1001 Albums Summary

I was surprised that I was familiar with several of the tunes on this album. Felt a bit derivative but the songs weren't bad.

I've listened to this album many dozens of times. It's fairly commercial which is interesting as I think it's more the case of the songs being good, and people liking them, and they end up commercial... as opposed to Peter setting out to make something people would like. Honestly it's probably my least favorite Gabriel album. Then again, I more or less love the other ones, and this one I like a lot.

A few of these tunes definitely got a lot of airplay on streaming. It's more of a rap album, with melodic content, than hip-hop.

Wow. I'm a huge Neil fan, and I've never heard this record. It's definitely got a very strong country influence, and I could see that being off putting to some folks. Not a single track on this album is something that Neil plays anymore, which is interesting. I suspect this record would grow on me if I listened to it more, and reading about how it was essentially a "lost" album i.e. was out of print for a long time explains to me why I hadn't heard it until now. Interesting!

At the time this came out it had to have been pretty revolutionary. I've listened to this album a decent amount in the past, though I probably prefer II, and hadn't listened to it in a long time, so I gave it a listen. Over time I have definitely listened to heavier music, and also stuff that is more revolutionary... I'd say the big negative with Zep is that they definitely repackaged blues into rock, and made it safe for 1970s white America. That said, there's good musicianship, and obviously many solid original tunes.

Sigh. I will admit that there is some R.E.M. that I get and enjoy, and other R.E.M. that I don't really get. This album has a certain sameness to a lot of the material which makes it hard to get excited about what is almost certainly great musicianship and songwriting. The lone exception is "Orange Crush" which just appears as a total breath of fresh air out of nowhere in the middle of the album. "World Leader Pretend" was a fairly big hit for them but is in the same idiom as the rest of the album. I wasn't impressed. I know there are R.E.M albums I like a lot. This isn't one of them. It's fine.

OK, this is an album that is well loved by me, and one that I bought in vinyl back in high school. I might like Unknown Pleasures better, but generally I think one cannot argue the importance of Joy Division. The mood, the precise drumming, the overall sense of dread... Basically they created an entire genre of goth rock all on their own, with some help from Black Sabbath (ancestor) and Bauhaus (descendant). Definitely an album everyone should listen to once before they die, and also a great album.

I've never heard this album before. I'm well acquainted with CSN and sometimes Y, but my only Stills solo material have been a couple of tracks on live albums. Pleasantly surprised! Interesting sound, material, songwriting, good harmonies. I'll have to listen more.

Not a great listen -- on a plane, lots of noise, not loud enough -- but very interesting material indeed. I am aware of Charles Mingus and have listened to him on some recordings as a member of a group, but I haven't listened to an actual recording with him as the artist. Clearly some sort of avant modern dance accompaniment, this is interesting stuff. I see why he's referenced in the same breath as Miles.

On the road so not the most critical listen, but then again, very familiar with this record, own the vinyl from years and years ago. Interesting cross pollination of prog rock with classical. There are other ELP albums I like more, the live albums or Brain Salad Surgery, but this one is entertaining and a good performance.

Was on the road for this one so Spotify again but had time to listen to this twice under decent conditions. Clearly a roots influenced situation, an album I've never seen or listened to before, but a band I've heard before as background music. I liked it and suspect I'll end up listening to it again. There's a lot of music from this era that has similar sonic qualities, I thought the vocals were pretty distinctive, and it was a nice mix of blues, folk and rock.

Very familiar with the title track, never heard the album. It's a mood.

Very familiar with many of these tunes from the live album Wings Over America. Great songwriting, interesting material, good tunes. Impressive and definitely gives credence to the idea that Paul was the one with the pop song writing chops.

It's not terrible, but I don't understand the inclusion on this list. Even if you take the UK centric nature of some of the selections, why would this be included instead of something like Ultravox or Visage or Howard Jones? (all UK options) Icehouse or Split Enz or Thomas Dolby? These six are all much more worthy "new wave" inclusions than this album -- even if you were just looking at UK options in the same general timeframe, this is a poor choice. Looking at the charts, Asia would be a better option and bring something interesting to the list... Gap Band IV would have been amazing as an inclusion... Flock of Seagulls debut! Scorpions "Blackout"! Anyhow, poor choice. I owned this record in the 1980s and gave it away back then... it didn't stay in my collection for any real duration.

Um. This isn't a bad record, there are interesting things here and there, and it has some elements that are musically cool. That said, it makes me think of a quote from a friend of mine -- "the Black Eyed Peas are the sort of musical act you think about creating with your friends when you are nine" -- Gorillaz are basically that sort of thing, somewhat updated, less dance oriented, more of a trip hop sort of feel in places. I don't understand why this album is on this list and Digable Planets "Refutation" isn't -- hell, I'd take Beastie Boys "Check Your Head" or "Hello Nasty" over this, even with several BB albums on the list already. (I discovered later that this seems to have been removed from more recent editions of the list LOL)

My sister wore out a copy of this album. It's decent power pop, and not supposed to be any sort of life changing experience... I mean, it's definitely significant in terms of having an impact for women in rock, and charted decently well, but I don't really see the point of inclusion, except precisely for the fact that these folks encouraged a lot of other ladies to get involved. Hard to imagine Hole or Sleater-Kinney if there were never any Go-Go's. Then again, Joan Jett might have been enough on her own!

OK, I'm only about halfway through, and two things immediately come to mind. First, I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this, I've never listened to these guys at all, really, other than random hearing of their bigger hits. That said, I like industrial (Ministry, KMFDM, Front 242) and I like rap (Beastie Boys, Digable Planets, Tribe) and I'm not scared of noise (Swans) and so this is kind of great. Second, I am blown away -- amazed -- to hear there is a "clean" version of this album. What the hell?!? I am just going to have to check that out, as the level of profanity in this record is off the chart. The album runs a bit long and some of the tail end of it is rather meh, but overall still surprised and impressed that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

OK, so this is the sort of thing I had kind of expected and also hoped for when signing up for this 1001 albums thing. Yesterday I had Limp Bizkit and today I have Jacques Brel. LOL This album definitely broadened my horizons just a little bit. I am familiar with this style but only in passing. It's the first time I've listened to several tunes of this era and style in a row. Brel is clearly connecting the cabaret with what would become early contemporary French music. Glad I listened to it? Yes. Need to listen to it more? Probably not, it was interesting precisely because I had limited prior exposure. Good selection for the 1001 though!

Well for me, this is a classic formative album. I'll admit the vocals can be a bit hard to get used to, but conversely, there's just some fantastic songwriting here and some outright jams. Holiday in Cambodia is certainly a jam, as is California Uber Alles, but I must admit a big soft spot for Let's Lynch The Landlord which clearly states, unequivocally, exactly where their sympathies lie. IMHO a classic album that everyone should have heard at some point in their life... so a great inclusion on the list.

I will admit two things simultaneously. I am not particularly a Dylan fan. That said, it's impossible to have a grounding in popular music, particularly folk and/or music from the 1960s, without picking up a few albums and having some favorite tunes. Most Dylan albums therefore end up feeling a bit like a collection of "greatest hits" with some filler added in for good measure. This is one of those. Several absolutely classic tunes, several deep cuts. Dylan's voice is strong on this recording. I was debating rating it three vs. four and ultimately chose three as I suspect I wouldn't listen to this record again under normal circumstances. (I'm a lot more likely to grab a live album.)

So, for starters, this is a band that could never have existed without the Velvet Underground. I'll also compare it to Wilco, but with vocals that aren't as tuneful, and tunes that aren't as well written. This isn't bad, in fact, I love both of those bands, but it does feel a bit derivative listening to it now in 2023.

OK, saw the French titles, had no idea what to expect, but didn't expect this... very much sounding like a modern French Madonna clone. Not that that's bad! Madonna is a guilty pleasure for many, and her early albums were huge massive club hits. Ah, interesting... didn't realize there was an English version. Honestly, was kind of enjoying the French, probably because you can't tell if the lyrics are dumb or not when they are in a language you don't know LOL. Somehow this makes me think of a very cleaned up Peaches.

Kind of surprised at my overall enjoyment of this. Never heard it, know the band exists, possibly a couple of singles somewhere along the line, but no familiarity. Not bad. A bit of a pastiche of various styles, sort of unique, yet derivative.

Have the vinyl, remember when Sade burst on to the scene like a breath of fresh air. Beautiful voice. Understated production. Doesn't really hold up as anything super special in the context of history, though.

Fairly familiar with this album, very very familiar with certain tunes. I'd agree this is an album everyone should hear at some point. These days, the production seems very "open" i.e. the sound isn't very layered, so it is a sparse recording... it is both soulful and yet obviously a studio recording. There are classic tunes on this record, but I like Big Pink better.

I will admit that this album ended up feeling like cool background music. Dusty has great pipes, and the musicianship backing her is strong, but I didn't find anything super super memorable. Possibly unique for 1969 in that this felt like a throwback to late 50s early 60s. It's not rock, it's not psychedelic, it's not electric folk... It's soulful, R&B, and yet somehow very very white.

This is cool. I've never heard of this artist, much less this album. I am conversant with some hip hop... this reminds me of Public Enemy, probably more than anything else. Good beats, interesting melodies, nice timing. Color me impressed.

Initial impression after the first few tracks... boring. Just not that much going on. Production has too much emphasis on midrange, they seem to be thinking they are playing super fast super thrash which is true but conversely this just isn't all that interesting. Vocals are lame, just a monotone sing shout. There are two songs I recognize and they are a bit more tuneful and better, but honestly, without them this album would be pretty terrible. I was listening to Dead Kennedys right before this and boy, what a contrast, so much better songwriting, so much more emotion, so much more energy! I was sorely tempted to give it one star, but there are two decent songs, if I could I'd do 3/10 so I'll give them two stars and save the one star for something truly awful, not just boring.

Very mash up feel. Kitchen sink. The main thing that is holding it together is the enthusiasm. They are doing weird things, and singing tunelessly, or tunefully, whatever they want, and if you like it, great, and if not, that's fine too. Compares well with LCD Soundsystem. Never heard of these guys, nice find.

OK, so this is a bit funny. I had never heard of this album, and honestly, when I looked at the track listing, I thought it was some early greatest hits record. LOL! Now all that said, there are three totally classic tracks on this record, and the rest isn't anything special. There are MANY great Rolling Stones records. This one isn't bad, but I don't see how it is an album everyone should hear before they die... I mean, for sure Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet are much better records than this one.

I had thought I had not heard of this band, and then recognized three of the tunes right away -- this record must have been pretty huge when it came out. It's got some interesting layering of sounds, and the songwriting is OK, but I didn't find it anything special.

I'm a sucker for New Orleans music. This is just a fantastic mélange of styles which really swings with a great jazzy big band accompaniment. Vocals solid and expressive too. Never sat down and listened to an album from Louis Prima before... but some of these tracks are absolute classics. A great example of the sort of thing that needs to be on this list! I am jealous of anyone who has never experienced this style of music before at this quality.

