations.
The White Stripes
4/5
Listening this album on high-quality headphones does not work - the other White Stripes albums sound much better. On computer speakers it is less noticeable and probably the album sounds fine on proper speakers as well. Song quality: solid - it is White Stripes so I like it but there was no reason to make this album a (temporary) 1001-album.
score in 2005: 8/10
score in 2024: 7/10.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
By far the best MSP album, and just one of the best albums ever made.
Kings of Leon
2/5
In 2004 I did not mind the vocals so much, as most of the songs sounded fresh at the time but that was then. Also: the album collapses after the 8th song or so.
score in 2004: 8/10
score in 2024: 3/10
Scott Walker
5/5
Superclassic Scott Walker album (nothing to add).
Joan Baez
1/5
The Darkness
3/5
Sounds is perfect of course, but the song material is al little weak overall.
Parliament
5/5
Let the vibes flow through.
4/5
New album for me. A surprising choice given all the classic albums XTC made, and just like their other work, one needs to listen to the songs a couple of times to recognize how good they are.
The Vines
1/5
A while ago 1001 generated Ash:1977. This album is more garage rock and has even worse songwriting.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
New album for me, would not be my first choice for an AFT album.
Soft Machine
4/5
Usually go for a Kevin Ayers or Robert Wyatt solo album (lost of great music) or else for the first Soft Machine album. On Third Ayers is no longer part of the band which now makes mainly instrumental music, think 18-minute songs that can go on forever. I agree with other reviewers: best not to get distracted with the rather tedious and lengthy start of the opening track, as afterwards the album gets much better.
System Of A Down
4/5
Did not know this album as well as their other work, but it is just as good, perhaps a little too exhaustive for full stars but close.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Excellent Led Zeppelin album, like LZ-I just a bit more.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
A new album for me. Must be great to see in concert.
Holger Czukay
4/5
New album for me, not in the same league as Can, but sounded great for most part and with all the innovative sampling I can see why it was included in the list.
Tom Tom Club
5/5
Yeah, this album is still as great as it was in the 80s: two big hit singles and lots of other strong pop songs (such as On on on on, Booming & zooming). Of course, this is no Talking Heads (even though some songs like As Above So Below sound like typical TH songs) but I much prefer it over, say, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
R.E.M.
5/5
Classic REM album that for some weird reason has lost a little of its status over time, while it was considered as an instant classic in the years after its releas, but it really is still a great album (8 out of 11 songs are 5 star).
Adele
1/5
1 star, for the opening song
Tim Buckley
2/5
New album to me. Previously rated Greetings From L.A. and Goodbye and Hello as 4-star albums but could not get into this one, it is just too slow and tedious (and as with his other work, i'm not too keen on the vocals).
GZA
5/5
Had to listen to this album a few times to get into it again, but yeah still a great rap album.
Echo And The Bunnymen
5/5
First four E&B albums are 5-star classics. This is number 3 (to my surprise it is often seen as their best album -it certainly is their most consistent one, very strong songwriting: nonstop classic popsongs with those typical postpunk guitars)
10/10
The Birthday Party
3/5
Another album I had not listened to for at least 10 years. Production is not great and the music is a bit exhaustive even after getting into it again. But still contains some very good moments.
The White Stripes
4/5
Best White Stripes album, and I thought it would be a clear 5 star, but modulo the occasional song had not listened to the whole album in at least 10 years or so and some of the less stonger songs on it now sound a bit exhaustive.
The Associates
5/5
One of these perfect and highly influential 80s albums that sound very catchy and experimental at the same time. There is a lot going on musically and (apart from the big single) it may take severals listens like all their work, so it is also one of these albums that are not so suitable for the 1-album-per-day 1001 format..
score:10/10
Songhoy Blues
2/5
The blues sounds fine, but I would not listen to this album again.
Jack White
4/5
The White Stripes albums on the list sounded a bit less fresh to me these dayd than I had expected, but thid Jack White solo album which I do not care too much about at the time turned out to be much better, with songwriting that matches the best White Stripes songs, (still a little too inconsistent overall for five stars)
Talk Talk
5/5
Listened to Talk Talk nonstop in the 80s, all their albums are 5 star - this is album number 3.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Well-known Rolling Stones album with one >11-minute track and some of these superclassic 60s songs (the original UK version contains more of these, but does not have Paint It Black). So very good of course, but my preference, as an album as a whole, goes for the records they made afterwards, especially Beggars Banquet, Exile on Main Street and Sticky Fingers.
The Verve
4/5
In 1997 this was one of my favourite albums so had it down as a 5 star album. I listened to it twice and still like the music, but also got a little annoyed by the lyrics and the way of singing. I would now go for an older Verve album.
1997: 9/10
2024: 8/10
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Only knew the well-known opening songs and regarded this band as a singles band. Still do: the 60s garage rock sound is fine, but the songwriting is too weak.
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
Everything about this album is just perfect: the shouty vocals of the two singers, the guitar playing and most of all the very strong songwriting. To me it seems that they took just an arbitrary SK album from their 95-05 and included it in the 1001 list: the other albums from that period are equally good (all clear 5 star) - I am not sure if I know any other rock band from that period that had such a high quality control on their output.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A decent collection of covers but do not see the rationale for including this in the list.
