Journey Complete!
Finisher # to complete the list
562
Albums Rated
3.38
Average Rating
52%
Complete
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1960
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
111
5-Star Albums
12
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
|
5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
|
Arise
Sepultura
|
5 | 2.73 | +2.27 |
|
Faust IV
Faust
|
5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
|
Roots
Sepultura
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Among The Living
Anthrax
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
Tical
Method Man
|
5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
|
Reign In Blood
Slayer
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts
The Adverts
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
Close To You
Carpenters
|
1 | 3.12 | -2.12 |
|
La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
|
1 | 3.04 | -2.04 |
|
London Calling
The Clash
|
2 | 3.97 | -1.97 |
|
Broken English
Marianne Faithfull
|
1 | 2.88 | -1.88 |
|
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
|
1 | 2.85 | -1.85 |
|
Nick Of Time
Bonnie Raitt
|
1 | 2.83 | -1.83 |
|
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
|
2 | 3.66 | -1.66 |
|
Bummed
Happy Mondays
|
1 | 2.65 | -1.65 |
|
Heroes
David Bowie
|
2 | 3.61 | -1.61 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 5 |
| Beatles | 5 | 4.6 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 5 |
| Metallica | 3 | 4.67 |
| Massive Attack | 2 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 5 |
| Joy Division | 2 | 5 |
| Kraftwerk | 2 | 5 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | 5 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 5 |
| OutKast | 2 | 5 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| Johnny Cash | 2 | 5 |
| Megadeth | 2 | 5 |
| Rush | 2 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 5 | 4.2 |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4.25 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Happy Mondays | 2 | 1.5 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 4 | 2 |
| Brian Eno | 3 | 2 |
5-Star Albums (111)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Public Enemy · 3 likes
5/5
Now we're talking! I've listened to a few songs here and there from Public Enemy and also the album "Fear of a Black Planet". This album is equally good.
Public Enemy is top tier east coast hardcore hip hop. The production, the beats, the lyrics and the overall aggressiveness is hard to top. The album keeps the momentum all the way through and ends on a perfect high note with song Bring tha Noize featuring none other than the thrash metal band Anthrax.
John Lennon · 2 likes
3/5
It's not better than the Beatles. It's alright and there's some good songs like Working Class Hero.
Jethro Tull · 2 likes
4/5
Good prog rock that I've listened to before. Not the best but very good.
Elton John · 2 likes
5/5
It's easy to mistake this for a greatest hits album. There's so many good songs with a few I could live without.
Tina Turner · 1 likes
2/5
The album is a mix of pop rock and typical 80's synth. Tina Turner's voice is excellent but I think many of the songs fell flat. I'm surprised on how many songs are covers. Some individual songs like "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "Private Dancer" are 5/5 but others like the cover song of 1984 originally by David Bowie pales by comparison. The album as a whole is not that great.
1-Star Albums (12)
All Ratings
Björk
3/5
Somewhat avant-Garde pop album. I'm not that impressed but maybe it was a breath of fresh air in the 90's compared to the other pop music that was going on. It doesn't feel dated and locked into the 90's when comparing to other pop artists during the same era. Björks vocals and lyrics are the best part of the album. The instrumentals are a mix of traditional instruments and electronic club-ish vibes.
The album as a whole is OK and the songs transition nicely. It's very well produced. The album got some interesting songs but overall Björk is not really my taste.
Björk
3/5
Compared to Björks album Debut this lacks energy. Björks vocals as usual are splendid but the accompanying instrumentals could need a little more punch. I actually miss the electronic club vibes from Debut. Vespertine lays it focus on the more artsy side. The production quality is extremely well done and there really isn't anything lacking when it comes to the mixing.
After listening to this album I would like to go back and increase my rating for Debut.
Crowded House
3/5
I never actually heard about Crowded House before and I was surprised on how many plays they had on Spotify. So I went in blind and started listening to Woodface. My first impression is that it reminds me of Steely Dan with a sprinkle of R.E.M. It's a little bit of pop rock and soft rock. Further into the album that perception changed. It's got some psychedelia and differs quite a lot from the Steely Dan I've listened to. The album is from 1991 but could easily have been made in the mid 80's.
So what do I think about Woodface? It's not my type of rock for sure but overall it's a solid album.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
My Bruce Springsteen experience is limited to Born in the USA and Born to Run with a couple of songs here. When I saw that Nebraska was the album for the day I got pleasantly surprised as I've never listened to it.
The opening song to Nebraska which is also called Nebraska starts very slow and much more folk than I'm used to when it comes to Springsteen.
The following song Atlantic City picks up the pace but keeps the same folk style.
Nebraska continues as a folk album which is very different from what I'm used to. It really required me to stop what I was doing and sit down and listen to the lyrics. As usual Bruce's lyrics are extremely well written and from the perspective of blue-collar characters dealing with serious situations.
It's much more solemn than Born in the USA which was released two years later.
I liked this album but it won't get many repeat listens as it really requires attention and the correct mindset.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Never heard of Joan Armatrading before. Good album with some funky vibes. I don't feel like writing a long review right now. Good album but doesn't reach the top.
Tina Turner
2/5
The album is a mix of pop rock and typical 80's synth. Tina Turner's voice is excellent but I think many of the songs fell flat. I'm surprised on how many songs are covers. Some individual songs like "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "Private Dancer" are 5/5 but others like the cover song of 1984 originally by David Bowie pales by comparison. The album as a whole is not that great.
Cyndi Lauper
2/5
If someone asks me what synthpop is I'll show them this album. It's a glimpse to the 80's. The synth parts haven't aged that well in my opinion but Cyndi Lauper's singing style is timeless.
Minutemen
4/5
Never heard om Minutemen before and judging by the album cover I wouldn't have guessed it's punk. Good band. The album contains so many songs and all of them are under 2 minutes long. When the song Corona started I immediately recognized it from the TV series Jackass.
The Adverts
5/5
The Adverts is a band that I've never heard of and I've never listened to their songs. When I read that they were a 70's UK punk band I got excited. I got hooked on after the first song. They're really good and mu first impression is that they equal the Clash and are better than the Sex Pistols.
Great production quality for being punk from this era.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Good rock album with some psychedelia and jazz elements. Never heard of Tim Buckley before and I was surprised that he's the father to Jeff Buckley.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
Immediately recognized the exorcist theme in the beginning. The song evolved and I'm impressed on how good the composition is.
Not really something I would listen to frequently.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
Very heavy sounding psychedelic rock for being from 1968. I like it! The main riff in In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida sounds very similar to Cream's Sunshine of Your Love.
You can sense the hard rock and almost proto heavy metal vibes but the album doesn't quite reach that heaviness. It's good heavy psychedelic rock.
Public Enemy
5/5
Now we're talking! I've listened to a few songs here and there from Public Enemy and also the album "Fear of a Black Planet". This album is equally good.
Public Enemy is top tier east coast hardcore hip hop. The production, the beats, the lyrics and the overall aggressiveness is hard to top. The album keeps the momentum all the way through and ends on a perfect high note with song Bring tha Noize featuring none other than the thrash metal band Anthrax.
Eminem
5/5
I've listened to this album so many times throughout the years. Classic "modern" hip hop album (not really modern now as it's 22 years old).
Eminem and Dr. Dre's production for this album is insanely good. There's so many awesome tracks.
Eminem's flow, rapping and lyrics is hard to beat.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
I didn't really care for this album. I tried to listen to it but found myself zoning out and doing other things instead of listening. The album couldn't keep my attention at all. I went back a little bit later to listen to it but the same thing happened.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
I've only listened to a few songs by Kendrick Lamar and the album "Damn." and I always thought that he's OK but nothing more than that. To Pimp A Butterfly changed my view on Kendrick. The production is great, he got big name guests and the flow and lyrics are good.
It doesn't quite reach to the top for me but it's a very good album.
The Crusaders
4/5
Very jazzy and funky. Pleasant to listen to.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Very minimalistic production with simple but excellent beats. The rapping really gets the spotlight only to be amplified by the beats. Run and DMC are excellent and there's a reason why this album is so important for hip hop. I would however say that hip hop has evolved after RUN-D.M.C's debut album but this laid the groundwork for many others.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Very funky and nice to listen to. Doesn't quite reach P-Funk levels but I liked it. Not in the mood to write a lengthy review.
If you're in the mood for funk this is a good place to start.
Jeff Beck
3/5
It's a little bit funny that this album comes up today just as I listened to Ozzy's new song Patient Number 9 featuring Jeff Beck.
I only know Jeff Beck from The Yardbirds and I know he's a legendary guitarist.
The big surprise with this album is Rod Stewart. I had no idea he played with Jeff Beck before being the solo superstar.
The album as a whole is OK. Very typical late 60s rock. It didn't really catch my attention. Jeff Beck is however great at what he does.
Massive Attack
5/5
I really like Massive Attack. This album is not on Mezzanine's level but it's close.
Slint
2/5
Very typical indie rock. The songs are so slow sometimes it's almost boring. I don't really care much for the spoken vocals on the tracks.
The Only Ones
2/5
Alright 70s rock. A few good songs here and there but overall not that exciting.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I was waiting for Fleetwood Mac - Rumours to appear.
There's so many classics that makes it easy to mistake it for a greatest hits album.
It's understandable why this one shows up on all the lists for greatest albums of all time.
The big surprise here is that it's their eleventh album. Most bands have their best album early in their career.
Bonnie Raitt
1/5
Extremely boring album. I didn't find one song that I liked and I really struggled to finish listening to this.
Bonnie Raitt doesn't have a bad voice and the instrumentals are not bad but somehow all together it feels bland. It's pop country and not enjoyable
Nirvana
5/5
It's hard to live up to the previous album Nevermind and In Utero almost reaches the same level. It's very different but I like it. It's too bad that this is Nirvanas final album because it would be interesting to see which direction they would take the band towards after In Utero.
In Utero is very crisp and raw in a positive way. It's so easy to filter out all the sounds and just focus on for example Dave Grohls drums or Kurt Cobains guitar.
It's a 5/5 for me even though I like Nevermind better.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Not my favorite Bruce Springsteen album but easily in the top 3. Bruce is excellent as always and the E-street band delivers.
Marilyn Manson
4/5
This is an album I've listened to before. Ignoring all controversy surrounding Brian and just rating the album I would give it 4/5. The NIN influences are obvious as Trent Reznor produced several songs on the album. Some songs are great but there's a few that are just ok and keeping the score from reaching 5/5.
Blue Cheer
4/5
Heavy fuzz sound and almost sounds like a mix between stoner rock and heavy metal. Very proto-metal as it doesn't have the characteristic Black Sabbath early heavy metal sound but it's close.
I found the quality of the recording to be lacking but that could be because I couldn't find the whole album on a streaming service. Maybe if I find it on vinyl it sounds better.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Never heard of Fela Kuti before but I know of Ginger Baker from Cream.
This album is much like Jazz but somewhat different. It starts very strong with the song "Let's start" and sticks with it through the album. This is probably something I would pick up at the record store if I see it.
Kanye West
2/5
Impressive beats and production. What really drags down the album is Kanye West. I never really liked his style of rapping and I find Kanye uneven. Sometimes he's great but other times I think there's so many better rappers than Kanye and that's even when ignoring his personality.
I think I'm sticking to other hip-hop artists instead of Kanye as I've never found anything he made that's interesting.
Marty Robbins
4/5
I suddenly got an urge to watch John Wayne movies and read Lucky Luke. This is peak wild west music only behind Ennio Morricone. Is it something I would listen to again? Maybe. It's a very fun album to listen to.
Oasis
3/5
The first album from Oasis. I've got to say that the second one, (What's the story) Morning Glory, is a lot better.
There's a few good songs on this album such as Live Forever and Supersonic but overall every song just blends together and there's not really anything that sticks out.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
What a great album. I haven't heard a bad album from A Tribe Called Quest. Every song is good and my favorite song "Scenario" they've saved for last. Give it a listen!
Beatles
5/5
Oh I've listened to this album so many times. It starts so strong with Back in the USSR. My favorite The Beatles song While my guitar gently weeps is on this album. The song Helter Skelter also shows a heavier side of The Beatles.
Simply Red
2/5
Strong start and enjoyable album until it gets a little bit boring halfway through. Overall it's an OK album. It's very 80s.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Punk Rock but not for my taste unfortunately.
The Smiths
2/5
I thought this album was a little boring and the songs blended together and there's to little distinction between them.
Shack
3/5
I've never heard of Shack before but they got some catchy songs but not my cup of tea. I don't think I will go back and listen to this album again.
Hms Fable still gets 3/5 from me as I can see the appeal.
Nico
2/5
My experience in listening to Nico comes from Velvet Underground. She's somewhat shoehorned in on Velvet Undergrounds first album.
I'm glad when I read that Velvet Underground wrote most of the music to this album and it shows. The problem is that I find it all a little bit boring. The instrumentals are interesting and Nicos singing is OK. It just needs a little bit more Velvet Underground.
Frank Ocean
1/5
The intro with the PlayStation start up sound got me excited for the album! When the first song started the excitement disappeared. Typical radio friendly pop R&B. Some songs later on were actually kinda good but overall I don't see why this is on the list of 1001 albums.
Wild Beasts
2/5
I don't think this album belongs to the list of 1001 you must hear before you die. It got some Kate Bush-esque songs and is overall art pop/rock but doesn't bring anything interesting. The vocal style is shifting from good to annoying. I could barely make out the words but that is usually not a problem.
Very forgettable in my opinion.
Talking Heads
3/5
My experience with Talking Heads is a few singles here and there and I haven't listened to any of their albums. It's not a big surprise it sounds very much like the Talking Heads songs I've listened to before. I quite enjoy this album and would recommend it if you've ever listened to any of their songs before and liked it. Is it a great album? No but enjoyable nonetheless
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
I want to give this album a 2 but I really can't as it's not a bad album. It's just not for me. The singing beautifully comes togheter in harmony on this album and they're so talented. I'm glad that I listened to this album but it's not something I would listen to again.
Pink Floyd
5/5
When I saw the album appear as my daily album I got really excited. Even though I've listened to it countless times I looked forward to listening to it again.
