1001 Albums Summary

Worth listening to for Fight Test, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and Do You Realize?? The rest is pretty forgettable.

A couple decent songs, but really nothing special here. Once again I am unimpressed by The Rolling Stones.

Black Sabbath rock out, I don't know what to tell ya.

Some nice songs here, might revisit this one at some point.

Nice.

Some good stuff here actually, I'd give this a 3.5 if I could

Never heard this before yesterday, freaking rocks though. Reminds me of Bikini Kill in a way, love it.

Stone cold classic, one of the perfect summer albums.

Simply one of the best albums by one of the best bands.

This actually has some pretty solid songs, but most of it is just goofy. Can't say I'll ever listen to it again.

This dude has a punchable voice. And face, actually.

Clapton has better albums IMHO.

Ngl, this actually has some decent songs on it. But also the best song is the 1 and a half minute intro, and everything besides that and the 2 other decent songs is bland af. Also... Coldplay are just the absolute biggest let down of a music career that has existed in my life. This album felt like it had PROMISE when it came out (I would've given this a 3 or 4 back then easily). Now it's just sad and bitter. Anti-nostalgia.

Pleasant enough, unlikely to listen to it again though. 2.5 basically, but I'm trying to lean harsh on these ratings lol

Morrissey is an ass, but these songs are still good. Bigmouth Strikes Again and There Is a Light That Never Goes Out in particular. Classic.

Didn't expect to like this much, but it's got some really sweet and funky riffs! Solid.

I could give this album a 4 just for Bloodbuzz Ohio, but actually the whole album is really good. Sorrow, Anyone's Ghost, and Conversation 16 are some other stand-outs.

There are some good tunes here, but the singer basically ruins them. I would take straight up screeching over this nasal whining. There's a good album in there somewhere, but it's not this.

Rockin'. Not my favorite Pretenders album, but still 100% solid.

Obviously, Sweet Dreams is the star of the show here, but the whole album was definitely really good. I'll be revisiting this one soon!

Overall I liked this, not sure how much I'll be listening to it again though. I'd probably give it a 3.5 if I could.

Not my thing.

One of Blur's better albums imo, some amazing songs here.

Tentative rating, I liked this quite a bit but it could go down. But... I like the style. I'll revisit this one later.

I can't believe I've never sat down and listened to Nina Simone before! Such a powerful and haunting voice. Another instant 5. *Chef's kiss*

Some skippable songs here IMHO, but the great songs are GREAT. Super lush production, good stuff.

🤷 There's a banger or two here. But like... White boys copying the blues is so passe. Also would've probably liked this more if I didn't listen to the band talking.

Good stuff, I want to listen to this more.

Immigrant Song was good. The rest of this reeks of stealing from black musicians. With some cool riffs, I will admit. But yeah. Won't be revisiting most likely.

This was pretty fun, if a bit samey. Might revisit.

I did like this. Needs another few listens for a final opinion I suppose. Didn't blow me away. 🤷

Great album, don't listen to Springsteen often but it's always a pleasure.

Not bad, I liked parts of it a lot. Overall a bit bland though, not sure if I'll come back to the whole thing.

Some of the best early-00s rap I've heard tbh. Lush beats, conscious and fun lyrics... Good stuff, will be listening again.

Pretty good stuff tbh, but something I'd have to be in the mood for. Probably not going to revisit, but you never know 🤷

This was... Interesting. But not something I see myself revisiting. I'm waffling between 2 or 3 stars, but once again leaning harsh on these.

Great stuff, it's in the rotation. Catch me on a different day it would be a 5. 🤷

Genius stuff. Has like 3 or 4 contenders for best rap songs of all time. I love it.

Clever lyrics, and... Not much else to write home about. I don't really like his voice. I might've really liked this in 2002, but it's not really doing that much for me now. 🤷

So, it's long. Super ambitious. Some amazing singles here. Overall I think it could've been a bit better with a little trimming, but it's still damn good. Certainly never boring!

Good stuff! A few songs on here I already knew and loved, and the rest is solid too. Very lush and sonically interesting album throughout. Needs some more listens.

To me, this is the best album to come out of the original punk scene. Wildly creative and vibrant. This is where punk transformed into something more.

Some amazing songs here, and some pretty good ones. Probably not gonna listen to it as a whole too often, but I'll certainly be coming back to my favorites.

Solid synthpop! Some of these songs are definitely going in the rotation. The last two songs seemed a bit unnecessary, but the rest of the album worked pretty well for me.

I was going to give this a 4, but I know I wouldn't have Run the Jewels without this. RtJ is more my personal taste these days, but I still appreciate this a lot. Let's call it a 4.5 that I'm rounding up because FUCK YOU, I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME! MOTHER FUCKER!!!

I love the production on this album. Lyrics lean way too heavily into mysogyny and gangster machismo for my tastes. Still worth the listen though.

Not shabby, I might revisit this at some point. Overall didn't really grab or wow me much though. It's a 3.5 rounded down.

This album probably would've been a 3 for me 10 years ago, go figure. Nowadays, I find a nice mellow groove that stays for the whole album, even as it shifts around in tone and mood. It doesn't overstay it's welcome either. 4.5 rounded up because Kelly Watch the Stars puts me in a better mood whenever it gets stuck in my head. 🤩

Not too bad, just not really my thing I suppose.

Very boring. No thanks.

If you took out the song advocating domestic abuse it would be better.

Some bangers on here, overall nothing too thrilling to me though. 3.5 rounded down.

So fresh and so clean!

Sorry, this kinda gave me a headache listening to the whole thing at once. I'll take just the singles on this one I think.

Please just listen to Ravi play actual Indian classical music. You're welcome.

I don't like the vocals much, but everything else makes up for it pretty well IMHO. I recommend being nice and stoned for this one. 👍

Hmm, wish I had more to say. Not bad, not great.

Smashing Pumpkins were the first band I got really into as a 6 year old circa '95. Honestly I should probably give this a 3 since there's kind of a lot of filler here, but the handful of really good songs are still in the normal rotation, plus this album gets me feeling nostalgic. We'll call it a 3.5 rounded up.

This was a fun album. Indie psych rock type stuff that swings through a lot of other genres, from country to techno. There's a lot of similar stuff out there that I like a lot more, but that's okay. 3.5 rounded down because I'm trying to be harsh! Gotta keep reminding myself of that lol.

A heartbreakingly beautiful album that I'm rounding down to a 4 because it is literally SO. INSANELY. DEPRESSING. Not in the fun way either. I'm pretty goth and all, but this is too much. 110% deserving of being on the 1001, but I can probably go another 10 to 15 years before I'll feel like listening to it again. Peace and love to the trans comrades, stay strong.

Great energy and great songs. Good stuff!

The Killing Moon is amazing obviously... The rest is quite good, probably needs more listens.

Raucous and fun, I liked this.

Probably my favorite Beach House album, so you already know my rating. 🤌

Interesting stuff. Not an everyday listen, but good stuff.

This had one or two pretty catchy songs on it, but most of this is stereotypical boring classic rock guitar-noodling shite. At least it was over quickly.

I just don't have the context I would need to enjoy this. The accordion bits were nice, but this guy's voice doesn't do it for me and I don't know French. To me, very bad unfun not good times.

Probably a 4.5 tbh. Rounded down as per protocol, but there weren't really any bad songs here. Those reggae grooves are super nice when you're in the mood.

