My opinion of this album MAY have been swayed by the fact that my subway was delayed for 25 minutes while I listened to it, but I found it to be incredibly grating. The production and sounded dated, the African-inspired instrumentation was cheesy at best and culturally appropriative at worst, and I found myself just generally annoyed while listening to this album.
I've heard a thousand bands that sound just like The Dandy Warhols. They sound like every Brit Pop band mixed with every 90's/2000's indie rock band. And yet, this album still sounds fresh and full of energy. All I'd heard of The Dandy Warhols was Bohemian Like You, which is a fantastic song. It takes a LOT to give an album 5 stars on first listen, but this came verrrrrry close.
I can't figure out if I love or hate this. I’ll split the difference and give it three stars.
I'd give five stars to Janis Joplin, though. Her voice is unbelievable on this album. I wonder how many times Led Zeppelin listened to this record.
I don’t really need to ever listen to a Res Hot Chili Peppers album. Their radio hits are decent, but this was pretty uninteresting.
Not my type, but pretty okay to listen to.
I feel like listening to Little Richard in only a few instances: 1. At a Johnny Rockets 2. In a 50's period piece 3. In a class on the history of rock music. He's definitely incredibly talented and influential, but this is pretty dated and I won't see myself listening to it again.
Kinda fun but also kinda dated. Can definitely see how this took off.
My opinion of this album MAY have been swayed by the fact that my subway was delayed for 25 minutes while I listened to it, but I found it to be incredibly grating. The production and sounded dated, the African-inspired instrumentation was cheesy at best and culturally appropriative at worst, and I found myself just generally annoyed while listening to this album.
Pretty good. Not my favorite Zeppelin record, but still good.
Love the atmosphere and the overwhelming sound. I couldn't listen to this at any time. But, playing this loud on a Friday night at home alone with a bottle of whiskey, that would be perfect.
The instrumentals were pretty good and entertaining, but I just find the vocals incredibly grating. They ruined the album for me.
If I'm going to listen to Metallica, this is how I would. I'm not a big fan, but I can appreciate their talent and musicianship. A couple of songs are good, I just don't want to listen to this for over two hours.
This was actually really good! I'd never heard of this band or album before, but it was solid. Nothing immediately special on initial listen, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There's a lot in this album that's really great! And some that isn't my normal cup of tea. I probably have to be in the right mood to listen to the whole album again, but there are some great songs and moments on this album. It certainly captures a distinct mood that still stands out today.
Abbey Road is The Beatles at their absolute best, with classic hit after classic hit. The back half does what the White Album was trying to do, and wraps everything up in a perfect coda with The End. When you factor in critical acclaim, popularity, and lasting legacy, Abbey Road is probably the greatest classic rock album of all time, aside from maybe Dark Side of the Moon.
Not my favorite Neil Young sound - this doesn't really do much for me. Some of it's pretty good, but most is pretty bland.
This is an album I'd listen to while in a taxi on the way to the airport early in the morning, staring longingly out the window, after I'd just made a big life decision to finally move out of my hometown and get a fresh start somewhere else. It's an album that creates great atmosphere, but this music would work much better as a movie soundtrack. This isn't something I want to actively listen to.
It’s more enjoyable to listen to than most metal, for whatever that’s worth. But that’s like saying this spoiled chicken is well seasoned. Just not my taste at all.
Very good classic blues rock, with great instrumentation. If somebody put this record on, I'd say "oh cool."
Pretty good mid-2000's indie folk. Well produced, great vocals, though it doesn't push many boundaries. The first few songs are great, but the album does fade away and I found myself losing interest by the end.
One classic after another. It's Billy Joel at his best - these are massive hits for a reason.
I have to admit I enjoyed this album may more than I expected. While it's not really my musical taste, the fiddle is a bit much, and the album goes on far too long, something about it touches some deep part of me. An alternate universe version of me is completely in love with this album, and some of that comes through in this universe too.
Albums like this are why I decided to listen to the 1001 Albums project. I wouldn't have found this on my own, but I'm glad I did. It was weird, forward-thinking, and constantly entertaining. I can imagine artists like Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and Devo listening to this incessantly.
Never really been a fan of Gorillaz, they're just kinda boring and a bit annoying. This album is fine - I don't really want to listen to it again, but I wouldn't be upset if someone put this on.