Dion
4/5
Discovered this album quite some years ago, and in my memory it was a 5-star record - after all some songs sound like a blueprint for a band like Spiritualized - but other songs are a bit less special.
score: 8/10
Donovan
5/5
Donovan's first couple of albums are pretty bad, but it all started to change with Sunshine Superman: a really great Donovan album to which I listened a lot and that contains the best song from the sixties, Season of the Witch.
UB40
5/5
One of the best UK reggae/dub albums and by far, the best UB40 album, which says something as most of their other 80s albums are excellent as well. The (bleak) atmosphere / lyrics is typical early 80s, songs themselves are timeless.
4/5
New album for me. Had expected to give it a quick 1, as I strongly dislike Muse. Zero stars for originality with all its Radiohead and Queen influences, and zero stars for lyrics (together we are invincible, bla bla). But despite all of that I still enjoyed most of the album a lot, and kept playing it nonstop yesterday.
The National
5/5
In the 80s bands worried about selling out and this resulted in some very tight music. In the 00s coolness factor seemed less important for many bands and the National is one such example. Lyrics are pretty terrible and they hit all the right notes with the right kind of instruments for maximum impact ..would all be very boring except that the quality of the songs is just very high. So still like this album a lot (2010: 9/10, 2024: 9/10).
Doves
1/5
The sound is ok.
Randy Newman
3/5
Have a cd copy of this album but do not listen to it too music - the quality of the songs is very high but it requires a certain mood to appreciate it (best song: Kingfish).
CHVRCHES
1/5
Scottish synth-pop, so I should like it but I rather prefer acts like the Knife, Fever Ray, Ladytron, Robyn etc. Would have gone for 2*, but the lyrics are bringing it down.
TV On The Radio
4/5
New York art rock from 15 years ago. At the time I thought it was their best album. Now listening to it again I might like their EP and first two albums a bit more, but it is hard to say as Dear Science is a pretty flawless album and contains several 5* songs (including DLZ, used in a key scene in Breaking Bad).
Favourite songs: Stork & Owl, Shout Me Out, DLZ
score in 2008: 9/10
score in 2024: 8/10
Method Man
4/5
Very solid 90s hiphop album. I never gave it too much attention, but still like it especially after a couple of listens.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Another CCR album. Superclassic.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Superclassic Sly & The Family Stone album. Nothing to add (10/10 obviously)
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Seventies Curtis Mayfield album that I did not know as well as Curtis or Roots, but it sounded great, with high-quality songs (apart from the third track, which is a little bit too straightforward).
score: 9/10
Don McLean
2/5
The title song is iconic and I can see why this album is appealing but heard its too evergreens too many times over the years and always found the rest of the album a bit too boring - has not changed this time.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Have a Heart made the Dutch Top 40 in 1990, an ok top 40 song but not very special. I listened to the album only 10 years later or so. Several nice songs and a smooth production, but also a bit boring at times. I certainly prefer it to the Don McLean album from the day before, so 3 stars seems about right.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
Indian pop album from early 70s. The cover of Jumping Jack Flash is so so but the cover of Light My Fire is horrible. I could appreciate the rest of the album, such as the 13 minute instrumental track (very nice build up) and especially liked the last song, some folk tune interpretation according to wikipedia, a great way of ending the album.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
Pretty good 70s rock album overall with a perfect album closer. Very different from Shake Some Action.
4/5
This is not an album that I often listen too, as it is so exhaustive (and I prefer Back in the USA a bit more) but nevertheless it has great energy and Kick Out the Jams and the other songs are fine (apart from the opener).
Bob Dylan
4/5
Several superclassic Bob Dylan songs, but also a bit too much filler which could have been avoided if the album was cut to 35-40 minutes.
Orange Juice
4/5
Rip It Up and Start Again is one of the best non-fiction books ever. This 80s Orange Juice album is smoother than I remembered, an I might like their debut album (9/10) just a bit more than Rip It Up. But still, apart from the title song, there are plenty of other 5* songs on this Orange Juice album (Mud in Your Eye, Breakfast Time, Louise Louise etc) and the album as a whole works very well, especially after repeated listening.
score: 8/10.
Anthrax
5/5
Yeah, still great.
Miles Davis
3/5
Fine but much prefer his later work.
The Beta Band
4/5
Not as good as their first 3 EPs but still a solid indie pop album from early 00s. Catchy songs that needs a few listens to get into again.
Score: 7/10
(just like Heroes to Zeros that was generated some while ago - in my memory Hot Shots II was the better album, but I now think they are comparable albums - why both of them are included in the 1001 list does not make much sense though..)
Mike Ladd
2/5
New album for me - i like the sound but the songs are not so special and wont listen to this again i think..
Bauhaus
5/5
Perfect. One of my favourite albums ever. In the Flatfield is also great of course, but this one contains Mask.
Coldplay
1/5
Not so keen on vocals and lyrics (their next album is quite an improvement)
Hot Chip
5/5
Yeah, Hot Chip is a great band and this might be their most consistent effort and it got Flutes, so 5 stars.