I'm generally a Beck fan. The album I listen to the most is probably Mutations. Odelay is more straightforward than some of his other work, with typical backbeats and less layered instruments. It's fine but I like other Beck records more.

This is an album I've always really enjoyed, particularly the third album side on vinyl with "Rainy Day, Dream Away", "1983....(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" and "Moon, Turn the Tides....Gently Gently Away". Maybe it's a Seattle thing, I dunno. It's definitely got a really laid back feel that I enjoy and is more psychedelic and more improvisational than the other Hendrix studio albums.

I'm a big Richard Thompson fan and haven't really listened to much of this early material, at least, not intentionally and not an entire album. Some of these tunes are often covered by him solo, or were in the rotation for a while at some point, and I'm familiar with those. It's interesting to hear him in an ensemble presentation, particularly one as "folky" as this group is. (Harpsichord, fiddle, etc.)

OK, so I probably like Doolittle better than this record, and Trompe le Monde has better production and really rocks from start to end... but I love myself some Pixies, and this record has some absolute classics... Rock Music, Velouria, Is She Weird are all top shelf in my book. Great band, great album.

I think this might be my favorite R.E.M. album.

I was heavily involved in the rave scene in the mid 1990s in the Bay Area, and while I personally preferred techno and related situations, I was certainly conversant with house, acid house, trip house and similar. I don't understand the inclusion of this album on this list, particularly when there's nothing from The Orb or Future Sound of London or Art of Noise. If the goal is to expose people to things they may not have heard, OK, sure, I haven't heard of this record, but that said, it's derivative in the worst possible sense of not being creative. I will give it two stars because it's not objectively bad -- if someone put this on at a house party, I don't think anyone would run over and turn it off -- but there's no there there. LOL reading Wikipedia now and this seems firmly in the area of the author is UK based and this record was apparently big over there, but hell, Rolling Stone said it's #13 on the top 30 EDM albums of all time... I guarantee that 1-12 aren't all on this list. Silly!

Super interesting. Not at all what I was expecting, based on the album cover, the album title, the artist name. I saw that it was tagged with the genre Drum & Bass but this wasn't what I was expecting. Precisely the sort of thing I was hoping to run across when starting this journey. Cool!

So I'm a big fan, and to put a personal story in here, my daughter was taking classes at School of Rock and the unit was Ramones. I was thrilled. She shared the setlist with me, and I scoffed, and said "What? No 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue' or 'I Wanna Be Sedated'? Lame!" She brought it up to the musical coordinator and corrections were made... I think this is my first five rating (about 30-35 albums in) and that seems about right to me.

I had the very good fortune of discovering Bill Evans in the early 1990s and getting to see him perform live in a small club in San Francisco around 1993 or 1994. It was wonderful, and I am so glad that one of my friends there organized that outing. Bill Evans has a rare quality of being precise and yet also having a rhythm, a swing, an emotion to his playing. Great choice for the 1001.

So this wasn't at all what I expected. That said, it was pretty great. Interesting musically, a variety of moods, different tempos. Cool!

OK, this is a bit silly but I have to admit that I keep thinking of Spinal Tap and their discussion of the various directions of the band before they became Spinal Tap. This really feels almost like a parody of 60s psychedelic folk rock. They are super earnest though. I think in the interest of being polite I'll give it a three, it's not my cup of tea, there's definitely effort being made, and while the style isn't at all what I typically like to listen to, it's not objectively bad, the musicianship is solid.

Impressive debut album, includes "Gimme Three Steps" and "Tuesday's Gone" -- both fantastic songs well loved by fans -- and the instantly recognizable "Free Bird" and "Simple Man". They've got a unique style that comes across really well in the record... they basically invented "Southern Fried Rock" along with the Allman Brothers. Solid. Big fan of "Saturday Night Special"... not on this album, worth checking out.

I did enjoy listening to this, but it didn't feel like it was really covering any new territory. It felt very much like throwbacks to classic female country and/or jazz standards artists.

I'm not sure what that point of this record is. It feels like people trying to be hip and funky... but they are not naturally hip and funky people. Karaoke in an album format? Perhaps. I suppose on second listen they occasionally manage to be hip and funky, though it feels forced. I may give them a three just because I'm feeling sorry for them. The music isn't terrible... but it's certainly not great. LOL I try to not read the Wikipedia entry until after I form my opinion -- but this is almost comical in that the 1001 list is often derided as being too UK centric and having too many mediocre UK acts on it... and yeah, here's another one.

This album made a huge impression on me when I first heard it, and it survived many, many, many relistens. When I saw it pop up on this list, I was like "OK, easy five, an unbelievable record" and immediately looked forward to cuing it up. Yep, amazing record. Kind of jealous of anyone coming across it for the first time. One of the more interesting records of the last ten years. Very worthy of a spot on the 1001.

I recognized a couple of these tunes -- not sure if they are originals or covers, but "Cryin' Time" and "Memphis" definitely made it into the canon, such as it is. (From research, Cryin' Time is an original by Owens, and Memphis is of course by Chuck Berry, I was well aware of his version, but wasn't sure which came first!) I have a limited appreciation for country music. I like Johnny Cash, I like Merle Haggard, I like Willie Nelson... and that's probably about it, honestly. This record is definitely pure country and very much of it's time. At least it's honest!

Well, the big hit "Girls & Boys" is definitely the best track on the record. This reminds me of being in high school, with limited cash, and buying albums based on the strength of a single, and being disappointed with the album... happened all the time, actually. I wouldn't say this record is bad, but I didn't find it compelling, and I fail to see how it breaks any sort of new ground. I'll put it in the bucket of being an album that the UK centric author wanted to include as it was significant in a UK centric way, but it's not really all that important, big picture.

I remember this record coming out and a lot of people loving it. I had been listening to U2 for a few years at that point and I didn't like this record as much as I liked "Boy", "October" and "War". Listening to it now, the production seems poor. It's very muffled sounding. I read a bit about it and apparently this was intentional -- something about making the record sound more immediate, authentic, cozy -- but listening to it now, it's just muddy. It's possible that newer remasters or whatnot may not have the same issue or it might not be as bad, but the overall impression is really imprecise. There are some classic tunes on here but I prefer earlier works.

Cool record. Kind of amazing to listen to this vs. other stuff that was going on in 1973. It's hard to give it a rating. Definitely a record that is of its time and yet also something that paved the way for a lot of other bands.

Fun, smooth. I generally like Jah Wobble but had never listened to any solo material. I don't know if this is revolutionary, if I could give it 3.5 stars, I would... It's definitely above average musically but conversely I didn't find it all that super creative. Ah, second listen. Rare, but felt like it was necessary. Feeling four stars now. Very funky world music. Definitely some creativity and some energy.

Classic record. Very familiar with all of these tunes, as there are several live recordings that circulate from this era that were recorded off FM radio. Excellent stuff!

So, yeah. A bit indulgent. Not sure if I'd consider a 28 track record with four hits to be a great accomplishment. Imagine if it had been trimmed down to a dozen tracks... including some of the more interesting transitions and musical parts, plus the four hits. Now that would be a record! I must also admit that I don't like the politics of the front man at all either. Art is difficult to separate from the artist. Some of the tunes blend together, which is to be expected with 28 tracks. My overall impression is indulgent, too many tracks that are filler...

I gave this one casual listen and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm generally a fan of punk particularly when it doesn't take itself too seriously.

So. I'm a big Bowie fan. I'm also a little picky. I think this is a great record, particularly fantastic saxophone LOL but that said, it's not in his top five.

So, this was unexpected. I had no idea the Byrds became a country band. Very odd. Not bad, either.

I have to laugh. I'm very familiar with this record, and planned to give it a four, as I think it's formative, but not truly spectacular. I listened to it again. Five city, baby.

I've been fairly aware of this band for years and saw them live at a club in Santa Cruz CA (the Catalyst) back in 1993 or 1994. Wild show, crazy crowd, to the point where the band threatened to end the show early if people didn't calm down -- too much stagediving apparently. Anyhow, I have never really dug into their back catalog... and apparently need to make plans to do so.

So this is a beautiful record. I definitely spent a bunch of time years ago listening to this and "Buddha and the Chocolate Box". If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would. It's a bit saccharin for modern days.

I own the vinyl, bought the record when it came out. Honestly, I can't argue too much with this inclusion in the sense that their huge singles were not on the previous album "Power, Corruption & Lies" -- if "Blue Monday" and "Confusion" and "Thieves Like Us" were included on that record, it would have been a clear winner over this one. That said, we rate the albums as released, not the albums we wished were released LOL and this is a very solid outing with some good tunes.

I never really listened much to this record -- I had a roommate who would play it with some frequency in his room, but I didn't own a copy myself. Listening to it now, it just seems a bit depressing. I liked the energy of "Pretty Hate Machine" and saw NIN live during that era... I like industrial, but I prefer angry music to depressing music.

Cool record. I was familiar with a few of the tracks, but hadn't listened to this album before. I'll definitely have to give it another listen.

The couple of hits on this record are interesting tunes... this was pretty early club music i.e. something you wouldn't really hear on the radio with any real frequency, but you'd hear when you went out. Definitely also a bit of a mishmash with a few different elements -- funky, electronic, a bit of a reggae feel here and there. I would say it's aged somewhat poorly, as it isn't nearly as complex as music became.

I've heard the singles, never listened to the album, rectified that today, enjoyed the record, will have to listen to it more. Some wild guitar sounds for sure!

Two observations. A) There seems to be quite a bit of Sonic Youth on this list and B) I'm not complaining.

Wow. I actually kind of looked forward to listening to this... "Come On Eileen" was a sensation, really unusual sound, fun record, and I thought there was a decent chance that this record would be in the vein of Violent Femmes or B-52s or something like that, quirky, energetic. Yawn! Definitely a case of video killing the radio star, this act looked cool on TV, and the single had a huge hook, but the album is pretty terrible. I'll give it a two just because the single is still fun, energetic, and relatable even now.

Love Queen. This is a transitional album for them -- they are moving away from their prog roots and becoming a bit more of a rock band. "Killer Queen" was huge, and "Tenement Funster" still rocks. There are several Queen albums I like more than this one, though.

There are idiots who gatekeep and just like they might claim that someone isn't black because they have light black skin, they will judge this record and say it's not real rap or not real hip-hop or whatever. Such garbage. Garbage! Just because a record is approachable, and the lyrics are positive and aren't full of f-bombs doesn't mean it's not real. I run into this from time to time with another band I like a lot, Digable Planets, they are a bit weird, and political, and positive, and interesting... and people will say they aren't real hip-hop. I don't care! Really I don't care. I want the music to be interesting, I want the lyrics to be thought provoking, I want the band to take an overall position... and this album delivers all that in spades. Don't gatekeep tunes. It just makes people think that you are someone who wants to force your preferences on other people as if they are the only valid preferences. Garbage!