This was probably the first vinyl album I bought. Everything is great with The Dark Side of the Moon. The production quality, the songs and the transitions between the songs. It truly is a masterpiece and definitely an album everyone should have listened to.
The Stooges
4/5
Alright album that I quite enjoyed. It's very gritty for being 1970.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Extremely interesting album. Catchy, well written and a real hidden gem. The language difference wasn't a problem at all.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
A post-hardcore band I've never heard of before. Not really my type of music but I didn't mind it at all. Nothing mindblowing but not bad.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Good rock album. Some nice singles and there's some country influences in some of the songs.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
A lovely fusion between Indian music and western music. It gets very psychadelic and the sitar sounds great.
Mike Ladd
3/5
Too bad it isn't on Spotify. I liked this album and the beats is very much my type of hip-hop. I've never heard about Mike Ladd before and it was better than expected.
Bob Dylan
3/5
My wife is a Dylan fan and we have most of his 60s stuff on vinyl. This feels much more polished and less raw than the 60s era.
I like this album but maybe not as much as his earlier albums but maybe I'm indoctrinated.
Sepultura
5/5
Not Sepultura's best album it's still really great. This gives me hope that their other albums will be on the list of 1001 albums you have to listen to.
Roots really show a drift from Sepultura's previous style but manages to keep the aggressiveness. There's some really great songs like Roots Bloody Roots and Cut-throat. The creativeness and the production is impressive.
Elliott Smith
2/5
It's lo-fi, bare-bones and the most prominent thing is Elliott Smith's whispering song with repetitive guitar pluckings. Maybe it just shows my ignorance but I didn't find this album special at all. It's not bad but it doesn't do anything for me. I guess if I only focus on the lyrics and ignore it the other parts it gets better but the overall experience is mediocre.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Early rock and roll that's aged OK. A little bit of Doo-wop and a dash of rockabilly that you can really hear influenced future rock bands. It would be interesting to hear how Buddy Holly would've evolved musically if he lived longer as he really helped lay a great foundation for rock and roll.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
My third Kendrick album I've listened to. It's really solid but doesn't reach the greatness of albums like Enter Wu-Tang.
Fiona Apple
3/5
This is the first album I've listened to by Fiona Apple and I've never heard of her before. It's an interesting album and definitely interesting. The songs are unconventional and doesn't stick to the established pop formula on how songs should sound like. I probably won't listen to this again as it wasn't for me but I'm still giving it 3/5 as it's very creative and an impressive piece of work.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Awesome album. A very pleasant album to listen and you can't go wrong with Bob Marley.
Pearl Jam
5/5
It's been many years since I've listened to Ten. It's really a great album and for being a grunge album in the same era as Nirvana it has a different sound. Songs like Even Flow and Alive are true rock classics. Eddie Vedders singing style is unique and the words are barely comprehensible, which has been parodied to death, but I would say that it adds to Pearl Jam's sound that differentiate it from other bands.
Orbital
2/5
Starts interesting but quickly progresses to background music.
Afrika Bambaataa
4/5
I haven't been up to date with all the things happening around Afrika Bambaataa so I'll ignore that and just focus on the album and not the person.
Legendary old school hip-hop. Afrika Bambaataa delivers splendid beats and the level of production is hard to find in todays mainstream hip-hop with some exceptions like Run the Jewels. This is definitely worth a listen if you're interested in hip-hop. A fun fact is that Rage Against the Machine got a cover for Renegades of Funk that's even better than the original.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Aretha is cool and badass.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I've never given Nick Cave a chance. I've heard a song here and there and I'm well aware who he is but the interest to listen to more of his songs and dig deeper has never been there. So what do I think after listening to this album? Well it's not for me. It's very somber but doesn't keep my attention at all.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
For being a legendary country singer this album is really bland. It's overproduced and nothing really sticks out. It's almost like the album was run through a pop filter and everything got smoothed out.
Taylor Swift
2/5
Taylor Swift is talented and she's terrific at making pop records but much like modern pop today it's somewhat bland. I don't think "evermore" belongs to the list of 1001 albums you have to listen to.
I have the same problem with this album as with other singer-songwriters. There's so much focus on the lyrics and the song that everything else is an afterthought that doesn't get the same level of quality or uniqueness. The instrumentals becomes one homogeneous bland mix without any interesting distinction between the songs.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Never heard of this band before and when I read indie rock from the 90s I had my expectations what it would sound like and it ended up just like that. It's alright but could be more interesting.
Aerosmith
4/5
The first Aerosmith album I've listened to. I've heard a lot of their songs before but never a whole album experience. It got tight guitar riffs and you can feel that it almost touches on heavy metal at times. Sometimes it even gets a bit funky but it always falls back to it's 70s rock foundation.
4/5 as I don't think it quite reaches a 5. It lacks a certain something that makes it stand above the rest.
The Avalanches
5/5
This is one of the most surprising discoveries since I started with this project. It reminds me so much of Daft Punk but with its unique identity and style.
The songs change from rock, hip-hop to straight electronica. They use interesting samples and manages to always keep things exciting and fresh.
This is a 5/5 and something I gladly would like to go back to and listen to more.
Tom Waits
3/5
My first impression is that Tom Waits is an acquired taste. This album is so different from Closing Time which is the only other Tom Waits album I've listened to. Rain Dogs gets a little to experimental and that's coming from someone who listens to Zappa.
The album grows on you as it progresses and it just takes a while to cross the threshold. It's definitely worth a listen but probably not for everyone.
The Style Council
4/5
I like it. Surprised with the rap in the song "A gospel". The album feels very jammy and is all over the place and doesn't stick to one genre.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Goodbye and Hello is on the same level as Tim Buckley's third album Happy Sad. I didn't expect another one of his albums on the 1001 album list.
The songs on the album is a good combination of slower paced folkish songs and more speedy rock songs and what ties them together is that almost all of them share psychadelic influences to different degrees.
Paul Weller
3/5
Quite enjoyable rock album. It's different from The Style Council which Paul Weller were a part of which was all over the place with different genres but Wild Wood keeps a consistent formula. It's more towards a pop rock style that doesn't try to make too much fuss.
Brian Eno
2/5
Alright pop rock that gets experimental. I will probably not listen to this again.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Nothing special. Not my cup of tea at all. The style and the sound doesn't do anything for me.
It's not bad but I just think that this doesn't belong on the list of 1001 albums.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Bob Marley and the Wailers are as always mellow but with thought provocative lyrics. I didn't like this one as much as Natty Dread
The Magnetic Fields
1/5
This is the first album from the list that I'm not going to finish listening to. I listened to almost one hour before I gave up. It's almost 3 hours and the songs are mostly the same except that they all tell a different story that requires a tremendous amount of effort from the listener. It's not an enjoyable experience.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
This is lounge music for me. Soft singing, mellow instrumentals and overall very chill. It's something you have on in the background that doesn't distract you from the social gathering you're at and you can focus on the conversation.
Culture Club
2/5
I've heard Karma Chameleon so many times. You could put a gun to my head and I couldn't name one other song by Culture Club. I was not born when this album came out so my first thought is that they're a one-hit wonder but maybe I'm wrong. Someone that was a teenager when this album released maybe heard several different Culture Club songs on the radio. After listening to the album it just reinforces my thought that they're a one-hit wonder. It's bland.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
The production quality is phenomenal. I've listened to Neil Young but I didn't know about Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I wonder if that's common knowledge you should know about.
It's a very pleasant soft rock album with intricate guitar play. I really like David Crosby's vocals and especially on the song "Almost cut my hair".
I only recognize "Our house" which surprisingly is one of the weakest songs on the album.
Miles Davis
5/5
Miles Davis is a legendary Jazz musician. The albums "Kind of Blue" and "Bitches Brew" are among the greatest jazz albums there is. In a silent way almost reaches the same greatness. It's a solid 5/5.
Joy Division
5/5
Closer is an excellent album and I feel that it's overshadowed by Unknown Pleasures. If you've only listened to their first album please give this one a listen. Closer is on the same level. Very dark and gloomy with a similar sound like the band Bauhaus.
The Cure
4/5
Auditory pleasant. It's atmospheric and really sets the gloomy mood. Enjoyable album but probably not for everyone. I liked it.
Wire
3/5
Simplistic punk rock instrumentals that aren't mindblowing in any way accompanied by almost incomprehensible singing which I usually don't mind. New Bomb Turks cover of Mr. Suit is better than the original. It's overall mediocre and I give it 2,5/5 stars.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
I'm not impressed. The only interesting part is that Todd Rundgren switched a lot between genres from song to song and you're not sure what to expect next. The overall experience is lackluster.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
This is my jam. Rage Against The Machine encapsulates anger perfectly and makes it accessible to the general audience in ways other bands have yet to accomplish. They've got a really unique sound and are nu-metal before it even was a thing and many bands that followed in the genre pale in comparison.
RATM haven't made any new material lately but their albums and songs are modern classics. It's hard to find a bad song in their discography and this album is no exception. Whenever Killing in the name comes on it's hard not to start headbanging or at least nodding along to the music.
This is an album everyone should give a listen to.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Never really listened to Stevie Wonder except his hits that get a lot of radio play. This album was alright but not for me. Definitely not a bad album but it didn't click.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Bland but it got some high points. Not my cup of tea as I prefer my rock without so much pop in it.
The La's
2/5
Not my cup of tea.
Mylo
4/5
Superb house album. It's enjoyable from start to finish. It didn't destroy rock and roll but the reference is probably just to the song and the ramblings from the christian cult that's sampled in the song. It doesn't quite reach 5/5 but it's close.
Kraftwerk
5/5
First time listening to Trans Europe Express. It's what I expect from Kraftwerk based on the other albums I've heard and Kraftwerk never disappoints.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Alright funky album. I still prefer bands like Funkadelic but this was definitely worth a listen.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
It's a good album but not the best Stones record. Some great singles like the opening song "Gimme Shelter" and "You can't always get what you want" but it got some lows in-between those songs. I would recommend listening to Sticky Fingers instead.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Great album with a lot of classic Creedence songs. Ooby Dooby is the only song that I don't think fit as it's a bit to rockabilly.
Ute Lemper
2/5
I'm not unfamiliar with concept albums but this is more of a musical that's uninteresting. It's very dramatic and the style is similar to a James Bond film intro. Some of the lyrics are hilarious in a bad way. Just to give an example:
"My only crime was passion, wild and uncontrolled
If sex were an Olympic sport, we'd've won the gold"
I can't rate it 1/5 as it's not terrible and there's been worse albums.
Hole
3/5
Celbebrity Skin sounds like a typical late 90s rock album with some grunge thrown in. It's very radio friendly and doesn't try to stand out in any way. It's an okay album as it isn't bad but it doesn't excite.
Ministry
4/5
Ministry is a band I've heard about a lot and Al Jourgensen's iconic look is hard to not notice but I've never listened to their music. You could put a gun to my head and I can't name a single song. This has changed after listening to the album.
The opening track "N.W.O" opens strong with a heavy industrial sound and the second song "Just One Fix" amplifies it. The guitar riffs could easily come from a Rammstein album except that this was released 3 years before Rammstein's debut album! Then "TV II" starts playing and changes the direction to some kind of speed metal to my disappointment as the previous two tracks were so good. However the rest of the songs on the album are bangers and it's just "TV II" that was a low point.
This is probably an album that doesn't go well with a lot of people. It's a 4/5 for me but there's better industrial metal and definitely better metal albums out there.
Neu!
4/5
Ambient and atmospheric at start. A lot of similarities with other krautrock bands I've listened to before. The second half has more tempo and the song Hero is more in line with proto punk. Krautrock isn't really my thing but I get why this is a good album and the production is great.
Method Man
5/5
Awesome album from Method Man. The solo projects after Enter the Wu-Tang Clan are definitely worth a listen. Method Man's flow is great and the guest appearances from the other Wu-Tang members really takes it to the top.
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
The book 1001 albums contains way too many indie rock albums. They all have the same type of indie sound and are a little bit dull and slow. However, I do like the variety of instruments and especially the use of a french horn.
I feel that there's a lack of dynamic. The instruments may be varied but the tempo, rhythm and the singing is very monotone throughout the album. I might be completely wrong but that what it sounds like to me.
Songs that stand out:
"Everybody's Stalking"
"Another Pearl"
Deep Purple
5/5
My favorite Deep Purple album. Every song on the album is great. The song Child in time has one of the best singing in rock history by Ian Gillan. Ritchie Blackmore really shows his skills and plays masterfully which he carries on to the next Deep Purple albums and later on when he starts the band Rainbow.
This is definitely an album everyone should listen to.
Various Artists
4/5
It's Christmas songs what's more to say? Well produced christmas songs but still.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
I've only listened to Fast Car before and wasn't surprised that it appears on this album.
Tracy got a unique and impactful singing voice that's impossible not to like.
Not really my thing but still good.
2/5
A very atmospheric album with jazzy beats. The tempo is mellow and kinda drones on.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
Ok country album. Couldn't get into it but listened through the whole thing.
The National
2/5
It's basically the band Interpol except it's dull. I'm not sure why this album is on the list of 1001 albums you have to listen to. Go listen to "Turn on the bright lights" instead.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I love Leonard Cohen's voice. It's not really an album you listen to while doing something else. It requires focus and attention which I unfortunately didn't give the album. If I get an itch for more folk music I would certainly go back to this and maybe do a deeper dive in Leonard Cohen's discography.
Elliott Smith
2/5
I don't understand the significance of this album or why it's on the 1001 album list. It was a chore to go through. This was the second Elliott Smith album I've listened to and I hope there aren't any more.
Bad Company
2/5
Bland. I rather listen to Led Zeppelin and Blue Oyster Cult than this.
5/5
This is the album from Oasis that I expected to be on the list of 1001 albums unlike the first one that's also on the list for some reason. (What's The Story) Morning Glory is an excellent album and outshines Oasis debut album. It got some timeless classics like Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger but the whole album is full of hits. Noel Gallagher's excellent writing combined with Liams distinctive singing really makes the record stand out from other bands. Everyone should give this one a listen.
Happy Mondays
2/5
I saw that the producer is Paul Oakenfold and I've been a fan of his work. This definitely got his touch as there's a constant underlying electronic sound to the album. The songs and the album as a whole is nothing special though. Sure it's not bad but an album you have to hear before you die? Not really.
