1001 Albums Summary

Good memories of this one when it came out. I remember it being a little divisive since, while the album has the same structure of Nevermind, more or less, this one explored deeper into the developing nirvana style. Heart shaped box was a great single, and Tourette's remains one of my favorites. Then Kurt died.

Those harmonies on "If I fell"! Still a super-poppy album, but you can hear the maturity coming along. We're a ways off Sgt. Pepper, but it's clear to see how we'll get there. Funny listening to this album from start to finish and just "knowing" all of the songs, even though I am *sure* I've never sat and listened to this album from start to finish.

Just gotta be honest. Never listened to the Pixies all the way through. It's hard to imagine that this was released in 1989. For me, this is a timeless sound. Good lord. There Goes My Gun! An internal parody of their most well-known track on the same album!

The open synth melody on First We Take Manhattan always reminds me of the Vangelis soundtrack for Blade Runner. It's such a relic of its time, but also incredibly interesting. I can't imagine the meeting that convinced Cohen to go from acoustic rumblings to this synth masterpiece(?). Another one of those that I discovered more or less accidentally as I was trying to expand my musical vocabulary. I had downloaded a bunch of Warren Zevon on Limewire that ended up being misattributed Leonard Cohen. The humor is surprising. I like the vague quote of the theme to Star Trek when the girls sing the chorus on Jazz Police. This seems to be a Cohen without something to prove, but I can't say I think it's his best work. It almost feels like he's telling a really obtuse and deadpan joke in album format.

Rolling in the Deep. The most Aretha Franklin song that she never wrote. Rumor Has It. The lost Eurythmics song. A great deal of pathos in this album. Adele's voice is brilliant. She's an incredible talent. The album doesn't feel terribly cohesive to me on first listen – an aggregation of various bangers and ballads. Beautiful stuff. I recognize I'm not a huge pop album consumer. My album experiences were generally prog rock, so a lot of intention and through lines. Set Fire to the Rain is just a great song. Anyone who dismisses pop as a less-than-legitimate artistic expression needs to soak in tunes like this one. Any act, anywhere, any style, can pick up a song like Set Fire to the Rain and make it their own. The drums on He Won't Go are a warm flannel blanket on a cool autumn night, man. So cozy. Brilliant cover of Lovesong. A cover needs to be something that becomes your own. Seems to me that Robert Smith could have written this song for Adele.

I wasn't of listening age when this album came out, and my house had precious little music to begin with. I missed this during the relevant time period, and the US definitely didn't privilege these guys. It's competent work, and the NI significance isn't lost on me, but there's nothing here that makes me sit up and say, "Where have you been all my life."

I understand that the Stones were a fundamental force in the rock and roll scene, but I just don't like them. I've had years and years to let them into my heart, but I just can't. I don't like the sexism. I don't like the swagger. Some the component parts are brilliant. Charlie Watts, for instance, is one of the all time great drummers. I'm happy to recognize that if you want the Stones, Exile on Main Street is one of the Stones-iest albums you can lay hands on, but my listening condenses it to track after track of what blurs into the same song rather quickly. 18 takes of the same song. It reminds me a lot of a free concert I went to featuring Jimmie Vaughn of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, brother of the late Stevie Ray. He opened up his set with a competent blues in G at about 100bpm. Followed by a second song – a blues in G around 100bpm. He rounded out the set with a rousing blues in G around 100bpm. When Mr. Vaughn started picking out the same. freaking. intro. lick. on that third song, I packed it up and went home. For someone like me who doesn't really grok the words on the first, second, or even twentieth listen of a song, maybe I'm missing something – some fundamental read on the human condition. I'm not patient enough to try to parse it out, however. Listening to this album is laborious.

I am happy to admit that I first heard Nick Drake from the Pink Moon VW commercial back in the early 2000s. Gladly, proudly admit that I looked up the artist and devoured his entire short discography. I am only sad that I didn't do this sooner so I could have more time with this man's beautiful music in my life. Nick Drake is one of those once-in-a-generation type talents, and Bryter Layter is an incredible work. Northern Lights is one of my favorite songs, and the entire album is a front-to-back listen. I don't claim to understand his demons, but I am glad he graced us with what he had as long as he could.

Listening to an artist at the height of his powers. Add in the adoring audience, and this album is a joy.

I've never listened to a Zappa album from start to finish. Let's see how I get on with Hot Rats.

Joni Mitchell holds a "folk-artist" position in my mind, but her skill and expression on Help Me immediately suggests to me that she's really a jazz singer. Free Man in Paris is a bop. Joni Mitchell isn't really my thing. I hear the skill and some of the lyrics are brilliant. But I'm probably not going to listen to this again.

There's something I find comforting with the over-to-top sincerity performance of this album. Sure, it's about death and murder, but it's also really playful. And PJ Harvey is an automatic win with me. I don't know what about this that scratches an aural itch for me. The performances are tight. The mood is atmospheric. The mix on the bass is astounding. Jesus, Cave is doing a duet with Kylie Minogue on an album about MURDER! I love this to no end. The intro on the Curse of Millhaven is exactly the kind of controlled musical violence that I love. The Kindness of Strangers is really sad. Very good job, Mr. Cave and the Bad Seeds.

I'm perfectly happy listening to Nick Cave growl sincerely into a microphone. Him and the band.

Thoughtful and funny. Sometimes funny because it's funny. Sometimes funny because it's true.

Pretty groovy, man. Pushing what sounds you can make with a guitar at the time. The only track that made me really perk up and pay attention is Living Wreck. Didn't move me terribly. I probably won't seek it out again. Not bad, but not my favorite.

Ooh. It's been forever since I've heard any Public Enemy. I've never heard this one through. Nighttrain has some great energy. Loving the controlled noise on the first track, Lost at Birth.

Big Black Car. I love the dreamy vibe. That's a great drum solo on Nighttime. Really competent. Fairly eclectic, particularly for the time. I enjoyed it.

Ok. So, I didn't know that I am apparently emulating the Jesus and Mary Chain when I dink around and try to compose downtempo rock music for myself. No idea how these guys made their way into my consciousness. This is the first time I've listened to this song. I've known about this band, but never knowingly listened to them. And yet, here I am, listening to an album that sounds like the stuff I'm trying to make, feeling as familiar as if I've been listening to them for my entire life.

Fun fact for me. My buddy loved "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" so much, but he didn't have an iTunes account. Since he was my office mate, I purchased the album for him on the spot and listened to it on repeat for about a month. First iTunes album I purchased. The thing I love most about the Darkness isn't that they missed the hair band era by several decades. It's that they said Fuck It. This is the music we love and we're going to be the best damn hair band of the new millennium. Their love of the genre is obvious in their execution. Brilliant debut album.

I've recently revised my stance on Alice In Chains. Back when I was younger, I couldn't escape them from the radio, and I was oversaturated. Now, listening in isolation, I've developed an appreciation for them. Still not my favorite, but Would? has made it onto various playlists.

Walk across the rooftops sounds like it may have inspired some of Sting's early solo work. I love the arrangement of the track. Lazy bass, dreamy time, I've wandered in this fog more than once.

I like the talking heads. The only thing that turns me off about "Take Me to the River" is that it was so overplayed on the classic rock stations of my youth.

Not a reggaton fan. The musicianship is really competent, but it's not my cuppa.

This is probably going to get in into trouble. I associate Mama Said Knock You Out with the movement that took rap from an indie art to the mainstream. It's undeniable that this is a powerful album. The music is outstanding. The rap performance is tight.

I enjoyed listening to this album. The pseudo-industrial vibe with the Wilco jangle was a fine combination.

These guys play your local pub? They're going to bring the house down. Right place at the right time, Come On Eileen is one of those lightning in a bottle tracks. Jackie Wilson Said here is better than Van Morrison's.

What am I missing? Was this proto-roots rock? Am I simply living in a post-"The Band" world much like my eldest son is living in a post-Beatles world and doesn't much understand what all the fuss is about? It's Americana. It's competent. But it's not blowing my mind.

I like stoner rock. I like prog rock. So it stands to reason that I like Machine Head.

You couldn't get away from Freedom on MTV back when this song was released. Great song. Great video. It still breaks my heart that his sexuality was the butt of so many jokes back then. I'm happy his music did so well, I wish he could have lived out loud for longer.

If I had to pick a single REM album to recommend, this is probably the one. It's a high point of a stellar career.

It's a great live album. They're clearly a great live band. I find it really interesting that this version of Surrender is their canonical version. Way overplayed on the classic rock stations of my youth, but there you are.

Groundbreaking. Such energy. I know this was very similar to much of the music of the day, but someone has to be first. Excellent performances.

Another album I've never been exposed to before, but added a number of track to a playlist. "Neo Soul" and really tight musicianship.

This is a great album overshadowed by all the drama of Love's life. She is a talented musician with a clear voice in a crowded grunge landscape.

These guys were ahead of their time.

It's funny to me that even after not listening to broadcast radio for nearly 20 years, I thought my Rod Stewart saturation might have subsided. Nope. Still too much. Great album. I can't listen to it.

Ok, you like the Ramones. I get it. I've heard high school demos recorded on a 4 track that have more soul and life than this album. I don't understand why I'm listening to it on the 1001 albums I have to hear.

I'm so torn here. These guys were obviously pushing the boundaries, and "7 and 7 Is" is really a bop, BUT I dunno. That out-of-tune flute on "She Comes in Colors" docks a star immediately. There's the germ of genius here, but it comes across as accidental much of the time.