Maxwell
4/5
Still a great album. Neo-soul. Supersmooth. Just short of 5 stars.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Not so much impact as in 1999 and found the vocals a little annoying here and there, but still a very good album of course.
score: 8/10 (for comparison: The Bracket album is still 10/10)
Coldcut
3/5
Nice Coldcut album. I knew about half of the songs, some of which were hit singles at the time. The album sounds dated of course. I can still much appreciate the sound of pop music from the 80s, say until 87. But am less keen on that early 90s sound, it's hard to describe... (I also remember to be much impressed by their mix album ColdKrushCuts with DJ Krush and DJ Flood and it would be interesting to revisit that album.)
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Not as strong as his first album, but still classic LC of course.
Christina Aguilera
1/5
Hard to see why this is on the list. The shouty vocals are not for me but, apart from that I cannot hear why these songs (and there are many of them) are special.
Talvin Singh
1/5
This album was always a bit too tedious for me, and I am not too keen on the sound of it either.
Radiohead
5/5
Just downgraded The Bends from 5 to 4. However, Kid A is still as good as it was 24 years ago. Yorke's voice works much better when they go a little more experimental.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
Much like this Chemical Brothers album, which made a big impact at the time, and I still think it is their best album. Different times..
Ice Cube
5/5
classic Ice Cube = 5*
Paul Simon
4/5
Overall, really good Paul Simon album (have a copy of it on cd but must have been many years since the last time I listened to it). Not all the music / lyrics are equally strong, but several songs are 5* especially Think Too Much, obviously a blueprint to Iron & Wine.
Stan Getz
1/5
Classic album, which I listened t occasionally in the past and could appreciate then, but for some reason is getting on my nerves these days.
The Byrds
4/5
Very good Byrds album, contains a fair share of classic songs, but perhaps a little too inconsistent for the full five stars (as opposite to some of their later albums which are even better).
Adam & The Ants
5/5
Great A&Ants album from the early 80s: 5 stars obviously, not a single weak song. Dirk Wears White Sox (probably the best Adam Ant album) and Friend or Foe should also have been on the list.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Superclassic Pink Floyd album - still sounds great and timeless, nothing further to add.
Kate Bush
5/5
Best album ever. Made a big impact in the 80s and probably the album I listened to the most over the years. The b-sides of the singles are of equal high quality (especially Under the Ivy).
LTJ Bukem
3/5
This is a classic drum&bass album that I liked to listen to in the past. However, it is also a mix album containing material from other artists like Photek etc, and I do see why this should be on the list. (I would just have gone for Modus Operandi). In a 1001 list of compilation albums this is obviously 5 stars.
Fishbone
3/5
Fishbone album to which I had not listened for many years. Always thought it was an OK album, especially like the ska-ish songs.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Once saw a Joanna Newsom concert and was much impressed by the music, but could not get completely used to her voice and way of singing. Even more so for this record. Emily is a strong song and I also liked Bill Callahan's contribution to Only Skin. So mixed feelings.
Stan Getz
2/5
Another bossa nova album - it is easy to recognize its quality and I appreciate the jazz elements, but ultimately this album is not for me.
Jazmine Sullivan
1/5
New album for me. As a first impression, the music sounds like generic r&b, but fine and probably will only get better after a couple of more listens. But too many spoken word tracks break the flow.
Britney Spears
1/5
Bubble-gum pop but from the wrong decade. My vote goes to Debbie Gibson: Out of the Blue - everything I like about that record is everything what this album is missing.
CHIC
5/5
Classic Chic album. I like it just as much as Risque and an easy 5 stars.
Gene Clark
5/5
This album exceeds the usual country-rock genre from the early 70s, and always found it hard to imagine why this album was ignored at the time of its release.
The Residents
2/5
New album for me. I know a couple of Residents albums, and in my memory some of them were unlistenable, while others were OK. This album is quite accessible, but annoying at the same time. Some people claim though that repeatedly listening to Residents albums makes them addictive. Well, I tried with this album - it is short anyway- but this approach did not fully work for me. Can still see the point, as it contains some very good songs - just listen to the Primus cover of Sinister Exaggerator, which is quite an improvement upon the original.
Radiohead
4/5
Used to be my favourite Radiohead album, and I listened to it a lot at the time of its release. I still like the album, especially its highlights (such as Street Spirit), but the vocals are a little too much, and some of the songs I have heard enough.
score in 1995: 10/10
score in 2024: 8/10
Paul Simon
5/5
A big hit album in 1986 despite all the controversy.
The music is flawless, so 5 stars for that.
The Incredible String Band
2/5
Always had a weak spot for "A very cellular song" but cannot stand the rest of the album.
Sugar
5/5
My vote would have gone to another Husker Du album on the list, but all three Sugar albums are great. This one got Hoover Dam, the best Sugar song, and is a proper 5 star album.
Goldie
3/5
Solid drum and bass album that had a big reputation in the 90s. It is more ambient than I remembered, which is fine but also a little boring.
Brian Eno
5/5
Great music. Brian Eno is not the greatest singer, but this is of course still one of these timeless superclassic albums.