Nirvana
5/5
Superb album that gets a lot of play in our house. The idea to take lesser known Nirvana songs and covers of other bands instead of doing acoustic versions of their hits is great. This is one of Nirvanas top performances and the raw emotion in Kurt Cobains singing really shows.
Can
2/5
Pretty cool but overall it's mostly background noise and atmosphere.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
Incredibly energetic and upbeat. It's a very short album but it's an excellent live album showcasing peak rockabilly.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
Disliked it at first but it grew on me. It's unstructured and messy but still there's something there that I like.
With that said it's not a great album but not terrible either.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
A perfect example of the west coast alternative rock sound from the late 80s to 90s. The album is great and after listening to this album I can see why Jane's Addiction's guitarist Dave Navarro joined Red Hot Chili Peppers. I'm not that familiar with the band except a song here and there so this was an interesting listen.
Roxy Music
3/5
The album cover is better than the tracks on the album. It wasn't what I expected and I thought it was OK at best
Ride
2/5
As I've learned from previous shoegaze albums it's not a genre for me. The songs blend together and are generally uninteresting and dull. However it's very well produced so I've got go give Ride that. It's also better than the dream-pop albums I've heard.
Marianne Faithfull
1/5
Extremely bland instrumentals coupled with Marianne Faithfull's weird, bordline awful, singing. The best part of the album is the second half of the song "Guilt" as Marianne isn't singing that much and the song gets really good.
Joy Division
5/5
Terrific album. Joy Divisions debut album really hit the high notes and delivers a well produced album that epitomize gothic rock. It's atmospheric and gloomy but never gets dull. I feel like their follow up album Closer doesn't get the same attention as this one but they're equally marvelous.
Public Enemy
5/5
Another excellent Public Enemy record. It's aggressive and the lyrics are well written. Give it a listen.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
It's so dated but science be praised that rock got more interesting than this later in the 60s. This is a typical 50s diner music, which is pleasant in it's own way, but nothing that I would choose to play.
Love Hurts is instantly recognizable but mainly from Nazareth's version.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
The recording quality of early Norwegian black metal but with an attempt to play punk with items found in a hardware store. It's very noisy with a jarring dissonance.
The Prodigy
5/5
Probably the most well known Prodigy album. The Fat of The Land released in 1997 and even though I was pretty young at the time I still remember my compilation CD I had that had Breathe as one of the songs. That song and Smack my bitch up starts the album and I would say that they're modern classics that most people remember. The rest of the album also delivers tight beats, insane samplings and an intensity that's hard to match. The single Firestarter appears much later on the album and is easily as good as Breathe and Smack my bitch up.
In my opinion The Prodigy didn't manage to create a follow up to this album until 2009 when they released Invaders Must Die.
Gorillaz
5/5
It's silly how much Gorillaz I've listened to. I've been hooked on Gorillaz since I first saw Clint Eastwood on MTV and later when they won best song on the MTV Europe Music Awards with Ali G as the host. It was a silly time.
Being a virtual band with distinct band members it's hard not to be intrigued. Gorillaz music is hard to define. It leans towards hip-hop but stretches to alternative rock. It's the perfect blend between Damon Albarns Blur roots and the production from Dan the Automator which the latter did the awesome collaboration Deltron 3030 with Del the funky homosapien that did the rapping on the song "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House". I would say that Gorillaz is in the Gorillaz genre. I've yet listened to something as diverse but still having a coherent sound.
Every song is splendid and the creativity and uniqueness is the reason I still listen to Gorillaz. Their debut album is no exception even though their subsequent albums are better.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Great Bob Dylan album and for being a double album it's good from start to finish without ever feeling drawn out. Probably my favorite Dylan album.
Soundgarden
4/5
Chris Cornell sure was talented and Soundgardens grunge sure is great to listen to. This album also has their hits like Black Hole Sun and Spoonman which I enjoy very much. The album as a whole on the other hand is alright. I think there's too many lows compared the highs. I also prefer Audioslave over Soundgarden.
The Clash
2/5
London Calling, the song that is, is an iconic punk rock song and rightfully so. Hollywood have almost ruined the song by playing it every time London appears but it's still a great song ignoring that aspect.
The rest of the album however is a jolly mess. It's clearly inspired by other genres like reggae and rockabilly and so far from punk. You never know what to expect but overall the rest of the songs pale in comparison to the opening track.
King Crimson
5/5
Prog rock at its finest. The creativity is overflowing and the production is off the charts. The album opens so strong with 21st century schizoid man and ends perfectly on In the court of the Crimson King.
Doves
2/5
Pretty much the same as many other indie rock acts on the 1001 list. Didn't do anything for me and I will probably forgot about Doves.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Slow paced and smooth soul with a touch of funk. Like many other albums it's not bad but not my taste.
3/5
They sure got the aggressiveness and the rebellious energy but the execution is lacking. It's a little bit messy but there's some good tunes on the album.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
It's very noisy with a cacophony going on. I try my hardest to isolate certain sounds and they're obviously talented as there's good guitar riffs and impressive drums but all together it's jarring with sharp sounds added at somewhat random times. The album is to stressful and it's not the BPM that bothers me but the dissonance.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
The raw talent that Jimi Hendrix had makes you wonder what would happen if he lived longer. His style of guitar playing was way ahead of its time and it's hard to imagine that it was made in the late 60s.
This is the third and final Hendrix album and it delivers the same energy and creativity as his previous two. It's a long album and it starts strong with the first four songs but there's a noticeable dip in the middle. For example "Long hot summer night" isn't as good as "Crosstown Traffic". It does however pick up in the end and delivers classics like "All along the watchtower" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". Even though it has its lows it only goes from perfect to great.
Radiohead
4/5
I've listened to their first album Pablo Honey and the albums OK Computer and Kid A so many times but for some reason this one never stuck. It's a huge gap in my Radiohead listening and the style is definitely different from their other works. It's more in the britpop style of Oasis but still its own thing. As usual with Radiohead it's a pleasant listening experience with great production and well-written songs. However I think that compared to OK Computer this lacks a certain something. OK Computer feels more unique and is overall more memorable. It really sticks with you but The Bends never peaks to that level.
The Verve
2/5
Only know of the band because of Bitter Sweet Symphony. This album was pretty dull and the songs blended together in an uninteresting huddle.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Fantastic album. There's so much variety between the songs and the production is really good. The songs are great and many of them classics.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Good blues album. Surprisingly good quality for a live album from the 60s.
Robbie Williams
2/5
After listening to this album I understand why I only heard Angels and Let Me Entertain You. The rest is mediocre and can be skipped. Not really an album you have to listen to.
Orbital
2/5
It's not terrible but definitely not great. The music slowly dissolves into background noise and it sounds like someone playing around with an EDM pack for Ableton or some other music software. It's from 1993 so I guess it's somewhat impressive when comparing the capabilities from then to now but it hasn't aged well. It's also very repetitive. I can't really give it a 1 as it's a bit too harsh.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Bob Marley delivers as usual. This album is overall a great album. It's got a great dynamic between mellow reggae (Jamming) and surprisingly punchy style (Exodus).
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
I've listened to a bit of LCD Soundsystem and mainly his debut album but it's never been my type of music. Songs like "losing my edge" are alright but not much more. This album is actually not better than that. I think some of the songs got some interesting electronic sounds and especially the first half of the last song "pulse (v.1) but overall I rather listen to some Daft Punk or The Avalanches.
Pentangle
3/5
Interesting arrangement of instruments. There's a fairy tale vibe going on with a slight medieval theme. I will definitely give this another listen but with a good pair of headphones the next time.
Charles Mingus
2/5
Too jazzy for me. There's too little structure and it feels too improvised for my liking.
The Undertones
4/5
High energy punk rock. Some great songs and the album definitely doesn't overstay it's welcome. Overall a very enjoyable album.
Talking Heads
3/5
Psycho killer... Cat Café.... Pspspsps. That video totally ruined the song for me as I can only think about the cat variant even though I've listened to Psycho killer so many times before.
To be honest Talking Heads have never been a favorite of mine as it's not my type of rock. They sure are talented and I like some of their songs but there's something with the style of playing and David Byrne's distinct type of singing that doesn't do it for me.
Back to the single Psycho Killer. It's got one of the best bass lines and is overall a 5/5 song but the rest of the songs doesn't come close.
The Replacements
3/5
It was OK. Nothing mind blowing and somewhat forgettable. There wasn't a single song that really catched my interest.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
This is certainly a different and interesting album. The click song really stood out among the rest as I've never heard anything like it in music before. The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Mbube) was surprising. She's got a great singing voice and some of the songs actually were actually impactful like "Where Does It Lead?".
"One More Dance" is just strange. Why is he struggling to hold back his laughter?
I'll probably wont revisit this again even though it had some good moments.
DJ Shadow
5/5
Excellent instrumental hip hop with great sampling. I've listened to this before and it's a nice revisit.
Richard Thompson
3/5
I don't see what's the deal. It's alright.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Great album that's just a little bit too long. It's good that the songs vary in character through the album so it doesn't become repetitive. The production is excellent.
The Temptations
4/5
Papa was a rollin' stone is a song that I've heard before by The Temptations but the rest were new to me. It's a soul album with funky tunes. There's some Shaft vibes and overall it's a "cool" album.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Experimental and noisy. I don't have a problem with either but PJ Harvey isn't my type of rock atleast this album. I was surprised by the Bob Dylan cover right in the middle but didn't care too much about it.
Rid Of Me got some good sounding songs but as with many other albums on the 1001 list I rather listen to something else.
David Bowie
5/5
This is an excellent album by David Bowie and the connection to his illness is obvious especially with the song Lazarus. It's a powerful and emotional album that leaves you drained. For being the last Bowie album after a long career it's impressive how he's still creative and delivers an outstanding performance.
Fugazi
3/5
It's definitely a good album and Fugazi sure knows how to play their instruments. It's not really my type of rock and I couldn't really get into the album even though I understand why people like it.
Faith No More
5/5
I got this album on CD and listened to it many times through the years. It's a truly epic, pun intended, mix between funk, metal and alt-rock. Mike Patton is an excellent addition to the band and I can't think of Faith No More without him. His vocals are certainly unique and he's using it to a full extent that's hard to find elsewhere. Faith No more blends styles seamlessly and switches between a Mother's Milk/Blood Sugar Sex Magik era RHCP and heavy metal.
This is an easy (Angel Dust reference) 5/5 for me.
Sonic Youth
2/5
It's a facade of exciting hard rock but underneath it's a pretty dull album except a few songs like Kool Thing and Dirty Boots. There's too many songs I would consider "skips".
Wilco
2/5
Like an American Radiohead but worse. A boring album that's not noteworthy but it got insane production. Very auditory pleasant with a pair of good headphones even though the songs are a snooze.
Couldn't wait for the album to end. Still 2/5 as I've heard worse on the 1001 album list. And this is the second Wilco album? Wow I don't even remember listening to the other one as it was so forgettable. I don't know why they're on the 1001 album list. Maybe it's explained in the book.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
I mainly listen to albums through Spotify but as Joni Mitchell pulled her songs from Spotify this one had to be put on hold as I didn't care to make the effort to find it anywhere else. After one listen I can say that I didn't miss much as this was tiring the more it dragged on.
Patti Smith
2/5
There's some songs that are good and more punk-ish like Free Money but then there are those that are extremely barebones and a chore to listen to. I could've died without listening to this album
Paul Simon
2/5
There's definitely some Simon & Garfunkel vibes on this album compared to Paul Simon's more famous hits which is more in the pop genre. Hearts And Bones however is not something I would go back to. If I'm going to listen to Paul Simon it better be Simon & Garfunkel. Their solo careers aren't that captivating.
Os Mutantes
2/5
Experimental and psychadelic. It's like 60s- 70s psychadelic rock with some fuzz thrown in at times and with a south American flavour.
I didn't care for it that much.
Living Colour
3/5
It really drops in quality after the opening song "Cult of personality" which is a great song. It got some funky similarities to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More but I think those two are better.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
It's a good album and the great songs like the message outshines the low points. The quality of the lyrics are a mixed bag. It doesn't quite hold up as a whole but it's something I've listened to before and will listen to again.
808 State
3/5
Not bad and ahead of it's time but it's a bit dated today. It's impressive that it was made in 1989 with this amount of variety in the sounds and beats.
ABBA
4/5
There's a small amount of national pride when this album appeared as the album for the day. ABBA sure is a song writing hit machine and that's something that Björn and Benny continued after ABBA.
ABBA is pop/disco and the album Arrival has hits like Dancing Queen and Money, Money, Money. It's hard to not like ABBA. It's well written and catchy. They're definitely not my favorite band but their success is understandable. The album Arrival is no exception.
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
Didn't care for it and thought it was annoying to listen to. Immediately recognized "In the Pines" but from Nirvana's Unplugged cover.
Germs
2/5
So I know of the band Germs from the documentary "The decline of western civilization". It's a great documentary that I recommend everyone to watch. Germs is probably one of the rowdiest bands in the documentary and they're not that talented. It's more that they're playing with feeling than instrumental skills. Pat Smear however went on to have great success with Nirvana and Foo Fighters.
With that being said this album is definitely better than their performance in the decline of western civilization. It's not great but better. Darby Crash is actually understandable this time and they're not just thrashing around the stage incomprehensibly.
The album is still too basic, raw and the songs are too similar.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Lenny Kravitz sure is a talented musician and I've listened to some of his hits. He's got some great songs. This album doesn't stick to one genre of rock between the songs. I didn't feel like any of the songs stood out and the album as a whole is OK.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
This one is one of my top Jazz albums. It's so accessible and the arrangement is spectacular. If someone would ask for a recommendation for a jazz album this is the one I would recommend.
Ozomatli
2/5
Meh. It got annoying around the second half of the album. It's bland.
It's hard to define exactly the genre but maybe latin rap rock? Not my cup of tea.
Mott The Hoople
2/5
Meh. Didn't care for it and barely remember it. I like the album cover though.
Grizzly Bear
2/5
Hipster indie rock that overstays it's welcome.