Fun stuff, will get some more listens for sure!

Definitely worth the listen, I'd probably need to be in the mood to revisit it, but most certainly some lovely piano music here.

Interesting blend of punk and bluesy rock and roll. Not sure if I'll be revisiting this one any time soon tbh, but it was interesting.

Really liked a few of the songs, particularly These Days. Most of it was kinda middling to me though, I dunno. Might need another listen.

Liked this a lot more than I expected tbh. Just the right amount of silliness! It's got the one pretty misogynistic song that I could live without, but the rest is quite good. Obviously the singer is a bit of an acquired taste, but his voice grew on me as I listened to the whole thing. Again, just the right amount of silliness.

Look, I don't really know or care about Deep Purple, and I'm not a huge fan of live albums from artists when I don't already know their music. I wasn't destined to like this much lol

Pretty fun, might revisit this one. Pretty goofy though, I dunno.

This album took a while to grow on me honestly, but now I can't imagine why there was any reason I had mixed feelings. It's a bit depressing, but those beats just freakin' KICK. And great lyrics. Yup, love this one.

Not for me. 🤷

This was a rather good unconventional trip hop album! If you like Angelo Badalamenti and Massive Attack, I'd recommend this.

This was alright. Pretty noodly and goofy sounding sometimes, but definitely some cool bits. Might come back to this if I'm in the mood.

Stop. With. The. Live. Albums. I literally don't know a Cheap Trick song, this is useless to me. Actually, I knew I Want You to Want Me and Surrender. Those were probably the best songs here, but that's not really saying much. Really don't like most of this. Very bland poppy hard rock. No thanks.

It's no Sleater-Kinney or Bikini Kill, but I can dig it.

Not actually as bad as I expected, but not really something I see revisiting ever. It comes across as extremely juvenile, like something my 8 year old Smashing Pumpkins and The Offspring loving self would have enjoyed if I'd been allowed to listen to it. But honestly not bad musicianship. And a fuck-everything attitude that I can appreciate. But if I was in the mood for this I'd play Rage Against the Machine or something instead. 🤷

Pretty decent punk-ish stuff, don't really think I need to revisit it though.

Really liked this, dude has a cool voice. Great use of sax. If you like Cat Stevens at all, you'll probably like this too. Definitely some songs in here that are going into the rotation. In fact: 4.5 rounded up. This is definitely better than some of my 4s.

🤷 Not bad, not great.

Fire singles, the rest is fine.

Pretty fun, reminded me of A Tribe Called Quest a bit. Needs more listens

Stone cold classic! Already know and love this album, just went and listened to it twice back to back, still freaking amazing. If anything, this (and every other Cocteau Twins album really) just keeps getting better and better the more I listen to it. Effortless 5.

Liked this quite a bit actually, but it's definitely not something I'd want to put on whenever. 3.5 rounded down.

Not my favorite Sonic Youth album by a stretch, but it's definitely an interesting listen with some bangers. 3.5 rounded up because I'm biased.

Not as good as some Stevie Wonder, still nice though, would listen again.

I knew the singles (which I like), but the rest of the album is better tbh. I'm not always gonna be in the mood for this, but when I am... I'll know where to go.

Ummm... Tempted to give this a 1 except I do appreciate the experimentation on certain songs. Bad guitar solos. Bad singing. Not for me.

Just a fun listen from start to finish. Love me some EW&F!

Fun listen with some absolute fire singles.

Easily my favorite Beatles album, good songs front to back!

Pretty typical late 60s singer songwriter type stuff to my ears. Not bad, not great.

Very good blues performance, Muddy Waters is damn legit.

Pretty solid, I hear some movie score influence, particularly Ennio Morricone. Otherwise pretty basic indie rock, but I won't complain. Would've dug this a lot back in '08 probably.

Not the best Paul Simon imo, comes off a little cornier. Still fine.

Mostly pretty middling to me, a couple great songs though.

This is fine.

Tighten Up and Howlin' For You are really solid, most of this is rather forgettable though.

I truly think Pink Floyd get overhyped by people who make one band their whole personality (or was that just people I met? 🤔). But I still quite like them tbh, this album feels like rock at it's core, but done in a novel way. One of the top 5 Pink Floyd albums. Not a 5 for me in the end. Entertaining and interesting album that I'll revisit sometime though. Missing that true spark of connection for me though.

Some nice mellow jazz, real pretty. Sorry, I honestly don't have much more to say, I'm no jazz aficionado. I could come back to this though.

Classic EDM album. I definitely dig atmospheric/liquid D&B, and this is the daddy of all of that stuff. It's a bit over long for sure, but it's perfect music for focusing/work, which I use it for regularly. A very solid 4, almost 4.5.

A couple semi-catchy songs here, but yeah... Mostly just bland Brit-pop type stuff. Probably not worth revisiting.

Classic, definitely one of the most interesting albums to come out of Brit-pop. Certainly better than anything Oasis did. #isaidwhatisaid

I don't listen to this one as much as some of his other music, but it's freaking great, that's for sure. Definitely worthy of being on the list, I'll probably go back for another listen real soon. 😊

Apparently my mom listened to this a lot after I was born. Not only that, Bonnie Raitt was my very first concert as a baby with cotton stuffed in my ears (slept through most of it apparently). Pretty sure that has something to do with how I feel about this album. It's got a comfort food quality for me. Slick af production, catchy songs. That said, still kinda cheesey sounding at times. It's pop-rock-country from 1989 after all. But it has a lot of charm and heart I feel. Or maybe that's just nostalgia. In either case, it's a solid 4 for me. Will listen again.

Boring. No.

It's short and sweet with a high ratio of bangers. What's not to like?

3.5 rounded down for now, it could use another listen though. Definitely a couple good songs here.

Probably their best album all told. Some absolute bangers here, this is a 4.5 rounded down.

This is like a 2.5 I guess, not quite my thing, but still some things I appreciate as well. I'm rounding it down, but that's just me being harsh on these ratings. Glad to have listened to it once, that was probably plenty lol

3.5 rounded down because I'm being harsh! This was solid, but I listened to it back to back with "Heroes" and one of those is a 5 and the other is not lol. Might revisit, but Bowie tends to be one of those artists I really like that I'm rarely in the mood to listen to a whole album of. And if I am, there's gonna be a better choice than this one.

Pretty solid stuff overall with definitely a few utter classic bangers. Not my favorite or least favorite Floyd. 🤷

Working retail has soiled any love I ever had for Christmas music, which was never much to be honest. At best, this is tolerable to me. Like I would try to ignore it if I heard it playing at the grocery store, and I'd probably be able to because the actual recordings are solid. So I guess if I'm really itching to hear Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for the 10 billionth time, I might reach for this album! But what kinda sick fuck needs to listen to that again? I fucking hate Christmas music so much...

Never have liked Metallica all that much. I guess I understand the appeal, but this didn't change my mind.

We Are the Robots and The Model are amazing songs, the rest is quite good too!

Pretty typical sad boy alternative stuff. Easy on the ears, but nothing spectacular.

Literally every song is a banger.

Fire singles, the rest is a bit meh.

🤷 Not that bad honestly, but not super memorable either.

Good fun punk, I dig it.

