1001 Albums Summary

Liked this quite a lot actually. Start out fantastically with 3 back to back bangers with great guitar and synth work. Stumbles a little with some of the softer material (namely "Your Latest Trick", "Why Worry?") and even though Knopfler's vocals aren't exactly amazing, his guitar playing certainly is.

Never been a fan of this style of music, but I can appreciate its status. Songwriting is strong, though it does grow samey for 1,5 hours of acoustic strumming, harmonica and Dylan's signature vocal inflections.

Bridge Over Troubled Water is just fantastic. Dramatic and epic. Their signature vocal harmonies are very nice. Some of the songs are a little goofy but enjoyable still. Lost me in the middle with some snoozers.

The definition of raw. Love the production on this, it's so god damn LOUD but in the best way. Also enjoy how off the performances are in some ways (guitar out of tune, Jack Whites off kilter vocals), it's rough at times but adds to the aesthetic. Really good. Meg's simplistic drumming has been a bit of a meme but it just works in the context.

Nice and bluesy. Jones' vocals are smooth as butter. The jazzy textures on Cold Cold Heart are really cool. Album feels like a warm blanket, would return to this for sure in the right mood.

The songs here are solid. A New Level is groovy as fuck. Fucking Hostile is a thrashy rager. This Love is an eerie alt metal song, while Rise is another angry groovy banger with a great solo. The album does grow repetitive around the halfway point and the overly macho lyrics are a little cringe when you know who's singing them. But it's overall a fun, heavy album.

Flows exceptionally well. Immaculate production and sound design for its time. "The Great Gig In The Sky" is one of the most chilling vocal performances of all time. "Money" is such a naturally grooving 7/4 song and the Gilmour's solo bangs. The rising chorus in "Us and Them" is just massive. There is a reason this has the universal acclaim that it does, and I 100% agree.

Great depth and layering in the production and that's about the only positives I've got. The vocals are annoying and the whole things sounds like a jam session more than anything.

Mechanical and dirty. Just One Fix is sick and pulls off having the same riff for 5 minutes by having loads of interesting effects all over the place. Jesus Built My Hotrod is one of the only Ministry songs I really knew beforehand but is such an off-the-wall banger. Scare Crow is a nice atmospheric change of pace. The sampling overall is fittingly dark. Some very strange production choices (not in a bad way). Highly enjoyable to me.

Pretty enjoyable funky, smooth hip hop with crisp production. Not entirely my thing but I can chill to it. The beat and jazzy chords in Beep Me 911 are awesome. But why the fuck is this an hour long?

First artist on this journey where I know virtually nothing about them, but managed to captivate me quite quickly. Love the swelling piano and strings on the first track and Apple has a great voice, which especially powerful on the swingy "Shadowboxer" and the piano rock song "Criminal" (also the bassline on this is sick). Middle run is a little less exciting, but picks up again with the beautifully fragile piano ballad "Never Is a Promise". First half is definitely the most engaging but I found this very good.

Production is fantastic. Takes a little to get running, but from "POWER" and onwards, it's amazing. Bangers and wonderful atmospheric jams like the fantastic "Runaway". Nicki Minaj's feature on "Monster" is nuts.

Such a fun record. It's impossible not to get pumped by their signature sassy yelling, and the lyrics are just the right amount of stupid and tongue-in-cheek. Has that nostalgic 80's hip hop flair and some pretty iconic sampling. Just a great mix of rock and rap that doesn't take itself too seriously.

It's beautiful and the lyrics are fantastic, especially Bright Horses, but I must admit that I have a hard time sitting through over an hour of this kind of somber, more ambient style music. I've heard the constant praise of Nick Cave but never given him a proper shot before now, but this wasn't the one to transform me into a Cave-stan unfortunately. Far from bad but just didn't fully grab me. I've heard he has more rock-focused music though that I'm looking forward to dive into sometime.

Some gnarly, noisy blues for its time. Probably not something I would return to but can definitely appreciate how influential this must've been.

