1001 Albums Summary

The title track does a lot of heavy lifting of this record towards "classic" status. It has all the hallmarks of a John Lennon record: strong melodies, folksy sound, one or two honky tonk tunes with a little bit of goofiness, a track about Yoko, you get the picture. Other than "Imagine" I would say its a perfectly average record from the early 70s, but the weight of that track elevates it just a touch.

Overall the album has a very strong first half, the driving funk/electronic grooves are infectious and fun. However the second half gets a bit long in the tooth as the repetitive nature of the tracks leaves the listener fatigued by the 1 hour run time. I can tell this one will grow on me over time.

Faith and Father Figure are decent tracks. I want your sex sounds like it belongs on PBS but instead of being about the virtues of reading it's about sex. Many of the beats have not aged terribly well. A very average 80s pop record. Kissing a fool was a nice way to end the album.

Pretty fun album. Lots of energy.

Each song conveys and incredible warmth and depth. Infectious beats, sweet melodies. Absolutely fantastic.

Felt like a 3 different artist making their own collection of Rumours B-sides, and then those were cobbled together. Not offensive but not great either.

Absolute classic from front to back. Brings me back to my teenage years. Great vocals throughout, powerful if sometimes formulaic songwriting. Seagull is a hidden gem at the end of the album

Very charming and quaint listen. I've always been a fan of the McCartney sound and Junk and Teddy Boy are great examples of it. There's a lot of love and heart in these simple songs.

Aside from Over the Hill and The Man in The Station, very forgettable songwriting. A very soft album, and the various attempt to strike a harder sound (like on I'd Rather Be The Devil) come off as toothless. A style like this relies on catchy, powerful melodies. This does not have that. Many of the songs sound familiar, but not in a good way.

Some great tunes on here. Very much a McCartney record. Doesn't quite have the heart of his self titled solo album and only Band on the Run, Jet, Ret Me Roll It, and 1985 have staying power. Overall a fine record

DOOOOMMMM!!! What a dark, gritty, cataclysmic album. Every track make you want to grow your hair out, bang your head, and yell at the world. So much dark energy. Fantastic

The Doors attempt to make a blues album with this one. The album ends up long overstaying it's welcome. The aside from bright spots in L.A. Woman and Riders on the Storm, the songs are just exhausting and not very memorable. Even those are far too long for the musical ideas they bring. On top of that one of the WORST album covers of all time. Looks like it was designed by an AI whose prompt was "give me the most un-inspired 70s blues rock cover possible."

An amazing look into what is essentially an extended jam session from some of the best to ever do it. Some may criticize for it's long play time but I'm glad they let the songs breath and live for a while. Just some artists living through the music in 78 minutes. The extended versions are worth a look as well.

This one is really tough. On the one hand it is a scathing and pointed satire of the music, politics, and insincere counterculture of the late 60s. The commentary still holds up today. On the other hand it's a pretty uncomfortable listen. It's sort of genius and brave while also being pretty unpalatable. Normally the innovative and jagged parts of the album would cancel each other out. However, it's meant to be divisive. Giving it a 3 is missing the point and would probably make Frank Zappa more disappointed than a purely negative review. No fence-sitting with this one.

Of all the Beatles albums, why is their weakest offering on this list? As far as early 60s pop goes, it's pretty average. Aside from "All I've got to Do" all the other tracks are pretty boilerplate forgettable or written by other people. Nothing offensively bad, but one of the albums you NEED to listen you before you die?

Hilarious, well written songs. Infectious melodies. No low points. Fantastic

Overall not a bad album. A bit edgier and bluesier than their contemporaries

Not a bad prog rock album. This was wasn't super compelling for me but I did look through more of ELP discography and found that Trilogy and their self titled album to be a bit better

Compact album with catchy, infectious tunes. I'll probably be coming back to this one

A fine album. Not offensive but didn't strike me in any way. Maybe additional listens will spark something. The Thom York feature was nice

Some absolute gems on this one

Your run-of-the-mill Elvis record which doesn't have the same draw as it likely did in 1960. I can appreciate that this album was probably HYPED when it came out as it was the first since Elvis was in the military, but it's just a standard pop record from the time period.