Tough call giving this a 4, but I'm trying to be harsh! It's a classic that everyone ought to listen to. Some 5/5 songs here too, also some that don't hit quite as hard. But overall I really enjoy it, I just don't find myself in the mood to listen to it much, I suppose. I'm more of a The Fall guy lol

This album felt pretty different at the time, but I don't think it's aged particularly well. Still some good songs and worth listening to, I think this sort of thing has been done better elsewhere though. Edit: Never mind, this album fucking rips. Not sure what I was thinking before lol

This has a couple good songs, some nice bass lines, otherwise it's mostly just annoying and juvenile. No thanks.

I've never listened to much from The Police besides their big hits. Fun new wave-y stuff! Definitely a ton of variety on this album, some kinda weird experimental leaning tracks right next to classic pop tunes. I definitely dig it, I'll need to listen to this (and their other albums!) some more.

Solid folk rock a la Fairport Convention, but a bit more "out there". Some wonderful songs here for sure, will be listening to this again.

Pretty fun indie rock/pop kinda stuff. Might come back to this.

This one just gets better on every listen. Mostly just because that production is LUSH. Mmm. I love this one. It has flaws, but not very impactful ones.

This was fun, I might come back to this. Probably a bit mood dependent, but you can certainly hear the songwriting chops. 3.5 rounded down.

Liked this quite a bit, too bad I could only find the whole thing on YouTube. It's pretty much a prototypical 70s singer-songwriter type of sound, but it manages to be sonically interesting the whole time with its structure. Pretty dang nice.

Never listened to this all the way through before. I guess I get the hype? Not fully though? It's real good though, I fully enjoyed it. To me, it's a very solid 4. Some great singles, and nothing bad. But not exactly mind-blowing or anything.

This album has a few absolutely amazing songs on it, but I'd need to be wayyyyyy stoned to want to listen to the whole thing front to back again.

This was pretty interesting! Equal parts cool and bafflingly weird lol. Don't think I'll need to revisit it any time soon, glad I heard it once though!

2.5 rounded down. This was okay-ish, but leans towards being bland soft rock, which... Not my jam. I'll take their disco stuff every time!

Pretty solid alt rock kinda stuff, I may revisit this at some point. 3.5 rounded down.

Obviously I knew the big hits, this is a really fun listen all the way through though. Great guitar playing and a lot of variety. I'll almost certainly come back to it!

This album is EXTREMELY 90s. Not something I'm gonna put on all the time or anything, but honestly quite fun, I see the appeal.

A few good songs here. Not amazing. Just a perfect 3/5, nothing more or less.

If you took away all of the INSANE sexism, how much of this would be left? 🤔 It's a shame because I like his flow and production, but a good half of this album is sickening and disturbing, like the musical equivalent of torture porn basically. No thanks.

Just not my thing I guess. Not really bad, just meh. Some wannabe Bob Dylan psych-folk. Again, not exactly bad, but there weren't any songs that actually grabbed me. 2.5 rounded down.

Pretty bland across the board with like 2 or 3 actually good songs. Solid 2.

Really fun album! Clever instrumentation, and a lot of great songs. Will be coming back to this one, too bad I could only find it on YouTube.

Solid old country-rock, not exactly my thing but there were definitely some good songs here.

Bittersweet Symphony is 5/5, the rest is like 2-3 range. Classic one hit wonder type of stuff lol.

Some classics on here for sure. It tends towards being cheesy and saccharine, but you know what... I still really like it. Hard to be in a bad mood with this playing.

IMHO, this is a classic. Not MY FAVORITE classic, but a classic none the less. This album has an actual arc from beginning to end (with some silly interludes and such as was the fashion of the time), and at least four 5/5 songs. That said, it's never gonna be a 5 for me. Always has been and most likely always will be a solid 4/5 for the amount of filler here. But those 5/5 songs are, and will continue to be, in the daily rotation. It's a great album.

Haven't listened to much Fiona Apple, this was pretty good though. Fairly experimental at times, but pretty accessible overall. Might come back to this. 3.5 rounded down.

Solid 2. A couple of decent-ish songs, mostly pretty boring and uninspired.

Banger. There's like 3 utter classics on here, and the rest is super good too. 4.5 rounded up because it's basically the progenitor of all of the chilly synth pop that I love.

Hadn't heard this before, but it's definitely up my alley! Shoegaze/Jangle pop type of stuff, solid af. Will be coming back to this for sure!

Not a fan of her voice, it gets pretty grating after a while. A few good songs here no doubt, but this is supremely overhyped IMHO. Solid 3.

This is a comfort album, and my favorite CCR album. Hard to give this any other rating! I love it.

Solid album, this feels more like Dinosaur Jr or other noisy indie rock than grunge to me, but I suppose grunge has always been a weird fuzzy boundary in that respect. In any case, I liked this, will probably go check out their other albums soon!

I dig 'em. Blues-y and rocking, I'll come back to this (and their next few albums) for sure.

This one should've been in the companion volume, "1001 Albums You Can Safely Skip Before You Die". Feels like a whole album of filler tracks, kinda. Not sure who the audience is supposed to be... It feels like it's doing a lot of different things and none of them particularly well, so most of the tracks just feel vaguely disappointing. The final track was pretty fun though.

Not their best, still absolutely great.

Honestly, this was really fun. Have only really heard her hits, but it turns out she's a great singer?! Some of these songs come off as pretty toxic though... Pussycat in particular. So a little bit off for that. I'll still give it a 4 though, honestly pretty much any rap from this era is going to have some road bumps like that, and it's not egregious or anything. Fire singles, and like I said... Just fun.

Rush are... Fine. I liked some of this. Not really my thing I guess?

Here's a live album I actually like! Short and sweet.

This has some bops, very bluesy. I dig it

Solid folk album, I listened to this twice in a row because I didn't feel like I absorbed it properly the first time through. It's simple and beautiful music, pretty much just a nice voice singing pretty words with some nice guitar playing. Can't complain about this one at all tbh, it's a 4 for now!

Solid pop album, I probably prefer Gran Turismo, but I still really like this one.

Lovely voice and some very nice renditions of these songs. Not sure if it'll ever be the top of the list of what I want to listen to, but I'm not gonna complain either. Solid 4.

This is one of the albums that got me into hip-hop, so I've probably got some bias! But yeah, I freaking love this album. Ready or Not, Fu-Gee-La, Family Business, Killing Me Softly With His Song... All freaking amazing songs. I ought to put this on more often. So good.

Very fun obscure new wave with some really sweet funky grooves. I'm gonna come back to this one!

Hey Elvis, where'd you get your signature sound!? ...What? ...oh.

I straight up HATED this album when it came out, but after not hearing it for almost 20 years(??? I'm old), it's not too bad. I think I mostly hated the cringe-y lyrics? Those are still pretty cringe-y, but I've learned to embrace cringe over the years, so it's less of a deal breaker now. Anyway, it was overplayed as hell for what it is, but it's not bad. The first 4 songs are damn good, the rest is alright. Solid 3.5 (rounded down as per protocol).

This feels like it was included because it was a #1 album in England and not because it's actually good? I actually liked a couple of the songs here, but mostly kinda sounded like blander and not as good Prince? *Shrug* I'll pass.

I *love* the production on this album, but occasionally the flow is... A bit cheesy sounding. I think it's mostly an artifact of the times, and no doubt this is an essential listen, a hip-hop classic... But it does keep it from getting the 5 from me. I don't think that'll change for me either, I've listened to this one a LOT (and will continue to, it's a great album). 4.5 rounded down.