Pixies
5/5
Best band of the late 80s / early 90s: Come on Pilgrim - Surfer Rosa - Doolittle - Bossanova are all easily 10/10 overall, and I would rate them in the top 25 of the 1001-list (even though so far the generator only generated Surfer Rosa and Bossanova).
Arrested Development
3/5
Well-known hiphop album from 1992. I still got a cd copy, but just like that Fugees record always found the album a little bit boring especially with the straightforward sampling. The only song I really like is Mr Wendal, a 5-star song. Overall 3 stars (5/10).
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
A modern classic. Their debut album had its moments but was irritating at times. This album is more consistent and has much better songs. I can also appreciate their later work, but overall those albums are not as good as Sound of Silver.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
Great voices of course, but am not sure if I would listen to this album again.
The xx
2/5
Three years ago I was positive about seeing their debut album, which I had bought at the time of its release, in the list. I gave it 4* and said its place in the list made sense. Now, 900 albums later or so, I am not so sure anymore if I still stand behind that claim. Their first two albums are still ok, but their latest album is definitely not for me: really dislike the lyrics, and the vocals seem to have become more annoying. Most of the songs are not so special either, but having said this the two singles are pretty great.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Initially wasn't so keen to listen to this FS album, but having it play in the background it is actually fine. Two stars, as it is unlikely I will listen to it again in future.
Les Rythmes Digitales
5/5
Electronic dance from the end of the 20th century. Had forgotten how good this album is.
U2
5/5
OK, I give this 5 stars, as the album made such a big impression at the time, and moreover, the three hit singles still sound just as good as ever, and I still much Iike the sound, especially the drums.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Surprising choice. Nice album but never really got fully into it. I do like the laidback sound and the 2-sequence Fatman - This Ain't Living is great.
The Strokes
4/5
Never understood the hype: the album is OK and probably their best but quite a few songs do not stick and are not so special.
score in 2000: 8/10
score in 2024: 8/10
Iggy Pop
5/5
Superclassic album, nothing to add.
Pixies
5/5
Best band of the late 80s / early 90s: Come on Pilgrim - Surfer Rosa - Doolittle - Bossanova are all easily 10/10 overall, and I would rate them in the top 25 of the 1001-list.
Slayer
5/5
Very cute.
James Brown
4/5
I am not so keen to see all these live albums included on the list, but this album is the exception that proves the rule. It's great in every aspect (especially the 11-minute version of Lost Someone) but a shame for all the screaming: 5-1 = 4.
David Ackles
2/5
Did not know this album in advance - a lost classic so it appears. Other reviews mention vocal similarities with Neil Diamond, but the album also seems to have had some influence on Divine Comedy. Both ND and DC are great, but I did not manage to buy into this album: the music is not too bad, but the theatrical vocals are a little bit too annoying and the songs themselves mostly unremarkable.
Manu Chao
5/5
Very catchy in 1998. Very catchy in 2024.
Mariah Carey
1/5
The Slits
4/5
Influential and well documented post-punk album from 1970. It certainly has its moments and nice reggae influences, but I always found it a little exhaustive to listen to in one go and was never able to fully get into it. The best song is a really great Grapevine cover, which is added as a bonus track.
Aerosmith
5/5
Re Aearosmith I go with consensus and rate Toys in The Attic and Rocks as their best albums.
The KLF
4/5
The KLF always seemed to be more about a project and making a statement, then about the music itself (I very much like the book John Higgs wrote about the band, "The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds").
Having said this, I did like this album quite a bit at the time, especially the hit singles and the title track. I would still give it four stars.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Iron Maiden debut album. Had not expected to see it here but perhaps it should be on the list. Prowler and especially Phantom of the Opera are obviously 5-star songs. The other songs are very good as well. Just short of 5 stars I would say: 8/10.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Less gimmicky and more consistent than "You've Come Along Way", but the highlights are less special. In my memory, Better Living through Chemistry" was the better album, but now I would say: 3 stars for both albums.
Pulp
5/5
Great Pulp album. His N Hers and Different Class are 10/10. This Is Hardcore is 9/10 (both in 1998 and in 2024).
Echo And The Bunnymen
5/5
First four E&B albums are 5-star classics. This is number 4. It is hard to say which of these albums is better. Compared to their previous album the singing has toned down a bit. Overall, the quality of their pop songwriting might be the best there was in the 80s. (I also thought those two recent books of Will Sergeant, together covering the first couple of years of the band were worth reading.)
score: 10/10.
The Cult
5/5
Not in the same league as their previous album, Love (5 star / 10/10 album) but still this is a great Cult album of course, in particular Lil Devil and Love Machine and Peace Dog and Little Flower and King Country Man and.. etc
score in 1987: 9/10
score in 2024: 9/10
Peter Tosh
5/5
Best Peter Tosh album, lots of classic reggae songs, not as good as all the Bob Marly & The Wailers albums in this list, but still: 9/10.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Country album from the 50s. The sound quality is excellent and the album contains some famous songs like Knoxville Girl, and I can see why this is a classic in its genre. On the downside, all songs sound more or less the same.