Another album I've heard *way* too many times on classic rock stations when I was a kid. It's competent. But it's so boring. Apple Music says this is "the definition of no-nonsense '70s hard rock." Great studio value. Excellent vocals. Splendid musicianship. But we're not doing anything here. This is proto-dad rock. Jurassic yacht rock. Hearing the rest of the album beyond the heavy-rotation classic rock tracks, I can confidently say that I will never seek out this album again.

Oh, thank god! Finally something weird. This 1001 album experiment works best for me when there's something I've never heard, or even better, never heard *of*. The layers, the sampling, the clear influences of people like Zappa, this is fantastic stuff. Instant add to my library.

This rocks. Love the constraints imposed by the physical length of a single album platter. So much soul jammed into 2 and a half minutes many times over.

If I wrote American Pie and Vincent, I would gladly ride that for the rest of my natural life. Those songs will easily outlive my bones. Everything else about this album is clearly a product of its time: McClean's vocals are lovely, the mix on the full band arrangements are delightful, and this is an album anyone's grandma can enjoy. But to have written two songs for the same album that are such monumental compositions? Yeah, coast on that, man. You earned it.

The contemporary reviews say this is one of the best concept albums ever made. Better than Tommy, released the same year. I may agree with the latter, but I'm not getting the "concept album" part of this. I comprehend the lyrical themes, but the musical sinew that would normally link a concept album together doesn't seem to be there, to my mind. I dunno. Maybe I'm missing something? While it's definitely not a collection of songs like so many albums, it's also not a tight through line. Perhaps I'll listen to it more.

Loved it. Not sure what to day. It was idiosyncratic, dynamic, had a bunch of nuance. And the long held chord outro on the final track? Chef's kiss.

I often wonder about the attention span of artists who can perform full length albums like this. Girl Talk All Night is a particularly masterful example of what I'm talking about. Another album where the track delineation is somewhat arbitrary, "Since I Left You" is an hour-long soundscape that weaves in and out of itself leaving me wanting more. Frontier Psychiatrist is a standout track here, and probably the one most of us have heard. I can't tell you the name of any other track on this album since I didn't notice where one began and the other ended. Taken as a whole, this whole album is an experience.

It's no Trout Mask Replica, but it'll do. "Safe As Milk" is funny as titles go. Wikipedia says that there was a ton of controversy with this album, and it eventually led to the band getting dropped by A&M. Without listening to the lyrics, this is a "safe" album. Musically it fits with its era. Safe. The lyrics are humorous. There's a lot of personality in this collection of songs. I love its sense of whimsy.

You know how special it is to experience something *new* as you start to get older? How those experiences become more and more rare and you keep chugging along? When you get to experience something for the first time that accompanies actual surprise and delight? This is one of those times.

This is a brilliant album from start to finish. The first time I listened to it, it was immediately on my top list. Blue Flashing Lights is one of the best hidden tracks in the history of hidden tracks. The entire album is gold from start to finish.

Remains one of Beck's best albums. Devil's Haircut is a favourite. The video is stellar. If I don't know what to listen to, I can pop this on, and go from beginning to end.

I guess I'm not a real music lover. Bob Dylan is nails on a chalkboard for me. Except that, when I was 13 and I wanted to get over that horrible feeling whenever the teacher would make a mistake and drag the chalk down the board in that particular way, I stayed after school under the pretence of cleaning the erasers and dragged my fingers down the chalkboard for an hour until I could do it without making myself cringe with sensory overload. I was able to do that. I conditioned myself out of literal "nails on a chalkboard". There is no amount of aversion therapy that can acclimate me to this. Dylan's harmonica work is a hate crime. Yeah, it captured the zeitgeist of a generation. Whoop. This whole album is pretentious as hell.

It's... fine.

Buttery smooth production and performance. Social commentary. Expressing his perspective on the life he lived up to this point. I'm into it.

Folks love these guys. Lot of energy. It doesn't tickle the \"love it\" bits of my brain, though.

This is a David Byrne cover band that decided to record their own music. Is what I would have told you if you played this album for me without context. I keep waiting for it to become compelling. A fine example of the subjective nature of music.

I'm such a sucker for prog rock. I love me an album that has a consistent through-line. Musicianship is fantastic. So much here that I can aspire to. I could put this one on to play and the entire hour passes without my noticing. My buddy says the Wiki summary reads like an Aronofsky film! Love it. And I'll be listening to this album again, most definitely.

In the Winter of 1993, I drove away from my university in Ohio and my girlfriend at the time with the mixtape she gave me playing in my car. I lost the tape a number of years ago, and I've forgotten the majority of the tracks that she put on the tape. I think about how much I liked the songs from time to time, and I keep a running list that I add to whenever I hear one of the missing tunes in a potentially vain attempt to recreate that piece of my past. Summertime just went back on the list. That was a sweet relationship, but I have to admit: I miss that tape more than I miss the girl. Nostalgia aside, Big Brother & Holding Company is a hell of good band. They just put it all out there. Then Janis' vocals explode all across the stage and blow me away. Huge and bold, raw emotion on display. God, I live for these kinds of performances. The uncompromising expression of those things you can't express any other way. It's just sublime. The piecemeal acquisition of the performances that compose this album just add to the charm. I love me a good live performance, and this whole album has all the vitality of the best live performances whether recorded in the studio or on stage.

Another one where I don't understand what I'm missing.

One of the best albums ever recorded. Chapman's voice and message are timeless. I can't speak about this album without bringing up Fast Car, a classic anthem about breaking the cycles of abuse. Tracy Chapman is an essential recording that stands for all time.

The album cover to end all album covers. How completely punk rock to quit doing punk rock and keep calling yourselves punk rock.

Not my favorite. I don't know what it is about the fame and swagger that doesn't hit me the same way as more obviously "socially conscious" rap. Good production, but not my thing.

Definitely a commercial release. Definitely hear the influence of Corgan on a number of these tracks. Love is a good songwriter. Her band was really good. There are some bangers on this album. It's not my favorite, but it's still a solid release. And yet, meh.

Not so much a commercial album as an anthropology project.

The stones annoy the ever living hell out of me. Probably because of oversaturation from Classic Rock stations being played at nearly every hourly foodservice job I had as a kid, and I just couldn't escape them. Whiny Jagger, sloppy Richards, over-indulgent arrangements, and just being played all. the. time. I hate myself for saying this. I really really hate it. But this is a good album. Dammit. Just... ARGH urk- aksjkljlkakl;asjDkldsafkjgklhjk;akl;ha dsadsgtewr fd

I like sociopolitical rap.

Is this the best album in the world? No. Does it contain the best guitar solo in the world? Yes.

Musical noise. I like it.

Yeah, alright.

When I was in high school, I traded an old trumpet for a really, really shitty drum set with a kid who lived down the way. See, he wasn't enjoying the drums, and I always wanted to learn how to play. He wanted to try the trumpet, and I wasn't using this one. Fair trade. He never learned how to play the trumpet, but I ended up practicing that shit set around the clock. Out of sheer force of will, I became pretty good. My pals wanted to do some cover tunes at the talent show, and I asked to be the drummer. I played along with the songs they picked until I could do a passable job. When we took the stage, I was so nervous I thought I would throw up, but the moment I started playing, I lost all of my anxiety in the music. When the audience started dancing during out little four-song set, I was over the moon. One of the best moments of my life. La Grange was one of those songs. One of the first tunes I ever learned how to play. I know I'm no Frank Beard, but dammit, I kept playing until I went semi-pro in university. I still play, much more rusty than I used to be, but I will always have a place in my heart for La Grange and ZZ Top.

Woah.

Smooth as silk. Just want to sit back and let all parts of this flutter over me.

Lots of very famous and recognizable work, but listening to this, they feel tired, man. If Jim hadn't died, this sounds like it may have been their last album regardless. They're not "the Doors" here. They sound like "the Doors Playing the Doors".

Listening to this in 2023, this sounds like a cosplay of heavy metal. Spinäl Täp vibes, you know? But I realize I'm living in a post-*this* world.

Fantastic from start to finish.

Hard satire as Newman tends to do. But my ears aren't used to hearing that these days.

What a great album! That flowed beautifully from one track to the next. A concept album if I ever heard one. A cohesive, consistent, commanding work of art.

The seeds of greatness.

Lots of energy.

This is the archetypical rock album that so many many others tried to emulate. The Van Halens' first album represents the height of their powers.

If you could distill pop music and crystallize it into its purest form, you would get this album.

Even if the only artifact from this album was Killing Me Softly, it would still be one of the best albums ever recorded. Their use of samples is at once surprising and completely natural. "Wow! That's amazing," while simultaneously sounding like the most obvious choice. The Mask hits real close to home these days.

Unpopular opinion. There are great things on here. There are not great things on here. It's a hodge hodge. Still, it's a technical marvel, and one more example of how we live in a post-Beatles world.

For the love of god, why do people love Dylan? I really don't understand it. I really really don't understand it.

Seeds of greatness, but this album is a mess. It bucks a lot of the pop trends of its day, and veers hard into psychedelia. There's a lot to love, and there's much to listen to as a curiosity.

Had I discovered Supergrass when I was younger, I undoubtedly would have been a fan.

These guys keep showing up on various playlist compilations for years. Never sat and listened to the album through. Glad I did.

No, no. You can't trick me. I'm not fouling up my music recommendations for this obvious troll pick.

Fantastic for my focus groove.

Never listened to this all the way through. Genuinely surprised at the musical competence.

This album makes me incredibly sad. In an artistic way. It used to, too, when I was younger. Now I know why. It's not any easier now than it was then, but at least I have context for the emotions now. I am less afraid.