I've already listened to too much Beach Boys in my life.
Some good songs, largely pretty forgettable
Pretty standard Britpop - it’s nothing I’ve never head before, but still a pretty decent listen.
Pretty much a perfect album. It’s classic indie rock, packed with emotion and catharsis, incredible songwriting, and inspired musicianship. This album will always make me feel like my heart is spilling out of my chest.
I enjoyed this more than I expected, but I still wouldn’t listen to it again. I much prefer his son
Great listen, and an incredible atmosphere. One of the best albums by a Scientologist.
He's got his mojo working!
"I hate Eric Clapton, but it's sad that his baby died" - Phoebe Bridgers
The production and song-crafting was good, but it was pretty corny and boring.
In high school, my friend had a car that only played cassettes, so he went to the thrift store to pick up some old tapes. One of the ones he grabbed was this album. We drove around one day listening to it, cracking up at how completely ridiculous it was. But damn, if this album isn't fun as hell.
I'd never listened to the Grateful Dead before this album, and fingers crossed I never have to again. Yeah, yeah, I'm sure they're better live, but I'm not planning on finding out.
Some pretty great songs, some pretty okay, overall pretty good! I’d listen again
I struggle to listen to lyrics sometimes, especially on a first listen, so I tend to mainly judge albums based on the sound/production/etc. It can be difficult to properly judge albums that are more lyrically-based, such as a lot of hip hop and folk. With that said, I really enjoyed a lot of this album. I loved the production and soundscape, and really enjoyed the jazz and funk influences.
A couple great songs - Love Vigilantes, Sunrise - surrounded by mostly average to decent 80's synth pop. I've heard better new wave.
Just really good, solid pop punk (or is it punk pop?)
Tremendous voice and great production, but this album goes on a bit too long.
Four of the best rock songs ever written, surrounding four songs that are just pretty good.
It sucks that Morrissey sucks, because his music doesn’t suck.
When I read "scored a David Lynch film" in Barry Adamson's bio, everything made sense. Delightfully creepy and weird.
Just not my thing. I can appreciate the musical prowess, though.
Pretty good! Not much that was truly outstanding, but nothing bad either. A decent listen.
American Girl is good, the rest is bland and grating. It’s like if Springsteen was worse in every single way - vocals, songwriting, instrumentation, etc.
I’m more familiar with Eno the producer than the artist. But from this listen you can absolutely hear the incredible producing talent in his own work. A lot of Talking Heads, a lot of Bowie, and it is all great.
I ended up enjoying this more than I expected. Hotel California is a classic song for a reason, but it's still overplayed. Probably the most boomer album I can think of.
Mostly pretty milquetoast and forgettable. The second half is definitely more interesting and has a few pretty good songs, but I don’t need to go back and listen again.
Really good! Definitely one of Beck’s best albums. Some great songs on here, and no skips. Just a solid, really fun album all around.
It’s a bit odd revisiting Coldplay’s first album after seeing the direction their career went. You hear the Brit-pop and Radiohead influences. And hear how they would become the biggest “rock” band in the world. It’s been a while since they’ve made good music, it’s easy to forget that this album is just really solid. Several great songs, some others that sound a bit dated now.
Totally unexpectedly great album! You can hear so many different influences in their sound. It’s like if the Beatles were punk.
Really enjoyed this album in the first half. It got a bit tedious by the end, and I was glad to be done listening.
Pretty good punk, but I’d have to be in the right mood, and it’s tough to listen to the whole thing in one sitting.
Over-the-top, overly dramatic prog rock is right up my alley. This album tested the limits, and probably went slightly TOO over-the-top. Its instrumentation is a bit cheesy and dated now, but this album is a lot of fun.
The White Stripes have always been one of those bands that I SHOULD really love, but they have never quite clicked for me. Elephant is good! Seven Nation Army is a classic! It just doesn't quite resonate with me like it does for a lot of people.
It sounds like an album of Beatles demos or unreleased tracks. McCartney is a legendary songwriter and can churn out incredible melodies with such ease. That's definitely the case here, but his worst songwriting tendencies are also at play here. The album lacks direction and polish, the finishing touch that made his songs with The Beatles so special. I spent most of the album waiting for Maybe I'm Amazed.
This album has such distinct and unmistakable vibes. Reggae isn't typically my thing, but I really enjoyed this listen and would listen to this above any other reggae album I've heard so far.