Though I'll probably never be a big fan of Dylan's by now, the twangy country is actually a touch I enjoyed more than I usually do. I like Dylan's more unhinged vocals on Tangled Up In Blue compared to the other material I've heard from him, but the signature vocal inflections do grow a little tiring the further you get into the album. I won't be returning to it, but it was enjoyable enough.

Yeah this rules obviously. The guitar playing is dirty and the production is still very interesting with great use of stereo space especially on the wonderfully psychedelic Third Stone From The Sun. Not much else to say, a classic for a reason.

Good soul with a powerful voice. Not my type of thing generally, but the performances are very good and the moody.

Very sweet sounding soft rock. Some good harmonies and songwriting but also doesn't really resonate much with me emotionally. It's fine. The "Help" cover is pretty great though and really transforms the song into their own.

Some great vocals and enjoyable soul, but there are a little too many slow jams for my taste.

Folksy indie rock with some great sense of scale and powerful melodramatic vocals. Thought the opener "Tunnels" was fantastic but not so much the follow-up. It picks up again from there on though, "7 Kettles" is beautiful, the disco-infused outro to "Crown of Love" is cool and the anthemic "Wake Up" is also very effective but I must admit that I don't exactly get the masterpiece status this album has. It's great but nothing more than that.

Fantastic trippy crossover of rock and rave music. Some of it sounds like a modern electronic take on classic Rolling Stones while other tracks are just straight up psychedelic, sweaty warehouse bangers. Liked this a lot more than I expected though I'm not sure what I was expecting anyway.

It's fine but when it comes to this old-school guitar-centric music I'd rather just listen to Hendrix which incorporates much more interesting sounds to his bluesy licks. But not bad.

As the cover art implies, this is a very quirky, artsy record with strange sound design and production, but it is pretty captivating. Some of the more straightforward songs with Eno's singing sound too goofy ("St. Elmo's Fire", "I'll Come Running", "Golden Hours"), I am much more into the songs focusing on creating fascinating soundscapes ("In Dark Trees", the gorgeous "The Big Ship", "Sombre Reptiles").

"Smooth Operator" is smooth indeed and the only song I know by her. Very catchy and a great voice. Not really my thing generally but enjoyable enough for sexy-time-soul. Bassline in "Hang On to Your Love" is sick.

Starts out with some very intense synth punk that instantly caught my attention, but then quickly just lost that gut and became kinda boring with the next tracks. I do enjoy the more ambient tracks here and there are some interesting ideas and sound design choices here but won't be returning to this.

Coldplay-esque indie-rock. "The Bones of You" is fantastic, great weight to the bass and captivating vocal performance. Wish more songs shared the intensity of that track, but I actually enjoy this quite a bit. Production is pristine and clear. A couple of snoozers but good overall.

Fucking love the over-the-top vocal performance on this, it has so much character. I remember enjoying her singles quite a bit when I was young, and I still do. Lyrics are angry and edgy. So many memorable choruses that have stuck with me forever, even though I haven't listened to this album in maybe over 20 years. Could've been a song or two shorter but apart from that, I still love this.

Production, playing and singing is solid but not my cup of tea. It's was good for what it is. The more psych cuts here like No Other were cool.

Good rock and roll. "Fever" is buttery-smooth and really shows Presley's versatility.

Cool old-school hip hop with some interesting production choices and sampling. Don't know why there are so many 6+ minute tracks though when they could've easily been shorter.

The meme is definitely spot on - this could've been way more powerful with some actual low end in the mix. There's still riffs for days and "One" is a classic I never grow tired of.

Solid blues licks. Won't return to it but I enjoyed it.

Never really dug into The Police properly before even though I've liked the hits I've heard. This is way weirder than I expected, mostly in a good way. Production is tight and I like the spacy atmosphere. "Mother" is awesomely strange and theatrical. "Every Breath You Take" has always been an earworm. "Synchronicity II" bangs.

Peak Coldplay in my opinion (though they haven't really done anything good after Viva La Vida). "Politik" is a great dramatic opener. I will never understand what people got out of "In My Place" though, I've always found the track pretty boring, so the fact that it was the lead single has always puzzled me, since the rest here is quality moody alt rock. I am not a massive fan of the band and very rarely put it in my rotation, but really liked their earlier output.