Political Science is one of the all time great satires. This is a great album.

He's a brilliant songwriter, but as he continues, his work feels more and more derivative of itself. This has a couple of great tunes, and a number of what feel like complete throwaway tracks. Sometimes you get a group of artists whose collaboration obviously benefits from whatever creative frictions and constraints present in their process. When these groups go solo, it's obvious in many cases that their work benefited from those constraints. I think this album is a good example of that. Awash in many of Simon's creative excesses, it's still the work of an incredibly talented man, but those previous constraints helped to reveal and refine his genius.

Not even remotely what I was expecting, and I imagine that at another time in my life, I would be into this mopey album, but it's just unrelenting. Oompah Radar has a glimmer of humor. Goldfrapp has a lovely voice. This simply isn't doing it for me.

All pop music is derivative of what came before. This is the defining aspect of **POP**ular music. Very few things come out and break the mold – the very notion is antithetical to the process: Iterations on themes that evolve over time. So, this debut album is derivative of that which comes before, while being the height of the form. The chronological iterations of the genre at large will soon descend into alt-pop-rock-country madness. (You know what I'm talking about.) Competent. Clean. Evocative. Absolutely not my taste.

I always took Green Day as a bit of a cynical project. 90s American Post Punk, right? How could that be a sincere take on the genre? I sort of dismissed it out of hand. And shame on me for doing so. This album is cohesive, the production is fantastic. The musicianship is really good. But this is why I'm on this website. I'm opening myself up to changing the opinions of my younger self. Here we are.

Interesting choice. An experimental lineup that release an album on the vanguard of a genre. Not bad. Couple of bangers.

Listen to the songs Rio and Quiet Life back to back. The copying is insane.

I think Elephant might be their best single album, but this is a damn close second. Dead Leaves, Fell in Love with a Girl (and one of Gondry's best music videos, natch), We're Going to be Friends... White Stripes is one of my go-to examples for constraints yielding creativity. Jack and Meg make the absolute most of what they got. Jack goes on with his raconteurs, and it's not the same. More instruments, to be sure, but that project looses the primal vitality of the White Stripes. Anyone who piles on Meg for sub-par drumming doesn't understand the point of a drummer. Does she keep the beat? Yes. Does her contribution add musically to the composition. Hell yes. Meg white is a great drummer. Weird Al covers (pastiches) Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground with his CNR song. That's some high praise no matter how you slice it.

80s pop. Competent. Love Plus One is a delightful bop. And. Um. Why is this here?

Not my favorite of their albums (that would be Mezzanine), but the Tracey Thorn tracks add a star.

Quintessential Chili Peppers. Not sure it gets more spicy than this with any of their work.

Love it. So many girl-led groups come off as cynical money grabs, but this is completely delightful. Major Pretenders vibes. (That's a good thing.)

This is delightfully weird to my ears. I can see why she was a superstar in Brazil.

Good live album, but... meh?

I usually like weird and offbeat, but this isn't hitting me right. Probably won't listen to it again. Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road has a good intro. Did I render judgement too soon? Nope. Not too soon.

A live album that's particularly listenable. Enormously talented musicians at the height of their powers. Fantastic. It sure sounds like blues, but this is actually a jazz album, isn't it?

I can hear the excellence in the production, but the album didn't light my fire.

Grunge-wave pop grown in a lab to appeal to the existing market. It feels just as false now as it did when it was released. Individually, if you strip it to the component elements, it's competent, but the moment you stick this stuff into a blender and get this album, it's messy, unfocused, cynical. Not a fan.

I love the white stripes. Constraints yield creativity. Just not their best album.

One of the OG rock operas. There are better concept albums, better "rock operas", and better Who albums that cover all those conditions (Quadrophenia is the correct answer, for anyone reading this who's wondering.) However, there is greatness here, though it is a flawed work. Underture happens to be one of my favorite tracks on the album. Pinball Wizard is overrated. The final track, We're Not Gonna Take It, descends into moving theme. Fiddle About is painfully uncomfortable. I mean, having Tommy's Holiday Camp as the second to last track, one could make an argument that this album's theme is the cyclic nature of abuse. Definitely doesn't age well. Good, not great. Meaningfully impactful on the state of music at the time. I despise the child abuse themes.

What am I missing here? This sounds like a drunken late night jam.

Huh. Joni Mitchell makes a Joni Mitchell album. It's about as Joni Mitchell as Joni Mitchell can be. You can hear Pastorius from a mile away. It's a nice combo. Unfortunately, Joni Mitchell is another one of those "tolerate in small doses" artists, and this whole album is too much for me to ingest in a sitting.

Not the best Bowie, but not remotely the worst. His last effort, and proof that he was always fiddling with his style.

It's entirely possible I don't know enough about the electronic music scene to know how this record is one of the multitude I simply must hear before I die. For all I know, I live in a post "Sabres of Paradise" world. All that said, This sounds like pretty generic mid-tempo electronica.

The album has the best song they recorded. And others as well.

This is probably the Who's single best album. Moon was still alive. Their compositions were solid. The band cohesion was tight. 5 absolute classics.

Clasic. The whitest of white rock and roll. Every song a 2 minute hurricane that could fit on a single. A shape of its culture shaping the future. Bonkers. A snake eating its own tail. Still. Cathy's Clown. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The album is, unfortunately, unspectacular. She is a beautiful singer. It finishes with Constant Craving – probably her most popular single, almost certainly to be considered her "signature song". The remarkable part of this album is k.d. lang herself. Queer representation was practically nonexistent in the mainstream at the time, and she took this on herself as her responsibility to society. Hero. Legend.

Radiohead may be the most overrated band ever.

Tom Waits is one of the most consistent songwriters I know, and one of the only ones whose joy in playing in the art is communicated through his output. Even if the lyrics are dour, there's an ineffable quality that says, "I love this medium, and this is my playground." When I want to connect with that concept of joy, I pop on some Waits.

I'm glad you have a hobby, man.

I think Document is probably the REM album I think typifies their most enduring work. Murmur is a close second.

I have a weakness for "real" country music. I remember my parents loving Buck Owens whenever he came on TV when I was young. I enjoy this era of the country genre, and I enjoy this album. Dude, Streets of Laredo is *his* song?

Proto heavy metal. It's pretty average, though.

Elton John at his Elton Johniest. John and Taupin at their Johniest and Taupinest.

I think this is the best live album ever recorded. Margo Timmins has never sounded better.

Kraftwerk is divisive. I get it. Autobahn is divisive. ALL THEIR WORK IS DIVISIVE. But we live in a post-Kraftwerk world. Someone had to do it first. Many Someones had to do it first. Kraftwerk is on that vanguard: making what they wanted to make. Making the world of music in their image, or at the very least, carving out a small divot in the zeitgeist that others could expand upon.

1. How did Charlie Watts ever get caught up with these people? Did he lose a bet? 2. This album doesn't make me want to stab myself in the ears.

It's always a shame that I'm only hearing about this because of the intervention of a white European.

Interesting to hear the progress of artists lurching toward their masterpiece. Peek-a-boo, Pet Sounds.

This whole album is just drenched with irony. One Chord Wonders is a hell of a way to start an album. Safety in Numbers, what is that? a busted cone on the bass amp? Sounds like a wild animal prowling its cage, marking time before it bursts out. This whole thing goes so hard from start to finish. I've not listened to this one before. Where have you been all my life? Apparently publishing your best work while I was a toddler. I love love love this album.

Bridging the gap between punk and new wave. Yesterday's album was The Adverts' Crossing the Red Sea. Safety in Numbers starts with a lyric, "What are you gonna do with your new ways? What are you gonna do with your new wave?" And only a couple of years later, we're riding that new wave. Even if I don't understand the rationale behind many of the selections of the albums in this project, I find it endlessly fascinating when I begin to recognize the common DNA between selected artists. That triplet roll intro fill on Man in the Corner Shop is so smooth. I'm going to be practicing that tonight until I get it right. That's such a tight freaking fill. That's Entertainment hits pretty hard. To be fair, I just watched the Commitments last week...

I guess I don't understand the inclusion of this one. It has a number of really nice tracks, but I can't identify that strand of DNA that's supposed to make me understand this in a greater musical context. Great band name, though.

I have no idea why I didn't hear this back in 1993. This is very much in the vein of what I was seeking out. The raw analogue power of the presentation. No-nonsense rock that performs at its full capacity. If you ever hear about an act whose performance feels "honest", this band fits the bill – Like how you can hear the edges of all the complex emotions that Tom Waits brings to his performance? I understand that there is always studio magic going on here, but this album captures that ineffable quality of performers giving you what they have. It almost has a "one take" quality, as if the musicians are playing simultaneously in the same space for a work that feels organic, whole, and sincere. I can easily see myself sitting on the dubious couch in the corner of their rehearsal room listening to my friends while I get my calculus homework sorted for university. This album takes me to a time when I had big feelings and big plans.

A number of these songs have clearly influenced some of the hits of decades past. Interesting to hear the early context of some of these riffs.

This is one of their best. Perhaps the height of their collaboration.

That opening track! Good lord. That's on my chill playlist immediately.

Mediocre dance pop. This sounds like garage band loops, but published. I can't understand its inclusion on the 1000 albums you must hear list

An album built to showcase a singularly talented vocalist. This album does its job admirably. Not every song is my style, but the majority rock harder than I anticipated.

The Beatles before they were great. Nascent qualities on display, but a boy band at this point. Not artists yet. Performers.

A singular great in a standout career. If you listen to one Zeppelin album, I think this is the one. And it spawned the "Stairways to Heaven" anthology. Another of the all time greats.