Hole
4/5
In essence a Nirvana-clone but a very good one. I never made the effort to listen to it at the time and only discovered it after Celebrity Skin was released. That album has a very different sound and hard to say which one is better.
Score: 8/10
Afrika Bambaataa
5/5
This is certainly not my favourite electro album from the 80s (would prefer for example Newcleus: Jam on Revenge or Egyptian Lover: On The Nile or Whodini: Escape) and it is a collection of singles from mainly 82-83 ..does it count an album? But these singles were highly influential so I can the point, and it is good that there is at least one electro album in the list.
score: 9/10
Beatles
3/5
Sounds ok and competent (especially the Please Mister Postman cover) but I always get bored when listening to this album. It is just like as with that very early Rolling Stones album from last month or so: why is this on the list other than historical reasons? The album is by no means any special.
Love
5/5
Had expected to see this superclassic album on the list, especially after El Capo was generated some year ago or so.
El Capo: 8/10
Forever Changes: 10/10
Morrissey
4/5
The fourth(!) Morrissey album on the list. Hard to understand: a couple of Smiths album would have been fine and perfectly justifiable. Nevertheless this album has both Vini Reilly and Stephen Street, which means that the quality of the music is very high, and the album contains some of the best singles from the 80s: Suedehead and Everyday is Like Sunday. It is a shame the album also contains a song with some lyrics that are just horrible in any interpretation of them, but even more so in the light of his support to extreme right politicians.
Madness
5/5
Great Madness album, still like it a lot.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
A new album to me (apart from Beautiful People). Never cared for MM music. Silly lyrics and adapting names of serial killers is poor taste and disrepectful. Music at face value is a rip-off of NIN and Alice Cooper. Of course, like so many 90s albums, it is also way too long. But I admit, the songs are well-made and very catchy, so go for the middle score then.
The Lemonheads
5/5
Easy-to-rate album. Lemonheads at their peak. At the time, I would prefer Come on Feel the Lemonheads over It's a Shame About Ray, Lovey and Lick, but after a while moved to the consensus view that It's a Shame About Ray is their best work. It definitely contains their best song (My Drug Buddy).
Pere Ubu
4/5
A strong Pere Ubu album - I can see why this is in the list, but did not find it as impressive as its predecessor "The Modern Dance" or their earlier singles (all 10/10).
vote: 8/10.
X-Ray Spex
5/5
Freddy tried to strangle me .. but I hit him back with my pet rat yeah I hit him back <saxophone plays> It is impossible to beat this mix of punk / early new wave music and I have listened to this album many times over the years: 10/10.
Paul McCartney
3/5
New album for me. Typical Paul McCartney songs. Several highlights, but also several parts that were quite tedious to listen to. Perhaps I should have listened to it more often, but this is not in the same league as Ram or Band on the Run.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
It is more accessible than I had expected but a little bit too boring for me (and that last song with the shrieking guitar is just unlistenable).
George Harrison
4/5
Still a great album with lots of classic George Harisson's songs, but way too long. Normally I would only listen to a specific subset of songs (which would make a clear 5* album on their own) but on this occasion listened to the album as a whole.
Grateful Dead
4/5
Classic Grateful Dead album. I was never into this band too much when they were still around, but own a cd copy of American Beauty and a few of their other albums. AB is very accessible and contains a couple of their best songs: Box of Rain and Ripple.
Cream
3/5
Solid Cream album. I had not listened to it for many years. It contains several classic songs, but nothing on the level of White Room, and this band will never be my favourite band.
Def Leppard
4/5
Excellent 80s pop-rock album. Only discovered Pyromenia after Hysteria had already come out, and the latter is still my favourite DL album, with Pyromania 2nd.
vote: 8/10 (where Hysteria is 10/10).
Pere Ubu
5/5
Timeless Pere Ubu record and one of the best albums ever made in every sense; consistent high-quality song-writing and I especially like that the music is both experimental and, at the same time, highly accessible. A clear 10/10 album for me.
Barry Adamson
2/5
New album for me. Very cinematic. A while ago I rated the other BA album as a 3, but afterwards did not listen to it anymore. Same as this one, but it certainly has its moments.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Still a nice Ali Farka Toure album, it is perhaps a bit too long for me.
Pantera
2/5
New album for me, cannot say it is bad and Walk and No Good are quite pretty, but I fell asleep.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
New album for me. There is an irritation factor, but it could be worse.
Gotan Project
2/5
New album from an group that I missed at the time. Too much of that '97-'02 lounge vibe for me, but I can appreciate some of the songs and their choice of covers.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
In my memory a 5-star album, but am not sure anymore whether it is in the same league as What's Going On and Here, My Dear.
The Stooges
5/5
Superclassic - not much to say except that I prefer the original Bowie mix above the Iggy mix.
Hawkwind
4/5
This is probably the best live album that I know, and it must have been great to see a live concert of Hawkwind in that period. Yet, it is still a live album and it does not make sense to include it in the list.
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
Mwah, EN has been some pretty great records right after their debut, Halber Mench comes in mind, which is so much better. l very much like their overall sound, but on this record I do not care about the "songs" and hate the shrieking guitar noise, which prevents one from turning the volume up (a necessity for this type of music).