Great rock album. "One" is a classic that I still enjoy. "The Fly" has a really cool harder vibe with some fiery attitude on the guitar and "Mysterious Ways" carries the vibe further. Production is rock solid.

Not really that much into this kinda jazz but it was enjoyable enough for what it was.

Not my style at all but this was pretty fun and cinematic to me.

Pretty good post-punk, a genre I'm usually not a massive fan of. "Going Up" and "Monkeys" stood out the most to me.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. New wave stuff just generally isn't my thing but this was really cool. "Metal" has some next level atmospheric sound design for its time. "Complex" has a really nice hook played by strings. "Films" is groovy as hell. Also a nice surprise to suddenly realise that "M.E." serves as the sample for Basement Jaxx's "Where's Your Head At". All in all a very interesting sounding album that kept me engaged throughout.

Yeah this is some groovy af dance music. Impossible to sit still to. Bass riff in "Music Makes You Lose Control" is amazing (and ah that's where that Missy Elliott sample is from!).

Decent blues rock. "I Shot The Sheriff" cover is great.

Enjoyable alt rock. Some cool basslines in here. Nothing overly exciting to me but worked good as background work music.

Yeah I think I get Nick Cave now. "Ghosteen" was kinda dull but this is dark and captivating. Wonderfully textured atmospheres, dramatic vocalisations, theatrical lyrics, it's got it all. "Stagger Lee" is so fucking cool and disturbing and the culminating noise and screams at the end were haunting. Album really paints a vivid picture of tortured minds. Kylie Minogues feature on "Where the Wild Roses Grow" is beautiful. "The Curse of Millhaven" is a great catchy folk song about of murderous rampage.

That initial rumbling bass in the first track made me think I was going to get some gnarly ass sludge of sorts, then all I got was this unbelievably boring reggae. Absolutely hoodwinked. I really don't enjoy reggae in almost any way, so this was tough for me to sit through.

Really cool mix of tango and modern electronics. Very smooth and evocative. Love the kinda dark vibes in "Época" and the groovy beat in "Triptico".

Never really dug deep in The Strokes apart from loving the shit out of "Juicebox" but this is really good. Thought the start of the album took a little to take off, but after that it was one great song after the other.

Pretty cool glam rock album. Did get a little samey, but it was enjoyable enough.

"Paint It Black" is obviously a banger. "Stupid Girl" is hilariously bad as a follow up. Rest was fine.

Smooth as hell and cinematic. This was a really cool listen that had me hooked from the start. This is some of the best soul I've heard in a while.

Couldn't get into the vocals. Everything else was fine.

Pretty cool mix of punk and more classic rock sensibilities. Liked some of the synth work.

It was fine. Vocals are the greatest but some of the instrumentation is beautiful.

I remember my sister being a big Sigur Ros fan when I was a kid/teen but I never really listened to them myself even though I'm a pretty big post-rock fans and these guys are some of the pioneers I'm told. I regret not getting around to it sooner immensely. What a chillingly beautiful album throughout with loads of great, unique ideas. Think this will only grow with multiple listens but I am in awe. Need to check more albums from them ASAP.

Pretty cool lo-fi rock album. Not really my type of thing though.

Hypnotizing synth soundscapes. The sound design is immaculate on this and while the songs aren't traditionally structured or catchy, I was really captivated by this.

Not a fan of country and this didn't exactly make me one either. It was pretty good though.

Son Of A Preacher Man and The Windmills Of Your Mind were great. Rest was fine.

Luckily this was a pretty short album, so it didn't overstay its welcome. Some nice melodies but I'm just not really into this completely stripped back country sound.

Damn this is surprisingly heavy for its age. Raw and energetic rock n' roll. Enjoyable!

Absolutely bangs. Korn wasn't my go-to nu-metal in my teens but I still appreciated them and still very much do. The rap song with Fred Durst is complete garbage but luckily that's the only big stumble for me on this album.

Yeah I'll pass. Sure I'll sing along to Pour Some Sugar On Me while I'm shitfaced at a rock bar but glam just does nothing for me whatsoever.