Hubris alert. This reminds me of every garage band I started when I was at University. But in a good way. Wish I stuck with that. Maybe I could have been the next Joy Division.

Idiosyncratic is good. Distinct musically. Clear talent on display. The artists' viewpoint is communicated. Simply a fun album to listen to. Love it. Adding to my library.

My favorite single White Stripes. hands down. And no, not because of the Seven Nation Army, which is a bop, but not the best track. All of the play that punctuates the White Stripes is on full display here. Constraints breed creativity. This is the apex of the White Stripes' evolutionary curve.

Rumors and Hotel California were released in the same year. Goddamn.

I appreciate that this is a cultural stepping stone that helps to make sense of the the UK DNA entwined within hip hop and R&B. One US single that I recognize from the radio of the time, Back to Life. Still a bop. While the whole thing is musically competent, it's not my jam. Certainly not an entire album's worth.

Synth punk. Not a genre that I hear a lot of. Half of these songs remind me of those kids on band camp making demos in their bedroom. They were certainly doing interesting things, but not my cup of tea. This might be my first memory of hearing a cover tune thinking it was the original. Tainted Love is their lasting cultural contribution, and that's okay.

Wow. 1001 albums featured a house collection that doesn't make me want to stab myself in the eardrums. I can actually put this one on and, you know, *listen* to it.

From start to finish, not a single miss. Excellent album. After I married and started having children, I stopped buying a lot of music, and didn't end up listening to a lot either. I missed about 2 decades of bands and releases. The joy of following 1001 albums is these opportunities to hear something I missed that resonates so deeply with me.

So emo.

There's better shoegaze out there. Much better. This is fine, but it's by no means great.

I appreciate the ethos that went in the creation of this album. Props for that. Better Neil Young albums out there, though.

Very few albums can be help up as a quintessential representation of their genre. Pop can hold up 1989 as of of those examples.

7/5 Brilliant and inventive. Endlessly listenable. Music that gets in between the sinews.

Oh delicious irony that is Rage Against the Machine. But just because you're a bunch of rich kids, doesn't mean you can't scream at the broken machine of your society. The ultimate complaint rock album.

Perplexed and a little perturbed by the power pop produced in this presentation. Not perfect, not particularly profound. Pass.

Solid. Middle drags, but it's strong and cohesive.

Clocks is an excellent example of what Coldplay does right. The entire band is firing on all cylinders, and the drumming on that track is particularly tasty. A Rush of Blood to the Head is a good sophomore album. Parachutes is a great debut album. This album marks the end of the Coldplay discography. Afterward Coldplay becomes Chris Martin's band, and the rest of the musicians are there, too. Another example of a band producing a beautiful and timeless debut, and struggling to match that initial success with later releases. One has to realize that Coldplay had been working on Parachutes for god-knows-how-many years before actually recording it. Then only 2 years for the followup. And then Chris Martin became a rock star. So it goes.

I was 47 years old before I realized that the drums don't play any cymbals or high hats. No metal played in the "normal" fashion. "Melt" is Gabriel's second-best solo work. So is #1.

REM signed with Warner. This marked the turning point of the darling of the indie scene, the poster children for IRS Records, going mainstream. It's a bold album, far more political than I thought they could have gotten away with on their major label debut. It's strange and moving in places, straight ahead rock in others. An excellent example of REM's talent, but Green isn't their strongest work. IRS REM has far better work, as does post-Warner. They survived their growing pains, however. REM was full of talent. They were constantly moving forward. A good album, but for me, it falls short of greatness.

The Wall was a formative album for me. It's 5/5 in my heart. Waters and Gilmour were at their professional peaks here. But the cracks in the band were glaringly obvious. The Wall is Waters' magnum opus performing under the Pink Floyd brand. The Alan Parker film adaptation is incredible. Gerald Scarfe's animations are transcendent. Bob Geldof performs Pink in the film with unnerving and uncanny skill. The Wall is a canvas that many talented people have expressed themselves on. It's not *Pink Floyd's* best work.

Richard's arrangements are genius. Karen's voice is angelic. Most of the album is meh. But Close to You is transcendent.

Sounds like a low-rent Wilco. Not sure why this is here. It's not a terrible album, but nothing on here made it onto any of my playlists, and based on this listening, I wouldn't seek out any more of their discography.

Springsteen at his lyrical best. He's a good songwriter, and he does his own material really well. But you can't talk about Springsteen at his height without talking about the E Street band. Max Weinberg is one of the all time greats on drums, and his work here is exemplary. I love that this album features the Big Man himself so prominently. Clemons by himself is a towering influence on this whole sound. His work on Born to Run is inspiring. That solo on Jungleland is next level.

Jazz standards and mainstream production. Solid performances all the way around. It's a little over-produced for my liking, but it's still a strong album. If I had my way, I'd prefer a do-over with a four or five piece combo. (I submit the intro of You Won't Let Me Go as evidence for my preference.)

Rundgren's sense of "what music and sound were like in my internal environment, and how different that was from the music I had been making" is pure aural poetry.

I appreciate the mid-60s sound this production managed to achieve. Aside from feeling like an album out of place in time, it's not the sort of thing I would listen to again. It's probably the aroma of the Arctic Monkeys that lingers on the compositions.

Ok, ok, listen. Subjectively, I can barely take Billy Corgan for anything. Subjectively, the Smashing Pumpkins were ludicrously overplayed when they were active in the 90s. Subjectively, this band occupies a space in my brain where I actively cringe when I remember they exist. Objectively however, this William Corgan fellow knows how to write a song. This is a powerful album from start to finish. The Pumpkins have a distinct sound, and their execution hits you right between the eyes. This album is full of all sorts of emotions, and this imbues the performances with a vulnerability exposed in the arrangements. 5/5 for being a career-defining album of an objectively talented songwriter. -1 star for Billy Corgan's voice.

Sounds like a greatest hits album. So many songs that have been indelibly entwined with the culture.

As the second arcade fire that was offered to me on this list, I was prepared to start throwing shade. I'm pleasantly surprised. I might even go and seek this out to listen to on my own in the future. A solid and competent entry into the "Stomp/Clap" genre.

My dad loved listening to Baez. I recognize the purity of the sound, the accuracy of her playing and her voice. It's impressive for what it is. But it's not my taste. And that makes it hard to rate.

Metallica isn't my favorite to begin with, but these performances are as competent as Metallica always is. I'm left wondering, "Who asked for this?" The orchestra doesn't elevate Metallica to something more highbrow than it is. The strings add little to the drama of the band's music in the first place. In this context, with the way they're mixed, the strings sound like a synth anyway. Nobody asked for this!

No reasonable person could take this album for what it so obviously is: Pageant Rock on Halloween dressed up in its finest haunted house regalia. That's not to say a *lot* of very unreasonable people saw this as the sonic gateway to open up a portal straight to hell for the dark lord Satan himself to climb through. Hail, Satan. Glob bless Black Sabbath for giving generations of disaffected kids this accessible and delightful album dripping in sinister melodrama to needle their parents who eternally refuse to understand them.

If it's true that you're either an Elvis fan or you're a Beatles fan, then I'm the latter. I get it. He's slick, handsome, got that whole pelvis thing going on... But there's better music from the era within this genre. Elvis gets a bump because he's Elvis? Nope. Hey, his backup band is among the best in the biz. They have to be to buoy up their frontman.

There's some daft punk I like. And there's this. How can something be so simultaneously repetitive and stimulating? Puts me to sleep. Like, within minutes.

All throttle, no brakes. The musicianship here – no, the *athleticism* on display here is amazing. Sprinting through a marathon the whole time. I *like* Ornette Coleman. I love *his* free jazz. I love what he brought to music. There's a purity in his performances. Zorn's interpretation is too much. Now I'm going to listen to Trout Mask Replica to cleanse my palate.

The Fat of the Land was one of the first electronic acts that broke into the mainstream in the US around this time. Aside from holding a special place in my psyche as a good album, there's an ineffable quality for me that makes this much more listenable than, say, Homework by Daft Punk released the same year. This style of big beat dance music was what the DJs were playing in the clubs I occasionally frequented around Deep Ellum, mid nineties. The Prodigy just slotted right into the scene, becoming integrated with my tastes at the time. I used to babysit my friends dropping acid for the first time with this as the soundtrack easily half the time. Kind of makes me want to try that out myself – listening to this thirty years down the line, I wonder what they were experiencing?

What does this album bring to the cultural conversation? I'm struggling to understand why I needed to hear this album before I died.

There more Eno I listen to, the more I like him. This is such an interesting album. I love the vocal doubling on the guitars on the eponymous track. You're trying to evoke an experience "On Some Faraway Beach"? Then record your instrumentation like it's 20 miles away. These compositions featuring rock instrumentation have a lot you can dig into, if you're willing to give it a chance.

I'm not going to listen to this again. It's fantastic. Top of their game. So unbelievably sick of GnR. Four out of Five -- these guys were doing their thing in the metal genre about as well as anyone ever has. But I refuse to pollute my music streaming algorithm with this album.

1. These guys studied their American Motown. 2. This sounds like top 40 80s background music. 3. I'm not unhappy I listened to it, but this wasn't something I needed to hear before I died.

I acknowledge the influence this album had on culture. I acknowledge its excellent production values. I can't get past the bravado swagger to get to the social commentary.

I don't know why this group gets under my skin. They keep showing up like a pebble in my shoe on a long hike. Like someone helping to scratch an itch I can't reach and failing. It's not bad as folk rock goes, but there are examples of the Stomp/Clap genre I enjoy more. Oh, I know what it is! Listening to this album feels like I joined the cult in Midsommar.