"Sweet Bird of Truth" is one of the best songs ever written. Several tunes on this record are absolute bangers. Criminally underrated, The The is one of the most important bands of their era. Check out the "Mind Bomb" album if you haven't already. You're welcome. (Glad to see "Soul Mining" already in the 1001.)

This didn't do much for me. I like foreground music, and generally prefer music with lyrics... this felt like it was just a bit too clever for its own good.

If you could wear out a CD, I would have wore out my copy of "People's Instinctive Travels". I will admit that "Low End" hasn't gotten nearly as much play into my ear-balls. This record has some good moments and is more straightforward rap than "People's".

Most decidedly not my cup of tea. Truly unusual. There's a lot of talent and emotion so I'll give it a three, but again, not something I'd typically want to listen to. That said, glad things like this are on the 1001, if they are exceptional examples of their craft, which I'm assuming this is. At least it's not another Byrds album.

So, on this one, I'm kind of torn in terms of a rating. I think I have to approach it a little differently than I might otherwise, precisely because A) I'm intimately familiar with this record B) I think it's actually a somewhat important record, in terms of being ambitious C) I have a soft spot for the band. I wouldn't argue with someone who gave it a three strictly based on the quality of the tunes and the musicianship, but that said, in context, this is a pretty great record, though I like earlier Who more, and for a big grandiose mess, I strongly prefer Quadrophenia. The "rock opera" and "concept album" would never have gotten real momentum without this record and how successful it was.

Interesting. This will be one of those rare instances where I make the time for a second listen right away. I like it. Unusual mix of sounds, tempos, singing. My reaction reminds me a little of when I first heard "Buena Vista Social Club" so high praise, I guess.

Interesting. I was a bit involved in the rave scene in the SF Bay area in the 1992 to 1994 timeframe and this wouldn't be out of place in that situation. Reasonably good beats, some good ideas. I'm giving it a four as I do think it's above average... on a ten point scale it would be a seven, not an eight, though...

Absolutely love the title track -- big fan -- was absolutely huge when I was a VJ back in the mid 1980s. Didn't find the "album" was really worthwhile, though. It's just an assemblage of singles in varying quality, none of them as good as Planet Rock.

First cut, meh. Second cut "Dancing Queen" timeless anthem. Third cut, dreck. Fourth, bad dreck. Fifth track "Knowing Me, Knowing You" timeless anthem. Sixth track "Money, Money, Money" timeless anthem, I guess, though not as strong as the other two. Seventh, dreck. Eighth, meh with sax. Nine, wow, so bad. Ten, bagpipes? Electronic bagpipes? Wow. I'm listening to a bonus version with "Fernando" which wasn't on the original album but I gotta say, based on some of my other reviews, it's hard to give this a very good rating, though it has a couple of classic tracks on it. From the era where the record companies were happy if an album had two hits on it, and the rest was filler, and people bought the record. Ugh! I went into this knowing full well what I was likely to find, prepared to hold my nose and give it a three based on the monster tracks, and after listening, I think it doesn't even merit that rating, because the other tunes are so terrible.

This is a cool record. I pretty much immediately gave it a second listen. It's going to require further listening.

I was familiar with several tracks, but I doubt I've sat down and listened to this whole album all at once before. Classic, seminal, brash. The sound, the look. Massively influential, and fun to listen to or thrash dance pogo around to. Rock and roll, baby!

I like this record. It's got a really great feel to it. Good songwriting too.

Elvis isn't really my cup of tea, but he does have a great voice, he and his people know good songwriting when they come across it, and the band and orchestration on this album are definitely stronger than some of his other records.

I like Wilco. I've heard most of these tunes from the various live albums, but I haven't ever listened to this album. It's solid. I like the richer textures of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" but this record has a country feel which is nice. I can already tell I'm going to have to listen to this in the car driving around in the winter nice and loud.

So, this record is definitely a vibe. You might like it, you might not. It certainly came out of nowhere and inspired a lot of folks who hadn't heard this kind of music before. I find it to be sort of a rocking version of Cocteau Twins, if that makes any sense. Well worth a spot on the 1001 in terms of influence, style, and creativity. When I first heard this record, it felt like I was picking up some alien radio transmission... psychedelic in the truest sense of the word. Had it been vinyl, I would have assumed something wrong with the pressing!

True story. When I was in college, I was friendly with a group of women who were roommates at a nearby all women's school. They had a running bet between them to see who would be the first to have sex to "Moondance" and had a cassette of the album in a little holder near the door in their room. Apparently there were several false starts LOL i.e. one of them would be heading out on a date, take the cassette, and come back and put the cassette in the holder... and not collect on the bet. Eventually one of them did manage to claim it, but it was harder than they thought! I do think that Van Morrison has a great voice, very emotive, nice range. The horns on this record are super cool, interesting arrangements and solos. Songwriting solid to excellent. Honestly writing that I just talked myself into giving this record four stars. It would be a seven on a ten point scale.

For me personally, this album was an introduction to Willie Nelson when I first heard it. I don't really like country music, other than some specific artists, like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash, and I suspect if had initially heard "real" Willie Nelson, I probably wouldn't have liked it much. This was a really cool career move on the part of Willie, he sang the hell out of these songs, and with good instrumentation and production, a lot of folks noticed, and he definitely escaped the "country" label as a result.

Cool record. I was familiar with "Machine Head" -- own a copy -- but hadn't heard this. I like heavier stuff and had never thought of Deep Purple as being all that heavy... Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, that sort of thing is "heavy" in my book... well, this record is pretty heavy! It's got a sludgy feel to it, they were definitely successful in capturing the spirit of rawk. I like the keyboards particularly, they add a lot of depth to the tunes.

I had no preconceived notions about this album, I had never heard of it or of this band before. I found it interesting. I know I'm going to have to listen to it more, and the initial listen was cool.

I've always really liked this record. It's got some absolutely fantastic songwriting, the arrangements are cool, there are many interesting musical ideas, and the overall concept is really well executed. Definitely one of the best single disc concept albums. My favorite Supertramp record.

I love the Pixies. Elements of this record are brilliant. There are other albums that are more consistent from top to bottom but the highs on this one rival the highs on any Pixies record.

Familiar with several tracks, probably never sat down to listen to the entire album, generally a Joni Mitchell fan. She's got such a great voice, and selects such emotive songs...

This wasn't my cup of tea. I don't think it's bad, I just didn't relate well to it. It's hard to rate something like this -- there's stuff out there that is objectively terrible, and this isn't that.

I liked it. I have never listened to any Wu-Tang related material before, except just randomly, from streaming. I may have to address that.

Great drumming. Nice keyboards. Heavy, but with swing and swagger combined. I like.

I'm a fan. The songwriting is amazing. The actual performances are honestly a tiny bit too polished -- I think there's more emotion in some of the live recordings floating around -- but it's not like there's anything wrong with the capture on the record. Good inclusion if somehow someone out there had missed out on hearing James Taylor.

This is beautiful music. I really enjoyed it. I had heard of the artist but for whatever reason thought he was some sort of "soft jazz" type deal, which is of course completely wrong. A nice find in the 1001.

It's a measure of how great the Police were that this album isn't even in their top three albums, as far as my own personal preferences. Zenyatta Mondatta, Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity are all better records... which is kind of wild, it's got to be one of the most consistent outputs of any band ever -- in that sense, the relatively early breakup kind of preserved their legacy (cough, cough, looking at you, U2).

It's a nice smooth listen, he's got a great voice, but I dunno, it doesn't really grab me the way some of his other records do.

First, I gotta say that this album makes the case for the online 1001 generator vs. the various print editions. This particular record is apparently on some versions of the list, but not on all, as it wasn't on the spreadsheet I made from the version I've been working through. It's a cool record! I find it interesting and odd that it was dropped, but conversely, I've heard a lot of weird conversations online that the print editions have a lot of churn on the more recent selections, but the early material from the 1950s through the 1970s or so is basically left alone due to technical constraints i.e. the publisher doesn't want to completely repaginate the print edition when early pages are changed, so the author just leaves them alone, and when new stuff comes out that has to be included, it's usually something from the 1990s or 2000s that gets the axe. A shame, but again, thank you for the 1001 generator for having an exhaustive list including every record that's been in any edition -- I think that's correct, anyway. Anyhow, I only got four tracks into this and was like "OK, cool stuff, band I've never heard of, definitely glad that it was on the 1001". Oddly folky and psychedelic. A really great mishmash. (Much better inclusion on the list than the seventh Byrd album, or however many there are.)

I consider this to be the best Beatles album. Every song is at the least strong, some of them are beautiful, memorable. I have a fondness for "Revolver" but it's not as coherent or as mature as this record.

I'm a huge Yes fan, and this is my favorite album, by a decent margin. Several of the tunes on it are absolutely fantastic, particularly "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise", also a big fan of "Mood for a Day". Excellent! If somehow someone had managed to live without ever hearing Yes, this is a fine inclusion on the 1001.

This wasn't what I expected. I thought this band was one of those "louder faster" sort of situations -- this is kind of psychobilly or some sort of honkypunk. It was OK, but I wasn't moved.

Great songwriting, interesting arrangements, fantastic vocals... so expressive. This is one of my favorite Bowie records. Some wonderful hidden gems that don't make the greatest hits list but are among the finest songs ever: "Cracked Actor", "Time" and "Lady Grinning Soul".

I own the vinyl and also have an original import ZTT 12" of "Relax" which I bought before the video hit MTV. The album is rather uneven, in terms of musical styles and content. Damn near certain it was a rush job to capitalize on the strength of the big hits. That said, the sequence of "Relax", "War" and "Two Tribes" has to be one of the most slamming three song sequences on ANY record, period, and "The Power of Love" is a beautiful ballad. The DDD mastering really stood out for the timeframe as well, an unbelievably clear sounding record, extremely well produced. I loved the video for "Two Tribes", classic.

The more upbeat stuff was nice and punky and sort of surf rock sounding, with jangling guitars. Not bad. The slower stuff wasn't as interesting to me. I was a bit surprised as I was definitely aware of this band, but it didn't make much of an impression on me before. Must listen further.

I like punk and honestly had always thought of these guys as poseurs more or less. I listened to the album with an open mind, and was pleasantly surprised. It's pretty good, all things considered, and has some of that energy of the late 1970s.

This is cool. Never heard of it. Kind of a wild mashup, definitely world music, great energy, nice vocals, interesting instrumentation. I'm a bit more than 100 into the 1001 and am discovering I definitely have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to world music.

This was a really revolutionary record and an exciting band at the time this album came out. The videos were really cool, and the sound was unusual, as was the songwriting. They had a brilliant career, and Annie Lennox went on to do some great solo work. I think this is the best Eurythmics record. I have been stingy with my fives but will give this a five as I think it's a solid nine on a ten point scale, and I'm rounding up because of how revolutionary everything was... the instrumentation, the look, the design of the album itself. It all felt NEW.

Some of these tunes are iconic, including the title track, "Pusherman" and "Freddie's Dead". Buried in my brain was the factoid that they were from a soundtrack album... hadn't really thought about it. Cool musical style, and quite possibly one of the more significant soundtrack albums in terms of exposing a larger group to a music style that they might not have otherwise heard.