I don't really have much to say about this album. It's fine. Not bad, but not really remarkable.
Doesn't really do much for me, and sounds pretty dated. It's fine.
Very good jazz album! A couple of songs that are classics for a reason. I love all of the influences you can hear, and I challenge you to listen to this if you think that jazz is boring.
It sounds like an album made by and for people falling asleep. The production and sound are pretty decent, but the songs, instrumentals, and especially the vocal performances are incredibly boring.
Pretty generic, inoffensive 60's pop rock. It is very much modeled after The Beatles and some of the melodies and harmonies are actually pretty good. There just wasn't much memorable about this album, and I don't think I'd revisit it.
Gimme Shelter is a great song - probably my favorite Stones song. Other than that, it just doesn't do anything for me. You Can't Always Get What You Want just annoys me.
The title track alone would almost make this a 5 star album. The rest of the album is also full of great tracks like Beauty and the Beast, Joe the Lion, and The Secret Life of Arabia. The weakest tracks are still very good and worth listening to. I'm not always in the mood for the ambient/experimental back half, but they are what make this album memorable and special (that and containing one of the greatest songs ever written).
Obviously the three massive hits - Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Head Over Heals. Really, though, there's not a bad song on the album! It's probably the most 80's new-wave sounding album I've ever heard, and it's an enjoyable listen from front to back.
Oh god. This was a chore to listen to. I didn't know what to expect based on the band name and album cover, but I wasn't anticipating anything good. That's just what I got - nothing good. I hope I never hear this music again.
An album that sounds like a hot summer day in Brooklyn. Such a rich atmosphere of sounds.
The Joshua Tree is as close to a perfect album as you can get. This album is U2 at their best - the enormous and grandiose sound is backed up by earnest and heartfelt emotions and incredible songwriting and musicianship. From a band from Dublin no less, this album perfectly captures the American spirit - from the restless optimism to the inherent contradictions and deep rooted inequities that afflict us. It's the ideal road-trip album, and one I will love for the rest of my life.
Another album I wish I could give half stars to. It’s better than good, but not quite great. The driving, dreamy Dylanesque sound is wonderful, and there are some truly fantastic songs like Red Eyes, An Ocean in Between the Waves, and Burning. This album is just about fifteen minutes too long, and really drags at a few points.
Pretty good 60's psychedelic rock! I don't know if I'd listen again, but I enjoyed this.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Sound Affects, but I still added it to my library and will definitely listen again!
Just didn't really do anything for me. It wasn't bad, just not my favorite.
I've listened to this album a few times before. It's one that I know I will have to sit with for a long time to fully appreciate - it's good background music but it's probably even better when you fully pay attention to the songwriting and the lyrics. I could definitely see myself wholeheartedly loving this album someday, but I just don't right now. Still good though.
Cohen's voice on this album is the voice of eternal mythical being. Knowing that this album was released days before his death, produced by his son, makes this send-off all the more powerful. It's a difficult but hauntingly beautiful listen. "You Want it Darker" is one of those astonishingly great songs that most artists could only dream of writing. It's incredible that this album came out the same year as Bowie's Blackstar.
Some really good songs on here, and unique influences for mid-2000's indie rock, but largely this wasn't my cup of tea. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.
Just didn't do anything for me. Pretty uninteresting and unremarkable.
The lead singer had a very nice voice, but this didn't really do anything for me. Very mellow - easy to fall asleep to.
Fun, funky jazz. Love the bass work throughout the album.
Very good early Beatles album! Some all-time classic pop songs, but still before the band's more interesting and memorable work.
I'd never heard Supergrass before this album, but it was pretty good! I really liked several of the songs, and could see myself listening again. It got a bit tedious to listen to - there wasn't enough variance in volume and intensity. It makes for an album best listened to in short bursts rather than all in one sitting.
My initial expectation for this album was that I would absolutely hate it. It seemed like it would be specifically designed in a lab to irritate me. I expected 90's slacker/stoner rap with grating vocals combining the most annoying aspects of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys. What I got, however, was not bad at all! It was still slacker/stoner rap with hints of RHCP, but it was well produced, relaxed but interesting grooves, and good vocals! It's still nothing I would listen to again, but it was at least decent.