Pere Ubu
2/5
This album made me think of Talking Heads except that they're better than Pere Ubu. It really went downhill when they started singing "Drunken Sailor"
Travis
2/5
This is almost the equivalent of elevator music. It's there, you here it but it's just background music that you don't pay attention to.
Ramones
4/5
Upbeat punk that's very similar to the English punk rock. The songs are really short and fly by and never overstay their welcome. It's very cheery and charming even though the lyrics doesn't reflect it.
Violent Femmes
2/5
I'm not impressed by the barebone instrumentals or the folky singing.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
Sometimes there's a well written blues song on the album but mostly it feels like listening to someones jam band. Sometimes it works but not in this case.
Lucinda Williams
2/5
I've never heard of Lucinda Williams before.
This sounds like generic country and I'm not sure why it's on the 1001 album list.
As this album doesn't sound like anything special I had a hard time actually focusing on the lyrics and the theme of the songs.
Taylor Swift
2/5
This was an album I couldn't wait for it to be over. It's like being slowly smothered by a pink cuddly cloud that's overly cheery and dreamy.
Pros:
+ Taylor Swift surely can sing
+The production quality is great
+ Some songs are catchy...
Cons:
-...but they overstay their welcome
- The hooks are repetitive and get annoying after a while
- It's like a teen drama film in music format and wouldn't surprise me if some of the songs have been used in such a film
- The lyrics get tiresome after a while.
In short this wasn't for me at all. I usually don't notice the lyrics that much but I made a concious effort and it was a mistake. It's like watching a teen drama. Not trying to be insulting but maybe if I was a teenage girl I would like it. I've never been one so I couldn't say.
Morrissey
2/5
It didn't keep my attention at all. I don't care for the Smiths and even less for Morrissey.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
Lovely British punk from San Francisco. What I like about Dead Kennedys is their variation in the songs and their playing. It's not just the same chords repeated again and again. They're actually talented and knows how to play which can not be said about all punk bands as some rely more on feeling and political message. Dead Kennedys is definitely my type of punk rock.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
No song that really sticks out and overall a weary folk album. It's too mellow. The production quality is almost recorded as a live album. Devendra Banhart is definitely not for me and I won't go back and listen to this.
Portishead
4/5
Dummy by Portishead is dangerously close to be background music with its mellow tempo but it manages to keep my interested by using clever beat shifts, use of sampling and scratching. It's similar in style to Massive Attack and DJ Shadow. The variation and the distinction between the songs could be better though.
This is an album I wouldn't mind picking up at the record store.
Sex Pistols
4/5
Classic British punk. Sex Pistols only album but extremely influential. Still holds up and most of the songs are 5/5. Giving it 4/5 as a whole as some songs doesn't compare to hits like God save the Queen.
Steely Dan
3/5
Never really got into Steely Dan. I've listened to Aja and Can't Buy a Thrill before this but it's really not my thing. The creativity is impressive but none of the songs catch my interest except "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo". There's something about the style of singing in the rest of the songs that I don't like but I just can't pinpoint exactly what it is. I do however like Donald Fagen's solo album The Nightfly.
Metallica
5/5
First of all I would like to write that I've listened to this album many times and have it on vinyl. The black album is what got me hooked on Metallica even though it's an album that divided the fan base as it's more "mainstream" than their previous albums. I do think it's a great album even though Ride the Lightning is my favorite Metallica album.
Overall it got great songs on it from start to end. Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, The Unforgiven and Wherever I May Roam are classic Metallica songs that most people probably heard before.
Even though it's not as thrashy as their earlier works it's still very heavy and Metallica keeps the furiosity going.
Every band member truly delivers an outstanding performance. Metallica's quality dipped after the black album and it wasn't until they released Death Magnetic they reached the same level. Death Magnetic unfortunately suffered from bad mixing but is otherwise a great album.
Fugees
4/5
A very good hip hop album from a group that's unknown to me. I've heard their "Killing me softly" before but the rest was new. The beats and production is stellar and their rapping is really on point.
Kate Bush
2/5
Extremely 80s. Kate Bush singing is dreamy and very artsy. I have a hard time enjoying this and it's the same issue as with Björk. I do like some Kate Bush songs but this album was a miss for me.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
The third Stevie Wonder album that's been generated so far.
This one got songs that are funky and some that are more towards soul. Superstitious is on the album and it's a great song.
After three Stevie Wonder albums I came to realize his music is not really for me. I don't mind it but I rather listen to something else. I do like it when he's more on the funky side as that's more my jam.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
3+3=4
Cool funky album with some classics. I might go and listen to more Isley Brothers after this one.
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
This quickly became background noise and the album went on way too long.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Very cool soundtrack. I've had the movie Superfly on my watchlist for a long time but never got around and watched it. The soundtrack sure is great and something that I probably would listen to again.
Little Simz
3/5
I'm impressed by the production and the beats. It's different than what I'm used to and is great at using a variety of instruments and sounds. Little Simz herself is talented and got expresses a badass attitude through her lyrics and flow. Overall it's a bit too mellow for my taste. A little more energetic songs on the album wouldn't hurt.
The White Stripes
4/5
The White Stripes is mainly "Seven Nation Army" for me and I wasn't surprised to find that it's the opening song on the album. One other song that's also terrific from the album is "The Hardest Button to Button".
They really manage to create a big sound with a minimalistic approach and there's nothing that feels like it's missing. Extremely well done.
The downside is that not all the songs are that great bringing down the album a notch on the rating. It is however still an impressive album that I think most people should give a listen to.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Pleasant music to listen to. It's more of background music or lobby music than something I listen to actively.
Eagles
3/5
"I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man."
Jokes aside, the Eagles are alright and I really dig Hotel California even though its been played to death. Hotel California is on the album with the same name though and not on this one. This is 100% dad rock and not the good type of "gubbrock" as we call it in Sweden.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Off The Wall really set the sound and direction for the years to come in Michael Jackson's career. The production is great and it's a blend between disco, pop, funk and R&B. Even though it's good it's not on the same level as Thriller that came after this one. It's like the foundation was created with this album but Thriller built upon it and perfected it.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
Very mediocre. There wasn't a single song that catched my attention.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Not that exciting psychadelic rock. Like a combo of 60s rock and latin music.
System Of A Down
5/5
Even though the album Toxicity is my favorite from System of a Down I was delighted to see their first album appear as todays album. It's a 5/5 for me as SoaD is so unique and there's few bands like it. They're frantic and angry with a strong political message. Their songs have great variation and not just between the songs but within them as well. They always keep you on your toes and you don't know what to expect next. The mix between clean singing and screaming/growling expertly conveys the message and emotions.
This is a great entry for anyone interested in System of a Down and their entire discography is amazing.
John Coltrane
4/5
A Love Supreme is a pleasant jazz album to listen to. I understand why this is considered a classic.
Sonic Youth
2/5
The second Sonic Youth album generated and I wasn't impressed with the first one. This one was the same. I've got no issues with the experimental approach, it's just that it lacks any type of feeling and just drags on.
Radiohead
4/5
Radiohead is as always great. They're experimental but not too much, artsy but not in an annoying way and uses electronic instruments in moderation.
As usual the words in Thom Yorke's singing is hard to understand at times but it doesn't matter that much (c'mon, I listen to death metal with death growling).
In Rainbows is not Radioheads best album in my opinion but it's still a great album. Songs like Bodysnatcher, Reckoner and Jigsaw Falling into Place are all songs I go back and listen to from time to time.
Moby
4/5
Listened to this before and it got some great songs like Porcelain and Natural Blues. Good electronic music to have on in headphones when out for a walk.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Funky jazz fusion. The song Chameleon gets many repeat listens. Head Hunters is a huge step away from "traditional" jazz but it's really a great listen.
Buck Owens
3/5
It's alright country rock with a clear western movie style.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
I recognize some songs from the album. Paul McCartney is a great producer but I feel that his solo work is just OK compared to The Beatles. He's also really good at writing songs with others but this album with Wings is alright and McCartney has done better songs.
Bad Brains
4/5
Classic D.C. hardcore band but this album is far from that sound.
The album got some great songs like "I against I", "Re-Ignition" and "Let Me Help".
Bad Brains got great energy through the tracks and the songs have a varied style as they mix in reggae and heavy metal.
Overall it's a pretty cool album.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
A very good album and probably my second most listened to Bruce Springsteen album. It's hard to not like this one. Still it doesn't quite reach the top.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
They played Free Bird!
The first half of this album is 5/5 without question. The rest is forgettable except Free Bird which is a masterpiece.
I could easily listen to the A-side + Free Bird on repeat and it's peak southern rock. Some of the most recognizable Lynyrd Skynyrd songs are on this album.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
One of RHCP's best albums with their best lineup. They got some songs like "Get on top" that are still old school funky Chili Peppers but most of them is their "new" style which I very much prefer. The only two problems I have with the album is that the first half is much better than the second and that the mixing could be better. Rick Rubin, the producer, have done a lot of great work but his part in the loudness war is not one of them. Nonetheless it's still a fantastic album.
Elton John
5/5
It's easy to mistake this for a greatest hits album. There's so many good songs with a few I could live without.
I thought I've never heard Faces before but I actually recognized a few of the songs!
This is however 70s rock that I don't understand why it's on the 1001 album list. It's nothing exceptional and nothing groundbreaking compared to other bands from the same era.
Carpenters
1/5
This was a waste of my time. The majority of the songs are not written by Carpenters or are covers. I don't mind if the performing artist hasn't written the songs as there's some iconic collaborations like Meat Loaf and Jim Steinmann, and Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The Carpenters however almost made me turn the music off when they started singing The Beatles "Help". Overall they have an unbearable soft padded style they wrap the songs in.
Common
3/5
A bit too long. It's very chill and slow paced and I would prefer if the album length was shorter. I've actually never listened to Common before but I'm familiar with his acting work. He's not a bad rapper but not really my taste.
The Darkness
4/5
Silly glam metal that's really well done. It's a fun experience to listen to and surprisingly good. This could easily be mistaken to be from the 80s. I've only listened to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" before but the rest of the album is also impressive.
Morrissey
2/5
Utterly boring except for the first song. I didn't like The Smiths and I don't really like Morrissey. It's not completely bad just not doing anything for me.
Radiohead
4/5
Another Radiohead album on the 1001 list. Like my previous reviews I really like Radiohead but I think one would be enough. Amnesiac is more experimental than Kid A but still very accessible. It's not my favorite album from their discography of even in the top 3. I would recommend listening to Kid A or OK computer instead. Even though it's good it doesn't fit the list of must listen albums before you die.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Not another Elvis Costello album. He's so boring and it lacks something. I don't know exactly what it is but if this was food it would be flavourless.
Dire Straits
5/5
This is a strong 4 or a weak 5 for me. The guitar work is insane and Mark Knopfler is godly on this album. The only thing bringing it down is the B-side. It's really good but after listening to the A-side which is perfect it brings the album down a notch.
This is the one I'm having the hardest time rating. I've actually given lesser albums 5-star ratings but that's because I tried to rate them within their genres. This one is harder to give 5-stars as it's a rock album. There's so many good ones. I'm going for 5 stars just for the iconic riffs and the great first half of the album.
Eric Clapton
2/5
I'm going to ignore everything surrounding Eric Clapton as a person and focus on the music instead. He's one of the best guitarists out there. However this is not his finest work. I like my Clapton like my coffee. It's better with Cream. All jokes aside, his work with The Yardbirds, Cream and Derek & the Dominos is way better than this. 461 Ocean Boulevard is mediocre and doesn't excite in any way. As many other albums it's not bad but definitely not great.
If this album is on the 1001 list I hope we'll get some Cream albums as well.
OutKast
5/5
This really is two solo albums in one. Big Boi and André 3000 is such a power duo and both Speakerboxxx and The Love Below have an exceptional quality to them.
It's hard to do a follow up to a killer album like Stankonia but somehow they manage to succeed even though it's in a different direction. Speakerboxxx is more of a traditional hip-hop album and The Love Below is more experimental with jazzy influences.
As it is two albums it's very demanding for the listener if you want to listen to it in one session.
Brian Eno
2/5
Not my jam. I didn't find it interesting and the songs didn't stuck with me. This is my second Brian Eno album and it's the same as the other one which is just alright, nothing more.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
This might be blasphemy but I think this is a boring album. I liked the jazzy parts and the various instrumentals like synthesizers. The songs are a snoozefest and left me fidgety. It was hard to concentrate on the album.
Tori Amos
2/5
Some excellent songs mixed with I don't know what. The album switches between genres and the majority of the songs doesn't hold up well. Kate Bush vibes.
Goldie
2/5
It's the guy from Snatch! I didn't know he's a musician.
First of all, the length of the album which is 1h 53m is discouraging. Secondly the genre jungle and drum and bass. I like Pendulum a lot but that's about it. I haven't found many other in the genre that I like.
After listening to this the length was indeed an issue. I was waiting for it to be over and it doesn't have to be this long. I also didn't like this type of drum and bass. It felt very bloated and repetitive.
I can't give this a 1 as I've heard a lot worse on the 1001 album list.
Daft Punk
5/5
I really like this album even though it's not Daft Punks best. There's some bangers but some of the songs get a little bit repetitive without peaking. It's like they're building up to a payoff that never arrives. However when this album is great it's truly great. Songs like Around the World, Da Funk and Rollin' & Scratchin' are hard to not appreciate the sheer level of awesomeness and a start of Daft Punk's great career.
The Yardbirds
2/5
Too many fillers and overall incoherent. It's like the album is pulling in all directions. Beck is good on the guitar as expected but that's about it.
New Order
3/5
I'm not sure what I think about this album. It's not bad but I've heard other songs from New Order that I think are better. Overall I think it's a 2,5/5.
Bon Jovi
3/5
Bon Jovi is silly fun to listen to and impossible to take seriously. It's not a masterpiece and will never be one. Is it something that I listen to frequently or would actively play? Nope. But it is definitely something that I don't mind when it's playing and I actually quite enjoy when songs like "Livin' On A Prayer" comes on. It's something of a guilty pleasure to be completly honest.
Bon Jovi, at least for me, isn't an album listening experience. It's a song here and there that puts a smile on my face when it plays.