Never been a massive fan of Corgan's vocals when he goes overly nasal but apart from that, this is a fantastic album if a little long. Ambitious, powerful and heavy.

Absolute yawn-fest. It's not badly performed or written by any means but is devoid of any energy and generic as all hell.

There's some RIFFS on this and Tyler's vocals are ridiculous (in a good way of course). Enjoyed this a surprising amount.

Really enjoyed the bombastic melodrama of the first track, but then it kinda fell off a cliff for me with the second track. Some of these tracks are pretty good, others horrendously sugary sweet love songs that made me vom a little in my mouth.

Believe it or not, but I've never actually listened to this classic apart from Hangar 18 (which is still my favourite Megadeth track out of the ones I've heard). This thing is filled to burst with riffs and the production sounds fantastic. I'm just not a big fan of Mustaine's vocals but instrumentally this is near flawless for me.

Janis Joplin's vocal chops are insane. Loved the bluesy Summertime with its noisy guitar solos and Joplin's crooning. Generally the blues cuts here are far superior. Thought Combination of the Two and Piece of My Heart were kinda annoying.

Heavy and groovy as fuck with some great touches of Latin music to make it stand out more than your standard nu-metal. It's a bit on the long side but I had a great time with this!

I preferred Brothers In Arms but this is still great and has Sultans of Swing. Guitar playing is immaculate as always from Knopfler.

Fine RnB, the production really saves this for me. I think some of the over the top phrasings on the singing can get really exhausting over time.

Enjoyed this a lot, smooth hip hop with great production and flow. Testify is groovy as hell.

Yeah this was fantastic, dark, moody and catchy electronic rock. I've only heard the singles from Depeche Mode and always liked them but this far surpassed my expectations.

Some fine soul, the bass playing is sick. Not wow'ed by this and it gets a little too cheesy at times for me but very enjoyable.

Some fine pop/country rock. Water With The Wine is great.

The last truly amazing Muse album. Knights of Cydonia is a GOAT stadium anthem. Starlight hasn't aged very well for me but apart from that this still holds up extremely well. Map of the Problematique is a severely underrated Muse track.

Chill triphop with lots of depth. The fact that this is only comprised of samples is insanely impressive.

Production is slick and Winehouse's vocals are great. I fairly enjoyed this even though it's not entirely my thing.

As someone who does not care for country, this is actually really good. Catchy, mellow and well performed.

Even though I don't understand French, the singing is really powerful and emotive. It's not really my thing but enjoyable for the theatrics.

I almost fell asleep during the first track and it sounded like the singer was too. The album becomes a lot more interesting as it goes with some good atmospheric moments and production choices, but it didn't consistently grab me.

Yeah this is great. Funky and danceable punk that's pretty hard not to groove along to. North American Scum is really catchy and had a little Queens of the Stone Age attitude. Some punchy production going on here and the synthwork is really awesome on cuts like Someone Great. Enjoyed this quite a bit!

Pretty cool old-school psych rock.

Country is one of my least favourite genres but I really enjoyed this. There's a great atmosphere between all the musicians and it's catchy and warm. Great live record.

Vocals suck but the electronics are generally really cool. Could see how this was really influential for its time.

Album rules. Have always been massive fan of the rock opera setup they did here and still return to this once in a while. The two multi-part songs (Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming) are both amazing.

Didn't really catch my full attention but it was some fine melodic post-punk.

Some fun and catchy jazz with a lot of classics, enjoyed this quite a bit.

Took a few songs to click for me but then But I'm Different Now came in and it rules. Really cool punk with some massive atmosphere, enjoyed a lot.

Doesn't quite reach Toxicity (which is their magnum opus) but this is still amazing and wildly creative. The raw production fits the ferocity well. No one sounds like SOAD.

Was ready to hate this pretty much after the first track, but luckily it got a lot better. Second track is very eerie and dissonant. Generally nice and noisy.

The Prodigy rules and this is their best by far. Makes you want to destroy shit.

I was pretty good, though not as good as other Stevie Wonder I've heard.

Beats are fantastic and production tight. Rapping is fine but it really is the instrumentals that are the most enjoyable for me here.