Le Freak has been stuck in my head for hours now. It's fun disco music, but not really anything I'd want to sit and listen to. I'd need a few drinks to really enjoy this.
It's probably not my favorite Zeppelin record, but it's pretty fantastic. It just showcases what the band does best so well. Robert Plant's vocals are definitely the highlight of this album.
It's a classic album filled with iconic songs. For whatever reason, Nirvana has never really clicked with me though. I understand a lot of their appeal, but I don't fully GET it.
Nico has a terrific, one-of-a-kind voice. However, I much prefer her with The Velvet Underground. This album just lacks some of the energy, and while I really enjoy her voice for a couple of songs, it was tedious to listen to the whole thing.
I'm not the biggest Bob Dylan fan, but this is a fantastic album. Dylan's pivot to electric is widely praised and for good reason - this album is inspired and full of energy. It sounds fresh to this day. I totally understand why people can't stand his voice, but it works so well in this album. Like a Rolling Stone is an all-timer for a reason, and Tombstone Blues is the other standout track for me.
Made it through a couple of songs, but this managed to be both melodramatic and boring at the same time. Production was decent.
I had modest expectations going into this album. I've heard Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va hundreds of times - they are decent songs, but I'm beyond tired of hearing them. The rest of the album took me by surprise. It was actually really good, and I thoroughly enjoyed each song! Santana is an incredible guitarist, and I'm glad I got to listen to more of him. I probably won't listen to this very often, if at all, but I'm glad I did once.
Jeff Buckley is one of my all-time favorite vocalists. His voice just does whatever he wants it to do, effortlessly. An incredible combination of Nina Simone and Robert Plant. This album packs such a wide range of emotion. Buckley's Hallelujah is probably the definitive version at this point, but it might not even be the best cover on the album, because Lilac Wine is also there. Grace is packed full of great songs with just a couple that are only pretty good. It's a shame we lost such a talent so young, but at least we have Grace.
Again, I don't really feel qualified to rate hip hop/rap albums, since I usually don't focus on lyrics for the first listen. I can see why this is a rap classic, with some great tracks and quality beats. Some songs seem to have aged poorly, lyrics-wise, and I didn't care for several of them. Decent listen, and an essential album if you live in Brooklyn, even if it's not my cup of tea.
In U2's discography, War is the band at a crossroads. This album captures the raw energy from their early "punk" days right as they were transforming into the arena-rock behemoths they came to be. Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day are classics, but tracks like Two Hearts Beat as One or Like A Song... shouldn't be ignored either. There are a few songs on War that I don't really care for. Yet another album I wish I could give 4.5 stars to. It's a great album, it just doesn't quite hit the heights of their follow-ups.
An absolute classic. Though it certainly isn't a pick-me-up, The Wall keeps your attention and takes you on a journey for all 26 songs. Obviously, Comfortably Numb is the magnum opus- it's one of the best songs ever written with probably the greatest guitar solo of all time. The story of the album is one that has resonated especially well over the past several years, unfortunately. It's a story of how toxic masculinity, abysmal mental health care, and the cruelty of society and institutions, create generations of disassociated young men who isolate themselves from the world, self-medicate, and become susceptible to false-truths and conspiracies. It's one of the oldest tricks in the books - "Isn't this where we came in?"
Arctic Monkeys were one of the many mid-2000's guitar rock indie bands that were dubbed "saviors of rock." This album didn't save rock music, because rock music didn't need saving. It's just a great rock album from a great rock band, but rock music didn't dominate the airwaves like it once did. This album sounds a lot like other mid-2000's indie guitar rock. But what sets it apart is the raw energy, and a bit of extra spice in the songwriting. A perfect example is at 1:40 in Fake Tales of San Francisco. It's far from my favorite song on the album, and starts off pretty tame and cookie-cutter. But at 1:40, the song shifts in an unexpected yet completely logical way, the energy builds, and it becomes something special. Moments like this keep this album feeling fresh to this day.
I haven't listened to much Soundgarden, but was fairly skeptical going in. Black Hole Sun generally irritates me, and I didn't want to listen to an entire album of that sound. The rest of the album was...pretty good! I know that some people LOVE Soundgarden, but it didn't really grab me. I understand why people like them, but this is probably a one-time listen for me.
Pretty nice vocals and guitar work, and I can see why people would love this, but I do not.