Innocent. I do miss the era where a typical album clocked in at less than 40 minutes. Nice vocals, but a bit treacly songwriting.

Generally a fan of the band, and like a lot of debut records, the songs on this album are really polished. I think I like "Love Over Gold" and "Making Movies" more but this is a very good record, consistent top to bottom.

Classic. I like some of the other records better, though.

Never heard of this particular musical group, or this album. I did notice right away that it wasn't included in the edition of the 1001 I'm working from. Either it was added later, or it was added then removed, or something, but without getting too pejorative, in general, if that is the scenario, it's usually the case that it was something that seemed pretty good at the time, but later didn't seem to add much. I thought the vocal delivery was too affected. I didn't think the record was bad, but it was very much not my cup of tea.

This album didn't make much of an impression. I was tempted to give it two stars but if it was actively bad, I'd probably have a stronger impression of it. It shows the bias of the 1001 author -- yet another UK band that is somehow important to him, but it's not an album that really has anything to recommend it.

This is one of the best albums ever made. Period, end of story. I'm a bit jealous of anyone who discovers this record through the 1001. I spent a summer listening to this album over and over...

Generally I like my 60s music more psychedelic OR more heavy OR more harmonious and vocally adept. This isn't bad, but really the only track on the album that kind of kicks butt is "You Better Run". "How Can I Be Sure" is a lovely, pretty song, I suppose.

Kind of unbelievable in terms of the top to bottom quality of the songs on this record, and the funky stylings, a bit of everything. Quite possibly the best Stevie record, which is saying something.

Not at all memorable. I like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson. This isn't interesting by comparison. I suppose if you feel that it's nice to have modern topics and modern instrumentation and modern production in country, you might like this, but it did nothing for me.

Big Neil fan. Nice album. Not my favorite, but good.

I like this record a lot. I prefer "Check Your Head" but that has more to do with the production and the overall sound than the actual material.

My review is going to be a bit meta. I feel like Green Day was pushed pretty hard by the record label. They aren't bad, but they aren't as good as they should be for the amount of attention they got. Tons of stuff I'd rather listen to, including real punk from the 70s. Now, that said, this gets three stars because it's oddly subversive. I think it's funny they sold their label on a concept album punk opera called "American Idiot" and then managed to tour all over the world on the record. It's even more funny that they got tons of label support and radio airplay. The sense of irony is off the charts.

I gave this two listens and basically reaffirmed my first opinion. It's not bad, but it's not some hidden gem either. I suspect this is again something that's on the 1001 due to the UK bias and timeframe bias of the author.

I'll admit that I have very little familiarity with this band though I have been led to understand by friends and by the press that I might like it. I heard a playthrough of "In Rainbows" at the Dead & Co shows in Boulder in 2023 during set break and it reminded me that I needed to check these guys out. Fade to now, definitely interesting stuff. I suspect that Wilco, Beck and Radiohead are some of the only enduring music to come out of this era.

I like a lot of Pink Floyd records. This is one of the better ones, but in the interest of not ranking several of them with five stars, I'll give it four.

This record didn't do much for me. I haven't really listened to Leonard Cohen before, and I see there are some other records by him on the list, so I guess we'll see if I develop a taste for it.

Huge fan but Bowie's passing made me not want to listen to this record, I knew it would make me sad. This was the first time I listened to this album, and I liked it, though it is definitely a bit haunting. In the same mode as "The Next Day" but a bit more melancholy. As with some other artists with several albums on the 1001, I'm going to give it a four mostly due to the fact there are other Bowie albums I like better.

"Cult of Personality" is a great tune and has a great video. Honestly, the whole thing in retrospect is a bit cringy. Living Colour was a rocking band which happened to have black members. In terms of mass market radio airplay, they were definitely trendsetters, but in a way, it feels like at the time they were mostly being treated like they were a novelty act. Of course, this is absurd. One of my favorite bands is Bad Brains, and they are totally out there in terms of energy and uniqueness, but that said, they were never put up as some sort of "wow, look at this" by the record label. Anyhow, really good guitar sounds, wide variety of quality in the songwriting, and sure, I'll give them points for "Cult of Personality" which really said something that needed to be said in Reagan era America, but I hesitate to think that this band would have been huge without A) MTV and B) "wow, look, a black band that plays rock!" The cover of "Memories Can't Wait" is pretty great, though.

Always a fan. I had tickets to see them live in Boston in the late 1980s but the show had to be canceled due to a problem with the venue. (If I recall correctly, the afternoon of the show they announced that a sewer line had collapsed and the venue had no working bathrooms so the show couldn't happen.) These guys were smart, hard working, and talented. The material still holds up today.

He's got a great voice, there is some good songwriting here, but I didn't find this all that compelling and I don't think it's necessarily aged all that well. The production seems really thin, and there's a lot of material from this time period I'd rather listen to.

I'm a fan. The vinyl of this one is in the garage. Such a unique approach and sound. Ambient music really had fallen off from the last Eno records until these guys showed up. The gibberish / made up language sounds really add something and make this truly unusual. I'm reminded of Jerry Garcia saying something like the Grateful Dead didn't want to be the best at what they did, they wanted to be the only ones doing what they did.

It's interesting to listen to this now. It's been a long time. In my brain, the vocals aren't nearly as sludgy as they are on this recording. I don't know if it's the difference of equipment, or if the CD is mixed very differently, or what. I'm fairly sure my main way of listening to this album was on cassette and it was a portable system, nothing fancy and the system I have now is definitely light years better. The songwriting is strong, and they definitely tapped into something that wasn't in the forefront of metal at the time. Faster tempos, more sophisticated topics. I would never have suspected that the title track would make a monster comeback 35+ years later... I do think this is my favorite Metallica album, though it's a lot less clearly mixed listening to it now than it is in memories in my brain LOL

I like the fact that this double album is all over the place. The quality of the tunes is very high, regardless if we're talking "Blackbird" or "Helter Skelter". This is one of my favorite Beatles records.

I'm a big Neil fan. This is an interesting record, with some excellent tunes, but it doesn't achieve greatness.

Huge fan of George Clinton. This particular record has some great moments but there are many others I prefer.

I really liked this record. It's got a really interesting mix of styles but it's all tied together. I've always had a fondness for Santana but never really sat down to listen to an album until today. If this was a ten point scale I'd probably give it a nine but I'm saving my fives for stuff that really really deserves it.

I am familiar with the artist but was not familiar with this album as an album. It's nice. The pianist and violinist are excellent. OK, I cheated, and wanted to know who was playing, so looked it up... and Fiona herself is the pianist on some of the tracks, and she wrote everything. Wow. Impressive. Definitely makes this a solid four star now.

Alright, so I have a bit of a controversial take. I think some terminology is not used very well. Bands like Joy Division are often considered post punk. Well, I think Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson are really post punk. It's basically the energy of punk music, plus a bit of a subversive or sarcastic edge to the songwriting, but with the musicianship and production of a more modern era. This is a fun, energetic album, and absolutely worth a listen. I fondly remember Elvis being banned forever from Saturday Night Live for unexpectedly performing "Radio Radio" against the wishes of NBC. That's punk!

This is a five star without listening to it again. I'm a huge Steely Dan fan and would rank several of their albums as five stars from memory without re-listening. Simply stunning production, great songwriting, fantastic performances. The epitome of what a studio band can be.

I liked it, but I wasn't blown away. I do generally like B.B. King but on a list like this, he doesn't have the energy, creativity or range that some of the other artists do. I did give it two listens and if I could give it a 3.5 I would, but it doesn't rise to a four.

Generally a fan of the band, but this album is a bit out there in terms of the instrumentation and musical direction. I prefer more straightforward and sparse material from these guys. Love Bryan Ferry's voice, though, it's always so distinctive.

ELO is an acquired taste. There tends to be a lot of similar instrumentation and treated vocals across all the tunes, and so if you like the sound, you'll like it, and if you don't like it, you won't like any of it, pretty much. This record has a couple of classics in "Turn to Stone" and "Mr. Blue Sky" which both still sound great and interesting today. The rest of the record is unfortunately somewhat forgettable, tunes blend into each other and don't have the hooks and songwriting necessary to really stick out like those two specific tracks do. I'd give it a seven if that was an option, but since that isn't, I don't think it deserves four stars...

On a quick listen, I thought this had some pretty music and of course great vocals, but I prefer his more upbeat stuff, and not much of that is on here.

I am generally a Dylan fan, but I recognize that much of his output is not terribly accessible. This is a high quality recording for the period, a great setlist, and solid performance. I, for one, was quite surprised when this came out of the vault.

Obviously you'd have to have lived under a rock to have never heard any of these tracks, as they were absolutely everywhere for a year or so after the album dropped. Good stuff overall, though a few of the tracks feature really annoying hooks -- many of them have great hooks, but boy, I don't ever need to hear that tune with the whistle sample ever again in my life. That said, I want to listen to this more, and check out other albums, so I give it four stars.

Classic. Invented a new genre, which they later perfected. The very definition of a five star record and something that everyone should hear before they die.

I enjoyed this, but then again, I was helping promoting small scale raves and house parties in the mid 1990s in the San Francisco Bay area, so this came just after that, and I understand where this material is coming from and why. I typically don't listen to this sort of thing for pleasure, it's great to dance to, and that can leave some people cold. That said, it's creative, good loops, interesting breaks, and in a genre where a lot of stuff is really repetitive and formulaic, this isn't.

I was concerned as I realized after very little investigation that this particular record was included in some editions of the 1001 but not the one I was working off of. Usually these records are thought of as being groundbreaking or interesting at the time, and then are pulled for better stuff later. Often these are UK bands. I liked this record. It is "post punk" in every sense of the phrase. It might not be groundbreaking and may be overrated, but it has good energy and I enjoyed listening to it.

So I gave this two listens, and I liked it, but it didn't really rise to the level of being great or even particularly memorable. It reminds me of Wire, but not as good.

I don't live under a rock so of course I have heard most of the tunes on this record, but that said, listening to all of it all at once, it's super impressive. What a talent! It's not exactly my cup of tea, so I'm not giving it a five, but it's really quite good.

To a certain group of teenagers -- all across the country -- drinking black coffee in Denny's in the early hours of the morning -- confused in Ronald Reagan's America -- not belonging -- this record was an expression of rebellion and unity -- something guaranteed to offend the people you wanted to offend. Essentially a New Wave punk album, the tunes are elevated with fantastic empathetic vocals and excellent electronic instrumentation. "Tainted Love" became an anthem, and rightly so. Peaches could never have happened without these guys, same with Frankie Goes to Hollywood (which I would argue is great but derivative, FGTH took all the things Soft Cell were doing and did a better job packaging and marketing it).

Cool record. Not at all what I expected. I gave it a second listen and ended up just as intrigued.