Yawn. Super sweet pop rock that didn't do much for me. Production was good though.

This was actually really nice. Funky and fun new wave. Enjoyed a lot!

Great debut from Van Halen, I'm The One rocks! Catchy and groundbreaking guitar-playing.

Smooth, catchy jazz, I like it.

First track was a snooze but it picked up after that. Not blown away but it was enjoyable post-punk.

Remember my sister being a huge fan back in the day, but never really listened to this myself. What a shame I haven't got around to it before now, because this is phenomenal. Singing is incredible, compositions interesting and production stellar. I understand why this is as legendary as it is.

"More Than A Feeling" and "Foreplay / Long Time" absolutely rules. Some rock solid dad hard rock.

Liked this more than Trans-Europe Express. I found it really interesting though I'm unsure if I'll ever return to Kraftwerk. As a piece of art ahead of its time it was definitely an experience, hence the high rating.

Great album though a little too long. "Wonderwall" is obviously overplayed but I've always thought "Don't Look Back in Anger" was a fantastic song.

Solo in "Been Down So Long" absolutely slaps (generally the guitarwork is fantastic). Haven't ever been the biggest The Doors fan but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Some great raw vocals.

I think the music itself is pretty great and eclectic but not a massive fan of the vocals.

Never really checked out more from The Roots than the obvious hits but this is some good hip hop with a few curveballs thrown here and there. Definitely too long for my taste in this genre but very enjoyable.

Some really nice, spacy jazz. Enjoyed this quite a bit.

Yeah this is great. Sick beats, flow and lyrics. Kendrick is one of the best

Is That Enough and Anger were cool but I wasn't blown away by this. Fairly enjoyable but a little too cheesy for my taste.

Probably the best of the Bob Dylan albums I've heard thus far but I just can't get properly into him. It was pretty good though.

It was fine but sounds like a lot of other new wave stuff for me. Not too exciting.

Fine live blues. Got a little samey after a while.

The sound design hasn't aged awfully well compared to something as Violator but it was still okay.

Liked this a fair bit, "Strange" and "The End of the World" were really good.

This was pretty cool. "Can You Heal Us" was really catchy and the title track was a vibe too. Too long for what it was though.

Never dove into Courtney Love's stuff but was this was some pretty good 90's grunge, though nothing mind-blowing to me.

Jazz classic for a reason. Smooth and hypnotic.

Guitar playing on this is so much fun and engaging. It really sings. Meanders a little here and there but generally a fantastic live album.

Pretty good. Stewart's signature raspy vocals are great.

I delightfully strange album, though not even close to their peak.

Very good emotional blues. Janis Joplin's voice is legendary for a reason. Some of the performances are chilling.

Really enjoy the raw, sassy vocals on this one. The really noisy tracks like "Man" are a lot of fun.

Really didn't enjoy the vocals on the first track, though I thought the soundscape was interesting. But it did pick up after that with a really catchy "52 Girls" and "Rock Lobster".

The most 90's dance thing I've heard in a while. Album's way too long but I enjoyed it a fair bit.

Fine piece of orchestral rock though not entirely riveting to me. Bigger fan of their cheesy disco output personally.

Not my thing. The playing is obviously talented and there are some nice grooves but the songs just dragged.

Very good, quintessential heavy metal/proto-doom record, though not my favourite Sabbath.

Eclectic but messy. Some bangers for sure, but Demon Days is where Gorillaz really started to shine consistently for me.

Interesting as an art piece, but as an album I'd ever return to? Nah. The sound design is pretty insane though so I'm giving it points for that.

Porcelain and Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? are both absolutely beautiful. Really enjoyed this though it is a long ride.

Funky as hell though lost me a little towards the end. Really enjoyed.

Wow the instrumentals are mesmerizing and trippy while bringing the funk as well. Production is top notch too. Good shit!

Famously one-note band but this is their best even if it does get samey by the end of it.

Solid 70s rock with some good attitude but waaaaay too long for what it is.

Was a little bored in the first track but then River Man came and swept me off my feet. What a beautiful and atmospheric cut. Remained pretty consistent after that. Enjoyed!