Jeff's Dad. It's *interesting*, but it's not my taste.

It starts out like the Shaggs' Philosophy of the World. Whether or not that was on purpose, one does not simply emulate the Shaggs. I've never listened to this before. It started to grow on me. Some truly interesting electronic compositions punctuated by some mediocre pop songs. I liked it. Didn't love it, but I liked it.

Opinionated and weird, I think it's the work of an extremely talented songwriter throwing stuff at the wall on his first solo outing. He's having fun. I can dig it. Hints of greatness here and there. Here Comes the Flood, Down the Dolce Vita, Moribund the Burgermeister, Solsbury Hill... But it's not his best work.

How does a band come out nearly fully formed on their debut album yet have room to still grow over their career? I'm sure a lot of that has to do with Byrne, the opinionated writer and front man, clashing with his other bandmates, famously often at odds with the excellent and (I think) under-appreciated bassist, Tina Weymouth. It's an incredible debut album. Every corner of it is full of the DNA that makes the Talking Heads uniquely themselves.

This album was produced during a cultural shift in musical genre. Sometimes do wop, sometimes punk, this album is all over the place. Brass in Pocket is a great song and is an indication of their style to come. It's a good album, but not a great one, and the existence of a tremendous single doesn't do enough to elevate that aside giving us a glimpse into the Pretenders' future.

Incubus was what my most obnoxious acquaintances kept telling I should listen to. Back then, it felt like Incubus was trying hard to be a distillation of everything that was popular on the charts in the 90s. It didn't resonate with me then, and it still doesn't. Recording is competent, balance is nice, musicians know what they're doing (though it seems like the drummer might be at the wrong gig). Definitely of a time. And it's just not hitting right.

It's interesting how Mr. Wonder can get such full-sounding arrangements without them becoming distractingly "busy". Everything on the album is performed well, but it's not my taste.

Nah. Pass. Not going to give this album a listen. I'm sure it has great production, yada yada. Ryan Adams is a garbage human, and I'm not going to contribute to his bottom line with my listening numbers.

Quintessential example of the nascent grunge form of pop music.

I love how they took the idea of new wave and crammed every nook and cranny full of sound – Lush arrangements that fill up my room. It's interesting to me that, while many members of the band aren't gay, their lyrics are universal enough that their work became synonymous with LGBT identity for a time. Their brand of longing and isolation was immediately identifiable to the queer community, that when I looked up their stats a few moments ago, I was genuinely surprised that two of the surviving members of the group are married to women. This is a great album, but would be eclipsed by the astonishingly good Violator a few years later.

Genres shift and change. Bluegrass slid into country & western, and that morphed into nu country, etc. In each of these major groupings, there are a few artists you can point to and say, "Yeah, this *is* that genre." Bob Marley is Reggae.

This is art in the hands of the people. It's exactly what it means to be. So much fun to listen to. It has the fingerprints of the artists all over it, and I love it. And "I'll Be Your Mirror" is the best expression of the Jungian concept of the Shadow ever set to music. Fight me.

I absolutely love this. And I'm loving my first listen through on this band. Idiosyncratic and full of energy. This is an immediate add to my library.

Interesting, many layers and textures. Has a garage-band sensibility with high production values. I like it. The whole album has lots of variety, and isn't track after track of minor variations of the same song. Not "knock my socks off" awesome, but still a lot of fun.

The drums are incredibly tight. The title of the album I begrudgingly appreciate the utter depravity of the pun on display. Really great pop production. Timberlake does a solid Michael Jackson impersonation. I don't care for this style of pop.

I don't have to listen to this album. I know it by heart. Might be the best of Dire Straits on display here. A guitarist buddy of mine hates Knopfler's voice, so he isn't willing to even listen to Knopfler – one of the guitar greats of all time. Even the filler is great, BUT... Sultans of Swing and Romeo and Juliet appear on other albums. Album is still significant. The digital recording techniques and mastering that were bleeding edge at the time, the seamless cut between the drum solo and the main song on Money For Nothing, so much amazing stuff happening on this video, completely invisible.

They certainly have a favourite bass drum sound.

I love this. It's a concept album from start to finish, and just drenched in comedy. The digital underground take all the bluster and swagger of big time performers, and turn it on its side. Freaks of the Industry doesn't get a E for its lyrics. That's a feat by itself. All this nerdy sex and swagger culminates not in actual sex, but in an eponymous Sex Packet. Just like the real thing. For sale. And you don't have to work at bedding the target of your interest. Dystopian sci fi rap genius. I loved it.

Oversaturation on the radio really turned me off to the Offspring when I lived through them the first time. Listening now, more or less fresh, it's more interesting than I gave it credit for as a young adult. Sure, there's an "edgier than thou" vibe to a lot of this album, but there's also a delightful sincerity to the anthems of disaffected youth untethered in an uncertain world. Isn't that what punk is about?

What are the odds? Yesterday was Smash by the Offspring. Today is the Clash by the Clash. Cultural significance? Check. The shit singer and competent guitarist being led along by a drummer much too good for this gig? Check. There are better punk albums. Some of them are even by the Clash, too.

I'm really torn here. I like the narrative aspect of this album. I can appreciate the narrative persona within the context, but I don't *like* this guy -- not in an "unlikable narrative" way. It's an expression within a clear social context, but it's so damn juvenile. It feels like every time it tries to rise above and express a larger social message, it swaggers so hard the album ends up tripping on its shoelaces.

Opinionated and weird. Love the energy. This band set out to make a thing, and they definitely made a thing.

With the universal approbation Radiohead receives, I would like to like them, but they don't do anything for me. The further you get into their discography, the less they appeal to me. My heart is teflon; Radiohead doesn't stick. I don't know. Maybe this is like how other bands grew on me over time, so it's possible that I'll discover what everyone else hears when they listen to Radiohead, but for now they remain the World's Most Overrated Band.

Despite the best efforts of this album generator project already feeding me all three albums of the "ditch" trilogy, I've not listened to the breadth of Neil Young's catalog. I suspect Harvest might be the best of the bunch. It's an incredible album.

Starts off really strong out of the gate. Solid 5. And then it keeps going. Jarring insertion of country fiddle. 4. And it keeps going. Sides 3 and 4 become an inconsistent assortment of loosely related songs. By the end, we land on a three, the average content diluting the excellence of the start. Had it been a shorter, more focused experience, strong 4/5. Meandering to the end we arrive at a 3/4. Happily, I'll recognize the excellence of the musicians.

I have trouble believing that I am 49 years old hearing this album for the very first time. I am utterly blown away. I... I'm just going to play it again.

When I was a kid growing up in North Texas, football was a religion, and marching band was the choir. We were led by a legend in the area at the time, and he was very much a "by the book" kind of director. Marching Band 4 Life. I played trumpet, and even though all brass marched as a rule, when the football season was over, we were split into two bands: the prestigious symphonic band, and the one I was in – the "concert" band. It wasn't that I was a bad player, I just wasn't engaged enough to actually practice to make it to the level of the #1 band. I chanced to take some private lessons that year, and my teacher saw my disengagement and took me on a track a bit away from the drudge of etudes. He started teaching me blues. This lit something inside of me. I rounded up a number of my slacker band friends, and we approached our band director. We wanted to form a jazz combo, and would you please give us some direction? We received a cold no from the man, and furthermore, if we insisted on forming the combo and actually started playing jazz, he would ensure that we would never climb the ranks into symphonic band, and we would kiss any future scholarships or personal recommendations goodbye. (I know: this sounds like the plot to an 80s teen movie.) This was *not* the reaction we were expecting, but we wouldn't be deterred. We called ourselves "Unauthorized Jazz". Our first seat trombone's dad was a big cable marketing guy in the area, so we had regular mall openings, car dealerships, and parades that we were invited to play through his connections. We quickly coalesced our sound around big band swing and ragtime, and we honed our chops at the local senior center on the weekends, providing the accompaniment for the little old couples to dance to during lunch. That was a wild year. We had no end of access to sheet music, too. The local university was (is) huge in the music education scene, and it so happened that one of the local TV stations was old enough to have transitioned from radio into broadcast TV. When they did, they donated *all* their sheet music (for the live broadcast bands) to the local university. As long as we had dimes for the copier, we were set. We got really cozy with Mr. Count Basie during this time. Our arrangement of Splanky always brought down the house.

To be fair, when this came out, I'm sure I was listening to Deep Forest or Enigma or any number of those "world music" mashups of this era. I probably saw this and thought "Jah Wobble" was a joke name. It's not a bad album, but it's not great, either. The world music part is kind of fun, but it keeps getting interrupted by the singing growl of a Londoner for some reason.

Heaps of Sheeps. A I iv V with a Bo Diddley beat. But weird. I dig it. Maryan. I really love the lyrical bass and the whole vibe. Feels like Pink Floyd circa Atom Heart Mother. Was a Friend. A whole-ass false song to start? Damn. September the Ninth. Wasn't expecting a jazz track. Loving the brass section. Alien. Love the way the whole song treads water the entire time, and the meditative drone lingering on at the end is a perfect way to close the song. A Sunday in Madrid. Forcing the beat poetry into that meter is delightful. The hanging harmony on the final "sleeps" is a delight. Blues in Bob Minor. Before I looked up to see the name of the track, I *knew* this was a play on Bob Dylan. Wyatt immediately dials this in. So much fun! Anyone taking the piss on Bob Dylan is immediately my friend. The Whole Point of No Return. I just want to weave that trumpet solo into a blanket and curl up inside of it. I was afraid this was going to be an experiment in noise, but I'm utterly charmed by its playful exuberance and experimentation.