Ah, some more Barry Adamson. This is an absolutely wild album to have come out in '89! Dark jazz/Sound collage type stuff. I think I prefer Oedipus Schmoedipus, but this guy really nails a weird and (mostly) dark atmosphere. I dig it well enough, but I'm not exactly gonna throw it on for a pleasurable listening experience, it's weird as hell. 3.5 rounded up because too many of y'all obviously don't appreciate Angelo Badalamenti either. 🙄😆

Good stuff, I want to listen to this one again!

Never understood the hype for Genesis. Still don't.

Great album, I like it a lot! The production is obviously a highlight, some of the songs don't really do it as much for me as the highlights here, but I'll always be happy to have this on.

I'm not really a jazz aficionado, I've listened to a good amount of the classics I suppose, liked most of them pretty well. This one hits a special spot for me though. It's energetic, dancey! I think describing it as old-timey big-band Afro-Cubano jazz gets the main idea across. Very Salsa like, with brash and kinda noisy brass and also... Bongo solos! I never thought I would be hyped for yet another bongo solo! But I was! Listened to this twice in a row and I still wanna listen to it again! Apparently I dig Latin jazz. 5/5

Advant-garde semi-ambient classical-but-not type stuff. I liked it well enough, but there's plenty of stuff in the same vein that I like a lot more. An interesting listen, probably won't return to it, but maybe I will. 🤷

About You is *such* a good ending to this album. This is, IMHO, *way* better than Psychocandy. This one has aged like fine wine... It doesn't reveal all of its character on first listen, it's a very layered album that I don't feel like I've plumbed the depth of more than 20 years and dozens of listens after hearing it for the first time. So much goodness packed into 36 minutes! One of my top 5 albums of the 80s, easy 5/5.

This is fine.

Pretty solid pop album, didn't necessarily grab me too much, but pleasant enough.

A lot of great songs here, plus some nostalgia. Solid 4/5

If you like Fela Kuti, you may also like this! I'll come back to this soon I think.

Quite boring. Instantly turned into mediocre Western-themed-jukebox type background music and never once entered the foreground of my mind. Probably could use another listen, but I'd rather not do that because I'm pretty sure I would just be bored again.

Cool psychedelic rock, I could definitely come back to this. Solid 4 for now

Had actually never listened to this before (despite knowing OF it, of course), but yeah... Fairly obvious why it gets held up as being one of the best rap albums of all time. Really slick jazzy production, and Nas's flow fits into it perfectly. Listened to it twice in a row and I might go back for more later, it's definitely damn good. Hard to rate it anything else, so 🤷

Very fun and upbeat punk rock, sounds rather poppy compared to a lot of other punk of the era. A bit repetitive, but overall still a fun listen.

Had never heard of this band before. It's pretty typical early 90s rave music, really. Wiki claims psychedelic rock mixed in there too, which... Kinda I guess? But really it's some rather generic bouncy EDM. Honestly liked this somewhat, but it's pretty dated and rather samey. Doubt I'll come back to it, but you never know.

This is fine. I think I like Kraftwerk a lot more when they stick to stuff that's at least vaguely poppy and/or has strong song structure? These don't really stick too well in mind for the most part. Good music for cleaning the house to though.

26 minutes that felt like much longer... Just look at the cover. Whitest of whites! ...I appreciate that this type of music has a corny old-timey kinda charm, but if I would rather be listening to something else the whole time (like some blues!), then I can't actually claim to like it? Not the WORST thing I've ever listened to, but I don't think I'll ever be itching to put it on. Like, ever. It's got some catchy tunes, but so do The Beatles and they're way more interesting. Same for Howling Wolf or Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Yup, gonna go wash out my ears with some blues now. 🙃

Overall not GREAT imho, but glad to have listened to it. Handful of really good songs, and I can appreciate how important this type of sprawling concept album was at the time. Don't think I'll be listening to it front to back any time soon, but I'll probably be back to some of the singles. 3.5 rounded down

Beautiful album, one of my favorite jazz albums... Which means it's a solid 4 leaning 4.5! Sorry, I just don't get the urge to listen to jazz all that regularly, so chalk this rating up to my understanding/appreciation of this type of music, not to the music itself (which is still really good even to a jazz noob like myself, just not where I need something to be for me to rate it a 5). Certainly one that belongs on the list!

Arguably not one of New Order's best... But I still adore it. Round and Round is one of my favorites songs of theirs, and the rest is great too. I considered giving this a 4, but I do think I like this more than the majority of my 4s, so... We'll call it a 4.5 rounded up. New Order are too damn good.

Another Aretha Franklin, another instant 5. Amazing voice, great songs, and doesn't overstay it's welcome. Seriously, what's not to like?

I listened to this A LOT when it came out, trying to figure out what other people liked about it that I was missing. Never figured that out, and for a while there I kinda hated Fleet Foxes. Years later, my opinion has mellowed somewhat, but... I still think this is pretty bland lowest-common-denominator type stuff though, especially compared to some other indie folk I could mention. Feels like eating cotton candy kinda: Sweet and airy with no actual substance. Inoffensive, nice on the ears, and pretty darn uninteresting to me. 2.5 rounded down.

Look, is my rating based heavily on nostalgia? Absolutely. Is Billy Corgan a raging douche? Indubitably. But I still fucking love this album. I feel like the ratio of bangers to filler is EXTREMELY high, way more than Siamese Dream, which is like half filler IMHO. This one has a handful, sure, but honestly the ebb and flow from the harder grunge songs to the melodic ballads makes the 2 hours go by like a breeze for me (although I recommend taking a quick break after Take Me Down to switch CDs 😉). Anyway, I usually listen to this album once a year around the end of October when it came out originally, and it's got perfect vibes for that time of year. Getting the annual listen out of the way in March felt a little weird, but it's still great. Probably listen to again in 7 months tbh! It's a subjective opinion and people are allowed to feel differently of course, but for me this will always be THE Smashing Pumpkins album, and one of the best albums of the 90s. I'll say top 25, it was a pretty good decade. 😆

A few bangers here, mostly didn't quite do it for me though. Might need another listen or two, solid 3 for now though.

Some fun songs here, mostly It's Tricky. It's 1986 rap though. Pretty cheesy and silly by today's standards. Solid 3.

Pretty cool stuff, I'm not usually TOO into R&B, but the production here is interesting enough to keep my attention, and she's got a great voice. Gonna try to come back to this and check out her other music soon. Gonna give this the ol' 3.75 rounded up because my initial feeling is that I like this more than a lot of my other 3s lol.

This was fine. Like... Good, but didn't grab me very much except a couple songs. Might need another listen.

Definitely some 5/5 songs on here, and I do want to return to this. Nice and mellow Saturday listening. 🤙

Ahh, Creedence. Maybe not quite as many bangers here as on Cosmo's Factory, but Lodi is one of my favorites. Not to mention Bad Moon Rising. Very close to a 5, but I'm gonna lean harsh. 🤷

This was... Interesting. Not actually GOOD, mind. Avant garde noodly meandering funk almost? Although it covers quite a few genres, I suppose. And it definitely has really cool moments, I think. But 40 minutes of it? Nah.