Incredibly weird and fun. The melodies and grooves are varied and well written. Billericay Dickie is hilarious. Blockheads is a punk banger. His voice is extremely distinctive and doesn't lend itself to everything. Definitely takes a couple listens to get into this one

Better than some of it's contemporaries. A bit of a harder edge. Outside of the title track and "The Kids are Alright" a pretty forgettable album. One wonders if without those songs it would be considered for this list.

A monster album that would live up to it's name and would define hip-hop's sound for the next decade. Bombastic, braggadocious, and bad enough to back it up. The instrumentals on this thing are legendary. The lyrics tight and sharp. A classic from day one. In the context of this list a hip-hop album has to essentially be perfect or earth shaking to be counted. While not perfect, this album rises head and shoulders above table scraps from The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Unlike many on this list, this one is required listening.

This is a strange one for me. It's not bad by any means but it doesn't break ground in any significant way. It didn't capture my attention at any point in my 3 listens. This one will fade into obscurity as time passes

A great swan song to the 80s.

Disco would be dead by the end of 1979 and you can kind of hear why in "We Are Family". While chock full of great danceable hits, you could say the same about the past decade. This album doesn't do anything to rise above its contemporaries and aside from it's title track has not left a huge impression on the music landscape. This album would feel right at home in 1977 or 1973 and is sort of a testament to how stale everything had gotten by the end of the decade. Taken at face value this album is great. Short, sweet, danceable. But then again, so was everything else.

This one is hard to get into. Voice sounds like a white Gil Scott-Heron but with less compelling songwriting. Overall the lyrics are pretty meandering. The backing music saves this album but doesn't do enough to elevate it to something that bears repeated listening.

Creative and catchy. Lots of hits and not many misses. The Police's Reggae infused Pop Rock still sounds good today.

This one is not for me. I like prog rock but it just lacks a compelling melody. Who knew that an album about an armored armadillo fighting a mantacore would be a little self indulgent? I probably won't be coming back to this one. In the context of the era, the early 70s are chock full of great prog rock. Fragile by Yes, Aqualung by Jethro Tull, and Meddle by Pink Floyd are all higher quality and came out THE SAME YEAR.

A fun album with a lot of sick beats. You can hear the influence this would one day have on artists like Ibibio Sound Machine. Connected, Fade Away, and Step it Up are new favs

This feels like a collection of showtunes for a long forgotten musical. The production on most of the songs feels empty. Not my thing

A true country western album from one of the best to ever do it. No frills, no flash, just good old western story telling. The song writing is authentic and charming and sad in just the right way. Absolutely required listening

If you're just listening by yourself 3/5. Not a ton of substance here but the tracks are nice to listen to. Listening with your SO on a rainy Sunday morning 5/5. Norah Jones knows her audience and the context in which they will listen to it. No better album in this context.

I found it to be un-inspired. On songs like "The Christian Life" the performance is almost a mean-spirited parody of Country-Western culture and music. I can see why this record didn't go over well with Country fans when it came out. Given the rest of their catalog it seems insincere.

What a monster this album is. Great beats throughout. Would have been absolutely bonkers in the club. For me also great to focus while working.

Varied and quirky. Doesn't overstay it's welcome. Classic Bowie

Not my favorite songwriting but the album was cohesive and had some interesting ideas.

Writing this before I listen: these guys are some punk/alt-rock group from Northamptonshire or something like that. They are generally unhappy and the album is lauded for speaking to a disaffected British youth. Lead vocals will either sound like the singer is drunk or is Cockney personified. How'd I do? Update: I was completely wrong!! They're from South London not Northamptonshire. Perrett's vocals leave a lot to be desired and sour what are otherwise great tracks. Like a worse Lou Reed. If this album were released without vocals this would be a 4/5

It's nice to hear something new... or rather old on this list. Taken at face value, the album isn't incredibly special but I suspect it's included on this list as a bridge between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. Overall a collection of nice folk tunes. It's clear Jack walked so Bob could run.