Aphex Twin
2/5
Just ambient music and background noise. I usually like Aphex Twin but this was a dud for me.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Easiest 5 so far. So many classics and the album is great from the beginning to the end.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I didn't like this one. Way too long for what it is. I saw that it was British synth pop but I still expected something else for some reason. This was not my jam.
Hot Chip
2/5
Some good songs but not really my style. I liked the single "Don't deny your heart" as it is more electro-funky.
Don McLean
3/5
Don McLean goes all in with the opening song "American Pie" but runs on fumes for the rest of the album. The rest isn't bad but it's impossible to match the first song.
Aerosmith
2/5
Before even listening to the album and just seeing the album cover and which year it's from didn't get my hopes up. This is years after Aerosmiths peak and it's got no soul to it and I don't mean the genre. This feels like it's produced after a hard rock formula with the intention of making it as dirty as possible without being too explicit. I rather listen to the Bloodhound Gang if I want sexual innuendos. They're also a lot better than this.
Manu Chao
3/5
Hard to not like but still not something you have to listen to.
Elvis Presley
3/5
C'mon it's Elvis. What's there not to like?
Alice Cooper
3/5
Some really good songs but as a whole it's nothing amazing.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
I've heard about Basement Jaxx but never listened to any songs. I didn't like this album. Red Alert was nice but the rest of the songs are very meh.
Spacemen 3
2/5
Forgettable and I quickly zoned out and struggled to focus on this. I barely remember any of the songs.
Tricky
4/5
Very Massive Attack-ish but that's expected when it's Tricky. Dreamy Trip-Hop that sometimes lack the punch that Massive Attack has.
The B-52's
3/5
Weird but good. The guy got some Bauhaus style singing.
Jethro Tull
4/5
Good prog rock that I've listened to before. Not the best but very good.
Arcade Fire
2/5
There's just too much indie rock that are the same-ish on the 1001 list. This one mixed things up a little bit through the tracks but I still needed to pause the album halfway through and listen to something else as a palate cleanser before continuing.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Top tier album and the length is perfect for what it is. Would listen to again.
Syd Barrett
2/5
The instrumentals are experimental and psychedelic as expected but the vocals are the worst part. The overall production is also lackluster. Knowing the history of Syd Barrett I guess he wasn't quite alright when this was made which is a bit sad. I rather go back and listen to Pink Floyd.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
I don't really think live albums have a place on the 1001 album list. This one was alright but too long. I haven't really listened to Sarah Vaughan but she's got a lovely voice. A real mellow jazz album even though it's a live album.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Lovely country music. Dolly is really one of the greatest. More uplifting in tone than many other country artists and definitely better than all modern country I've listened to (radio pop-country).
Garbage
4/5
Solid 90s rock. Definitely not garbage.
2/5
I didn't like it. She's got the perfect singing voice for country music but the melodies and the lyrics didn't do anything for me.
Slipknot
4/5
Weird choice of Slipknot album to have on the 1001 album list. Not the one I was expecting as there's better Slipknot albums like Iowa in my opinion.
All Hope is Gone got some good tracks. Gematria, Psychosocial and the title track are all bangers. They're great and quite accessible with a ruthless style mixed with a somewhat melodic approach. Sure Slipknot is commercial metal but not everything have to be hardcore underground metal.
4/5
I've listened to this album several throughout the years. It's a good Muse album with some of their greatest songs like Knights of Cydonia and Supermassive Black Hole. Their earlier albums are also worth a listen.
Muse is kinda pop rock-ish but I think they're more unique than most of the pop rock out there. Songs like Assassin and Knights of Cydonia makes them stand out and are far from the pop rock vibes some of the songs give me. I like them. It's not a 5/5 but it's close. Maybe a strong 4?
UB40
2/5
This was a snoozefest. Good vibes but boring in the long run.
Sabu
2/5
40 minutes of conga drums is way too much.
Ice Cube
5/5
Ice Cube's flow is impeccable with an unbeatable aggressiveness and lyrical content that's still relevant today. The beats and production are top tier and there's few albums today that can match it. There's so many bangers on this album and definitely a classic hip hop album.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Great alternative hip hop that I would gladly listen to again. It got creative beats and good rapping. Almost a 5/5.
Nas
5/5
This was a nice revisit as I haven't listened to Illmatic in a long time. It really is a classic hip hop album that still doesn't disappoint.
The Damned
3/5
Good British punk. Not a favorite of mine but I enjoyed it.
Beatles
5/5
One of the best albums from The Beatles. It's psychadelic but in moderation. They've got a clever use of "alternative" instruments like the sitar which breaks the traditional formula in western music. This a more experimental but still grounded Beatles.
OutKast
5/5
If I gave Speakerboxxx/The Love Below a 5/5 this is a 6/5. It's off the charts how good the album is.
The singles "B.O.B." and "Ms. Jackson" is still played frequently in my house.
Cream
5/5
Probably my favorite Cream album. So many great songs and it's a record I'm glad to have in my collection.
David Bowie
3/5
Good Bowie album but not as good as his earlier works (and Blackstar). There's some songs that go back to his 70s style.
David Holmes
2/5
Bland and repetitive. I was expecting something similar to DJ Shadow when I heard the first couple of minutes but this was not even in the same ballpark of quality.
Brian Wilson
3/5
My first thought when listening to this is the impressive layered sound. Then there's the familiar Beach Boys sound. The album is good and the songs are catchy. Nothing mindblowing but still a nice listen.
Green Day
4/5
This brings me back. American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me up When September Ends were on constant repeat. Going back and listening to this album I would say it still holds up and is a great album but my taste has changed and this wouldn't be my first choice to play. Who knows, maybe in a few years I'll go back and listen to Green Day more.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
Kicks and (I'm not your) Steppin' stone are fun tracks and the rest is forgettable.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Impressive album. It's mostly instrumental and some of the tracks have vocals. This album fits Shaft perfectly.
The Stooges
3/5
Raw Power is a fitting name for the album. It is indeed very raw and punkish.
Beyoncé
2/5
I read that this is a visual album so I tried watching the music videos but got bored to death. They're well done but a snooze in the long run. So I listened to the album instead. It's not much better. I hated the Drake and Frank Ocean track. The best track on the album is ***Flawless. The rest is boring over-produced pop.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
I was expecting much more weirdness as it is Captain Beefheart but this was relatively normal and accessible. This wasn't at all similar to much of the work he's done with Frank Zappa even though some of it is more "normal".
I will probably go back and listen to this again.
The Monkees
3/5
It's mediocre at best. Sounds dated for being from 67 and The Beatles have released awesome albums like Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band that blows this out of the water. It's not a bad album but it's not that exciting.
Paul Simon
3/5
A mix of different styles and messy direction wise.
Paul Simon is talented and it shows throughout the album.
Turbonegro
4/5
Not my first time listening to Turbonegro. It's very cheery punk if you could call it that. Maybe it's more glam rock. Apocalypse Dudes is a fun album.
Queen Latifah
3/5
It's a little tame for my liking. Many of the beats are excellent even though they feel dated. It doesn't feel timeless like NWA's Straight Outta Compton for example.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
It's from 1964 but sounds like it's from the 50s. There's some Motown inspiration here and there. I don't think the whole album is a necessary listen.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I'm not unfamiliar with The Flaming Lips. I've listened to their album "Yoshimi battles the pink robots" a long time ago. It wasn't for me and the same goes for this album.
Def Leppard
4/5
Continuing the glam metal from the previous album Pyromania. With album names like Pyromania and Hysteria I would expect something heavier.
It's very good within the genre however I prefer other metal genres. Def Leppard never really stuck with me. It's the same with Motley Crue. It's like they're trying to hard to be heavy when in reality it's the typical 80s pop hair metal. Bon Jovi on the other hand is quite enjoyable. Maybe he's just embracing the glam better? Who knows.
Well this wasn't a bad album at all. Just not something that would be my first pick to listen to.
Def Leppard
4/5
Heard this one before. It's the typical 80s pop glam metal. Not really my taste but nonetheless it's a good album. I'm still sticking with my opinion that it's pop that's trying to hard to be heavy. I rather listen to heavy metal like Iron Maiden or thrash metal like Metallica from this era.
The album cover is heavier than the songs.
Parliament
5/5
Awesome funk album. Parliament never disappoints and it's just a great experience.
Eels
3/5
Reminds me of Gorillaz in a way but more focused solely on the indie rock aspect.
Finally an indie-rock album that sounds different from the rest that's been generated from the 1001 albums list. There's a few songs on the album that I quite liked and I'll probably go back and listen to. The opening track "Novocaine for the soul" and "Not ready yet" stuck with me. And there's was some unexpected Shrek. But songs like "Flower" was a snooze.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Excellent album! Amy Winehouse performance is stellar but the production overall really ties everything together. Everything is really well made and there's really nothing to complain about. This isn't really my genre or something I actively listen to but there's no denying that it's really good.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Genius of Love is a great song. The rest is alright and nothing mind-blowing. It's nice background music.
Blur
4/5
Probably my most listened Blur album. It's catchy with enough of it's own style to stand out from the rest of the britpop from the 90s. I definitely prefer this over Definitely Maybe by Oasis (their second album however is great). The whole album listening experience is not a 5/5 but there's definitely material on here that is.
Steely Dan
3/5
This is my fourth Steely Dan album. It really is a band that does nothing for me.
Radiohead
4/5
Another excellent Radiohead album. What I don't get is why there's so many albums from Radiohead on the 1001 list. One, maybe two, would be enough. I do like Radiohead and often go back and listen to them. This isn't my favorite album of theirs but it's still very good. I'm surprised OK Computer hasn't appeared yet if it is even on the list.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Never really listened to Lauryn Hill or Fugees, except from the 1001 album list, and so far they're really good. I liked this album.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
This is the Creedence album I've heard before but I actually liked Cosmo's Factory more than this one. It's still a good album and a great example of classic American rock.
Coldplay
2/5
It's better than their top hits and maybe why they managed to become commercially successful and known world wide but it's not much better. I still don't like Coldplay.
Kanye West
3/5
This is actually better than his later works. The songs are more fleshed out and there's more energy in this compared to his rapping on the later albums which is almost lazy and the songs feel somewhat incomplete. I still don't like Kanye as I think there's better rappers out there and the fact that he's a crazy racist.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It's an ok album that's bluesy and the tracks are only covers. It's definitely not the best album by The Rolling Stones and I think most of their albums before Aftermath can be skipped
R.E.M.
4/5
Not my go to type of rock and I usually only listen to a few R.E.M. songs here and there. This was pretty great to be honest.
Ash
3/5
It's a little bit all over the place in terms of genre and style. A little bit of grunge, garage rock and alt-rock. Impressive and unexpected album. I liked the first half better than the second one.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Ugh, another Elvis Costello album. I think this is the fourth one that's been generated. It's so bland. I think one of his albums would be enough on the 1001 but four? No thanks. The author clearly is a fan but that doesn't mean that you have to listen to the entire Elvis Costello discography before you die.
John Lennon
3/5
It's not better than the Beatles. It's alright and there's some good songs like Working Class Hero.
Linkin Park
4/5
I remember that the opinion on Linkin Park was that it's a little bit cringe. Well that was for rap metal in general except Rage Against the Machine. In retrospective I've always liked Linkin Park. It's a little bit silly with the shifting between the rapping parts, the melodic singing and heavy metal instruments but it sure is fun to listen to. Chester Bennington's raspy singing is as always impressive. The nostalgia is real with this album.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Mistook this for some mediocre soul music at first but then it got weirdly psychedelic with great instrumental parts. Never heard of Shuggie Otis before but this is an excellent example of a good find in the 1001 album list.
Soft Cell
2/5
Tainted Love is a banger but the rest not so much.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
It's not exactly Rumours level of an album. I would be fine if this wasn't on the 1001 album list. It's alright, a little bit too long.
Korn
2/5
Korn didn't catch my interest back in the day and after listening to this album that didn't change. This is probably why people can't take nu metal seriously even though there are good bands in the "genre" though Korn isn't one of them.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Excellent darker synth-pop. So many good songs on the album.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Really good album from the Beastie Boys. It's so different from other hip hop as they're using live instruments and punk influences.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Enjoyed this one a lot. Funky instrumental bongo covers of famous songs.
Miles Davis
4/5
I've listened to this one before. It's too improvisational for my taste but it grows on you the more you listen. Didn't mind hearing it again.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Not their best album. Sympathy for the devil and Street Fighting Man are good songs but the rest doesn't hold up. There are better Rolling Stones albums like Sticky Fingers. This one didn't have to be on the 1001 album list.
David Bowie
3/5
A good David Bowie album but definitely not the best. The album cover is iconic though.
Fishbone
3/5
Very funky, almost a bit like Faith No More. Hard to place them in a single genre. I thought the album was OK but nothing mind-blowing. Could probably listen to a few tracks again.
The Zombies
3/5
Good 60s psychedelic rock. I've only Time of the season before and didn't know that The Zombies made it.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
A bit slow overall. Not really my jam.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Not the best Foo Fighters album. It's like Dave Grohl was warming up with this one before releasing "The Colour and the Shape" which is much better. Their debut album is missing almost all the Foo Fighters band members as well. Didn't expect this to be on the 1001 list. It's alright but nothing more.
JAY Z
2/5
Not fan of his style or his songs. I think Jay Z is overrated. There's better NY rappers and I never understood why he's so popular. 99 problems, Hard knock life and Dirt off your shoulder are bangers but he's got so many duds and this album really showcases it.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Jimi Hendrix is awesome as usual. The guitar playing and the amount of hits on the album is incredible.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Really good Bruce Springsteen album. There's some great hits on it. A little bit more radio friendly than his other albums.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Thom Yorke-like singing with a pretentious art rock style. It didn't do anything for me and felt dull.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Heavier than expected. However the album didn't stick with me. First impression wasn't that great and I might need to revisit it.
The Cars
3/5
The Cars do a lot of different things on this album. There's traditional instruments like guitars, drums and saxophone but there's also synthesizers and drum machines. Very much Synth-rock. Even though they do a lot it's all very mediocre. The songs are somewhat catchy at least.
Cypress Hill
4/5
I've only listened to a couple of songs from Cypress Hill before. This was actually great. It's unique and different than other Hip Hop from the same era.