Me listening to Feast of Wire for the 5th time in a row: "God damn that is good. Shit, that's fresh." But in all seriousness, hadn't listened to this in many years and I'd forgotten how freaking good it is. Glad it made it onto the list too, most of the stuff I was obsessed with in 2005 did not lol. It has "filler", but even those are hella good tbh. A jewel of the 00s, straight back into the rotation. 5/5

This was okay-ish, minus the titular song about a "teenage love machine". ??? The 70s were wild... But yeah, I hope by now anyone reading my reviews has learned that white boys making blues knock offs doesn't really do it for me. Some catchy riffs here, sure, but why would I want to come back to this?

Debated whether to give this a 3 or a 4 for a while, but ultimately I don't think I liked it enough to listen to repeatedly. It's good though, some very off the beaten path punk music. Might come back to it if I'm in the mood I guess? 3.5 rounded down.

Listened to this twice in a row. Definitely like it. Honestly can't say much more because I'm a jazz noob a bit, but it was fun and energetic and has this quality where I never know wtf is going on but it's cohesive and done with intent? I dig it.

Meh. A song or 2 that is liked, I suppose. But meh. 2.5 rounded down

Am I wrong in thinking this is super bland? I don't often call rap flat out BORING, but... The songs don't really have much differentiation from each other. Just a blur of dated and silly gangster machismo. Don't feel like this needs to be on the list.

Tentative rating, but... I liked it.

Quite liked about half of this? Solid 3.5 (rounded down as per protocol), potential to go up. Could come back to this one.

Got to see Sufjan on tour for this album! So good. Hadn't listened to it in AGES, I had to listen to it like 4 times in a row lol. And then some of the singles on repeat the rest of the day. Anyway, this one is an easy 5, so easy it's making a lot of my 5s not seem so hot anymore lol. One of my favorite albums ever, top 10 depending on the day I think. A good amount of Philip Glass influence on this album I think, which is obviously amazing. So well orchestrated, arranged, produced. Love it.

I mean... the first few tracks kinda carry it, but those tracks! I think this album is just what I needed? 😆

🤷 It's the Fleet Foxes issue again where it's *too* smooth? It's fine I guess.

Not too shabby, but I think I'm less likely to just put this on than some of the other jazz albums I've had from this list so far. Probably needs more listens 🤷

I liked some of this. Some of it (particularly the last song) was a little much though. 3.5 rounded down

I've always thought that if Radiohead had released this before Kid A, then everyone would probably be gushing over Amnesiac instead. It's quite obvious that they are two halves to the same thing, and I'd feel a bit disingenuous giving it another rating. It's awesome.

This was aight, rock done in a somewhat interesting way with twinges of the psychedelic in there. Ngl though, did not wow me. It's fine, certainly prefer it to the stuff that's purely a blues rip off. This is only MOSTLY a blues rip off. It's an improvement, 3 leaning 3.5.

Solid. I'll come back to this before Electric Ladyland for sure.

Not gonna lie, I'm mostly here for the first two songs. But the whole thing is still pretty damn good.

I definitely like a couple songs here. May need more listens. Honestly a tough choice between 3 or 4. Rounding down for protocol.

This one doesn't hit quite as hard as some other Radiohead albums IMHO, but it's still really good. A very solid 4.

This was fine.

This is very close to what I consider peak prog honestly, even after two listens. Tentative 4 for now, but I can see that rating going up with more listens.

This is my favorite Sonic Youth album sometimes. They have like four or five 5* albums for me, and... This is one of them. So many good songs here, no bad songs... An all time favorite for sure, safely in my top 50 of all time. Maybe top 20. It's an incredible album front to back IMHO. I can listen to it three times in a row and not be bored. I particularly love Mote, noise section and all. This is definitely an album you need to be able to like some noise for, but... The riffs on every instrument just kick ass. Sonic Youth showed me how noise and discordance in music can be meaningful and artistic. This album was key to my current understanding of music as a whole. Yup, easy 5/5, can't wait for more Sonic Youth on this list.

Hmm, this didn't really hit for me. It's not bad by any stretch, just didn't hit. I dunno, could use another listen maybe? Solid 3 so far.

A good example of rock music done in a unique and interesting way. Kinda reminded me of a more rough-around-the-edges Bowie or something. Good stuff.

Didn't expect to like this all that much tbh, but it's got quite a few bangers. Some less good stuff too, but overall I felt this was extremely solid.

This was pretty fun, overly long and not very cohesive I feel. I think it would be a solid 4 at 40 minutes or so, but as is... I don't see a lot of this growing on me. This is the sorta thing I raid for the singles and probably never listen to front to back again. You never know, could change my mind on that, but for now it's a 3.

Pretty cool stuff, solid 3.5 (rounded down as per protocol).

I'm usually not in the mood for this type of music, but I'll admit this has a lot of bangers on it. The title track is still overplayed af, but in the context of the rest of the album I really like it. Solid 4.

This pretty much is my happy place now?

I mean, I'm not going to put this on for the dinner guests, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't entertained by this. It's certainly not boring! And it doesn't overstay it's welcome. The 30 second songs of just one riff and a few screamed words make me laugh and give me a bit of life. A solid 3.5 that I'm gonna round up just to bring up that average score a little. ;)

Pretty meh. I would take the first two Cranberries albums over this one if I want early 90s alt. 🤷 I'll give it like a 2.3. (Rounded down )

Just a damn fine album from start to finish. Hits the freaking spot when I'm in the mood for it!

This is alright, pretty fun.

That was alright. Not bad, not great.

I never listened to Def Leppard before because I didn't really think they'd be my thing. I was wrong. They're not just \"not my thing.\" This is easily one of the most shitty things I've ever heard. I'm straight up stunned at the moment. This is the raw chicken that got microwaved for 45 minutes of music (with Pop-Rock seasoning). Just when I thought I had passed the worst of it, I was hit with another insipid verse from that \"voice\" (I hate it), or another endlessly noodly and annoying guitar solo (hate it)... And the ballads. The ballads are WORSE. jfc Honestly, I could probably tolerate some of these songs if they got mixed into a playlist at low ratio. But if this doesn't deserve a 1, I don't know what does. Wow that sucked.

This was solid, sent me down a rabbit hole of DJ Premier's work, the production here is very cool, often atonal and surprising. The lyrics and flow are definitely pretty good too, less misogynistic than a lot of 90s rap (which isn't to say not misogynistic, but at least it's just one song and not even that bad for the 90s? 🤷). Solid 4 for now.

This was a super interesting listen. Tentative rating at the moment, but I definitely dug it for the most part.

This is a good one. Has the feel of being in some backwoods bar with a low-key local band playing as you slowly drink yourself into a blackout. And of course it's like the grandaddy of slowcore, so there's no way I wouldn't like it. Gotta be in the right mood for it I think, but it fuckin' hits if you're there.

A full star off for the heavy sexualization of teenagers. The fuckin' 70s, man. 🤮 Lust for Life and The Passenger are definitely the standouts here, and probably the only songs I wanna come back to.

So many great songs here. Not much to say except that it's an easy 5.

Pretty boring chamber pop. There's a LOT of stuff in the genre I prefer to this.

A very interesting album with some great songs. Probably overly long. It's not Rumours. 🤷

Probably too long. Actually definitely too long. Still quite a lot of bangers though.

I do like their production, but the flows on this one felt a little samey tbh. Could use another listen probably, but for now it's is the not bad not great 3.0 zone.