Solid punk rock, though the singer is not my cup of tea.

Not really my thing, but enjoyed the spacy, psychedelic cuts.

I think the writing is really good but the vocals aren't on point all the time. L.A. was a great song.

Very smooth jazz and samba. Hypnotic soundscapes and beautiful vocals from Regina. Absolutely a vibe.

Some fine and legendary pop rock though I'm very much a bigger fan of their upcoming psych era. Lots of earworms on this for sure.

Get Ready For Love is a banger and a half, love the chaotic guitar work. Same goes for Hiding All Away - that final climax is fantastic. Murder Ballads opened my eyes to Nick Cave finally, and now this album won me over even more. Becoming a Cave fan with this 1001 list, loving it.

A Man Needs A Maid is a hauntingly beautiful song and a little bit Disney in a good way. Old Man is really catchy with a banging chorus. Not every song hit me thoroughly but generally enjoyed this.

Eclectic and soothing folk music with great vocal harmonies. "Old Friends" into the reprise was a standout to me, beautiful.

Catchy indie rock with some genuinely great vocals performances, like The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite. Enjoyed this more than I expected, since I haven't really "got" R.E.M. before except the odd song here and there.

Enjoy the guitar playing and vocal delivery. Probably wouldn't return to it, but enjoyable.

Pretty cool fusion of rock, latin and hip hop. Vocals aren't always my cup of tea. First track stuck out to me more than most of the rest.

Good as background lounge jazz but also pretty boring to me generally. A more upbeat track like "Minor Chant" did revive my attention but apart from that I had a really hard time attaching myself to it.

Morrisons vocals aren't nearly as annoying as on "Astral Weeks". Enjoyed this a fair bit more than that one, but still wouldn't return to it. The swingy title track was cool.

Yeah I generally liked this a lot. "Breakdown" had a really cool, smooth quality to it. "American Girl" is a classic. Some of the tunes seemed a little basic, but overall an enjoyable rock record.

Cool post-punk/new wave album with some great eerie synth and catchy hooks. Groovy and electric.

Nah this was a snoozefest. Dylan-esque vocals and standard stoned hippie vibes. Next.

I'm not really familiar with The Smiths apart from knowing they are post-punk legends. Was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this. Memorable songs and awesome production. Bass playing is sick too.

Somebody to Love is a great song with fantastic vocals. Pretty good hippie rock album, though not every song stuck with me. Highlights: Somebody to Love, White Rabbit, DCBA-25

Production is great and vocals impeccable. Pop music that was wildly popular when it came out but with some actual soul and passion in it. Highlights: Set Fire To The Rain, I'll Be Waiting, Someone Like You

Noisy, raw and intense. No idea who these guys are but I enjoyed this quite a bit. The synth work is pretty crazy. Highlights: Passing Complexion, Kerosene, Stinking Drunk

Great debut from a legendary heavy metal band, but I personally prefer the era starting from The Number of the Beast in part due to the production here being a little flat. Highlights: Remember Tomorrow, Phantom of the Opera

Really enjoy the spacyness of this punk record. Vocals range from raging and intense to serene cleans. Guitars are frantic and reverb-drenched. I've never really dug into Pixies, but this was way more eclectic than I expected. Enjoyed quite a bit though it falls off a little in the latter half. Highlights: Rock Music, Velouria, Is She Weird, Down To The Well

Pretty good old-school British rock with some clear parallels to The Beatles. The overly poppy tracks here like Picture Book don't really work for me, but the more spacy, psych-influenced songs like Sitting By The Riverside are great. Highlights: Do You Remember Walter?, Sitting By The Riverside, Wicked Annabella

The only song I know is, of course, Karma Chameleon and though it is an earworm, it's honestly quite boring. And that does for the rest of the album. A fine 80s pop album that's just sounds like a dull version of Michael Jackson. Highlights: It's A Miracle

It's very long but kept me engaged throughout. An enveloping noise rock experience that goes from catchy to downright trippy and heavy on stuff like 'Cross The Breeze and Rain King. Awesome stuff. Highlights: The Sprawl, 'Cross The Breeze, Rain King.