A very polished debut album. Fairly unique sound, relatively traditional pop songwriting themes. I've always had a soft spot for these guys. This record came out when I was fairly young, there were others that dropped during my teenage years that were a bit more impactful for me personally. I do think that The Cars were a very palatable New Wave act and as such they were important. Other bands like DEVO, The Fixx, Thomas Dolby, even Talking Heads were more "out there" and probably wouldn't have gotten nearly as popular without bands like The Cars who were a bit of a transition / merger between a mainstream sound and a true New Wave sound.

I had to cringe when I saw the genre for this online was "Ethnic" as it reminded me so much of the "Ethnic" food aisle in the supermarket in the 1970s and 1980s which usually would be salsa, tortillas, maybe soy sauce... Ugh. Evaluating this on its own merits, it's a pretty amazing recording for the time, really well produced, easy to hear everyone and all the instruments. It's always hard when lyrics are in a language you don't understand, but conversely, it's easy to appreciate the beauty, conviction and energy of the performance.

I liked it. Interesting beats. Never heard of these guys, I was busy in 1996.

So yeah, again one of those records that had a catchy single that was inescapable for a long time, perhaps too long. I may give this album another listen, but honestly, I had the same reaction to the vocalist that some folks have with Geddy Lee i.e. something about the tonal quality just grated. Second listen didn't go well. Ignoring the vocals as much as I could, I just didn't find the instrumentation, playing, or songwriting very interesting. Kind of amazing anyone thought this was anything special, honestly. It's not terrible, but boy, I'd rather listen to just about anything. Gotta say I really also don't like the drum sound. A lot of it almost sounds like they are hitting cardboard boxes... really lame, maybe they were trying for a subtle effect but it's almost like they are playing underwater or something. Ugh.

Not to be rude, but this just isn't very good. I've never thought Oasis had any real talent, and listening to this album, it confirms my opinion. I'm giving it two stars because it's commercial i.e. clearly some people like it, and it's not horrible, it's just not at all good.

I like this. I have a soft spot for moody English singer songwriters, like Richard Thompson, and this is right up the same alley. I don't think I've ever sat down and listened to a Nick Drake album before.

I wouldn't say that this album made a huge impression on a double listen through, though some of the singles are absolute classics on some of the radio stations here in Seattle. Definitely staying power for sure.

This is excellent. If I had to quibble, it would be that it's early enough that it's missing some later hits, but boy, that's a quibble for sure. Really good recording for the era, nice energy, what's not to like?

Classic, though the production makes the music a little less immediate and vital than it could have been.

So Nick Drake has been an interesting discovery for me thanks to the 1001. As compared to the other album I heard a few days ago, this one has some fantastic saxophone playing, more instrumentation in general... it's rich and textured and I like it.

I like the band name. I think I'm still traumatized by the Oasis album a few days ago. There's so much stuff on this list from the UK late 70s through mid 90s where it's just not very good. This isn't as bad as some of it, but it's not exactly making any real progress, either. It's not like these guys are reinventing popular music, and this album isn't essential by a long stretch.

This is a cool record. Some of it is in a mode that is funky but not revelatory, but the album gradually becomes more experimental as it goes on. The individual instrumental performances are really impressive in spots, some truly inspired playing here and there. Great inclusion on the 1001.

Gave it two listens, and yeah, I get why it was popular and why people were excited about it, but honestly, it's a bit too "glossy" for me, overproduced, not clever enough. She's got a really distinctive voice and the song selection is interesting but that said, this just isn't the sort of thing I regularly listen to, and it's not all that unique, so I didn't really get much from it.

Classic. I think the songwriting is great along with the performances.

I think this is one of the better Metallica albums. It's well produced and some of the songs are exceptionally well written, like "One".

Spotify weirdly only had a few tracks available. After munging around a bit, I was able to listen to the whole record, and it was fine, but nothing exciting. There's probably two dozen albums from around this timeframe that I can think of right off the top of my head that are more interesting and have better musicianship. Not really understanding why this particular record is on the 1001.

I went into this with no preconceptions at all, having only vaguely heard the name Ian Dury in passing. I thought the record was immediately captivating. Great bass and drums, fun songwriting, down to earth enthusiastic vocals. What's not to like? I suppose song to song the album is a bit uneven in places, with a couple of clunkers, but overall it's quite good.

Gave this a couple of listens, didn't really grab me, though I know there are tons of folks who love Tom Waits.

Pretty classic record. Post punk all the way. It doesn't sound as revolutionary now as it was then. Ultimately I was surprised at how overall indifferent I was to this record when listening to it now, but then again, I would say that when I was growing up and people would mention The Pretenders, really the only song of theirs that made a huge impression on me was "My City Was Gone".

I enjoyed this quite a bit. The random lesser known tunes were interesting and fun with good energy and emotive vocals. I gave it a second listen and was just as impressed. This album aged really well.

Definitely the best Marvin Gaye album. Amazingly relevant, even now.

Honestly, I gave this a serious try, and it didn't really grab me, though there were flashes here and there. I can't give it four stars. It's not bad but I expect something MORE for me to give it a better rating.

This record immediately became part of the "canon" when it was released. It holds up really well even now. The production is clean, the performances have good energy, the tunes both rock and swing, what's not to like? I can't give it a five as I wouldn't call it an all time classic, but it's got to be one of the strongest debut albums ever, top to bottom, even the "filler" is pretty dang good.

This record was an absolute monster at the time and Boy George was everywhere. Very much a product of early MTV, the look was just as important as the sound. Great vocals, very soulful, and while some of the tunes are a little cheesy, the big hits are solid.

This record isn't bad, it's kind of interesting, certainly quirky, but I suspect it would have never gotten on this list except for the Nirvana covers of their tunes.

I'm a big fan of Miles. This is a great record. Honestly, people can prefer various eras of Miles, but as a body of work, it's amazing. Outrageous that this recording is entirely from a SINGLE THREE HOUR SESSION. Unbelievable.

Kind of brilliantly bad? I mean, it's like elevator music, but with sitars? Um. Yeah. I guess it's something that was interesting to listen to once, and it seems to be in earnest, but super out there, and for my taste, not something I'd want to experience again. It does get better. The covers are the worst part, by far.

I'm a huge fan, this is a great record, and I'm slightly surprised to only see three Gabriel albums on the list, but it is what it is. I will give it a four in the interest of not having multiple fives from an artist with only three albums on the list. On the other hand listening to it, I could certainly argue a nine out of ten, there are a few absolute all time classic tunes on this record, for sure. LOL from looking at my ratings so far, I think this has to get a five, given what else has gotten a five.

This seems to be another of those UK centric additions that were then dropped in later editions of the 1001. It's not bad, but it's nothing special, and it gets weird in a not enjoyable way in places.

Outstanding, impactful, interesting, ground breaking. I could see giving it four stars strictly because it challenges the listener a bit, but that said, if this isn't five stars, nothing is.

Um. While I appreciate the inclusion on the basis of diversity, and I also appreciate that the people making this seem to be sincere, this is kind of hysterically bad. It might end up being my first one star. I assume it's only on the 1001 because of the number of breaks that were sampled for various hip hop tunes. I guess I'll give it two stars because of how earnest it is.

I definitely remember this album, I didn't own a copy but borrowed one from a friend, it didn't make a huge huge impression at the time. I'm enjoying this record quite a bit, it's got some elements that came along in other ways from other bands that made more impact, like Human League.

I'm generally not a big Tom Petty fan, his voice is a bit annoying, and there's a lot of music out there that is better and more interesting to me. This record has two classic tunes on it "Breakdown" and "American Girl" but again, neither really does all that much for me, I like "Breakdown" more than "American Girl" I guess if I was forced to choose. "Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)" got a decent bit of airplay where I lived too. I don't think this is a bad record. I just don't particularly like it.

I generally like these guys, but hadn't heard this record. Promising. Glad it's included on the 1001.

This didn't do much for me. Not bad, just not my cup of tea.

Like most folks in the USA, I've heard almost all of these tunes many many times, but I personally never owned a copy of this record, and have never listened to it all the way through. Frankly, amazingly high quality, great stuff. Not a huge Christmas music fan, but this is a great record.

Never heard this album before, but I generally have a soft spot for Randy Newman, particularly the super ironic "Short People". He's a skilled musician and writes intelligent witty lyrics. I enjoyed listening to this record.

This is pretty great, though I have a fond spot for punk in all forms. The female vocals and the sax make this unique.

This didn't do all that much for me, which is odd, as I'm typically pretty sympathetic to this genre. I was listening to other things at the time. If this was familiar to me and I had been listening to it back then, I might be more excited about it.

I'll admit that I've never really "gotten" Bruce, I've enjoyed a few live recordings but haven't really found anything life changing in the studio records. I think the production sounds a bit thin by modern standards. The songwriting might really resonate with some people, it doesn't do much for me.

I like XTC and this is a great album. The production is really quite amazing. I'll admit that the album I'm most familiar with is "The Big Express" with only passing familiarities with some of the other records. I'll need to find the time to revisit and dig in a bit more. I enjoyed this more than I expected.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I like a lot of industrial music and have a soft spot for Ministry, KMFDM, Skinny Puppy and so on. Not a huge Nine Inch Nails fan -- it's not bad, but I prefer aggressive to depressing. My feeling when this came out was that all the controversy was off-putting and made me think that the music was likely not very good. I never really listened to it, and never had any of the records. Well, mea culpa. There's clearly a lot of thought going on behind the scenes, and had I given this band a listen years ago, it probably would have fit right into the things I was listening to then.

I'm generally a decently large fan of Radiohead. This is an interesting record and I haven't listened to it as much previously as I probably should have. They've got interesting musical ideas and do a good job capturing them in the studio.

I've never been that big of a fan. There's a lot of stuff they generate that sounds a lot like all the other stuff they generate. The handful of tunes that are really unique are the ones you know, like "How Soon Is Now?" and "Meat Is Murder". Morrissey is insufferable, ego with faux intellect.

I liked this. Trippy, folky, musical. Kind of surprised I've never heard of these guys.

This wasn't bad, but wasn't anything exceptional either.

Cool, laid back, but at the end of the day, not that engaging for me personally.

I can't separate this from their other output. For them, this is an average album. Some great songs, some that are OK. Certainly a nice exercise in the generation of the three minute pop song, but there are five albums of theirs I'd reach for before this one, at least...

Good energy. If I could give it a seven, or a 3.5, I'd do that, but if I have to pick between three stars and four stars, given my previous criteria, it's going to be three stars.

Frankly it shocks me that this record is the only Zappa entry on the 1001. This record isn't in my Zappa top five... it might not even make the top ten, depending on if you count certain albums as Zappa or Zappa + Mothers or Zappa + Beefheart or just the Mothers. Do your ears a favor and check out "Joe's Garage" before writing Zappa off!

By modern tastes the production is a bit thin, I wish the bass and drums were higher in the mix. That said, it's a pretty great mix of tunes, and a famous record. The first two tracks are all timers.

Underwhelmed. Very derivative, and not even in a good way. There's plenty of stuff out there that is unoriginal but at least is exciting and fun to listen to. This is derivative and boring. I'll give it two stars because the musicianship isn't bad.