This album is imperfect, but it's incredibly fun and the high highs more than make up for its imperfections. All My Friends is one of the best songs ever written - it packs about as much emotional drive and catharsis as you can fit in one song. The rest of the album is mostly great, with infectious grooves making up for the fact that some songs can get a bit repetitive. I just want to turn up the volume and keep listening anyway.
Gentle simplicity without losing energy is typically very difficult to pull off, but this album does it extremely well. It's calming and relaxing, and yet driving at the same time. I love the interplay between the bass and piano - they bounce off of eachother very well. One of the other reviews mentioned that Bill Evans sounds like falling water, and I completely agree. This is an album for a rainy day in November, but you are feeling calm and motivated.
There were some things I enjoyed about this album - the production, the rapping, and several of the songs (Stranded on Death Row, particularly). There were some things I did not enjoy about this album - the length, the skits. Overall, I can see why it's a classic and the influence it had, but it's not my favorite.
An album by Brian Eno and David Byrne sounds exactly what you would expect an album by Brian Eno and David Byrne to sound like.
First song was pretty good, but the rest were pretty meh and forgettable.
I've heard a thousand bands that sound just like The Dandy Warhols. They sound like every Brit Pop band mixed with every 90's/2000's indie rock band. And yet, this album still sounds fresh and full of energy. All I'd heard of The Dandy Warhols was Bohemian Like You, which is a fantastic song. It takes a LOT to give an album 5 stars on first listen, but this came verrrrrry close.
You can see what people love and hate about Oasis here. A couple decent tracks, but the vocals are nasally and grating and the songs are overblown and melodramatic. Ultimately this was a tiresome listen.
I don't enjoy metal, but I enjoy Metallica more than most metal.
Music I enjoyed to listen to once. Elvis is fine, I guess. Don't really have a strong opinion about his music.
Some of this sounds a bit cheesy and dated, but it's a fun listen!
It’s fine, I guess. I don’t know, it’s hard to have a strong opinion on all 1001 albums.
Great to listen to, but only in certain contexts! It's not an album that requires deep contemplative listening, but I'd love to hear this at a club.
No surprise at all, Ray Charles has an incredible voice! Very pleasant and easy to listen to, but this album dragged on a bit too long, and no individual songs really stood out.
An album from over 50 years ago that still sounds fresh and exciting! I hadn't heard any Deep Purple aside from Smoke on the Water, so I wasn't expecting much. You can definitely see how they influenced Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Just a lot of fun. Child in Time is the standout track for sure.
I feel obliged to like any album that influenced Bowie's Berlin trilogy. I have always meant to listen to Kraftwerk someday, so I'm glad that 1001 albums gave me the push I needed to sit down and listen to an album. It was basically exactly what I expected - weird, ambient, and made me question what music even is. I think I enjoyed it? I really don't know. Fun fun fun on the Autobahn.
There were some parts that I enjoyed and were pretty decent! Mostly didn’t do much for me though.
An absolute classic! About as good of a first half of a record as you can get. Just absolute incredible musicianship from the trio. Moving Pictures is Rush at their best.
Pretty generic classic rock. Guitar and vocals were both excellent, but this didn't really do much for me.
Just really lovely to listen to, and oh so smooth. It makes me want to sit at a cabaret and down a bottle of wine.
Genre is completely meaningless. Is this funk? Yes. Is it prog rock? Yes. Is it folk? Yes. Blues? Yes. Jazz? Yes. Ska? Also yes. I really don't know what to think about this album - I'd need to listen a few times. There were parts that I really enjoyed (the vocals were great), and parts that I didn't enjoy. I think overall it was pretty good. I'd give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
I actually really enjoyed this! Couldn’t listen to this all the time, but a few pretty great songs.
It's not as groundbreaking as their first album, but damn if this still isn't excellent. It's The Velvet Underground much more subdued, but they do it so well. Candy Says and Pale Blue Eyes are each absolutely perfect songs.
Dylan definitely isn't my favorite. I can see why people love him, and I can see why people can't stand him. That being said, I did enjoy this album. I feel like it was hard to appreciate the lyrics on first listen, but the melodies were excellent and the singing was...mostly decent. There were definitely points where Dylan's inflections and flourishes detracted a lot from the music.
I've never heard an album that sounds so much like The Beatles before. It was pretty good!