I have a deep and abiding love for George Harrison, the man, and the artist. His years of being the money behind Monty Python has given us important and enduring art. His work with the Beatles was foundational within modern musical culture. His work as a public human being and humanitarian set the mold for many many musicians with a cause to come after. I would have liked to meet the man and simply tell him thank you for all that he has done. All that said, as a musician, he's a better ensemble man than lead. It's a crying shame he got sued over My Sweet Lord. What is Life is as good as any song as he's written. The wall of sound approach on Let It Down is delightfully impressive. Apple Scruffs is charming. (I think it's about a dog, perhaps?) He's one of the best guitarists of his generation, and one of the best of all time. So much of this album is merely okay, and that's unfortunate. Listening to track after track of indulgent b-side material, I get that he wanted to express himself as a serious musician post-Beatles, and I admire that. This is one of those examples of recording work that could have used some editorial input. You take the best tracks on this double album, and you have a solid 4. His need to write all the things and record them after being held back by the Beatles' working relationship is absolutely understandable. The 11-minute instrumental Out of the Blue is a great example of what I'm talking about. I'm not remotely opposed to instrumentals, but this track is a meandering, untethered jam session. It's not a composition that says much of anything about Harrison's artistic viewpoint. As a cohesive artistic expression, these extras and curiosities bring this album down. His best post-Beatles work was to come with the Traveling Wilburys. At least, that's my favorite. (Can be argued to be better than his Beatles work with one or two exceptions.)

How can one album contain so much funkitude? I love it when bands make covers uniquely their own. Listen to the Music, Sunshine... Summer Breeze! Good lord. That was incredible. Takes the original and makes into something entirely transcendent. (If Prince wasn't listening to these guys while growing up, then I have no idea about anything.)

This album says Rock. Like, where's my car? I need to go take a drive, windows down, definitely speeding a little bit with this on the radio to properly set the mood. If you want to learn to play rock and roll on the drums, start with Back in Black by AC/DC. Just put the album on and play along until you got it. Then put this one on. By the end of that exercise, you're ready. But, seriously, Motörhead? Jailbait? Wasn't okay. Was never okay. Ace of Spades is rightfully a classic (the song, not the album as a whole). As the album continues, it gets more samey. The riffs become more stale. This is definitely their wheelhouse, and it shows. Still, the rock and roll swagger, the apparent lifestyle – this is sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll exemplified. This is a double-edged sword. The content is primal and straightforward. The album is about as deep as a puddle, but that's what it was meant to be. You *can* do rock and roll without the idiotic misogyny, however.

Solid use of samples. Really listenable. I never *hear* lyrics until I get into a song more, and this is no exception for4 me. So, the rhythm, the timbre of his voice, this really appeals to me. When I listen along with the lyrics, I enjoy the humour in his turn of phrase.

This is peak Van Halen, and the last time the creative dynamics of the original lineup would appear together. These are artists at the top of their game, straddling that awkward phase between Classic Metal Rock and the Hair Bands. Minus one star for the outrageous misogyny.

My friends were dropping acid and listening to this. I was the designated driver and trip sitter for their safety. They LOVED this while they were tripping. It made me want to fall asleep. Sitting here while working, it's not repetitive in a way that helps me focus. It's more like an itch. I could imagine this hitting different if I were high. It's good for its genre. Interesting enough. I'm sure it has a cultural significance. But I'm not from the UK, and this wasn't my scene, so I can't get the cultural import and why, exactly, I needed to hear this before I die.

Costello would make some great music with the Attractions. This has a couple of great tracks, and a lot of work finding their footing. Undeniable chops, but not *great* great yet.

Aw... don't cry, emo kid. This lineup will take you into the stratosphere as one of the best bands of a generation. You made a good album, to be sure. It's solid, but it's not *great*. It has one of your really famous singles on it, but the album isn't "blow me away" great like Disintegration will eventually be. Don't worry about it, though. You're laying the groundwork for the brooding melancholy about love that will be your signature idiom for an amazing run. Buck up, little camper. It may seem bleak now, but I promise: It'll be okay.

I don't like Paul McCartney generally. I like the John and George songs the most. He's a savant when it comes to writing songs – I'll not begrudge his obvious and monumental musical talent – but he's not my favorite. Or so I thought. I *like* this album. Apparently the Paul who's untethered and depressed about the direction his life is going to take after the dissolution of the Beatles is one I can relate to. I like the spare arrangements. I enjoy hearing the instrumentals. Depressed, no-budget, basement McCartney reveals the soul of the artist. I'm a little beside myself now, re-assessing my worldview.

This was considerably better than I anticipated. Man knows how to paint a picture.

Opinionated artists who start real strong out of the gate. Didn't realize that three of the heavy-rotation Steely Dan singles came from this one album.

Kurt Cobain made this culturally significant. By itself, it's interesting. I enjoy a number of the tracks, but the album as a whole lacks a cohesive narrative. Not the greatest album, and I'm not sure why I needed to hear it before I died. I'm not unhappy I listened to it. Oh well, you had to fill up 1001 spots – there's bound to be some filler. All that aside. I wish I had the guts to put out an album this bad.

The positivity of this album! It's full of "believe in yourself", "accept your brothers and sisters", and "know thyself". I'm loving this. Albums like these are why I keep slogging through this project. I grew up in a music-less house. This never made it past my radar at all. No age is too old to be introduced to great music. Hip-hop was going to take a stylistic change around this time. These guys are preaching a message of peace and acceptance. I don't know how I would have taken this when I was younger, but this is exactly the message I needed to hear today. The sampling is outstanding and the production is on point. This whole album is an instant party, just add speakers. Going to let this one keep washing over me as I get my work done.

There's a reason he was Eddie in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Meat Loaf was a theatre kid at heart. These songs are *funny*. "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" has delightful production values and tells a common story in an interesting way. The bombastic arrangements as a whole belong to an off-off-broadway production of a rock opera featuring teenagers coming of age. Looking at it like that, this album has merits. But the single trick doesn't play well for the rest of Meat Loaf's career. He gets away with Bat out of Hell. The rest of his oeuvre is another story entirely.

These guys are kind of meh for me. This was a more enjoyable listen than their 2017 American Dream, also on this list for some reason. I would like a half star since this is better than average, but not "make me sit up and listen".

An interesting conglomeration of tracks. Mostly interesting as a record of a group of incredibly talented individuals imploding as a band.

The Talking Heads know what they're about. Many of these songs are among the Talking Headiest of the Talking Heads' repertoire.

I'm a sucker for tremolo. I usually listen to the albums at a relatively low volume, just as a rule. I don't need them filling up the entire space while I'm working. This one I turned up. Was "Here it Comes" a single? It feels *very* familiar. Not my favorite, but this is nice. It's layered, has compelling sonic textures. I'm not a huge fan of the vocals, but they're serviceable. Not bad.

A document from an artist coping with a global phenomenon. A letter from the edge. Fetch the bolt-cutters, indeed.

I've always consumed Norman Cook in small doses. Am I going to get annoyed by a full Fatboy Slim album? Risky click of the day... Ok. Really digging Santa Cruz. Give the Po' Man a Break is unpleasantly repetitive. Really broke me out of the work focus trance. Yikes. 10th and Crenshaw immediately following. This is falling apart quickly. Welp, I gave it a chance. Started out strong, but whimpered across the finish line. A starting point for some of his absolute bangers later on.

A man whose first language is the blues fronting one of the tightest rhythm sections ever recorded. Transcendent.

Turns out I like shoegaze (dream pop?). Spiritualized is starting to grow on me.

I have a soft spot for prog rock, and even though it would be heavy rotation on the classic rock stations of my youth, I silly enjoy "All Good People". I think it's interesting to include their live folk track on this album, but it made sense to me. We hear a lot of heavy folk instrumentation on many of these songs, and it's nice to hear that they have live chops for the same.

That was really short. I dunno. Didn't leave a lasting impression. Nick Cave sings story songs. And this is one of those albums. Seems pretty typical of his oeuvre.

Lennon/McCartney were a great duo. They each helped to reign in the excesses of the other. They are clearly talented musicians alone, but those same excesses really get on my nerves. I understand the "importance" of Lennon's first solo album, but this feels obligatory in a way. The story goes that John wanted to move on from the Beatles, even move on from music. This album feels reflective of that sentiment.

I found it interesting. It's fine work background music. I've loved the Trainspotting soundtrack since the movie originally came out, and it's amusing to hear the larger context of Primal Scream's output. All that aside, I'm not likely to seek this one out again, but it was a solid entry nonetheless.

Incredible album. I love the storytelling.

My ex was clearly cooler than I was. She had this album. She would sing parts of it to me. "Sex is violent", "The water is so fucking hot, standing in the shower, thinking." But cute, you know? Enh. I guess you had to be there, but this was one of those ways she would always crack me up -- come up behind me when I was working and sing in my ear, "Standing in the shower, pissing on myself." As for the album, these guys were doing their thing way before their time. This album kinda rules.

Nah. I don't need to hear any more of this before I die.

That speed bump intro to "By the Time I Get To Phoenix" is a massive screeching halt to an otherwise nice soul album. Not great for me. Wildly overproduced. Removes me from the soul part of the soul.

I am not now, nor have I ever been high enough to enjoy this album.

As a kid in the US, the classic rock stations only played Get It On typically. I didn't dip my toe into T.Rex much beyond that. In the age of streaming, there's a much lower barrier to entry to try out new music, and I'm glad I did. On the first listen of this one, I really like it. Hearing the T.Rex DNA from Get It On in an album context was intriguing.