I've been a fan and I'm glad this is on the 1001 for the few people who have never heard Jerry Lee. That said, while he's talented, it's clear he's repurposing black soul and R&B for white audiences, for the most part. Great Balls of Fire and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On are absolute all time classics, though. I guess I'm going to give this a four strictly on the basis of how influential Jerry Lee was. Just a great rollicking piano sound!

I live in Seattle. Close friends went to high school with the Mudhoney guys. My neighbor has been on a whole ton of records, bands you'd probably recognize. I'll admit several things... I appreciated what Nirvana did, in terms of putting Seattle really on the map, and creating some really great music. That said, they were never really my cup of tea. For local bands, I like Soundgarden better, if you are willing to stretch the definition of local, Alice In Chains. That said, those bands would never have gotten promotion and attention if it wasn't for Nirvana. I've always like the Unplugged format and particularly appreciate the Neil Young and Bob Dylan entries in the series -- artists that aren't really super approachable because of a large catalog and long history -- in a format that is more interesting than any typical compilation. Nirvana Unplugged is at times brilliant, particularly because of the cover tunes. I have to give it five stars simply because it's the best Nirvana album, in my opinion, and they definitely made a mark on an era of music.

I own a copy, I bought it right after the album came out, I felt very strongly then that this was a great record. It's probably the only studio Dylan record that I listen to with some regularity. Giving it another listen now just reinforces that opinion, it's a great record.

I was familiar with a couple of the singles but hadn't listened to the album. It's quite good, actually; at least, I enjoyed listening to it enough that I gave it a second listen right away.

So many Stevie records seem like they might be greatest hits records, then you discover that all his records are just full of great songs. This is no exception!

Such a beautiful voice, and really nice instrumentation and production as well.

This isn't bad, but it's not my cup of tea. I'm not sure why. I know there are tons of people who love Nick Cave, but apparently I'm not one of them.

I have a bit of a soft spot for these guys. Grant Lee toured with Robyn Hitchcock, one of my favorite artists, and the show was really quite memorable. Grant Lee Buffalo was pretty popular in Boston when I lived there.

This is kind of an amazing record. James Brown is most remembered for his upbeat tunes, but he definitely had some romantic crooner in him as well. I actually had the great fortune to see James Brown live in the 90s in the Bay Area, he played a relatively small venue, the Circle Star Theatre, and the fashion, the vehicles, the spectacle of the pre-show from the attendees alone was worth the price of admission!

This is a classic record. I've enjoyed it before, and am enjoying it now. I don't think anyone is going to be blown away by the performance, musicianship, production, capture, mastering... but it's fun to listen to.

Massive Dan fan, and this is one of the better records.

It's wild to realize that this is my least favorite Jimi album, and yet, it's pretty fantastic.

I had never heard of these guys and am pleasantly surprised. I liked my initial listen very much. Good variety, interesting musically.

I like the Kinks but they pale a bit against their contemporaries. They seem to think they are super clever and naughty, but it's not much, and I'd rather listen to The Who, Rolling Stones or Beatles.

This is kind of great. I had no idea what to expect, and honestly, the title, the cover, I'd just skip right over it, or think it wouldn't be interesting to me. Jazzy, funky, good swing, nice horns...

One of my favorites, for many reasons. Revitalized rock and roll by giving the establishment the middle finger... which is the very essence of rock and roll.

I really liked this. Far out!

I am a huge Crim-head and this is a great record. I will admit that some of these tunes become truly special when played live. The studio environment results in some odd non-musicality probably just because it's more possible to have that result in studio than it is to have playing live.

I found this interesting. I recognized a track or two. This is a classic problem with the five star system. I don't know if it reaches a four. It's definitely not a five. If I give it a three, it might get lost in the shuffle. Hm. On second listen the songs are all pretty similar to one another.

Classic, and inspired in places. I suspect that if this had been released as a single album, with the obvious hits on it, that it would rate more highly for me.

It was hard to track this one down -- it's not on Spotify so I ended up streaming it from random YouTube uploads, not exactly the best way to listen to something new. I was impressed! I liked the tunes, found them reminiscent of Wilco, and then looked at the year, and wowzers, this was way ahead of its time. Definitely a great inclusion on the 1001 and a band I'm going to have to check out more thoroughly.

This is definitely one of the better R.E.M. albums but that said, I'm just not all that excited about jangly pop songs.

I generally like this band but for whatever reason this record didn't really take for me. I like "Get Behind Me Satan" better.

An amazing record. He stood on the shoulders of giants, true, but was a remarkable, unique man. The word unique is used too much, but it's the only correct major descriptor for Dr. John. May he rest in funky, multicultural peace.

Terrible and not in a good way. Remarkably inconsistent.

I generally like Beck, hadn't heard this record. It's good and warrants further listening.

I seem to recall having a cassette copy of this back when it was released. Listening to this album now, the songwriting is pretty terrible. Musically it's interesting in spots, but overall, it's the sort of thing that I listened to once, and then didn't want to listen to it again. As I'm going along in the 1001 and I'm a bit beyond 200 albums now, I'm beginning to form the opinion that I won't give a four or five to something unless I know I want to listen to it again. If it doesn't capture my interest enough on a first listen, there's no way it deserves a four or five.

I just didn't find this record compelling.

I was impressed. Some interesting songwriting combined with occasionally inspired music choices.

Another UK centric pick. Jangly bad songs.

This is one of those auto five rating albums for me. It's an album I've loved for a long time, and I think anyone that appreciates interesting instrumentation and intelligent songwriting can enjoy it.

This is another one of those fairly odd UK selections that is only in more recent versions of the 1001. It's not bad, but the vocal tone is affected, and that's creating a bit of a ceiling for me, as I don't like them much.

This is cool. I liked it enough to immediately queue it up for another listen.

Drone, monotone, not terribly interesting to me. I'll give them credit for the fact other people like them.

Not my cup of tea, but not bad. I'm just not a big fan of Morrissey. His vocals are a bit affected and so an acquired taste.

I'm kind of amazed. This album feels very much like a parody, but they take it super seriously. I laughed out loud at some of the lyrics, but that said, the musicianship is actually pretty great. Sort of Zappa meets Beefheart meets Spinal Tap.

I enjoyed this and want to check out more from this artist.

I like this album. The jury is still out for me personally as to how inspired, important, critical Van Morrison is, but this is an enjoyable listen.

I was just listening to this in the car a few days ago and so it was a bit funny to have it come up on the 1001. Amazing artist, really lovely album. I find myself getting emotional when I listen to Joni Mitchell, which makes her a very unique talent indeed.

Overplayed, overrated.

Another one of those UK choices that just doesn't do much for me and leaves me shaking my head... so many bands that the author of the book missed completely that IMHO are infinitely better than this. Shriekback comes immediately to mind.

Apparently I like death punk. Who knew?

Not bad, interesting sound, but not nearly as inspired as other records from this period.

For whatever reason, I liked this record well enough. Maybe because it's the one I'm least familiar with?

I generally like Madonna, and have a soft spot for her earlier stuff. This didn't do much for me.

I'll admit only passing familiarity with these guys but this album went down easy i.e. I had it on while doing other things and found myself occasionally checking in and being like "oh, that's interesting" -- unusual for a record in semi background mode to do that. It means I'll have to listen to it again, hence a four, anything interesting enough to require a relisten later is clearly better than some of the dreck on the 1001.

Um, yeah. I was kind of excited to listen to this record, I never really did, and I know there are people who love it. It didn't live up to the billing in my brain. There are a lot of hip-hop acts that I prefer to this. It's not bad, just not my cup of tea.

Possibly the worst record I've heard on this 1001, even including "Bongo Rock". Utter trash. Embarrassed to be listening to it. Hope to never hear it again. Amusingly earlier today I was telling a co-worker how gangster rap ruined the genre... I like all sorts of rap and hip-hop, just not interested in pop pop pop and sex noises (unless it's Zappa's "Make a Sex Noise"). Maybe there's a track here or there that isn't total garbage, but I'm sorry, if you can't rap without putting an expletive every ten words, you might want to find a different line of work.

Not terrible, nothing special.

I liked this record. Interesting beats, positive lyrics.

I liked this and am going to have to listen to it again.

This didn't do much for me, but it wasn't bad. Kind of proggy.

I thought this was pretty good. She's got an excellent voice. It's certainly a product of the times when it was made.

I like this record. It's got emotion, energy, good playing.

I own the vinyl, overall a brilliant record, accessible in a way that Black Celebration was not, and yet, mature themes abound. I have a hard time giving it five stars because it's more of a culmination of a direction this band was going in, and less a giant inspiration from unknown sources, but if I could give it a nine, I would.

Amazing record. Always worth a listen. Great songwriting, cool sound, good feel.

This was not at all what I was expecting, but it was good, a fun listen, and something surprising out of the 1001.

Huge Bowie fan, love all the Berlin records.

This didn't do much for me. Kind of an emo muddled mess, not all that engaging. Dark just for the sake of being dark. Sludgy, atonal, not in a good way... I'll also admit that the affected vocals just aren't my cup of tea...

Jangly power pop in the mold of Big Star. Good but derivative.

I've always had a soft spot for these guys and I love live music, but somehow this one had escaped me. Wowsa! A great recording of a great band at their height... also I gotta say that it's refreshing to hear a heavy metal band with a keyboard player kicking butt.

I've always liked this band and somehow missed this record, though the "big hits" ring a bell, I didn't own a copy of this album. Good stuff!

Punky. I like.

I thought this was interesting and merits further listening.

Definitely a classic, instantly recognizable songs... Waitin' for the Bus > Jesus Just Left Chicago is all time, as is La Grange.

Great record but I'll save five stars for Fear of Music and Remain in Light.

I found this interesting but not compelling. I'm glad the 1001 included it, as it's really different from anything else I've listened to recently.

This was a classic record for the time. Clean, interesting sounds, unusual look for the band -- essential for MTV -- some controversy due to nudity and sexuality, even the graphic art for the cover of the record... it all came together to make a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts and propelled Duran Duran to super stardom for several years. The record hasn't aged poorly, but conversely, it feels "slick" now, very packaged, which is likely correct.

Really out there. I've had the good fortune of seeing Ornette live with his band and with the Grateful Dead and I appreciate what he and Zorn have done for jazz. That said, it's difficult listening hour for sure! I don't mind some atonal stuff, but this was a bit much.

In places, this album was pretty good, but there were definitely misses too. I prefer more lyrical material and a more positive message.

I remember when this came out, Wishing Well was a decent sized hit, and he was sold as being from London which is more exotic than the real story... I thought about giving it a four because his vocals are strong, but ultimately it's not all that creative or groundbreaking.

A bit indulgent, like many double albums. It could be a four if five songs removed...

This album actually aged pretty well. It's certainly a product of the time, but Donovan has an interesting vocal delivery, and the music and songwriting are interesting.

Extremely country sound, not at all what I expected from this artist. I guess it's interesting in that way, but I don't think it's all that great for a country record.