First half was kinda like a Talking Heads album, 2nd half felt more like typical Brian Eno spacey ambient stuff. I dug it.

Lots of bangers on this one, a couple songs less so too, but... I guess I appreciate the influence. Probably more than the actual thing actually. But I dunno, I kinda just wanna give it the 4 and move on lol

Pretty fun punk album. Was waffling between 3 and 4, but I'm gonna lean high on this one, it has a vibrancy that makes me want to come back to it soon.

This one is a journey. Never listened to it before, but I this one breezes by with a lot of beautiful sections and at least a few actual *bangers*, but this is more of a vibes album than a singles album. The production is absolute fire. Talk Talk always surprise and delight I have to say, this one strikes a nice middle ground between their later ambient stuff and their more pop albums. Truly singular, at least to me! I need album recs similar to this, solid.

This was good, some of it better than other parts I guess. Waffling between a 4 and a 3 here... Not sure I like it enough to come back repeatedly though, so... 3.5 rounded down for now.

What can I say, I like most of this quote a lot. Solid 4. 👌

Some super good songs here, a bunch of kinda meh ones too. Solid 3 I think. 🤷

So many classic Bowie songs here. And really no songs I disliked. So yeah. It's a great album.

Solid disco. A couple less good songs, but He's the Greatest Dancer and the title track make up for it honestly.

This is a weird one. Not bad necessarily, but not exactly as listenable as Vespertine or something lol. For now, solid 3.

Pretty good, probably needs another couple listens before I have a final opinion. 3.5 for now.

Solid. The first 3 kinda kick the ass of the rest I think, but still solid.

I mean, not boring. Didn't necessarily grab me much either for the most part, but I might come back to this.

Talking Heads have at least 3, probably 4, albums which are arguably their best. This is one of them. Straight 🔥

Not top tier Beatles by a stretch, but it's got quite a few bangers and doesn't overstay its welcome. Pretty solid.

Psychedelic and rich soul/R&B. Not an everyday listen by a stretch, but damn good for sure, I'll be coming back to this one.

I like out-there ethereal pop music, so this is basically straight up my alley. I probably would've stuck Purity Ring - Shrines in here instead, but this is still solid. Needs more listens.

Fun stuff, pretty different from the other Temptations album I had, but still very solid. Will have to come back to this.

This was a fun listen, probably my favorite "hard rock" album off the list so far. Although I'd call it more like theatrical prog/glam with a sprinkle of hard rock, myself. But yeah, fun and not boring or bland. Nice.

Really good album front to back tbh, obviously most people know the singles but there's a lot of other great songs here. Solid af.

Pretty interesting down tempo album that I had never heard of. I could probably think of some other electronic stuff from the same era that's more deserving of the spot, but this was definitely solid and I'm glad I got exposed to it, at least.

Trash. Mariah is obviously a talented vocalist, so it's not WHOLLY without redeeming qualities, but I'd still have preferred listening to construction noises for the duration. Pretty much all of the songs sound alike (and that sound is late 90s high school slow dance). No fuckin' thanks. 1.5 rounded down.

This was pretty fun overall, kind of a psychedelic jazz-rock medley in a way. Not something I think I'll feel the need to revisit any time soon, but perfectly enjoyable listening tbh. 3.5 rounded down as per protocol.

Fun album, never listened to it although I knew a few of the songs. Solid.

Some great songs here, but kinda over long, began to lose interest by the end. Still pretty good though, 3.5 rounded down.

A couple solid songs here for sure, surrounded by a whole lotta fuckin' meh. 2.5 rounded down.

This seems like it would've been an awesome show to be at, but without the visual impact it kinda just... Sounds like a lot of noodling. Still pretty entertaining for a random live album, all told, but I don't feel like I'll really want to come back to it. At least not until some of their studio LPs inevitably show up on the list later.

Solid af, as expected. Not as many standout songs as Violator probably, but I see this one growing on me.

Not sure how exactly to put this rating into words... Suffice to say that I like it more than the 4s lol. It's got a dark and kinda unsettling vibe you just won't get outside of The Knife or maybe Joy Division, and I really freakin' dig it. Not gonna be for everyone obviously, but I do find it truly singular.

Eh. Tempted to give it a 3 because there were a couple good songs and actually some nice riffs, but I also don't really care and I could go without listening to it ever again. We'll call it a 2.5 rounded down.

Probably my favorite EC&A album so far. Still a 3.5 (rounded down per protocol).

Not bad, not great. Entertaining enough for a listen imo, but not something I feel like I need to come back to.

*Shrug* Not bad, not great.

Some bangers here for sure. Most of it doesn't quite do it for me though. Still pretty good overall though.

This was quite good imo, probably the best of the late 90s electronic that the list has given me, outside of like Portishead obviously. World music inspired trip-hop with some dope tabla playing. Definitely snagging some of these to go on various playlists.

Not really my thing, especially given the context. 🤮

More Than a Feeling is a classic for sure, the rest is fine.

This was a lot of fun, reminded me of some of the heavy neo-psych stuff that was coming out in the mid/late 00s. Liked this quite a bit more than most of my recent albums, so it's a 4 for now. We'll see if it stays there long term, but hey.

Honestly pretty fun, I love Modest Mussorgsky, so that bumps this up a bit. Call it a 3.5

I was rather obsessed with this album when it came out, it still holds up pretty dang well IMHO, a few of the other songs are just as good as the singles. Solid.

Pretty much just meandering and boring. I'm good.

Never understood the appeal here. There are a few ok songs here, but most of it is pretty bland to my ears. It's fine I guess? Like I wasn't actively hating it as it played. But I also was never like "Oh wow, this is a great riff!" Because it all sounds like rehashed hair metal (which is rather the point, no?). Like I said, doesn't really do it for me. 2.5 rounded down per protocol

It's a hot mess tbh, but so is a lot of stuff I like. Not boring at least! Also don't feel like I'll ever really want to come back to it (if the lyrics were a little less silly then I honestly might). I guess that's a 3?

Some good songs here. It's a pretty solid 3.5 for me I think.

Fun album, reminded me of Velvet Underground at times, but also not lol. I'll lean high ang give it the 4

Eh. I've definitely heard worse from the list, but I don't particularly think this needs to be here. Not a huge fan of the vocals either. Pretty solid 2 for me.

Really having a hard time enjoying this, mostly due to the vocals. Some fairly good bones on a few of the songs though. I'll call it a 2.5. Tolerable, but not for me.

Some fire singles here I think. Still just a 3.5 overall imo.

Yeah, they're not my thing I guess. Tolerable enough as background music I suppose. 2.5 rounded down.

Some good songs here, would've been better if it was 50 minutes probably.

A fun and varied album with some great guitar playing and singing. Not gonna call it a favorite or anything, but it's solidly good. 3.5

Honestly I think Ride are kinda second rate shoegaze, I'd put this album below at least a half dozen other shoegaze/nugaze albums that are better. And that's not even counting My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive lol. But I still just love shoegaze in general, basically my favorite genre within rock music. So... It still gets a 4, I love most of the songs. But they're no Slowdive.

Pretty standard kinda rock/power pop, but it's fun. 3.5

This is honestly the Paul Simon album to beat for me. The production is killer, the songs are varied and great, and I have a lot of nostalgia for it because my dad had it on repeat quite a lot when I was a kid. Waffling between 4 and 5 a bit here because on one hand I really really like it, and on the other hand I kinda need to be in the mood for it? But I also need to be in the mood for some of all time favorites, so... We'll give it the ol' 4.5 rounded up because nostalgia lol.