Fine. This might be the pinnacle musicianship of a particular strain of synth pop, but it does. not. resonate. with. me. I'm reasonably sure there are better representations of the genre that don't sound like the speaker in the elevator got loose and started chasing me down the street.

I kind of love that they said that they were a bunch of minimalist imposters since they were still learning their instruments when they recorded this album. On the face of it, it's preposterous that they got this kind of studio quality and promotion with a story like that, but I want to believe it's true. Musically, it's not my thing. I generally like it until the guy starts singing, then it loses me instantly.

It's nice to discover and finally enjoy who the Offspring were r̶i̶p̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ influenced by.

What an incredible talent. Timeless classics here. Covers that become her own. She was 29 when she put this out. Amazing.

Brilliant performance. Pure musicianship.

Twigs' vulnerability is transcendent. I first heard Two Weeks listing to a mix, and stopped what I was doing to listen to the full album. There's a paradoxical intimacy to the lyrics and delivery that, even though it was released as an album, it makes me feel like I've stumbled on someone's private diary, and I shouldn't be listening to this because I'm crossing someone's boundaries. Incredible work.

Every now and then there's an artist who transcends their time and place and leaves something indelible in this ephemeral existence. Nick Drake's 26 years on this planet were a gift.

The song, "Lust For Life", lives rent-free in my head. It's a timeless piece of rock and roll. To me, it sounds as fresh today as it would have in 1977. Just an astoundingly good song.

I genuinely do not like this. Excessive vocal gymnastics that get in the way of the melody. It's an unforced error. Mariah Carey has an amazing voice. It's a damn shame I can't hear it for all the backflipping she does all over the place. Congrats to her on feeling so confident on that take of the title track Butterfly, but damn, she's not hitting the melody there. Yep. She's sexy. Got that sexy voice. Cool cool cool. Was this at the point in her career where people were afraid to tell her "no"?

Jerry Lee Lewis was massively overrated, riding on the coattails of the black innovators of the form. A shout out to his backup band – the real heroes this set.

That album has some of the fattest bass I've ever heard from a pop act. The existence of "Groovin'" alone isn't enough to elevate the album from that ridiculous album art.

In addition perhaps to being Madonna's best work, Express Yourself is one of David Fincher's more memorable music videos. A quintessential gem of pop perfection.

One and done. An absolute masterpiece. There's a very short list of debut albums that are this good. His talent fronting his supporting band fires on all cylinders all the time.

I don't know how to like Radiohead.

Solid Harmonies, if not a little droning. The music is repetitive and a little bit weird – backward echoes, reverb, and the like. Eight Miles High is a great composition. Their interpretation of Hey Joe is simply bonkers. As a whole, I can see this being really appealing if I were tripping. But I'm not tripping.

They're competent musicians, certainly, but I can't remove their public selves from their work. Self-important blowhards who acted like they invented heavy metal, this album was massively overplayed when I was younger, and it's not gotten better with age for me.

WOW! It's been a *very* long time since I started playing an album and was so immediately and completely subsumed within it. I can't do justice to the feelings I am feeling at this exact moment. I want to practice my drums every day until I am good enough to audition for Michael Kiwanuka's band. I want to sit in the room with him and be a part of the process – to be there first when his angel muses visit him and speak these glorious songs into his head. I want to be this man's friend. This is an incredible album from the first note to the last. My only problem is that it ended and my elation started to fade. Happily, all I have to do is play it again, and it's back. Completely, utterly in love with this.

The OG of ambience. I aspire to be this good.

Sunshine of Your Love was on the first set list I played after learning drums. It's a delightful song to learn on. A lot of flexibility in Ginger Baker's drumming. His performance here is among my favorite drum performances. Eric Clapton, even taken before his current assholery, has always been an asshole. He learned the blues well, but he's not the best. He learned to sing, but he's not the best. Yet he acts like he's god's gift. Look, it's sad his kid died, okay? I just don't like the man. I understand why this album is "important". Several tracks are mainstays on all the classic rock stations. Strange Brew, Sunshine of your Love, and Tales of Brave Ulysses (aka Sunshine of Your Love, part 2). Much of the rest of the album is really really *okay*. Feels like it's chasing the tail of the Beatles much of the time. It's not even groundbreaking psychedelia for its time. It feels conservative in its nature -- like the band is dipping its toe into the zeitgeist, but doesn't want to commit.

I think Post is a better album, but Debut is a hell of a way to start a solo career.

Buttery smooth vocals. White soul at it's best, but the over arrangement of the strings really gets on my nerves.

The trance-like nature of the form speaking about human horrors in an almost matter-of-fact way somehow makes the horror more impactful. The musicianship is really good -- they're clearly good at their art.

I can't imagine why they didn't start the album with Foreplay/Long Time. The wild prog-rock intro melting into the power pop seems to be symbolic little nod to the influences and direction of the authors. This album captures the zeitgeist of its musical era. I would say that you couldn't grow an album like this in a lab, but they did! I mean, it was a basement, but the self-titled "Boston" deftly distills the musical tropes of its day. It's peppy. Listening to it makes you feel peppy. Of course this was overplayed on the radio.

You are not what you own. I didn't understand what Fugazi was when I was younger and discovering music. That's a damn shame.

There are some great tracks on this album, but a timeless classic that I had to hear before I died? Not really sure about that. Solid album, though. I enjoyed listening to it. This is definitely one that could grow on me. Valentine's Day If You Can See Me (You Will) Set the World on Fire You Feel So Lonely You Could Die

I remember looking into how I could be cool like so many people I admired when I was a younger person. Block Rockin' Beat was on the radio, my friends went to dance clubs. I worked at a used CD store. This is the sort of music that the cool people played at their cool parties. I decided one day to put this on in the store during a bit of a down hour so I could listen while I reorganized the shelves. My manager dropped in for a visit around track 8, "Get Up On It Like This", and told me to turn it off. There are several tracks here that are pretty good, and a couple that I couldn't stand for their duration. Beth Orton elevates anything she's involved with, and "Where Do I Begin" is no exception. On the balance, this was a fairly "meh" experience. I consider myself a pretty progressive guy when it comes to music. Listening to this again after so many years, I remember that I am not now, nor have I ever been, high enough to fully appreciate this album.

When I was a younger man, learning how to play the drums, our reluctant bassist was completely infatuated with Rush. The bassist would much rather have been on guitar, shredding Tom Sawyer than whatever we were covering at the time. He was incredibly annoying. Turned me off of Rush for *years*. As an older man, listening to rush with fresh ears, perhaps it wasn't the bassist who was annoying. Perhaps we were annoyed by Rush all along. These guys are clearly stellar musicians. It's just not my taste.

He was really firing on all cylinders during this time, huh? 4.49? Or 4.51?

Damn. "Run Charlie Run" completely smacks my gob. Hell of a message, and the music is *tight*. "Do Your Thing" needs to become one of my theme songs. The whole album has a socially conscious message that I really dig. It's a beautiful album. Not full of singles, but full of luscious tracks that I want to float away on.

Maybe you caught me on a bad day, but not a fan. Some of these tracks sound like a table saw, but without any of the charm. I've made better sounding demo tapes on a tascam 4 track recorder. No.

I'm sure I didn't need to know that this was another Missy Elliott exclusive. On the one hand, I love the girl power vibe in a boy's world. Sex positivity, woman in charge here. Cool. On the other hand, I don't like swagger rap, and that makes up over half the album. Not my thing. Back in the Day is easier for me to listen to. It tells a story external to the persona of the artist. I get along better with that. Nothing out There for Me is a bop. Can You Hear Me is really touching. The woman is a powerhouse, no doubt about it. But seriously, y'all: is the "Missy Elliott exclusive" thing a bit? Am I missing the joke?

I feel like I know these people. I've had these conversations. The emotional content resonates on the same wavelength as my anxiety. Every part of this album is working for me, from the sweeping arrangements to the razor-sharp lyrics, I'm only sad that I didn't discover this album sooner. Added to my collection.

Sweet baby Jesus on a pogo stick. You couldn't get away from this back when it was released. Did MTv have an *ultra-double-plus-heavy" rotation? If so, this was definitely on it. Cynical production that's a fantastic example of style over substance. I can see it now: Some music execs were sitting around one day brainstorming some ideas. One of them says to the group, "You remember all those songs in the 80s that has a screaming guitar solo or a rap break?" The guy to his left perks up a little, "Yeah...?" "Those were awesome. Everybody loved those songs." "Where are you going with this?" Another guy at the table is sitting up now. Their collective interest is piqued. "What if we made an entire album that was just that? Screaming guitar and rap breaks?" "That would sound amazing! But you have to make sure the rap is performed by a white guy." "Well, obviously it has to play well with white kids in suburbia...." Naw. I couldn't get away from it back then, but I certainly can now.

Really tight pop rock album. Not pop perfection, but really solid. Heart of Glass, One Way or Another. Difficult to go wrong. Just heard the drums on the intro for "I Know, But I Don't Know." Love that. I dunno. Strong album. Apparently it's the one that brought fame to the band. That's cool. I dig it. It's just, there's a bunch of filler, but it's not bad filler -- just not all that memorable on the whole. Really *listenable* though.

Wherein Bowie becomes, for better or worse, L’artiste. Not my favorite. Probably won't listen again.

There's a lot that could be said about Leonard Cohen, Poet Troubadour. But he was definitely more of a poet than a troubadour. I like this album. I like listening to the man. But I don't think this is a particularly strong album.