This is really beautiful music. I've gotten a lot of appreciation for this band through the 1001. I had never really listened to Radiohead before. I did get to listen to this album at a Dead & Co show in Boulder summer 2023 and really enjoyed it, they played it during a lengthy break, and made a mental note that I had to check it out, but hadn't done so until today.

Pleasantly surprised by this record. I had heard of the artist before but hadn't listened to anything from them.

Huge Neil fan, never listened to this studio album, though I'm very familiar with the material having both seen it live several times and having all the Neil live albums on heavy rotation. I don't think this is the strongest batch of tunes on a Neil record, but it's good compared to most of the dreck the music industry turns out.

This might be the perfect heavy rock album.

I was a little surprised that I recognized at least four of the tunes on this record. Apparently it was played a lot when it came out. I am generally a Moby fan, though I don't own any of his records. The music is approachable and catchy, with interesting samples. Creative.

Genuinely odd. Really fun. Thank you 1001 for introducing us.

Honestly, I thought this album was overwrought. Too much instrumentation, too many odd sound effects, and so on. The couple of classic tunes on this record are tunes that don't have these distractions. Simon & Garfunkel are best when they are singer songwriters, not trying to be the next Jefferson Airplane acid freakout.

I think this might be my favorite album by this artist. Lots of very approachable rock and roll tunes.

This is a real echo of my personal history. I was leaving high school and going to Boston for college. I ended up dating a woman from Wellesley College and my freshman year the winter concert was Suzanne Vega. Everyone on campus was thrilled to have her -- they signed her up to do the concert on the basis of this record, and then she came out with Solitude Standing shortly after that. The concert was great, and folks had been playing the album in the dorms for months at that point. I think she brings a unique female voice to her songwriting, and that was unusual for the time. I'd put Tracy Chapman in the same general category, both amazing singer songwriters that speak of their own experiences -- and represent underrepresented voices. They really were trailblazers in every sense.

I thought this was interesting, it kind of grew on me a bit after the second listen. That said, I didn't find it compelling, memorable, unique... it got multiple listenings more out of laziness than anything else, as I had it on loop and wasn't paying attention.

I liked this and listened to it several times. Generally a fan of this genre if the singing, playing and writing are all good.

Classic.

I've been a huge fan of Robyn Hitchcock for years. It was ironic that it probably took me fifteen or twenty years before I discovered The Soft Boys. This is a great album. Quirky, fun. Great songs.

This is a great collaboration of two amazing artists. I think it really shows a more experimental side with the sampling and found sounds.

Every time I hear this record, I'm blown away again.

Ive always thought this was one of the greatest records ever made.

I get it, it's an interesting concept, the tunes are fine, but I'm just not feeling this as much as some of the other Marvin Gaye selections on the 1001.

OK, if we're going to talk about all time albums that have 10+ songs and come in at right around 30 minutes, this has to be in the discussion. "Sacred Love" is an all time classic. Same with "Re-Ignition". Just a little below would be the title track, and "House of Suffering". This is the band that is the all time contrast against something like Living Colour. This is a real punk, hardcore, thrash band, that happens to be black. The blackness is not the point. The blackness is just part of what makes it real. Punk is about dissatisfaction with the status quo, and honestly, it's amazing there haven't been MORE fantastic punk bands that are black, given how the status quo has favored whites for centuries. I love Bad Brains, I was just listening to "The Youth Are Getting Restless" earlier in the week, fantastic album, have great memories of seeing them live and the crowd just SEETHING with energy, and the band inciting a near riot... it was wonderful, feeling all those feelings that strongly as a young person and wanting to see things get better for all people, everywhere. Music can be a force for positive change. Full stop. Note that I wrote this entire review without listening to this record. I don't need to listen to this record again to know how how important it is, how vital, and how much other music pales in comparison to the raw emotion and excitement of Bad Brains in their prime. Turn it to eleven before putting this on. If you are pissing off the neighbors, you are doing it right. So interesting to hear more nuances in the studio recording. Genre bending for sure. I love the Day Tripper / She's a Rainbow pairing they did live, hints of that here, seeds for the future. What a record!

This album epitomizes the Summer of Love. Messy at times, it's psychedelic and heartfelt.

This didn't do much for me. Not bad, not terribly interesting either.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It helped me understand Bob Dylan better.

Really a collaboration with Brian Eno, this is a fantastic album with real depth for repetitive listening.

As someone from Washington state, I'd always been a bit of a snob in regards to Nirvana. I preferred the Pixies. That said, they influenced the direction of rock for the next couple of decades and arguably were the most important act ever from the Pacific Northwest, literally putting Seattle on the map for many folks. This album is excellent top to bottom with no filler, which is rare.

Not the strongest Zep album, but in some ways, the most pure, in terms of their blues background and the straightforward performance. I like it more when they get weirder...

What strikes me the most is that most of the better tunes on this record are all covers. Elvis was a phenomenon, one of the first true cultural icons of rock and roll, but that doesn't mean that his records are high art, or even required listening. This collection isn't bad, but everything that is good on it was done better by someone else... Blue Suede Shoes, Tutti Frutti and on the extended version Lawdy, Miss Clawdy and Shake, Rattle and Roll.

This is pretty classic stuff, but I don't find it terribly relevant or interesting in today's world.

I like his more seminal blues work but this didn't do much for me. I'm not generally a fan of these mixed collaboration albums, they were all the rage for a while, and although I can imagine that certain people who are big fans of everyone on the collaboration might be super excited, the results usually aren't all that great.

So much has been said about this album. It was around from the beginning for me. This record and the Beach Boys "High Water" collection... plus Rolling Stones "Beggars Banquet" were always near the turntable. A bit dark for a kid? Sure, and actually, I liked those other records better LOL. For me personally I'd rather listen to "Animals" or "Wish You Were Here" in most situations... I also like "Meddle", "Piper", "Saucer"... but this was the record that put Pink Floyd on the map for most people and one can't argue the brilliance and creativity that went into making it.

It's a bit wild to me that this album got as popular as it did. It's a rather weird record... "Mother" is a full on freak out, and the title track parts I and II are definitely out there. The album succeeds on the strength of the massive massive massive hits "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "King of Pain" though I'd argue that the third is a pretty weird song as well for top 40 radio. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing this record. I think my favorite Police record is "Ghost in the Machine" but the more straightforward "Zenyatta Mondatta" gives it a run for it's money.

I enjoyed this more than I expected I would. It definitely rocks, and the softer tunes are, well, tuneful.

Not terribly familiar with this band, just the one or two hit songs they've put out, but I did like this record on an initial listen, and will have to explore further.

Strong in the ways of power pop, not a perfect record, but a great one.

This is a pretty amazing record. I spent a good bit of time listening to it when it came out, and the overall quality is very high. Melodic in a way that makes it feel fresh.

Familiar with the band, not with this album. It didn't do much for me. It wasn't bad, just not terribly interesting. I guess a track here or there was a bit out there but for the most part it didn't have the energy that I was expecting. Clearly influenced by "Madchester'.

This album feels dated now but had to be a bit of a revelation at the time. I like the fact that occasionally it meanders, like a musical conversation.

I liked it but conversely didn't find it revelatory or particularly inspired. I suppose it's a product of the time, these days the influence of world music is felt across all genres, it may have been more important when it was released.

This is wild. I've never heard of this guy, but four or so of the songs on this album are total classics -- easy listening soft rock classics. Great example of what the 1001 can do... it's super cool to hear these originals that have been classics for decades and covered by a lot of famous artists.

This is an unbelievably great album. I spent the better part of a year listening to it. Even with that, I'm looking forward to listening to it again right now.

So many good songs. I will admit to a certain amount of fatigue in regards to this record... because of that, there are several others that I usually enjoy listening to more. That said, one cannot argue its greatness.

Initial listen was relatively positive but not mind blowing. I queued up another round after listening to some other stuff. Similar feel this time around. It might have been ground breaking at the time, but whatever they were doing was clearly absorbed by everyone, and now seems pretty normal. Perhaps it's an issue of them being an early visual glam sort of operation. Obviously that doesn't translate to the recording.

Nice weird record. I like it. There's some totally atonal material, some weird chanty stuff, odd audio effects... but I'm generally a huge Eno fan, so not surprised. I was familiar with the popular tunes from this record, not so much the deeper cuts, glad I got to listen to the album.

I decided after one listen that I had to give this another listen, and I found the second listen interesting, so it meets my basic requirement for a four rating i.e. interesting enough to require a second listen, and still interesting after the second listen. It does have some rather filthy lyrics, in places, but the musicianship is good, and there's a nice swing to many of the tunes.

This is a nice assemblage of tunes, but in this vein, I prefer Revolver, and I also like Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper better, so I don't think this deserves five stars, though it has some classic songs on it.

I enjoyed listening to this but conversely I didn't find it special.

I like Aerosmith but boy, this record really doesn't have much going for it, except for some hit singles. I just didn't find it interesting, at all.

My initial listen was inconclusive. This record has a lot of blues standards, folk tunes, and is fairly laid back, all things considered. I tend to prefer higher energy material. I ended up giving it a second listen and there's some good stuff on here. I think the combination of Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart is interesting, unusual, and kind of cool.

I am generally a huge Johnny Cash fan and this record was a pleasant surprise. I had heard a few of the singles from it, but hadn't listened to it all the way through, and it was great to see him revisiting some old material as well as the covers (which made all the press). The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!

This is definitely a band that I was aware of before starting the 1001 but conversely sitting down and listening to entire albums from them has created a lot more interest. I like some of the tunes very much. I wonder if the other songs will grow on me, or not, as that'll be the mark of something truly excellent.

This wasn't bad, but it's not my cup of tea.

Sorry, I just don't get it. Another one of those UK acts that just isn't all that interesting.

I didn't get much out of this. It wasn't bad, but honestly, I thought (before reading the Wikipedia entry) that it was a lot like the random UK crap that seems prevalent on the 1001 -- I had the Blur debut album right before this, and musically, it wasn't all that different, not much in terms of complexity. I gave it two listens as the first one was not memorable, and the second wasn't either.

After a few listens, I definitely ended up with an appreciation for this album. It's interesting, not my usual sort of thing, but good.

Um, yeah, right out of the gate, annoying voice. Trite songwriting. I'm oscillating between one star and two stars. It's bad. I suppose she's committed to what she's doing, which says something, and it's musical... but boy, pretty terrible. I guess there's a song or two that isn't awful... but I really don't like affected voices, particularly breathy ones.

Honestly, this record has one massive hit, and otherwise, it's not terribly memorable. Not bad -- if it was bad, it would be memorable LOL but nothing special.

Amazing record, incredible artist. Every time I listen to Prince, I tell myself I need to listen to more Prince. His live shows, really well documented on various bootlegs, are particularly fantastic. Well worth hunting down. I knew this was a five before I played it today, and listened to it twice, just because!

Another auto five. Fantastic record. Unique band. I've probably listened to this record a thousand times.