The Afghan Whigs
5/5
Great AW album, just like Congregation and 1965, but Gentlemen might be their best. Mainly listened to their music in the 90s, but it might be time to check out their more recent albums.
my vote in 1993: 10/10
and in 2024: 10/10.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
<Superclassic album - nothing to add>
Lou Reed
5/5
A classic Lou Reed - David Bowie - Mick Ronson album. Not in the same league as "Berlin" but still 5 stars of course.
The Coral
1/5
The sound is fine but the songs are not so interesting.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Another JM album, gave the other three 3 stars and this one as well: music is pretty flawless but both vocals and lyrics not conpletely for me. fav songs: amelia, song for sharon
The Offspring
3/5
yeah Offspring - liked this record at the time but after listening to it again, it seems there are only a few good songs on it, one of which (Self Esteem) being a 1-1 copy of a Nirvana song.
score in 1992: 4 stars
in 2024: 3 stars (for nostalgic reasons)
N.W.A.
5/5
Another classic - nothing to add.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Very good album, sounds way ahead of its time and sure should be on the list - close to 5 stars but I prefer Easter Everywhere.
Laura Nyro
2/5
New album for me. Was only familiar with
that Nyro/Labelle album and NY Tendaberry, and do not care too much about each of these records.
Supposedly influenced artists like Kate Bush, Tori Amos etc. There seems to be some truth to this statement (cf. Timer) so seems worth an extra star (and Sweet Blindness is a decent song too just like a few other ones, but vocals are not for me).
The Thrills
1/5
1 star in 2003
1 star in 2024
Black Flag
5/5
Great album of course, with one of the best opening songs, only discovered this album years after its release, it has this typical early 80s american guitar, so like it very much. Well-timed record as well (as I am currently reading Corporate Rock Sucks about SST records).
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
The power of repetition. Five stars, obviously.
Django Django
3/5
This sounds a lot like the beta band, but I must admit some of the songs are quite good. It does make sense though to ask why this album is on the list (just like the albums from ash, the vines, the thrills, the doves, the coral etc etc) whereas some truly great bands (beat happening, the clean, the chills, mission of burma, wipers, tall dwarfs etc) have been ignored completely.
The Bees
1/5
New album for me. The album felt like another hyped-up UK album just like the previous 1001 albums from Ash, Django Django, the Thrills, Doves, the Coral, Coldplay, the Icarus Line, Hookworms, Travis and the list goes on and on (and on).
Scritti Politti
5/5
Easy album to rate: 10/10. Band started off making typical 78-82 post-punk music and then at first sight became a mainstream pop-band, but it is just a format. All their work is great in every aspect.
Todd Rundgren
1/5
This album was a real struggle - must be the blandest piece of music on this list. Some years ago the generator generated A Wizard / A True Star, his other famous album, which was apparently 3 stars for me. Did some backtracking and believe that that album might indeed be the better album.
Kanye West
4/5
Had stopped listening to KW after MBDTW so this album is new to me. Lyrics are horrible, but the music and production and choice of samples are all very inventive. My vote for 4 stars is for the album as it was released in 2013 (before the KW's downward spiral).
SAULT
1/5
Too generic.
Fugazi
5/5
From all the acts on the list, I might appreciate those that are experimental while maintaining accessibility the most. This also holds for Fugazi and their sense of melody makes them stands out. Practically all their work is 5*, including Repeater (13 Songs is a compilation, else I would have perhaps gone for that album).
score: 10/10
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
The best Paul McC post-Beatles album. Maybe not every song is equally strong, but the perfect sequencing makes up for it.
The Roots
4/5
Did the Roots ever make a bad album? This one is very good, but just too long and agree with others that Things Fall Apart would have been the logical choice for this list.
The Libertines
2/5
Over-hyped UK album from 20 years ago. Nothing wrong with the sound but just generally weak song-writing except for a few songs here and there, and I liked these songs less than in the past.
score in 2004: 3 stars (6/10)
score in 2024: 2 stars (4/10)
Mekons
5/5
Mekons go country, which just means another great Mekons album, 80s classic.
score: 10/10.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
5/5
I expected to see Dazzle Ships but this album and OMD and Organisation and Crush are also all 5 stars.
Ryan Adams
4/5
Contains a number of great songs and despite a couple of mishits (when you're young you get sad and you get high etc) still my favourite RA album.
score in 2000: 8/10
score in 2024: 8/10
Bob Dylan
5/5
Classic Bob Dylan album.
Kate Bush
5/5
Third Kate Bush album on the list. I remember this was a highly anticipated release at the time. Not as strong as Hounds of Love but this was not to be expected, still an easy 5 stars.
my score in 1989: 10/10
my score in 2024: 10/10
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
One of these albums that is perfectly well made but that I would not have included in this list.
