1001 Albums Summary

10. First heavy metal album opens with the first doom metal song. The Wizard feels like everything everyone who hated Bob Dylan for going electric was afraid of first of two multiparty tracks breezes by even if the second track that closes the record slightly drags in the middle movement.

A bit too… ethereal and gloomy for me. But I guess that’s The Cure. I feel like I prefer their later 80s/early 90s stuff. But hearing them at the formation of their sound is cool. All I know is I immediately put on Friday I’m in Love to cleanse the palette.

Solid album with Beatles/Beach Boys/Doors sounds. Final track is the best but the whole album is a fun trip.

Won me over by the end. The final few songs starting with DZT are the best. I’d love to hear more in that vein.

Remains great after all these years. His music gets kinda out there sometimes but he’s so listenable.

It’s a vibe. I dunno if it’s good or not but it’s a vibe nonetheless. Opens with Wii Bowling music, ends with distorted mumbo jumbo. Sure, why not?

Early Radiohead is the best Radiohead. Before they were afflicted with “biggest band in the world” syndrome. Listening to this makes it easy to see where Muse comes from. Really incredible album. Let Down is the best track.

Solid classic rock album. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s exactly what you think it would be.

Truly enveloping and weirdly comforting. Easy listening, but not as a slur.

Endlessly and effortlessly entertaining from the second it starts to the second it ends. Amazing joyful live version of Act Naturally at the end.

Feels fresh and relevant after all this time.

Exactly half of Steely Dan makes an album that is exactly half Steely Dan/half Nintendo music. Opening track IGY might be the best thing dude’s done, but by the third track we’re listening to themes from 80s police procedurals and Mario games.

Freedom is a banger. We all know that. What we don’t hear about as often is just how gorgeous his voice is and how deeply he admired Freddie Mercury based on his vocal runs and composition. The opener is a bit of a softball; I think I have more use for Michael in funk mode.

If your grandpa had a best friend in the 70s, he had an in-home bar and danced to this album there with your grandma.

Loved. Last track is a bit much for me, but that aside, it’s fire.

Way better than I’d anticipated. Some beautiful tracks.

Tempted to call it an all-timer.

Classic Willie. Familiar, warm, haunting in its own bittersweet way. Excellent spin.

Banger. Largely influential. Big time fun.

Phenomenal record. One of the biggest and best voices in music.

Sorta bleeds together by the end of it. Drunk Zeppelin.

Melodic and transfixing. Talking Heads and Chris Isaak influences are loud.

Uncommonly good.

One of the best albums I’ve ever heard.

Someone else here said that it’s just close enough to its disco roots to still suck. I’d argue it would suck at any distance. There’s a couple classics and a lot of fluff. Not for me.

Kinda goofy in spots that undermine its as a whole but it has a row power and anger that are meaningful then and now. Hard to ignore.

So hypnotic and on another wavelength that it started over and I didn’t realize it looped until Pyramid Song started again.

Masterpiece from a genius. About as good as music gets.

Nothing Compares 2 U is iconic for a reason. He’s a tremendous singer and even better songwriter.

Eternal.

Big DiFranco energy. Flawless, fresh, funky. Fantastic.

Reminded me of Primus in some spots, so that’s interesting. Solid record from a band I’d never heard a thing about.

Beatles. Bjork. Battlestar Galactica.

Bombastic, brash, brilliant.

Took a couple spins but I’m glad I did it. Solid stuff, better on the back half though. Or at least more engaging. I didn’t dig any of it until it hit halfway and then I guess I got it? Oh well. Thanks for inspiring Hot Hot Heat.

Superior rock album from superior rock band. Effortless brilliance.

One of the greatest albums of all time. Unfairly good.

Barf

Fucks hard.

Phenomenal spin. Changes is a classic, but the one-two punch of Supernaut and Snowblind win. The methodical slowing down step by step on the end of the last track is fuckin brilliant.

Big Patti Smith energy

It’s good. It ain’t for me, but it’s good.

Just about flawless. One of the great records.

Smith’s delicate, wounded vocals match his musical ingenuity so well. Total vibe of a record. Angeles makes me feel unnameable things. One of the best songs ever written.

Album unavailable on US streaming

Tremendous on all fronts.

Weary and woeful and wonderful

Brutal guitar riffs and big booming vocals. Just an absolute fucking genre definer.

Eh.

An epic, dark and jazzy. Iconic album.

Thanks, I hate it.

Grungy and full of bangers. Harvey is invincible.

Remarkable spin. I’ve given so many 5s so far but fuck it. Shit slaps. Iconic and groundbreaking mixes and samples. A definitive album of the hip hop genre. RIP MCA.

Feels timeless, like its a sign of good things to come for music. Scratches a unique itch.

Brian Eno and proto-Dresden/post-Doors sonicism in a blender with 80s new wave come in a decade early.

An album of deep beauty and respect for the collaborative process. Wildly important given its anti-apartheid roots. A genuinely deserved AOTY winner.

I 100% got stoned during this. I don’t like reggae much. This transcends, defines, and epitomizes reggae. Loved it so much. Made me feel so hopeful and happy.

Solid bars and strong beats. Points lost for some blatant homophobia.

Beautifully captured unbreakable spirit. True country.

Ugh.

Unfairly good

I struggle with jazz but this is of course good. Ellington was brilliant.

Foo Fighters have always been incredible. Came outta the gate swinging.

A shining star from one of the great musicians of all time

Crafted with sonic harmonies and the genius of Brian Wilson.

I don’t know what I expected.

A hip hop masterclass from a world class asshole

His music sucks and he’s a piece of shit.

Hard to hate. Immensely good stuff.

So good. Beautifully harmonies and classic 90s rock sound.

Praise You is perfection. Some of the album tested my patience but most of it is a good time.

Shoegazey goodness after an ass opener.

Pure classic rock. The opener and closer are clunky but the rest is a blast. Fun history behind the album too.

One of the all time great albums.

Gets in and gets out. A big, raucous blast.

Weird winking and wild ❤️

Kinda derivative of other better bands but still a good spin

The greatest live album of all time. Intimate and explosive. Cash’s taunting of the guard folk is hilarious, juxtaposed with the astonishing ending audio of chains rustling as inmates are led back to their cells. Jackson is my fave Cash track.

All bleeds together. I didn’t care about any of it.

I suppose it’s good. I just didn’t care about any of it.

Brilliant. Soaring solos and vocals. Bangs from start to finish.

No thanks

I yawned a lot.

Falls short of the glory of the Folsom prison cut but is still quite remarkable.

Bjork is phenomenal. One of the best voices in music.

Strong middle period U2 is still weak overall U2.

Overlong perhaps but glorious and grand. Compulsively listenable from start to finish.

Couldn’t be any lamer if it had polio.

Damn it.

Doors bullshit. No thanks.

Weird and wonderful. Tom waits for no man.

Minus some slower dragging numbers, it fires on most cylinders.

An album that consists of The Cure tuning their instruments, preparing to record a better album

Look of Love reminded me so much of Donny Gary I didn’t know what to do with myself.

No thank you