This feels pretty mid to me. 🤷 A good example of a clear 2.5.

There's really nothing that sounds like Afrobeat. And this is the quintessential album of that genre. Obviously it belongs on the list, and I happen to love it already. Easy 5.

Hadn't listened to this in years, but I definitely still really like it. It's a bit mood dependent, but it's got a unique feel (although many would rightly say that this is what set off the Britpop explosion, it definitely doesn't sound anything like Blur or Oasis). I should try to revisit this (and the rest of their albums) soon. Solid 4.

🤘 Effortlessly cool and badass. One of my favs of the 70s.

Solid stuff IMHO.

Some of this was pretty ok, not boring at least. Still pretty much a solid 3, not really for me.

Fun and funky! I want to revisit this one.

I think the best I can say about it is that I didn't hate every song. I feel my rating is generous. Radio friendly 1999 nu-metal is not the vibe.

Pretty much what I expected from a more poppy Talking Heads spin off. Pretty great honestly, Genius of Love is killer and there are definitely a few other songs here that I'll be putting on repeat. I always need more offbeat pop music in my life. Solid 4 with room to grow perhaps.

Probably their best I've heard so far, which isn't really saying much. Stairway to Heaven is cool (if over played), the rest is pretty bland and typical. I'll be nice and give a 3 I guess. I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it either.

I definitely didn't like this one as much as Funeral when it came out, but I feel like it's aged really well honestly. Or maybe I'm different and can just appreciate it for what it is now. In either case, I dig it.

Kinda sounds like The Ramones had a baby with some poppy hard rock band like KISS. Some of it isn't TOO bad, but it all eventually blurs together into a mash of chugging guitar, wanky solos, and juvenile humor. Not for me.

🤷 Not unpleasant, but not something that I connected to at all or see myself revisiting. 2.5

She's definitely got pipes, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Solid live album.

This feels like a 3 or 3.5 on some songs, then kicks it into high gear on some others. Not boring though! I am actually finding that to be my main criteria in going through the 1001. Since so many are bland as fuck! Anyway, this one is like a 3.5 because I like it, but it's not *great*. Some songs are definitely not my jam. But I'm rounding up because I've never heard anything quite like it, so even if it's not GREAT, or not quite my jam at times... It's still cooler than most of my 3s. 🤷 And yeah, the last song seals the deal on the 4*s. It's batshit insane, and I love it. 👍

I clearly remember hearing this one for the first time as a teenager and being a little confused by it, I don't think it was what I expected. By the 3rd or so listen I loved it, and I've loved it ever since. Single handedly started my obsession with shoegaze and dream pop which continues to this day! This is one of the albums by which I judge other albums to be a 5. Like, if it can't stand next to this one, can it REALLY be that great? A top 5 of all time for me, easily. Getting it today is literally just an excuse to keep it on loop. In other words, a good fucking day. Tl;Dr: If this album isn't perfect, then I don't know what is. 🤷

A pretty decent album, I definitely enjoyed it but I'm leaning low. I don't think it really deviates from the 90s rap formula in enough ways for it to have real staying power for me. 3.5 rounded down.

Less headache inducing than Licence to Ill, at least. It's fine.

Pretty good, I could definitely see my rating going up with more listens. 3.5 for now.

I listened to the "Best of" instead of the 3 hour box set because I'm not a masochist lol. Anyway, the rating reflects that. Ella has a killer voice and this was a really fun and pleasant listen.

This has held up pretty well overall. It's kinda faded for me since the mid 00s, but it's fun enough. 3.5

🤢

Kind of an interesting historical foot note as the #2 album when Sgt. Pepper's came out. But obviously one is a classic and the other is not. I'll be nice and give it the 3. It's not unpleasant, but it's basically background music at best.

🤷 Feels like a 3? I liked parts of it?

This album has a spark that I don't think YYYs ever managed to capture again (I do like some of their other albums, but none of them sound anything like this). Rich is an absolutely killer opening track, followed by Date With the Night (banger), Man (banger), Tick (banger), Black Tongue (banger), Pin (banger)... Then a couple songs I like a touch less, than the obvious stand outs of the show Maps and Y Control. Honestly, I probably appreciate this album more now than when it came out. I think it was a little too pop-punk for my tastes back in the day, but now I do feel it be hittin'. I waffled back and forth between 4 and 5 for a while, but every time I do that I kind realize that if I'm debating between those two numbers... Then it's probably pretty fucking good. 4.5 rounded up because why not.

Typical one hit wonder with the pretty solid song and a lot of other bland songs.

Nice album, pretty catchy as far as hardcore punk goes. And of course it's angry and nihilistic. Not an every day listen, but it's definitely really good.

This is probably my favorite Metallica album so far. Still pretty mid compared to a lot of other metal though? Dude has an irritating bro-y voice, and everything is pretty flat and similar sounding. I might come back to 1 or 2 of the songs. Maybe. Probably not. 🤷

Love PJ Harvey, and this is definitely among her most unique and interesting. Not sure it tops her more raw/punk music, but no doubt it's great. There's room for this one to grow even more on me, I think.

Painfully boring. Annoying vocals and cliche instrumentation. Feels like the mix between Lynyrd Skynyrd, The White Stripes, and The Strokes went rancid in the fridge. And those were all, at best, 3s themselves. Cold garbage, solid 1.0

Fun story: I was visiting my oldest sister in L.A. and she took me to a tiny concert at an art gallery to see a couple artists I'd never heard of. The opener was some screechy lady with a harp (Joanna Newsom), and then "headlining" (keep in mind there was less than 50 people in the room, basically just a circle of people around a chair and a microphone) was Devendra Banhart. I didn't really enjoy myself at the time, but my tastes have changed. This is definitely a singular album, captures a certain moment in time quite well. I'm not going to keep coming back to it like I will with Sufjan or whatever, but it's definitely quite good and unique.

Bang a Gong (Get It On) is a classic of course, I stuck that one on repeat occasionally. There are some other gems here too. Worth the listen for sure, but doesn't really stand out too much to me besides the obvious hit. Solid 3.5

This has some alright songs. I suspect it's included on the list because it's a bit of a quirk of musical history and not so much because of the actual quality. We'll call it a 2.5 rounded down.

This didn't do it for me.

Superstition and I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) are definitely the stand outs to me... And the strength of those two justifies the rating imo.

This was probably my favorite jazz album before I started going through the list. Still absolutely spectacular, listening to this on headphones is an experience.

I've got a soft spot for Janis. And I love the guitar playing here too, unhinged and wild. Sounds like they were having fun on this. And uh... Janis. Nuff said.

This was a mind opening album for me. Still sounds truly fresh 25+ years on. It's probably my favorite Radiohead album, although of course they have at least 3 albums I'd give a 5. Anyway, easy 5. I feel like the album speaks for itself better than I can.

Hadn't put this on in literal years, and so of course I had to listen to it like 3 times in a row. My sister gave me the CD of this for my birthday back in like '05 and it blew my little Sonic Youth obsessed mind. This was formative to my taste, but I feel like I like it even more now than when I first heard it. Easy 5.