1/5
unlistenable
Alice In Chains
4/5
Really liked the Sap EP and was a bit disappointed when Dirt was released a little later. It is still a solid grunge album though that contains some classic 90s songs, and I can see the reason to include it in the list.
vote in 1992: 4 stars
vote in 2024: 4 stars
Ministry
3/5
NWO is instantly recognizable, but I had forgotten how good Just One Fix and Scare Crow are. Rest of the album is ok, but l liked Ministry more when they were making proper 80s synth-pop.
score: 7/10
Deee-Lite
3/5
At the time I found the big hit pretty annoying and did not investigate this act, but have to admit there are some excellent tracks on this album, which has some famous collaborators. Good Beat is a great song for example.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Fourth studio album of PSB on the list. Rated their first two as 5-star, gave their fifth one (Very) 2-star, and rate "Behaviour" as a 4-star album, but at the top end, as half of the songs are 5-star, while the other half is 3-4 star.
PSB always released strong b-sides, but around this period these b-sides could have made their albums quite a bit stronger (here "Miserabilism" comes into mind - why make this a 1991 b-side?)
vote in 1990: 8/10
vote in 2024: 8/10
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Given NY's body of work I had not expected to see this album here. But it is a very solid NY album with songs mainly around 4* with a clear exception of the last two songs Sedan Delivery and Hey Hey in the rock version, which are truly great.
Calexico
4/5
Excellent album but expected of course to see The Black Light, which was an instant hype upon its release. Feast of Wire contains some instrumental pieces that are a bit less strong than the other tracks. Having said this, Calexico live is one of the best concerts I ever went to (saw them in 2006).
score in 2003: 8/10
score in 2024: 8/10 (close to 5* - just like that Giant Sand album that was generated around this time last year).
The Byrds
4/5
Very good Byrds album, contains a fair share of classic songs, but perhaps a little too inconsistent for the full five stars (as opposite to some of their later albums which are even better).
The Pogues
4/5
Rated the previous Pogues album with 4 stars more than 3 years ago. I have not listened to it since, and it has been even a longer while since I listened to If I should fall from grace with god for the last time. In any case, this is still a great album, close to 5 stars.
Billie Holiday
2/5
Vocal jazz - one of these albums that are fully justified for being included on the list, but are just a little too boring.
Elton John
5/5
Classic Elton John album. Timeless.
Snoop Dogg
5/5
Classic rap album and the only SD album that I know. All the George Clinton, Parliament, Curtis Mayfield etc samples are great.
Scott Walker
5/5
Just like Scott 4, a superclassic Scott Walker album (nothing to add).
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
At the time, this album could be heard in the background everywhere. It is well made, but nowadays I hardly listen to it.
my vote in 1997: 3/5
my vote in 2024: 2/5
The Pretty Things
3/5
New album for me. I understand it has some historic value due to the comparison with Tommy, the better known rock opera. The album on its own is OK, but I feel slightly indifferent.
George Michael
4/5
In 1990 I was slightly disappointed with this GM album - had expected something as catchy as the songs on Faith. But the album got quite a bit better on repeat.
Faith: 5 stars in 1987; 4 stars in 2021.
LWP V1: 4 stars in 1990; 4 stars in 2024.
Can
5/5
Classic Can album, just as practically all their earlier work. So in my memory, there was no doubt that this was a 5-star album. Initially I could not connect with the two lengthy experimental tracks and wanted to give 4 stars, but kept listening to the album over andn over, and in the end changed my mind.
Muddy Waters
3/5
It has been a while that I had listened to this album. It contains a great version of Mannish Boy and Crosseyed Cat might be my favourite track. Overall a very solid blues album, which is perhaps a little too traditional for me.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Had this album on cassette tape in early 90s, with Heaven or Las Vegas on the flip side: both are timeless classics and two of the best pop albums made during 1980-90.
White Denim
1/5
Too boring for me.
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
8/10, so close to 5 stars and contains two of their best songs (Fuzzy and Stars n Stripes) but the best GLB album, which should have been included, is Mighty Joe Moon (10/10).
TV On The Radio
4/5
As the Young Liars EP was just perfect, this album is a bit hard to rate. From memory: Return to Cookie Mountain is their best album and this is one is next. .
score in 2004: 8/10
score in 2024: 8/10.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Classic Sabbath.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
The Message is a classic song of course, and Scorpio is a great electro track. A few other songs are less special, so this is not a 5-star album for me.. but I can see why it is included in this list (even though my vote would have been for Jam on Revenge or Escape).
Paul Weller
3/5
An OK album, but my preference goes out to the Jam (great band who mainly made 5* albums) over the Style Council over Paul Weller solo.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Second SFA album in the list. I gave Fuzzy Logic a 4 some time ago, and from memory, FL is better than Rings Around the World, an album I never managed to get into ..but on this occasion I tried a bit harder and much admit: RAtW is equally strong, in particular Run! Christian, Run! is a truly great song.
Grateful Dead
3/5
Live albums should not be included on the list. GD is perhaps an exception as their songs are live so different etc. This album was ok.
Weather Report
3/5
Had not listened to this album for quite some years - I listened to it three times this morning. Album still sounds fine to me, but could not get fully into it. Happy to return to it at a later time, so three stars seems appropriate.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
In general I am all for a concept that is done to perfection. Except that in this case, the end result is rather boring and even a little irritating at times, despite a few excellent songs.. (Presumably, this record was chosen over one of several LC classics that are missing in this list, as it is the final LC album...)