I won't be able to say anything that hasn't already been said. Certainly required listening

This one really feels like a parody of itself. It's so over the top. Kinda love it kinda hate it. Probably won't come back to it very often

Singing is the uncanny valley of Thom York. Might not be Rufus fault but with Radiohead at the height of their powers here it's just too similar. Otherwise some nice tunes on the album. I may come back to this in a couple years and really like it

Not quite as good as their sophomore album but still quite good

At one point a song came on and I started jammin'! Took a couple seconds to realize the Devo album was over and something else had started auto-playing. This is album is pretty hit or miss; and aside from Gut Feeling and Uncontrollable Urge, it's mostly miss. The production just feels so empty and raw.

Steely Dan's 3rd best album. Still solid, smooth, and tight.

Overall not my sound, but I can understand why they are so popular. The lyrics are sharp, the guitar work is interesting and varied. Really seems like an evolution from a lot of the punk in the 70s

Very meh in a lot of ways. I really like the first track La femme d'argent but otherwise not super notable. Too engaging to be ambient music, too mellow to be electronica, not catchy enough for pop.

First I need to clarify the length of this thing. The eye-watering 2hr 5min version on Spotify is the 2014 Remaster which includes 20 minutes of bonus material. So take that out. Also the album was originally released with a 28 minute bonus album "Apple Jam". So if you don't like jam-music, think of it as skippable. I think of it as a bonus. What remains is 1hr 17min of sweet tunes and gentle melodies. Consistent quality throughout. In my opinion, the best of The Beatles after The Beatles. If you don't like the fab four, this won't be for you.

Sounds like a female Tom Petty

Very much a tale of two albums. The first half incredibly good. The second half incredibly forgettable

Liked Jilted Generation a bit better but this is still a great album and will probably make it's way into my regular rotation

Definitely an interesting listen. Probably won't make it into my regular rotation but I liked the jagged grooves

Ice Cube what is you doing on this thing!!! Turns out it was just a phase. Made it to All In the Family and couldn't go any further.

A fine album but not quite up to the quality of Radiohead's classics. Doesn't do much that the other albums aren't already doing better

Never heard of these folks before but truly a delightful album. Great songwriting, great melodies.

Short and sweet

Taken at face value a solid blues record. Great solo work by Clapton and would give a glimpse of what was to come. Very well produced for '66. Little Girl is quite a dud and the album suffers from it.

Kind of a weird one. Not really my thing but it wouldn't surprise me if this went on to influence many other artists throughout the 80s

Sounds like Trent wrote the lyrics for these songs after getting stood up at the freshmen high school dance, sat on them for 15 years and said "Nah, this is perfect" and then made this album.

Just reviewed More Songs About Buildings and Food yesterday. I liked this one better somehow. You can definitely tell where a lot of Talking Heads sound comes from. Not afraid to let the tracks breathe a little bit.

A mixed bag this one. Tom Waits is known for his weirdness and his creativity. If you like songs written by a drunken carney then this is for you. For me it's just alright

You can hear the origins of grunge lurking just below the surface

Above average but they don't do anything that Pixies wasn't already doing better at the time

A very strong 3. The album has some great disco pop rock but is dragged down by its bloat. There is a really great album hiding in there.

Short, sweet, fun

I'll probably never listen to this one again. 80 min of songs that really don't compel me at all

The punk - blues fusion is cool but I don't think I'll be coming back to this one

Definitely more interesting than a lot of their contemporaries, it's almost proto-grunge. Still very unrefined but good

Bloated and pretty meh

Very strong first half. If you just look at that disk 1 it's probably 8/10. The second half makes the album pretty bloated. A lot of highs, and a lot of filler

His masterpiece

Album starts strong but quickly descends into a parody of itself. When the songs on Spinal Tap hit harder you know it's not a good sign

Sometimes Tom actually sound like he's in pain while singing. Not like emotional pain but that singing actually hurts. Some interesting tunes toward the beginning. Not bad but his "singing while finishing up on the toilet" sound still doesn't appeal to me

Maybe Davis' 5th or 6th best album but still very good. In my opinion if you wanted a great example of Bop or Davis on this list you could have chosen others.