This has some pretty great singles, but it's really more of a vibes album. And the vibes... The vibes are fucking immaculate. For night time sad boy/sad girl/sad nb hours, at least. Jamie xx's production really elevates it and gives it that push from 3.5 to 4.

"I need to listen to more Pet Shop Boys," I say to myself... Knowing that I actually listen to them quite a bit. But a fan though I may be, I hadn't listened to this one before. Look, these 2 are STILL making music, they're prolific af, I haven't heard most of their music tbh. But yeah, this is great. As expected.

Most dad of dad rock. Still pretty good though, ngl.

Wild that this came out in '79! Ahead of it's time for sure. I knew Cars, but crazily I don't think I'd ever listened to this whole album before. Or if I had, it was absolute ages ago. Anyway, this album fuckin' kicks IMHO. Feels like New Wave by way of Kraftwerk, which is very much up my alley. Sweet bass lines, hella Moogs, random viola to spice things up... Hard to call this anything but pure synth-pop deliciousness. Just gonna go ahead and call this a 5 because I feel like it.

There's the saying that something isn't perfect when there's nothing left to add, it's perfect when there's nothing left to remove. I think when applied to music, that might be especially true with the blues. The fact that this isn't an absolute dumpster fire is just tribute to John Lee Hooker himself and how incredible of a songwriter the dude is. But would it not be better with rawer production and with fewer extraneous elements? Qualities easily found on his older material? Some of the collabs aren't TOO bad though. Once I got past the 3rd song or so, I did find I was enjoying myself. And look, I actually LIKE both Santana and Bonnie Raitt. But did they actually improve this album, or the songs they're on even? I press X to doubt. Anyway... This is pretty tepid from what I expect from the man. 3.5 seems about right (rounded down per protocol). P.S.: I love John Lee Hooker! But this ain't the one IMHO.

Didn't know this was on the list! I mostly consider this a slightly different and slightly less good album than Loveless. I'd guess I listen to Loveless 10-15 times for every listen of m b v on average? That said... I always feel surprised by this one when I listen to it. I do feel it holds up better than Isn't Anything. Better than Ride - Nowhere for sure. Less good than Slowdive - Slowdive if we're talking shoegaze reunion albums. Certainly less good than Slowdive - Souvlaki. So once again I find myself comparing an album to some of my favorites of all time, deciding whether it's a 4 or a 5. ...And it's definitely a 5. I guess it's more like a 4.5 rounded up, but... No way I'm giving this the same rating as Nowhere lol. It's shoegaze, the production is fucking wild and beautiful... Doesn't hurt I saw them live on this tour. I love it. How about a 4.85? That feels right.

I too wish boomers had died before they got old!

Each of the albums Nick Drake left us are a little piece of perfection. Such a shame that he wasn't appreciated in his own time, and a shame he had so little time to share his genius. And at the same time I'm thankful we have what remains that we do. RIP Nick P.S.: Learned from his Wiki that The Cure got their name from the line "a troubled cure for a troubled mind" from Time Has Told Me. An interesting connection I never knew about!

Very solid, this rating could go up with more listens tbh.

Some ok moments here, for the most part it's pretty much just generic 70s hard rock though. Not for me.

🤘 I probably prefer Call the Doctor slightly, but this is still one of the best albums of the 90s. Easy 5.

This is definitely the kind of thing you either like or don't. I happen to be a fan of lo-fi alt-country, so I like it. I'm not gonna take it over Songs: Ohia or anything, but that's a rather high standard imo. A nice listen that didn't overstay its welcome, dryly humorous with a slacker kinda vibe. Solid.

The crowning achievement of Elvis Costello's career. 👏 But seriously, this is just such a fun listen from start to end. Can't rate it anything else honestly. MAYBE not as good as If I Should Fall From Grace With God, but it's kinda a toss up.

I'd heard of this band, but never listened to them before. But Wiki tells me some inspirations were The Waterboys and Spacemen 3? That feels very close to how this sounds. And I really dig both of those bands lol. This is... Kinda genius. Gonna go ahead and call it an instant 5. Atmospheric, moody, noisy, folky... and some damn fine guitar solos. Not sure why I never listened to them before, but this has definitely made me a fan. Listening to this on repeat today I think. 🎧 🎶

This is the rare pop album with basically no real melodic hooks or actually catchy songs. Dozens of 80s pop albums that absolutely destroy this, from the actually good of a-ha and Tears for Fears to the mediocre-but-at-least-some-catchy-songs Wham!. Tempting to give it a 1 honestly, but I'm a sucker for cheesy 80s synth music. Plus it's definitely not quite as bad as my other 1s (some of which are getting very near to being actual crimes against humanity)... Just very much not good, no need to listen to ever again. 2 it is. Time to listen to some mediocre (but still infinitely better) 80s synth-pop to clear my mind.

Oh please god no. I'm sorry I complained about the Aerosmith, please! I would've quit out after the first song if I wasn't stubborn as hell. That would've been a great choice, but here we are. This is straight up making me question whether this whole 1001 journey was really such a good idea. Fucking hell. I get that it's satirical, but if it's this bad does that even matter? I'd rather have been getting root canals for 35 minutes.

This one is a grower. I definitely didn't appreciate it the first time I heard it, now I hear it as a trip-hop masterpiece and one of the most influential albums in electronic music. Do I like some of the things this influenced more than this? Yes, absolutely. It's still great though. 🤷

I'm not necessarily a "Leonard Cohen person", although I do absolutely love some of his stuff. Just not as much as a lot of people. This is really good though. A haunting album from someone well aware they're on death's door. I could definitely come back to this.

Unfortunately, most Morrissey music just sounds like second rate Smiths music... And I'm already someone who LIKES The Smiths but doesn't love them. Realllllly missing Johnny Marr on this one. Still a couple good songs though, and some nice bass playing. Pretty solid 3, maybe 3.5

This was ok, didn't fully do it for me though. Call it a 2.5.

An otherworldly album for sure. This is DEFINITELY one that everyone should listen to before they die... Even if you end up not liking it. I love it of course, this and Low are his masterpieces to me.

This might grow on me, 3.5 for now though. It's sad vibes for sure, not sure I really feel much else from/about it though.

This goes straight into the over played and over hyped pile. It's not bad, just not even close to "one of the best rock albums ever". Eddie Vedder's vocals are not great, a couple of the songs manage to get past that anyway. That's pretty much all I have to say about it. Solid 3 material.

Mmmmm, I'm loving all the samba and bossa nova. Just a lovely listen.

Another Nick Drake, another 5. Perfection.

Pretty fun, but not really better than any of the other new wave or post punk greats. Probably not even The Psychedelic Furs' best album. Still good though, solid 3.5

Never heard of these guys before, this kicks ass though. Listened to it 3 times through without getting bored, so I'm pretty sure it justifies the rating.

Solid and fun listen.

This is a Who album I can actually see myself coming back to on a regular basis, doesn't really sound much their other stuff I've heard so far tbh. Cool use of synth, definitely some banger songs too.

Pretty solid production, her voice is aight. I dunno, this didn't really do much for me overall. 2.5

Easily one of my absolute favorites of the 70s, one of the best singer-songwriter albums of all time, one of the best vocals performances ever, etc etc. Just straight up beautiful.

I feel like this is kinda missing something. I kinda feel that way with most purely a capella or choral music though, with some exceptions here and there. Not bad at all, but I'm unlikely to come back to it.