Had I been a teenage girl in 1966, I probably would have lost my mind over this album. But it's 2024, and I'm not a teenage girl.

I love the arrangements here. The way the verse builds on "Nature's Way" with the gorgeous, silky smooth bass slipping in on the last round to buttress up the already gorgeous harmony raised the hair on the back of my neck. There's so much to enjoy here. The mastering is incredible. It sounds like a bunch of musicians who are really really good sitting around and doing their thing. Feels almost casual, like they're serious people who don't take themselves too seriously – playful and joyous, yet so tight at the same time. Really easy to listen to. I could have sworn that I heard another Spirit album with this project, but this is my first one. Huh. I have more research to do.

There's a lot of joy in this album. I agree that adding a compilation is kind of cheating, but this is still a great listen.

This is dangerously close to a country album. What's the non-country term? Oh yeah, he's taken a hard turn into "Americana". I also lived through the 9-11 attacks. I don't begrudge artists' need to process horror. I don't really care for this treatment of it. It's a personal taste thing. Springsteen's gonna' spring his steen, regardless. He paints very pretty pictures.

I liked it. It's weird. It's strange. It reminds me of Adrian Belew, particularly his work with King Crimson. I feel like I should know who Julian Cope is, but for the life of me, I don't know why. It's a weird cognitive itch I can't scratch.

The wild energy of the music propelling the dancers across the stage in my mind, bounding between chaotic and serene, my only complaint is that it was over too soon. Beautiful.

What can you possibly say about one of the greatest albums recorded at the height of one of the world's greatest musician's talent?

This is what happens when you give an incredibly talented, weird musician carte blanche. I love the weird stuff.

Rick Astley (yes, *that* Rick Astley) says if you want to learn rock 'n roll drums, put on an AC/DC album and play along until you get it right. He's not wrong. This is about as straight-ahead rock and it gets. AC/DC's original singer went out on top. The puerile innuendo, the childish lyrics, and just mindless fun of the anthem rock that AC/DC exemplifies is all on display. Though, unless you're into it, the criticism that hearing one track means you heard them all is more-or-less true. Perhaps the predictability is a comfort? For me it means that, while listening while I work, I don't always notice when one song starts and another ends. Motivation when doing the yard work? Sure. As long as you aren't the type who actually listens to the lyrics. This isn't "high art", but it was never meant to be.

Kanye is obviously a musical genius. The emotion flowing out of this work is enormous. It's 100% clear why he became a superstar. This is a brilliant album. I guess the lesson I take away from this is: when you are prescribed medication for your mental illness, take your damn meds.

This is insane. It's utterly batshit insane. I hold a minor maxim about art: the more obscure the art, the more the artist actually believes it. There is no rating for ?!?! I think I love it.

An album filled with so many iconic tracks, that you could easily retire and coast simply on this. Cross reference Girl Talk's track "Oh No" on the All Day album. Featuring War Pigs mixed with Ludacris' Get out Da Way for the opening track, It's an absolute banger.

Peak "Golden Age" Hip Hop. The exuberance of this album is infectious. I know it's best known these days for the Aerosmith crossover, but Tricky was the anthem of my pre-teens.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug. I really like this. This is my third Black Sabbath album for this project. I've enjoyed every one. I particularly enjoy the super fuzz sludge on the guitar here. It's really warm. Is it possible I'm becoming a Black Sabbath fan? More specifically, probably a 1970s Black Sabbath fan?

Oh! Sing melancholy of love and regret. Sweetly serenade the last pains of my heart.

This sounds like it represents an inflection in the transition from indie rock to Americana. It's interesting, but it's not great. I admit that I always wanted to be a rock singer, and I can also admit that I'm bad as a lead singer. Not "good-bad", just bad. This guy's friends really needed to have a sit-down with him and tell him some hard truths. If this were the "obscure albums you must listen to before you die" I would understand its inclusion, but there are better acts out there that represent this transition point. Not bad, not great. I like the music – the skill of the musicians. The incongruent vocals are distracting to a greater degree than I would expect.

Move is a hell of a way to open an album.

Going out on a high at the end of an era. The production values scream mid 80s pop. Perhaps this is a chicken and egg situation. Perhaps this simply set the bar and everything that sounds like it is an imitation. (But that's not true.) She does a good job coming out of her brother's shadow here. I didn't like the musical clichés of the genre when I lived through them, and they don't really get better with age. The arrangements make most of the album quite danceable , but that works against it as a "sit down and listen" experience. The rhythm section alone is very repetitive and homogenous across tracks. It's a hell of a dance album. Taken as a social commentary? No. When I can hear the lyrics at all, the arrangements ultimately come off as busy, indistinct, and muddy. Not my favorite.

I like some of the Smiths. Some of the albums feel like cohesive wholes. This one feels disjointed and random. It's not landing with me. "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" resonates. "Well I Wonder" is cool. So far, the second half of the album works better for me, but half an album isn't good enough for all the stars.

I'm torn about Lana. I've tried to power through her stuff before – it's the genre of stuff I generally like, but for some reason, her music really rubs me the wrong way. This was pretty good as long as I wasn't really listening to it. But really paying attention, it's track after track of dour mumble-whisper. Kind of samey. Not a lot of depth for me to get involved with.

I went to a university that was pretty well known for its student jazz ensemble. Many of my friends were musicians, and I had an opportunity to watch their various performances and rehearsals. I relished this time. I could get some studying done, I could support my friends, and I was treated to some fun music at the same time. Understand that these friends weren't in the #1 prestigious ensemble. I'm not sure that they ever really wanted to be. They still loved music, and they didn't want high pressure to perform to take that love away from them. This album reminds me of that. I'm not utterly blown away my the sheer art on display (re: Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert). That's not to say it's bad. Not in the least. I'm loving this album. At the same time, I'm not sure I'm going to keep coming back to this one like I would with, say, the Vince Guiraldi Trio's Charlie Brown Christmas, you know?

William Corgan is a good songwriter. The man writes a hell of a hook. Just look at his collaborations with Courtney Love. Billy Corgan is a godawful front man. His delivery is just trash. I know I suffered from pumpkin fatigue because I was still a young person when this album dropped, and you simply couldn't escape it. And the audacity of dropping a double album when you're a pop band is the height of hubris. Tonight, Tonight was on heavy rotation on MTv for, like, *ever*, and it's just not that good (yes, despite the fact it has a killer hook). And the band fell apart a few years after this release. So, yeah. Hubris, then. All that aside. 1979 is one of the best-arranged pop songs there ever has been, and I *will* fight you on this. I had never sat down and listened to this whole thing, and many parts of this (very too long) release surprised me. Some even delighted me. But I still have a visceral cringe reaction to Billy Corgan's voice, and you can't take that away from me.

I find this album very unsatisfying. It's a tease. Great little pop hooks, but only the hooks. They're over before I get a chance to enjoy what's going on.

Probably the best stones album. Probably.

Not listened to this one all the way through before today, not the best Beck album (Scott Pilgrim vs the World) nor my favorite (also Scott Pilgrim), but it's solid. Added a few track to my various playlists.

I have a strong suspicion that the Violent Femmes liked this band. I like them, too.

I tried. I really tried. I recognize the musicianship for what it is. Some of the tracks have a more broad appeal, and the anthemic nature of the lyrics – I can see how someone is a certain frame of mind could find solace in the lyrics. In the end, it's not a "listening" album for me. Nu-Metal just isn't my cup of tea.

Constraints yield creativity. The White Stripes are one of my favorite musical examples of this maxim. Jack White, now *the* Jack White, with his own record label, a full band, and whatever the hell he wants to do professionally lacks the creative urgency that permeates the White Stripes. Jack White with a band is another white guy who has a knack for songwriting playing the blues. It's not *bad*, but does anyone listen to Jack White because they love his particular vocal stylings? Here's a question to consider: Is Meg White a good drummer? Absolutely yes. She keeps time, and adds musicality to the music she's performing. I offer that your personal attitude about this question will inform whether you like Jack White's solo work. This albums excesses are the exact opposite of why I liked the White Stripes.

Tracey Thorn could sing me the phone book, and I would be enthralled.

Let's Stay Together is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Amazing track. The rest of the album is buttery smooth, and delightful, but nothing comes close to that title track. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the album. Loved it. 34 minutes of soul heaven.

All through this album I kept going, "Oh, these guys sound like the Doors..." or, "these guys sound like Nick Cave..." or Black Sabbath or the Rolling Stones or whatever. Then it clicked for me: those guys sound like these guys. This album takes all the things I hate about the Rolling Stones, makes them *good* somehow, and distills them all onto a single album. I don't care if Funhouse wasn't "critically acclaimed" at the time or whatever. This whole album slots so perfectly into its time, a gestalt snapshot of its culture. It builds on what came before, packs it into its most concentrated crystalline form, and sets a template for dozens of acts that would come after. So much to love here, and I adore the absolute batshittery that closes the album with L.A. Blues. Brilliant.

If you like synth pop and can ignore the tenuous vocals, then this is the album for you. Thin, tinny, grating, and repetitive. Minus a bonus star for the bad boyfriend vibes on the only track people remember from this album. Human League has done better work.

As always, Frank's voice is silky smooth. His control is legendary, and rightly so. This was his instrument, and he was one of the best vocalists to be recorded. And this album is full of sad sack melancholy emo crap before we had words for it. When all you have is the singer – when the music is supposed to fade into the background – the content of the songs better be pretty damn compelling, and this just doesn't do it for me. Sinatra plays someone so relentlessly heartbroken that in the end it's repetitive and tiresome.