Liked the first track but was otherwise not taken by it. Not so bad as to earn a 2 but a weak 3 for sure

A very nice album. Not groundbreaking or striking but nice

I think this album should be played in reverse order. It's first three tracks leave what is otherwise a fine rock album feeling inadequate.

Truly the OG of gangster rap. Monster album. Too long

Just a really solid album. Great for road trips

Definitely one that grew on me over time. It's not one I can listen to often but dusting it off every year or so is refreshing

Very strong beginning and end. A classic

I can see why it would be significant to the story of metal music but not my thing. It just doesn't sound good enough. You can get the same feeling of rage and thrash with more compelling rhythms and melodies with something like AC/DC

Really just felt like heavily Bowie influenced filler without adding much new

A very light 4. I just think it's super interesting. A really earnest mix of south Asian classical music and electronica. Not great but definitely one I'll be going back to

perhaps lyrically one of the best albums ever made. But it just doesn't sound that good. Tombstone Blues and Desolation Row are great as folk tunes but Dylan's voice and ceaseless honking on the harmonica put too much salt on the french fries

ZZ Top is a greatest hits band. Their best stuff is really good, fantastic maybe. Great grooves, makes you feel awesome. The rest....

A good prog rock album. "Selling England By the Pound" from the year prior is better and shorter. Probably only need 1 Genesis mid 70s prog-rock album and this ain't it.

Drive is essentially the single bright spot on this one. Still better than Korn

Sir, a second Scott Walker album has hit this list

Great example of early 80's pop. Fun, short, sweet.

It's on the Mount Rushmore of Prog Rock for me. Really quite short and sweet at just 41minutes. Not overbearing, very melody driven, great album artwork. Superb

Really brilliant, one of the best Afro-Cuban albums I've come across. This is going to enter my regular rotation

Incredibly strange and incredibly good. Ignoring the context of it's release I still think it's among Bowie's best, most interesting work. Takes you out of your comfort zone

A lesser band's greatest hits

The only memorable song (for good reasons) is a cover.

Just too long. Not repetitive enough to put on a background working music. Not interesting enough to just listen to. It may be a clinic of drum and bass music but that doesn't make it enjoyable

Some of Kanye's best. Some tracks (So Appalled, Blame Game) overstay their welcome, but this would go on to shape hiphop for the decade to come

A solid album, but so far the 6th Bowie album that I've seen. Not every one of his albums is a masterpiece or a MUST listen. But as always, very good stuff. Rating 3 stars just for the Bowie fatigue. At this rate a full 37 albums out of 1001 will be Bowie

A perfectly average album. There's probably only one "must listen" album in Aerosmith's catalog and it ain't this one.

It's not bad, just very boring and forgettable. Won't be revisiting. It's essentially worse Sade

Quirky and good

Sounds way ahead of its time

In small doses quite good. Listening to 2+ hours of drum and bass is just so tedious. I'd never listen to this unless I needed to focus for 2 hours. I'm tired after listening to the hour initial release. I'd never make it through the 5 hour extended cut

Super weird. I kinda like it, kinda don't. This project is eclipsed by Deltron 3030. Likely won't be in the regular rotation

Pretty good

Not bad but nothing that Radiohead wasn't doing better 10 years earlier

One of the best road trip albums

Witness the strenth of street knowledge

Reminds me a lot of Terry Reid who may have been influenced by Jansch. A good album for a rainy day in the woods. I'll be coming back to this one

A fine album but not essential except for time of the season. Butcher's Tale is a gem though. White's vocals sound like an Arctic Monkeys lost demo

It's fine. Some good tunes but I'm not a fan of the rambling lyrics and the instrumentation hasn't aged well. I've always thought it odd that this is often lauded as one of, if not the best album of all time

It's got some very interesting stuff. Just not my thing

Surprisingly good

It's ok, not great. Probably 4/10

Iconic 60s album

the second best johnny cash live prison album

This album is more a testament to the fact that Heard it Through the Grape Vine is such a good track that anyone can make it sound good. In all seriousness, I hear the shape of feminine punk to come within this album. Not the easiest listen but probably influential

This album has 5 songs with lyrics only appealing in a middle school boys locker room, and 5 other songs where that's also true but rock so hard it doesn't matter.