Elvis Costello
2/5
I hope this is the last Elvis Costello album. There's too many of them on the 1001 album list.
They're all so mediocre and I don't get why more than one needs to be included.
TV On The Radio
2/5
It's like a mix of Pixies, early Radiohead and something else I can't really put my finger on. It's very experimental.
This album was OK at best. I liked the first two songs but then it droned on.
Brian Eno
2/5
I put this on as background music, as I guess that's the point of it, and it was alright. It was completely what I was expecting which is ambient music you pay no attention to at all. Is it something you have to hear? No, absolutely not. It's not terrible but very much skippable.
The Who
2/5
A meh album from The Who. There aren't any bangers on it och the concept album as a whole fell flat.
Deep Purple
4/5
Listened to this one before.
Highway Star, Smoke on the water and Pictures of home are really good songs. I think everyone's heard Smoke on the Water.
It's a good album and certainly a classic. I do think Deep Purple in rock is better though. This one is missing the energy of Deep Purple in rock that really drives it home.
Public Enemy
5/5
Public Enemy always delivers. They got awesome beats/production and relentless lyrics. The ruthless aggressiveness is something you don't find in todays mainstream hip-hop. For being "old school" hip-hop it doesn't feel dated at all.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
It's missing Young. Ok album somewhat forgettable.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
This was an unremarkable album. Definitely something that can be skipped. It sounds very theatrical and somewhat of a joke.
At first I thought it was Thom Yorke on the cover.
Pink Floyd
5/5
A beautifully crafted masterpiece. There's only a few songs that I enjoy as singles but I really think this should be listened as a whole. It's tight and well produced. The Wall conveys a sense of grandeur and leaves you in awe. I don't listen to this album often. It's best experienced uninterrupted, without distractions and being the focus of attention.
Beck
3/5
It really is a downer but I guess that's the point.
Steely Dan
3/5
I heard that Steely Dan's Aja is a must listen before even starting the 1001 album challenge. So I listened to it but didn't understand the fuss. This is the second time I've listened to Aja and I still don't get it. It's alright I guess but not the mind-blowing experience I keep reading about.
Dire Straits
3/5
Knopfler is an awesome guitar player. It's really the guitar that carries this album.
It's not really Brothers in Arms level of an album. The song Sultans of Swing is on that level though but the rest is lacking that special something.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
Way too pop influenced alt-rock. The song "Is This Music?" really reminds me of another song that I can't place. Someone probably sampled the riff. It is probably my favorite song from the album though.
The album is not completely bad but it's just not my taste.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Excellent album from Kraftwerk and probably the one I know the best. I took the time and listened to both the English and German version.
It's very simplistic but as it's from 1978 it's also very impressive. Kraftwerk really are pioneers when it comes to electronic music. Listening to Daft Punk after this is an experience and just shows how much the genre has evolved.
Not something I listen to often but I sure enjoy it.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
This is the kind of indie-rock that I like. They've got their own sound and it doesn't sound like all the other indie-bands. The song "Take Me Out" is a modern classic and the rest holds up well but aren't as iconic. 4.5 stars.
Cat Stevens
4/5
Some bloat in the middle but otherwise close to perfect. Hard to not like it.
3/5
The first three songs are 5/5 but the rest is just OK. U2 is well produced rock but it's too "clean". I think they're missing an interesting edge.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
The same noisy guitar drones through the album accompanied by a mumbling incomprehensible singing. This wasn't that great but I've heard worse.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
The creators of the 1001 album book must think that Elvis Costello is the second coming of Christ as they almost snuck his entire discography in the list! At first I didn't mind Elvis Costello but after enduring album after album I really despise his music. Just because it's your favorite artist doesn't mean that everyone needs to listen to everything's he's created.
The Doors
4/5
I've listened to this one before. IT's such a strong debut album from a band that everyone should've listened to. I'm giving this a 4/5 as I think there are better albums in the classic rock genre. I've actually given lesser albums compared to this one a 5 but that's within their own genre.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Great for being a cover album. Willie Nelsons take on the songs is pleasant and a joyful listening experience.
Eminem
4/5
Some great songs but the following album "The Marshall Mathers LP" is better. Both got the same problem and it's one song that we could really skip. On this one it's '97 Bonnie & Clyde and on the following album it's Kim. It drags the whole experience down a bit and feels dated. The rest though is mostly good.
Eminem is so talented and with the production from Dr. Dre they're an unbeatable combo. I do think that the later works is more polished.
50 Cent
3/5
This album got no place in the 1001 albums you have to listen to. There's some enjoyable tracks like In Da Club, P.I.M.P and 21 Questions. I would say that there's way better, and way worse, hip hop out there.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Way better than I thought it would be. Great mix between pop, soul and funk.
Wilco
2/5
Took me two days to get through this album. It's too uninteresting to be this long. I couldn't enjoy listening to it at all and it felt like a chore.
The Pogues
3/5
I've only heard Fairytale of New York before from The Pogues and it doesn't really represent the style they have on this album. It's Irish folk mixed with a punkish style. If I ever have the feeling for some Irish music this would probably be my choice.
ZZ Top
4/5
It's really good. I don't have much too say except ZZ Top is enjoyable. Their more high tempo songs are the best ones and I don't really care for the song "Legs". It definitely deserves to be on the 1001 album list.
Motörhead
3/5
I like a lot of Motörhead's songs and generally like their type of metal. Lemmy's raspy voice is great and the ferociousness and speed is excellent. So why only 3 out of 5 stars? First of all the album itself isn't anything special as a whole and there's some songs that are duds. Secondly I think their compilation album No Remorse that released a few years later blows this one out of the water. No Remorse really showcases Motörhead in the best way possible.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Great vocals and some metal vibes in the instrumental department. I can only describe it as somewhat cool. I'll probably not go back and listen to this.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Awesome swamp rock but not Creedence best album in my opinion. Some classic songs like Proud Mary.
Jack White
3/5
He's talented but the album is not remarkable or outstanding in any way. I like the White Stripes better.
Mariah Carey
2/5
I don't know why this is on the 1001 album list. This is one of the worst ones so far. Giving it a 1 is too harsh.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
It's dark and depressing. The album is sparse but still very well produced and conveys a sense of grandness.
George Harrison
4/5
Impressive continuation of the Beatles sound and this would be a 5/5 if it was shorter. There's too much padding for the lack of a better word.
Elton John
4/5
For the most part it's an excellent album except for a few duds. They're not bad just not as good as the rest. Tiny Dancer really is a classic and probably a song that will be remembered for decades to come.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Listened to it before as it usually is on top album lists. I think it's outdated. It probably was groundbreaking back in the days but by todays standards I think there are better albums. I still think it's a good album and there's some bangers, almost like a greatest hits album.
4/5
Not the same level as Parklife which follows this one but still very good.
Alice In Chains
5/5
I've liked almost all Alice in chains songs I've heard but for some reason never explored their music. This album is great. It really is top tier grunge and on the same level as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the others. This could easily become a favorite for me among the grunge bands I listen to.
The Police
3/5
I'm used to songs like "Every breath you take" and "Message in a bottle" from The Police and assumed the rest of their songs to sound similarly. This was different, except for every breath you take, and totally unexpected. Not my cup of tea but an overall enjoyable listening experience except the song Mother. It doesn't fit the rest of the album.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
This one was unexpected. It's Leonard Cohen but with a very typical 80s production that almost clash with his folk rock I'm used to. This album is syntheziser heavy and features prominent backing vocals. At first it was jarring but it grew on me and I liked it. It's a cool album.
Neil Young
5/5
Great folk rock album by Neil Young. His best song Heart of gold is on this one but the rest is also good.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Impressive A-side with a "single" song about an armadillo tank. Silly but really prog rock awesomeness. The B-side doesn't get the same love as it's a mix of songs all with a total different sound.
Metallica
4/5
It's a very majestic album. The furiosity of Metallica's thrash metal combined with a symphony orchestra is a good match. It really shows the melodic side of Metallica as well. I like the successor S&M2 better than this one.
Funkadelic
5/5
Funny that it appeared today as I listened to it yesterday. I really love this album and I think it's a masterpiece by Funkadelic. This is an album that I would love to own as I frequently play it. The opening track conveys so much emotion and it's iconic.
The Cure
3/5
I think Seventeen Seconds is a better album by The Cure. This one got too much pop influences but it sways to impeccable goth rock at times.
But this one almost made me feel like I should stop being a conformist, start reading more Edgar Allan Poe and pick up smoking as a hobby.
The White Stripes
3/5
There's no need for so many White Stripes albums on the 1001 album list. Sure it's alright but they're pretty samey. Not one of their albums is mind blowing in my opinion.
The Kinks
3/5
I liked listening to this but it's nothing extraordinary. It's overshadowed by bands like the Beatles.
M.I.A.
2/5
I didn't like the first song "Bamboo Banga" and it didn't get better until Paper Planes which is the penultimate song. I can't really recommend this album to anyone.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
So this is where Public Enemy got their album name "welcome to the terrordome" from.
Bold to start the album with a 13 minute song excluding the intro.
It then goes to the banger "Relax" which I've heard before. The rest isn't that impressive but still enjoyable. There's some weird covers as well.
Orange Juice
2/5
The orange juice is expired.
I like the 80s but this is too dated.
The White Stripes
3/5
It's ok. Too long and I don't think more than one White Stripes album needs to be on the 1001 album list.
5/5
Another excellent The Beatles album. Follows the psychedelic style of Revolver.
Destiny's Child
2/5
It starts with familiar songs that everyone's heard before and that's not a bad thing. The rest though is just album filler. Really comes from an era where excellent singles were released to promote and sell dull albums.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
A weird mix of genres contained in this album. It's like the band members couldn't decide on a direction and chose all of them. It's folk rock, psychedelic rock and regular rock. Could have been better.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
I love Wu-Tang Clan and I've listened to some of the solo works but Ghostface Killah is one of the members I haven't focused on that much. I've listened to his first two albums Ironman and Supreme Clientele and I think they're good. This probably is one the same level of quality after just hearing it one time and I would gladly go back and listen to it.
My first impression is that it's not really a 5/5 album. There's a bit too much padding which makes it bloated. If you trim the fat it would probably be a 5/5 album.
Oh and it teaches the metric system to my American friends. You can ignore the part how to cut cocaine.
Big Black
2/5
Repetitive noise rock. Not my cup of tea.
Primal Scream
3/5
Never listened to Primal Scream before. This fits perfectly as a soundtrack to a snowboard game like SSX. I peeked at the reviews and it doesn't seem to be well liked. I thought it was pretty good. It's background music but still nice to have playing.
The Beta Band
2/5
I'd much rather watch Hot Shots! Part Deux than listen to this.
Ice Cube
4/5
Awesome beats, sick flow and the rhyme game is on point. The lyrical content isn't ok by todays standards. Still I can't deny that I like this album as it's very well made and it's really my type of hip hop. Production and rap game like this is hard to find today.
Genesis
4/5
I've heard way too little Genesis. This is prog rock goodness and way better and weirder than I thought Genesis could be and totally unexpected. I would totally go back and listen to it again. It's not that accessible and should be listened in one sitting undisturbed.
New Order
4/5
Better than the previous New Order album I got. I like how they kept some of their rock roots and mixed it with the typical electronica New Order is famous for. The weakest part is the lead vocals.
Joe Ely
3/5
Not great, not terrible. I will probably forget this one.
Napalm Death
1/5
I love metal but I couldn't stand this. Short songs where they are just banging on their instruments accompanied by a guttural scream. It's messy and just because they're trying to play as fast as humanly possible doesn't make it good.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Bob Dylan is an excellent songwriter, among the greatest, but as a musician he's OK. What I do like is that he does his own thing without caring too much about critics. This is a good intro to Bob Dylan's discography.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Led Zeppelin's debut album is insanely good for being their first album. Not a single bad song on the album. Highly influential and ahead of their time.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Fantastic piece of work. Thank God for David Bowie's involvement making this album. This wasn't my first time listening to it. Even though I'm praising the album I'm still not giving it a 5/5. There are a few songs that are ok compared to awesome songs like The Passenger.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
I've listened to a fair share of Queens of the Stone Age and I think there's definitely better albums from them with Songs for the Deaf being a prime example. This one got some nice tunes with good riffs here and there but lack something and it's a step down from Josh Homes previous band Kyuss.
The Human League
2/5
The best song is saved for last. The rest is meh. I don't care that much for Philip Oakey's singing.
N.W.A.
5/5
Top notch hip hop. Sets the bar really high and something rappers and hip hop producers today should strive to reach. I think I wrote something similar in another review and I do think there's good hip hop today it's just that there's so much that doesn't even come close to this and this album is from 1988.
Great rhymes, stellar beats and sick flow.
It starts so strong with the first two tracks which are classics and just keeps going strong.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Terrific hip hop album. I almost gave this one a 4 because I like their subsequent albums more but hey, this one is awesome as well.
fIREHOSE
2/5
Nothing special and I kept zoning out. It quickly became background noise.
James Brown
3/5
James Brown sure is cool. I've read that he doesn't really got that many good albums but legendary tracks here and there within his discography. I didn't like this live album as I have a general dislike for live albums. There are a few ones that are great and this is not one of them.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
I just remember reading about that this album was controversial because of the album cover with the toilet. Sure it's not a nice toilet but being banned is a bit excessive.
Anyway the album is OK. Some original songs padded with covers. California Dreamin' is a banger.
Al Green
4/5
Great album. It's not really my genre but it's hard not to like this album.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
A fun live album. Nice prog rock with heavy synth usage. Not my preferred album and definitely not something you have to listen to before you die.
Motörhead
4/5
Not the best live album and the quality of the record is so-so. The good parts are that it's Motörhead and that the energy is insane as expected.
Happy Mondays
1/5
This one was terrible. I could've lived happy without hearing the awful production with all the reverb and atrocious singing. I hope the person that mixed this album was inexperienced or had a really bad day. No one could make it intentionally this dreadful.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Meh. Not good but definitely not terrible. Mediocre at best. It's good that the album is short otherwise the rating would be lower.