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
i'm alright with a slow burn... takin' my time, let the world turn.... ?! Right.
The Black Keys
4/5
Just one of these very good Black Keys albums that they released over the years. Usually go for Rubber Factory, but that is just because that was the first BK album I listened to.
Radiohead
4/5
Contain the best Radiohead song (where i end and you begin). And at some point this was my favourite Radiohead album: all the different aspects of their music come together and strong songwriting overall ..but now: cannot stand this way of singing anymore, (in fact it often sounds pretty horrible to me).
2003: 5 stars
2024: 4 stars
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Classic PG album to which I listened endlessly in the 80s. I am not sure to what extent I would appreciate it now if this was a new album for me, but obviously going for 5 stars here.
Buffalo Springfield
5/5
Classic Buffalo Springfield album - all three of their albums are great but this one contains Expecting to Fly.
Kings of Leon
1/5
Third KoL on the list, a little pointless
Ray Charles
4/5
Classic Ray Charles album. Very good of course.
Death In Vegas
5/5
This was for me the 1999 release at the time and I listened to it a lot. Now in 2024 it sounds a little less special but still worth 5 stars (even worth 5 stars for all its Primal Scream vibes). On an aside: check out Trans-love Energies - their real masterpiece (10/10).
score in 1999: 10/10
score in 2024: 9/10
Black Sabbath
5/5
Classic Sabbath.
The Charlatans
4/5
Would have gone for Some Friendly or else Between 10th &11th, simply because these albums made more of an impression on me at the time. However, I agree that Tellin' Stories is overall their most consistent effort. I like the album a lot, but not sure if I would have included it on the list.
Side note: the 2012 autobiography of Tim Burgess is also called Tellin Stories and is strongly recommended.
David Bowie
5/5
Superclassic Bowie album. From the trilology I would rate Low and Lodger as 10/10 and this album.. as 10/10 as well.
The Zutons
1/5
Very unremarkable album from 2004. Even though I would struggle to select albums from that year for this list (majority of 2004 album I can think of are at best 4 stars), it still does not make sense to include this album.
Beth Orton
1/5
just too boring for me (bought a cd copy of it at the time so certainly gave it a try)
Tom Waits
5/5
Much stronger album than Swordfishetc and best TW album together with Franks Wild Years.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Mwah, very unbalanced album: 4 great songs (two weeks, cheerleader, foreground, and perhaps, while you wait etc) and the rest is mostly unlistenable.
my vote in 2009: 4 stars
my vote in 2024: 3 stars
5/5
The only War album I know but it is great, especially The World Is a Ghetto.
Foo Fighters
3/5
OK album, the hits are catchy, the rest is so so.
score in 1997: 3 stars
score in 2024: 3 stars
Pavement
5/5
Strong and consistent song-writing from obviously the best American guitar band from the 90s. All 5 Pavement albums are 5 star and their singles/EPs contain many 5-star songs as well. Their music reminds me of Kevin Ayers albums in the sense that both Pavement and KA make their songs look so effortless.
Steely Dan
5/5
The first SD classic, contains the best song (Dirty Work).
Pavement
5/5
Debut Pavement contains many of their best songs including Here which has a great Tindersticks cover.
a-ha
5/5
Great album (9/10), nice to see it is included. Scoundrel Days (10/10) is even better.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Timeless PF classic.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
2/5
well-known endof50s jazz album with one evergreen, the other tracks.. pretty irritating
Ice T
4/5
From memory a 5 star album, but turned out to be a bit too juvenile for me. There are some great tracks though (OK, no I'm Your Pusher, but OG contains of course a fair share of Ice T classics).
Beck
5/5
Initial thoughts: a solid 4, but I had not listened to it for many years and had forgotten how good this album is - perhaps I like it so much due to the chamber pop elements, but the songs themselves are very strong as well.
Christina Aguilera
1/5
5 stars for shouting and giving someone a headache
Massive Attack
5/5
Great Massive Attack album. Their first three albums are 5* and Mezzanine (> Blue Lines > Protection) should also have been included.
Fela Kuti
3/5
music is great of course, but live albums should not be on the list
The Cramps
5/5
Their best record - a different league than the Black Keys album from last month (which was also very good).
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
A very good DW album, not too keen on the britpop influences and probably like the two albums after this one a bit more.
Small Faces
5/5
Classic album of a great band despite the spoken word passages.
Leftfield
5/5
Yes 5 star electronic album from first half of 90s, Aphex Twin, the Black Dog, Chemical Brothers, Future Sound of London, the Orb, Orbital, Prodigy, Underworld.. Leftfield fits right in between lot of 5-star albums from that period.
superflow, nice beats, all extremely wel
The Auteurs
5/5
Great album and great that the Auteurs are included in the list. Always felt that - together with Pulp and Suede- they were playing in a different league during Britpop, both in terms of songwriting and lyrics. The successor Now I'm a Cowboy is even better.
Neil Young
5/5
Another Neil Young superclassic - nothing to add.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
The final 1001 album at least for me. Big Band Jazz. OK.