The pinnacle of Bossa Nova. When two great minds come together 1+1=3 and you get this.

Some good tracks in here. Definitely has a time and a place

Not my favorite Simone album but still good.

Definitely grown on me overtime. Gorgeous

Very good but Getz/Gilberto is better. Don't need both on this list

There are two notable songs, both worse versions of their studio album counterparts.

This album better than most captures the angst and powerlessness felt by young men who feel they need to last out and bring people down in order to bring themselves up. It sounds immature because that's the point.

Brian Eno is one of those artists that you need to tip your cap to. His music is so creative and out-there. It's never stuff that gets into my regular rotation (aside from the Ambient series) but I appreciate that it has been made.

Definitely front loaded, first 3 tracks are HYPE but looses momentum. Stress is also very good. Fun album

I know it's supposed to be one of the greats but I just don't get the hype

Honestly not as bad as I was expecting given the review. Much better if you imagine it's being performed by a small dog. Still better than Korn

Expansive and vibrant. Endlessly interesting with plenty of variety.

I'm gonna rate this a 4. Why? I think this list should in some way serve as a cross section of all music. 1001 albums should give the listener exposure to a bit of everything. Such a list should include at least 1 selection from the hair metal era of the mid 80s, maybe not for its inspiration, its complexity, or its quality; but because it was such a product of its time. If you are going to pick one album this is it.

Essential for lovers of the piano

I'm sure very influential but this is museum music. In other words, music that you'd want to see immortalized in a museum for electronic music but not music you'd actually listen to in the real world. Still good

Like if a liberal arts degree became an album

I'm sure it was a great concert to go to but who is this album for? I think only the most hardcore Metallica fans go for this one over any of their studio albums. Folks that don't like Metallica probably won't like it either. Plus at over 2 hours long it's just fatiguing. I couldn't finish it

It's a bob dylan album

A strong 3 but the weakest of Jimi's albums

I should 'ave rated Boy in Da Corner higher. Grime is growing on me

Not bad, sounds like it kicked off the hair metal movement.

I liked The Love Below a bit better but both albums have their moments.

La Grange is a legendary song but the rest isn't the strongest. I prefer this to their 80s stuff but still not amazing

Soft, careful, beautiful

Musical comfort food

A gem I would not have come across otherwise

I can hear why people are so down on this one.

Not quite as good as his big 3 but still incredibly good

It's pretty hard to listen to. Almost rated 1 but still not as bad as Korn

Loses a bit of steam after "killing me softly"

Very strong start but overstays it's welcome. Some real classics

Way more than a hip hop record. So eclectic, still sounds great today

John does his best Bob Dylan impression on Working Class Hero

Great album, Fela should get way more love on this list. So much great music, even if this isn't my favorite of his. Still a 9/10

The The literally has one song worth listening to and it on another album ... already on this list. The Teardrop Explodes is almost the same thing and its already here. Non-essential. Music is alright I suppose

Good album but boy is it long

Should have ended after Under the Bridge. Still good though

Should have rated Harvest higher

Pretty decent live album

smooth, nice background music

A pretty solid pop album. Still don't know how this beat To Pimp a Butterfly at the 2016 grammys

The only Elvis album you need to listen to. Moreso as an historical artifact than something that's worth listening to today. Stick to the greatest hits

Disintegration is better

Least amount of fluff in any live album I've listened to. Great energy all around

Not bad, kinda fun for '65 and +1 for Tacoma Boys

Olson and Roygbiv bangers

A great album in it's own right but it gets extra credit for the Pieces of a Man omission

The Duality of the Southern thing. If this were a soundtrack to a movie I'd like it better. The south has got something to say...

Marshall Mathers LP is better. Unless you really like it MM is the only one your really need to listen to

Pretty cringe but I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. At least it was short