Meat Loaf
5/5
Easily five stars. A grandiose rock album impeccably performed by Meat Loaf and written by the legendary Jim Steinman. It's a joy from beginning to the end.
Missy Elliott
4/5
I liked the album. Missy Elliott is one of my 90s - early 00s rappers that I always enjoy listening to when a song comes on. There's also some good collaborations on the album with other artists like Method Man and Ludacris. The B-side wasn't as good as the A-side.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
It's an easy 5/5 for me. I had this one on cassette. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is leaning more towards their iconic Californication sound on some tracks while still keeping the funky tunes from previous albums.
XTC
2/5
I liked the last song. The rest I could live without hearing. Boring pop but hey, the songs transitions nicely.
Röyksopp
3/5
This would be right up my alley but I didn't care too much about it. It's nice background mood music but not something I would actively listen to.
I instantly recognized the song Poor Leno as it's featured in SSX3 although it's a remix of the song.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Like Joy Division and U2 had a baby except that both those two bands are better. This one is dull and after almost 400 albums I've realized that shoegaze really isn't my thing. However this one is better than the material from MBV and Cocteau Twins.
The Cardigans
4/5
Good pop rock. Unique enough to not fall into the pop category too much and keeping the songs captivating.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Listened to this one before. Good album by Alice Cooper. Tame by todays standards but still great hard rock with a shock factor based on the lyrical content.
Justice
4/5
The French sure knows their electronic music. I recognized the opening track from before. There's rock influences that are prominent on a lot of the tracks.
Definitely worth a listen.
Heaven 17
2/5
I liked the first song a lot. The rest was OK 80s synth pop but nothing special. There's better material in the same genre from the 80s than this.
Billy Joel
4/5
Billy Joel is great. The diversity of the songs throughout the years is impressive. I'm more used to his 80s stuff except Piano Man of course, everyone knows that song. This is s more softer type of rock than his more upbeat songs from the 80s. Do I like it? Yes.
The Blue Nile
2/5
Impressively produced pretentious crap. The mix and production is the star but the songs I could live without. I had to read the Wikipedia article to get an idea why this album is on this list and after reading that I'm still not sure.
The Black Keys
2/5
Some songs are really good but the whole album is lackluster. It went on too long.
The Roots
4/5
Never heard of The Roots before and it was not at all what I was expecting! The album's core is hip hop and that's the theme throughout the album but it also explores RnB, rock, soul and the last song "Thirsty!" is some kind of awesome techno. There's so many bangers and a few duds that could be trimmed from the album. I've gotta listen to this again.
Prince
3/5
I always thought that Prince was a great artist and an excellent guitar player. Recently I saw when he performed during the Super Bowl halftime show and it's insane how good it was. This album doesn't even come close to my image of Prince and my previous experiences with his works. The albulm 1999 is just OK and didn't blow me away. It did however make me a little bit uneasy as I was listening to it with others in the room and I hope they didn't hear anything from the headphones. Jeebus it's sexual.
Gotan Project
1/5
Repetitive and boring. Quickly turns to background/ambient music.
Blondie
5/5
This is what every pop rock act should strive to be like. Great songs and Debbie Harry is a thrill to listen to.
2/5
Weird pop that's hard to define within a genre. I didn't especially like it.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
I don't like modern country and this is how country should be.
The Hives
3/5
Compilation and greatest hits albums shouldn't be on this list. And why this one and not Veni Vidi Vicious or Tyrannosaurus Hives which both are excellent albums?
I love The Hives but this gets a 3/5 for the above reason.
Frank Zappa
5/5
One the easiest 5 star ratings. I've listened to Hot Rats so many times and one of my favourite Zappa albums. It's very different from other works by Frank Zappa as it's less weird in lack for better words. It's the perfect album to slap on some headphones, lean back and prepare for the ride.
Eagles
3/5
The title track is a great piece of art and probably among one of the best rock songs. I didn't care for the other tracks.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Iconic title track. The rest is good but the organ gets tiresome throughout the album.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
Indie pop rock with the most annoying vocals and mind-numbing guitar plucking.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
Listened to it and can't remember a single track. It didn't stand out as bad just forgettable. I might have to revisit this one sometime and give it another chance.
Funkadelic
5/5
Great P-funk album. A good mixture of rock and funk. Not Maggot Brain level but still cool.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
The A and B side complement each other perfectly. The opening song and the closing song are the perfect bookends to the album. It's got the "typical" Neil Young folk rock sound and the harder rock sound in the second half. This is something I'm going to look for in the record stores.
Pulp
3/5
This is not hardcore. I've listened to my fair share of hardcore and this is not it. This is more David Bowie-esque rock without David Bowie.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
It takes a certain mindset to sit down and listen to this album. I actually prefer You want it darker by Cohen that I got earlier. The minimalistic approach and focus on the lyrics on this album doesn't really do it for me.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
I like Genesis but I don't like Peter Gabriel's solo work. This does nothing for me and bored me.
2Pac
4/5
2Pac got an extremely smooth flow accompanied by an impressive production. As far as 90s hip hop 2Pac is good but definitely overrated. I've listened to all his albums excluding the posthumous ones and I think they're worth a listen. It's just that I prefer other artists like Wu-Tang more.
Bee Gees
3/5
Not at all what I expected! This is not what I think of when I think of the Bee Gees. It's a lengthy concept album that didn't leave me impressed.
AC/DC
3/5
Good hard rock album that keeps the same style as their previous releases from the 70s. They say don't fix it if it ain't broken except that a lot of the NWOBHM bands around this time period released excellent material making Back In Black seem dated.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Much better than expected. Everyone knows his cover of Hallelujah but the rest is pretty good as well. It really only is the song Eternal Life that sticks out from the rest of the songs but in a good way.
The Thrills
2/5
Indie pop rock with a misleading name. I knew from the first song that this wouldn't be for me.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Didn't know they had more songs than Come on Eileen. This was ok. The good parts were the variety of the instruments which gives it a unique sound.
Television
3/5
After listening to this I think that it's fairly overrated. I don't see what's the big deal or where the wow factor is. The title track is the best song.
Louis Prima
3/5
Alright. Very upbeat and fun to listen to.
Santana
4/5
Good album and I've heard some of the songs before. The A-side is better than the B-side and luckily the album length is good for the amount of instrumental focus. Any longer and it would've been tiresome.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Not my favorite Beastie Boys album but still great. Creative sample use and wicked flow.
The Kinks
3/5
Like the Beatles but I like the Beatles better.
The Kinks are at their best with "You really got me" and "All day and all of the night " and this doesn't have neither of the songs.
Coldplay
2/5
I didn't like Coldplay before listening to this one and after hearing this album I like them even less.
I couldn't go through this album in one sitting.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Cool Jimi Hendrix album. I listen to it from time to time. I like his first and third album better but this is also a stellar album.
The Cult
3/5
Extremely average and generic.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Where's the hits? The whole album is samey throughout.
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
Not a fan. I like hip hop but Dizzee Rascal isn't my style. The song Bonkers by Dizzee, which is not on this album, is good and fun to listen to. Too bad that this album didn't deliver like that song.
The Offspring
3/5
Listened to the album many times before. Fun to revisit and I my impression is that it's OK. This one didn't stick as a nostalgic fun trip and I rather listen to something else.
Mudhoney
3/5
Only heard "Touch me I'm sick" by Mudhoney before listening to this one. Mudhoney certainly is a lesser grunge band compared to Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. Lesser in the sense that the previous mentioned are a level above in terms of musicianship and songwriting.
The production quality is also muddled. I read that it was recorded on a low quality tape which explains a lot.
It's not a bad album just bland. I rather listen to other grunge bands than Mudhoney.
Venom
4/5
Listened to this one before. The production and sound engineering is dreadful and spawned the black metal style I loathe (looking at you Transylvanian Hunger by Darkthrone).
The songs are good though if you can look past the sound quality and spawned a genre that got some great bands.
Black Metal by Venom is alright I get why it's on the 1001 album list.
Skepta
2/5
It was tolerable at first but got more annoying as it went on. Definitely not my style of hip hop.
Circle Jerks
2/5
It's like they came up with an idea for a song, only managed to make it one minute long and then moved on to the next one before completing the first one. And then they did the same thing for the rest of the album.
The Prodigy
3/5
Not as good as fat of the land. It's too long and it would be better if a few songs were skipped. There's some absolute bangers on the album though.
Metallica
5/5
First of all the song "One" is a masterpiece.
This is a great album by Metallica. It's heavy, the songs are long but don't get repetetive and it's very melodic while still being thrash metal.
The downside is the mixing. The drums are too prominent and the bass is barely there.
Lou Reed
5/5
Excellent album and almost anything David Bowie has worked on is great with this not being an exception.
Some of Lou Reed's most famous songs are on this album.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Cool album. It's only the last part that brings down the rating as the first is brilliant.
Johnny Cash
5/5
One of the best live albums there is. Johnny Cash really put some thought in the performance and the audience are really engaged and part of the listening experience.
Black Sabbath
5/5
The A-side is 6/5 and the B-side 4/5 so it evens out to 5/5.
Dark and gloomy riffs accompanied by phenomenal vocals. Still incredibly heavy and the foundation for heavy metal.
This is something everyone should listen to at least ones in their lifetime. It's simply outstanding.
David Bowie
2/5
I know the song Heroes inside out but I haven't listened to any of the other songs before. It wasn't at all what I expected. It's artsy and experimental. It didn't click for me. Either I wasn't in the mood for that type of music or this album wasn't for me.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Mesmerizing for the most part. I could have Rockafeller Skank on repeat. There's so many good songs but there's also some real duds that really brings down the album.
Roxy Music
2/5
I don't get it. This is the third Roxy Music album on the 1001 list so far. One was enough and even that one was mediocre. This was a chore to get through.
Madonna
2/5
Pretty awful album but I still can't give it a 1. It's soulless and the single "Music" isn't good today and wasn't when it was released. This doesn't even compare to Madonna's greatest hits like Material Girl, Like a Prayer, Like a Virgin and so on. Those are timeless classics.
Oh and she also completely butchers American Pie.
Incubus
3/5
I've listened to this one before.
I actually prefer Incubus album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. over this one. With "Make Yourself" they departed from the The Faith no more style and made it more commercial.
De La Soul
5/5
A nice palate cleanser from all the gangsta rap. It's funny, silly and totally awesome. The production is incredible.
Deep Purple
4/5
Listened to the original release as the other ones are way too long.
This is usually my example of a good live album other than Alive by Daft Punk. It's a fun listening experience and almost perfect if it weren't for space truckin. It just drags on too long and gets overly repetitive.
Yes
4/5
Good prog rock album. It starts with one of Yes greatest songs Roundabout which isn't a great choice as the rest of the songs aren't nearly as good as that one. It's a cool album though but I get why it isn't for everyone.
4/5
Lovely prog rock album by Yes.
Compared to Fragile this one is more well-rounded. It's good throughout the whole album. I'm having a hard time giving more than 4 as it's missing a certain element of excellence that I have a hard time specifying.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Now we're talking! My favorite Stones album. It's great from beginning to the end. If there's a Rolling Stones album that should be on the 1001 album list it's this one.
Tangerine Dream
4/5
Excellent cosmic space music.
Not something I would listen to all the time as it requires a certain mood.
Donald Fagen
3/5
I don't really care for Steely Dan. Donald Fagen's solo album is slightly better. It's still the same type of meh rock.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Indie rock with some punk influences that's overall very mediocre. There's some good parts but I rather listen to something else. I've actually listened to most of Arctic Monkeys albums and their early stuff, like this album, is at least better than their later works.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
First time I heard this album. It's similar in style as other east coast hip hop from the same time period.
My first impression is that I like it and I need to give it another listen. It's not really on the same level as Enter the Wu-Tang or Illmatic as both of those blew me away the first time I heard them.
Green Day
4/5
So many recognizable songs on this album. Energetic and enjoyable.
Kelela
2/5
This one does not need to be on the 1001 album list. The production is good but not mind-blowing for being from 2017. I tried to actively listen to the songs but it quickly dissolved to background ambiance. Her singing style is soothing and it's nearly impossible to focus on any lyrical content
Eurythmics
4/5
The title track is easily the best track. The rest is actually good as well, just not as good as the title track. I did the mistake and listened to the bonus tracks. Those tracks didn't add anything special and just diluted the album.
Gary Numan
3/5
Good synth pop. The songs are mostly pop heavy but some of the songs are more darker synth and rock influenced. I like the latter more.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
My second time listening to this album. It's something I should like as it features Damon Albarn and is produced by Danger Mouse. This album is just too boring, especially compared to Gorillaz. It's alright while listening to it but is overall forgettable.
Japan
2/5
Sounds like it's from the 80s but it's from the late 70s. That's impressive but that's about it. The album is mostly forgettable.
Little Richard
4/5
This really is the foundation of rock today.
U2
3/5
U2 never stuck with me even though I grew up with their music. I don't get what makes them stand out from other rock bands.
The Mars Volta
3/5
I vastly prefer old prog rock compared to new. This didn't resonate with me at all and it's not the first time I've tried listening to Mars Volta.
Michael Jackson
5/5
The greatest pop album I know of. It delivers hit after hit and it's crazy that so many of Michael Jackson's top songs are on the same album.
Dr. Dre
5/5
Classic hip-hop album.
Dr. Dre is probably the weakest rapper on the album but his beats are amazing they hit hard. If it wasn't for Snoop Dogg appearing on most of the songs this would be a dud. The lyrics are dated but doesn't really ruin the experience. The skits doesn't contribute to anything.
This should be played at high volume.
Preferably in a residential area.
Megadeth
5/5
The Onion article pretty much sums it up.
KISS
4/5
Probably my favorite Kiss album. Not that heavy, it's almost a rock version of schlager, and I definitely wouldn't call it heavy metal. Still it's fun to listen to and the album have my two of my favorite Kiss songs, Detroit rock city and God of Thunder. I can't really give it a five as I really don't care for the songs Flaming youth and Sweet Pain.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Impressive album for being so late in his career. Not the best in the discography and I like Bruce Springsteen's 70 - 80s work more.
Radiohead
5/5
Really good Radiohead album. It's experimental and a step away from their previous albums. It's overall a nice auditory listening experience. I think the album should be listened to as a whole as it doesn't really have any strong singles.
The Police
4/5
The Police are incredible musicians but I just don't like their type of music that much. This is one of their better albums though.
Grateful Dead
3/5
Chill rock album and the recording quality is stellar for being a live album. Maybe a little bit to jammy.
Black Flag
4/5
Punk, especially hardcore punk from this era, is like metal but without the technique and finesse. It's fast, hard and aggressive. Nevertheless it's still good and I listen to Black Flag from time to time and Damaged is probably their best album.
Mekons
2/5
It's like a punk rock album without the punk rock. I could barely stand this and I'm glad it was a short album.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Quickly turned into ambiance. Still enjoyable.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Not the first time or second for that matter that I've tried to get into this album. Maybe third times the charm? Nope. I still don't get the hype. Still it's not bad but I don't see the greatness.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Another easy 5/5 rating. A classic rock album that still kicks ass.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Excellent album.
The title track is one of the best songs ever made.
Iggy Pop
4/5
The David Bowie involvement is obvious as it sounds more like a Bowie album than a The Stooges album. The proto-punk sound is gone and replaced by Bowie's art rock style. If you like David Bowie you'll probably like this album as well.
GZA
5/5
This is probably the best solo album that spawned after "Enter the Wu-Tang" and one of the best among Wu-Tang's albums. The production is insane with creative use of samples and the performance by the Wu-Tang members are at their peak.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Led Zeppelins first four albums are exceptional and if you ask someone which one is their favorite there's no wrong answer.
This is an album everyone should listen to.
Megadeth
5/5
My first thought when this one was album of the day is that I was going to give it a 4 out of 5 rating. This is solely based on the fact that I've listened to it before and that I think Rust in Peace is better. After listening to it again I still stick with that Rust in Peace is better but Peace Sells is also great.
It might not be as polished as Metallica's Master of Puppets or as fast/brutal as Slayers's Reign in Blood but it sits somewhere in-between delivering awesome thrashing riffs (and the bass in the beginning of Peace Sells is mind-blowing).
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? gets a 5/5 as it is amongst the best thrash metal albums out there.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Subpar compared to the subsequent album You've Come a Long Way Baby. Both albums shouldn't be on the 1001 album list. This one is more rudimentary.
Stereolab
4/5
I like it. It's modern pop-rock and makes me want to listen to their other albums. I thought some of the songs blended together but I'll give it another shot sometime.
CHIC
4/5
Repetitive vocals but the instrumentals are great, especially the guitar. Nile Rogers guitar style is iconic and heavily influential. Le Freak and I want your love are songs I've listened repeatedly to.
Beatles
5/5
4,5/5 as there are better Beatles albums than this one, Revolver being a good example.
This one really shows their musicianship as they're incorporating instruments like sitar and breaking away from a "traditional" rock sound.
Kid Rock
1/5
First song:
"I want to listen to Rage against the machine"
"We have RATM at home"
RATM at home = Kid Rock
The rest is a total embarrassment. Edgy rap rock that I can live without.
Sepultura
5/5
So weird to find Arise on the 1001 album list. It's a killer thrash metal album that I've listened to countless times but Sepulturas album Roots is more understandable as it's more unique and more differentiated from other albums in the genre.
Still Arise is a 5/5 album but as thrash metal albums goes I would rather recommend early Slayer or Metallica.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
After the first "song": This is absolute garbage. Maybe it gets better?
After the whole album: Nope, it doesn't get any better. Possibly even worse. Utter trash.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Its ok pop rock. Peter Gabriel was better in Genesis.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Simply a masterpiece. It's insane that Black Sabbath released this record the same year as their first album, which is also 5/5.
Some of their best and most recognizable songs are on this album.
This was one of the easiest 5 stars I've given.
Genesis
4/5
Hard to review this one. Genesis as usual are excellent prog rock. This one does require a lot of attention from the listener and it's a long double album. Not really something you put on as background music as it really shines when you really sit down and focus on the listening experience.
4/5
I mostly know of War from the song Low Rider. This was a funky album and unexpectedly jazzy at times. I could listen to this one again.
Madonna
2/5
This was a waste of time. It's missing the upbeat pop elements that I usually associate Madonna with and this was more ambient than what I'm used to.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Good old school hip hop album. Rick Rubin's involvement shows with the rock influences. The first 4 tracks are clearly on a different leven than the rest of the album. The rest is still good.
Suicide
2/5
There's some punk vibes and I would describe it as synth punk. Some interesting lyrics but overall I didn't like it for it's repetitive songs.
Slipknot
4/5
Slipknot's first album is definitely not their best. The closest word I can use to describe it is "raw" or "unpolished". It's a loud album and they haven't really mastered switching between the melodic parts and the screaming parts which are a lot better on later albums. Their subsequent album also shows a more technical side which Slipknot's debut album lacks.
Still it's a fun album to listen to and lays the foundation for great things to come.
Britney Spears
2/5
Extremely front heavy album. It starts with two, dare I say, bangers and the rest is mediocre. It really shows that it's from the era of pop that had some really popular singles just to sell an otherwise forgettable album.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Baby making music.
Hawkwind
3/5
Awesome at times but it gets too jammy for my taste. Sometimes it just sounds like a bunch of dudes jamming and the songs loses it's structure.
It's cool that Lemmy plays bass on this album.
The Notorious B.I.G.
5/5
It got some flaws like the skits that haven't aged well but a majority of the songs make up for those parts. A weak 5 but a 4 would be too low.
T. Rex
3/5
I only recognized the song Get it on. It's a good song and the rest of the album is somewhat forgettable. Alright 70s glam rock.
Kate Bush
3/5
Running up that hill is a banger. The rest is interesting art pop that's hard to find anywhere else. Björk is the closest artist I can think of but I do think Kate Bush got something more than Björk as she's got a magical storyteller vibe.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Great album by Willie Nelson. This is what country music should be like.
Raekwon
4/5
Not as good as Tical or Liquid Swords as it's a too long for what it is. It would probably be better if they cut out some songs.
It's still a great album with iconic production by RZA and aweome collaboration with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Paul Simon
3/5
I get it, we can call him Al.
Bauhaus
4/5
Great gothic rock. The original goth, Edgar Allan Poe, would be proud.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Synth-pop with some good guitar work mixed in.
I'm familiar with many of the songs and I think the album is OK. Nothing extraordinary but I would still recommend it if someone asked me what I think of it.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
A good listen that starts great but gets tiring in the long run. It doesn't really stand out. I think their later works are better than their debut album.
TLC
2/5
The tracks are OK with some good songs. The production and the beats are the star of the album. I will probably not listen to this one again.
Slayer
5/5
So good I had to listen to it twice.
Reign In Blood is easily my favorite Slayer album and something I've listened to for countless of years.
It's hard hitting, insanely fast and aggressive. Simply relentless. All the songs follow a similar structure and if you've heard one of them you kinda get how the rest of the album sounds as there's little variation. But as this album clocks in about 28 minutes you'll be doing yourself a disservice not listening to the whole album. It's a masterpiece from beginning to the end. I especially like the transition between Postmortem and Raining Blood but the whole album is filled with bangers.
Rush
5/5
Great album by Rush. Definitely more progressive than previous works. It's not my go-to Rush album but it's surely among their greatest album and a showcase of their musical talent.
Beatles
3/5
An album before The Beatles actually were good. The songs are short, the lyrics laughable and many of the songs are covers. I've given many of their later albums 5/5 but this one shouldn't be on the 1001 album list as so many of their other works are better.
ZZ Top
4/5
Good record but not great. I do enjoy listening to this one but it never reaches greatness.
ZZ Top really is a unique band with a unique sound that's hard to find anywhere else.
Van Halen
4/5
Great album with a A-side that's a lot better than the B-side. Classic hard rock
Johnny Cash
5/5
For mostly consisting of covers this album is great. He really makes the songs something else.
Queen
4/5
Queen II is not my favorite Queen album but it's better than their first and it got some nice prog rock influences. It's also heavier than the most commonly known songs. Sheer Heart Attack which follows this one mostly departs from this sound.
It's a good Queen album but not their greatest. I listen to it from time to time.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Knock-off The Cure. Nothing remarkable and I don't ger why they're on the 1001 album list.
Prince
5/5
Masterful and excellent from beginning to the end.
Judas Priest
5/5
Classic metal album by Judas Priest. It's truly excellent and it's only overshadowed by their later album Screaming for Vengeance (I'm really fond of Painkiller as well).
This is an album everyone should give a listen.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Heard this one before. It's ok and their later albums are better. Not really a masterpiece with alright instrumentals and sometimes down right bad lyrics.
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
Incredible in it's genre. It's ambient and atmosperic.
I saw another review describing it as futuristic and I think it describes it well. It's a very retro futuristic sound and it could easily be used for a soundtrack for a sci-fi film from the 70s or 80s.
Elvis Costello
2/5
The man can't sing, the songs doesn't have anything special and somehow his whole discography is on the 1001 albums list. This is probably my sixth Costello album so far and I really dislike his music.
Jane's Addiction
5/5
I love my 90s alt rock. I've listened to a song here and there from Jane's Addiction but never a whole album before this project.
This is even better than their first album. The last part of the album is a whole different beast. It's some kind of alternative prog rock and a stark contrast in comparison to the first part.
The Strokes
3/5
I never really understood The Strokes. The guitars and drums are extremely repetitive with distorted singing on top. There's barely any tempo changes and the rhythm stays the same. It sounds like a typical indie rock album. The good part is that the album is fairly short.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan with a good backing band. More rock and roll in this one compared to earlier works.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
Easily the best hip hop album ever.
The production and all the Wu-Tang members unique styles working seamlessly together haven't been dethroned yet. No need for a length review, this is an album everyone should listen to.
LL Cool J
4/5
Much better than expected. When I think of LL Cool J I mainly think of his acting career even though I'm very familiar with the title track and I think it's a banger. I really thought it the track was an outlier but the rest of the tracks are also hard hitting. Maybe the album was a bit too long.
Neil Young
4/5
Not as good as Harvest or Rust Never Sleeps but still really good.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Incredible for being their debut album. There's so many bangers it's hard to imagine all of them being on the same album. Sure a lot of them are over played but they're still rock classics today.
I thought about giving this album a four out of five rating but I really enjoy it and think it's great so it gets a five instead.
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
Aggressive and depressive at the same time.
It goes from dissonant to straight rock. Incredible soundscapes that are at sometimes unsettling combined with the lyrics.
I think this is a great album but I get why people don't like it.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Excellent Beastie Boys album and a great intro to their discography. The combination with rock elements make this a 5/5.
Duran Duran
3/5
Good synth-pop/rock. I've listened to this album before and this is still the only Duran Duran album I've heard.
Otherwise it's just singles like "Girls on film".
Hungry like a wolf is a banger and Save a prayer is a great song.
2/5
Some nice punk elements in the album but otherwise totally skippable. One of the worst Rolling Stones covers I've heard.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Not the Beach Boys I'm used to. This is not the cheery style that they're known for. Much better than expected.
Boston
4/5
Impressive for being Boston's debut album. So many classic rock songs on it but all of them are somewhat overplayed.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Another masterpiece by Black Sabbath. Their first four albums are their best and classics. The ones after during the Ozzy era and Heaven and Hell with Dio are still great but doesn't quite reach the same flawlessness.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I like Lana Del Rey. She's got an amazing voice and some great songs. But I like her in smaller doses. An entire album of sadcore is too much for me. Still, I like this one a lot as it's less alt-pop than her other albums.
Anthrax
5/5
I've listened to Anthrax a lot so I'm biased on my opinion. So let's go back in time when I first heard Anthrax. I didn't like them compared to the other big four in thrash metal at first. Joey Belladonna's vocals and the backing vocals were different and their style is closer to hardcore punk than heavy metal. After a while it grew on me. Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth had their bay area thrash metal style while Anthrax is from New York. Of course they sound different.
Anthrax got awesome riffs and excellent drumming. Joey's vocals are a nice change from the otherwise harsh vocals in thrash.
Among The Living is probably their best album and probably got their best songs on it. This is a good introduction to something different than Metallica.
Iron Maiden
5/5
I almost gave this album a four out of five but thought to myself "what am I doing?". This is a five. It's not as good as Piece of Mind and Powerslave but it's up there among Iron Maidens greatest albums.
This is pure heavy metal with one of the greatest singers of all time.
Dr. Octagon
5/5
Extremely immature and sometimes disturbing but still a great hip hop album. Dan The Automator, DJ Qbert and Kool Keith is an awesome combo. The songs are tight in every aspect. I thought about giving this album a 4/5 as I can't help myself and compare this to Deltron 3030 which is another Dan The Automator production. Deltron 3030 is among the best hip hop albums ever created and one of my favorite ones. Dr. Octagonecologyst is not as good but it's hard to beat perfection. Still, this is a great hip hop album and something I listen to from time to time so I'm giving it a 5.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
This is country I like. Good album by a classic country star.
Faust
5/5
Amazing krautrock. Heard this one before and it still rocks.
Pantera
5/5
So aggressive, angry and heavy! This is a metal classic and a great follow-up to their previous album Cowboys from Hell.
Phil Anselmo's raspy vocals are awesome accompanied by Dimebag Darrell's riffs.
The lyrics are a bit cringy at times but with Pantera's attitude it doesn't matter much.
Rush
5/5
A prog rock masterpiece. Tom Sawyer, YYZ and Limelight are classic rock songs.
The Killers
4/5
First half is excellent with killer (pun intended) tracks. Second half is less interesting.
I liked this album when it first released and I still think it's good. Typical British indie rock which is surprising as they're from Las Vegas.
Massive Attack
5/5
Massive Attack's debut album is great. This one alongside Protection and Mezzanine really showcase the creativity of the band and are must listens in the trip-hop genre.
CHIC
4/5
Equal to C'est Chic.
Good Times has one of the most iconic bass lines of all time.
The downside is the overly long songs with little changes throughout the song. It can get a little bit repetitive.
Portishead
4/5
A huge step away from their first album which is an excellent trip hop album. This is different but still good. They've somehow kept some of their sound even though it's a different genre.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
Extremely dull and a very mediocre singer. I don't understand why you have to listen to this album.