I'm a big Snoop Dogg fan, not so much Dre. As with some other records, I have a bit of trouble with the misogyny and gangster posturing. I think this record would be a five if it didn't have those issues.

I gave this a second listen and I'm glad I did. It made a much stronger impression the second time through. Some good tunes. I am not sure if this record is inspired, or not, but it certainly has quality. Unique sound.

Never heard this record, but it's pretty compelling, definitely a different beast than either the pop music popular at the time, or the overtly psychedelic counter culture tunes.

It's atmospheric but not really my cup of tea.

This and "Abbey Road" are my favorite Beatles albums. Just an amazing range of sounds, songwriting, and singing... wonderful production too. It's a bit like the White Album with the more random stuff removed, condensed.

I had never heard of this particular band -- though I have a vague recollection of a band with the same name in Boston back in the late 1980s. I am generally a fan of progressive rock in all forms, and anything with some complexity and musicality is right up my alley. I liked this record and will definitely check more of their stuff out.

The production on this record is interesting and I like it quite a bit, but honestly, I prefer a more rock and roll sound, and there are also several tunes on this record that are filler, not very good. The good stuff is very very good, but the bad stuff is pretty bad. I think "Alive" is their best record by far, it does a good job of approximating what the band might sound like on a really great night. Four stars for "Detroit Rock City" and "Shout It Out Loud".

As a kid in the 1970s I really enjoyed music from the 1950s. A couple of these tunes are absolute classics, and he definitely influenced the development of rock and roll from the roots of rhythm and blues. That said, I wouldn't want a steady diet of this for listening.

One of the earlier albums I listened to a lot was a compilation of Beach Boys tunes. I really loved it and would mimic surfing in the living room. I was five. In retrospect, the material isn't all that sophisticated, except when it is... but ironically, I think I like the simplest tunes best, so the later material isn't as interesting to me, even though sonically there's more going on.

I really liked this quite a bit. It might be five stars with more listening.

I'm a giant Deadhead and have been for many decades, this is one of the best Grateful Dead studio albums, very accessible, not as psychedelic as the early stuff, not as poppy as the later stuff. This and Workingman's Dead really defined Americana for me.

Huge fan. This isn't my favorite -- that would probably be "The Electric Spanking of War Babies" -- but it's a solid slab of P-Funk. I want the bomb!

I'm a huge Zappa fan but prefer his middle era material vs. the early material with the Mothers and the later "Jazz from Hell" material. This record isn't bad, but it's a bit gimmicky and hasn't aged particularly well. My favorite record is "Joe's Garage" and I strongly recommend checking that out if you want a different Zappa experience.

What a great voice. Outstanding. A truly lovely record. Not something I was familiar with. Could be a five with more listening.

I enjoyed listening to this, and it's a bit more energetic and a bit less dark than some of his other records. That said, I don't think it's anything super special.

I've always had a soft spot for Sinatra and this record is amazingly good. Defines an entire genre, in fact.

Listened to it once, not a big impression, not bad, not all that interesting. Decided to give it another listen. Same opinion. Some parts that are a bit cool, some parts that seem fairly derivative, overall not much in the way of unique, the sound itself was either copied by other bands or it's copied itself.

I gave this a couple of listens and found it oddly compelling. I think the character of the vocals is really interesting, nice harmonies, and while the instrumentation is a bit elevator music in places, it's certainly skillfully played.

I enjoy Elvis Costello. He's got a unique sound, and I consider him essential pre punk, he created melodic structures with approachable songwriting but added some of that punk energy. This album has some classics, including "Radio, Radio".

I thought this was interesting, and had a particularly great selection of samples for some of the tracks.

I'm a fan, and this is a great album. People will discredit it because it doesn't sound like The Stooges, or even later Iggy Pop solo records, but that's precisely what makes it great -- it's unique, it created musical ideas that resonated with many people for many many years.

This is just a wonderfully super weird album, and I absolutely enjoyed it. I had zero expectations going in.

Not at all what I was expecting. The vocals are affected, which usually bugs me, but in this case, it's kind of compelling, perhaps because she's actually often on pitch, and it's more of a sing song talky sort of voice. Reminiscent of Kate Bush, if Kate Bush was quirky, or channeling Björk. The instrumentation is very Renaissance Faire which complements the vocals.

I liked this more than I expected, but I don't generally find the genre all that interesting.

This is a great album. That said, one of the tragedies of modern electronic rock and roll music is that The Doors weren't recorded live often enough, and so we don't have the depth of catalog for them that we have for some other significant 1960s artists. Doors live shows were absolutely insane, and if you haven't already, make sure to check out some of the recordings available. Jim Morrison would often go completely off script, occasionally with profanity, ranting, nudity, you name it. When Elektra did send folks to shows to record them, often it seemed like Jim pointedly sabotaged the whole thing... it's kind of wild... the resulting recordings were deemed too outlandish and crazed to be released to Middle America that wanted "Light My Fire" LOL. Nothing quite like listening to a random super weird Doors bootleg from 1967 or 1968 while driving in the car in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night...

On the one hand, it's kind of sweet pabulum. On the other hand, it's great for what it is.

Quite interesting. I thought I'd like it a lot, but it's pretty weird. Familiar with the band, not familiar with the album. I suspect it'll grow on me.

I have the vinyl, anyone of a certain age remembers the video for "Take On Me" which was rotoscoped and super cool and spawned a bunch of copycats to the point that within a year, anything rotoscoped looked out of touch LOL This is actually kind of a cool record. It's definitely new wave, and it's neat to think that this style of music was truly global. I had originally planned to give this a three but the songs are catchy, well written, and have a fairly wide range of subject material.

This is a beautiful album and highlights a lot of strengths. The instrumentation is fantastic, the songwriting interesting, and she's got great vocal quality and control.

I liked this. It rocked decently well, and was a bit of an homage, or throwback, and yet managed to sound reasonably modern. I could see people not liking the vocals, though, it was a bit Geddy Lee-eque.

This is a beautiful touching record that has wonderful vocal harmonies and interesting song ideas.

I like the artist and this is a great record on first listen. Not familiar with it, but it feels like a culmination of her earlier work.

I enjoyed the record at first but then ultimately there wasn't enough differentiation and development in the tunes. If I'm going to listen to something for over an hour, there better be a few different musical styles, or some songs that are more complicated and some that are more catchy and some that are slower... I just didn't get that from this. I suspect if it was cut down to 40 minutes I'd like it better.

As with a lot of double albums, this record is a bit bloated. Prince was prolific during his life and they probably could have put out a quadruple record if they included everything they recorded during these sessions. I think if they had been editorial it easily could be a five star album, and I wouldn't argue with anyone who rates it that way.

This didn't do much for me. It didn't have a lot going on lyrically, and the music and samples weren't very interesting. I was tempted to give it two stars but ultimately decided it wasn't bad, it just wasn't good.

I had forgotten that my mom used to play Sam Cooke on the living room record player when I was a kid. He's got such a great voice, and these are classic tunes.

This is rather derivative, or perhaps, everyone else is sounding like her these days. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's bad, but it feels like the mass market fast food of female led modern pop.

I haven't heard this record before but generally like this band from other exposures. This is solid and might even be a five with more listening.

I enjoyed this quite a bit and have only had limited exposure to this band. I'll have to give it some more listens.

This is a really interesting album, kind of spacy in places, rhythmic in others, very atmospheric. I like the vocals and guitar very much, particularly in the tone they have. It's not grabbing me instantly as being totally compelling, but it's close, if I had the option of a nine of ten, I'd do that, but without that option, I have to go four stars, but there's potential for five.

Fantastic.

I liked this, but then generally I like a lot of different styles of music and have a soft spot for industrial and harder rock. This fits the bill. I didn't give it five stars because there wasn't enough variety but I did like it quite a bit.

Quite good. Might be a five with more listening. The video for Firestarter was on heavy max rotation when it came out.

I liked listening to this record and got a copy when it first came out. I'm generally a fan of the band. I don't know if it's as strong as some of their other material, though. The more rock and roll the sound, the better, I think.

Huge fan of the band. This album only hints at what they'd eventually become. The production is sparse by modern standards, sort of angular sounding, and because of that, it hasn't aged particularly well. That said, it sets the stage for future inspiration.

It's interesting... this feels very "throwback" and is essentially 90s techno with a bit more of an emphasis on sampling. I would have never guessed that it came out in the 2000s just from listening to it. It feels both old and new at the same time, which is unusual.

I didn't get this. It's strange to me, I really enjoy a lot of hip-hop and funk, but I generally don't like rap. It's just not a style I enjoy. There is the occasional exception, like I really enjoy Public Enemy, but typically anything that is rap dominant and from the 2000s or later, well, it just doesn't do anything for me. I'm not really interested in gratuitous profanity, or misogynist tropes, or gangster posing.

I'm going to give this three stars because it created a frenzy at the time, and it created a lot of imposters, copy cats, and a bit of a sea change in terms of what the typical music on the radio sounded like. That said, I don't personally find it all that compelling. It's not bad, but it feels a lot like the classic white artist ripping off black artist situation. I think someone who listened to the record in a vacuum and had never seen the artist and didn't even know what her name was would just assume she was black. It has to do with vocal tone, affectation, and instrumentation. Tale as old as time... some producer gets a white talent, puts them up on stage, finds compelling music and makes it feel "contemporary" i.e. mines the styles and mannerisms of black artists, and laughs all the way to the bank.

I really enjoyed this. Maybe due to the excellent percussion, piano, organ? Cool samples, raps that aren't about "tha gangsta lyfe"? Female vocals? A truly interesting mish mash of funky beats.

I'm generally a fan of the band, and this record is a great example of early Cure. It's very atmospheric, with some really interesting musical choices. They became a bit more poppy later on, which I didn't like as much.

I was initially planning on giving this a four, largely because of the whole "white guys covering black music" issue, which is a real problem with the blues, particularly. After a couple of listens, I decided it was inspired enough to give it five stars anyway. A first for me!

Cool record. It might be a five, hard to say, decently compelling on first listen, but I was interrupted a bit. Never heard it before.

Never heard of this artist, or this album, or any of this material, but I liked it and thought it was a good listen.

I am not finding this terribly compelling, but I'll give it three stars because of the samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" and the tune that shamelessly rips off Black Sabbath's "Ironman". I'm sorry, I'm just not all that interested in raps and auto tune lyrics about falling in love with porn stars. Actually, with the anti Semitism, I can't give this anything other than one star. "Ye" is an asshole.

I liked this quite a bit, and it's weird that I had never listened to this record before, it's got a lot of elements that match up with the sorts of things I like. It's possible it might be a five star with more listening, for now, I'll give it four stars.

I didn't have any preconceived notions about this record other than remembering the artist appearing with Madonna live on some telecast. (Looked it up, Super Bowl halftime, apparently kind of notorious because M.I.A. flipped the bird at one point.) I generally like dance music if it's inspired and interesting. This was definitely interesting! Her delivery can be a bit droll or mechanical at times, which reminded me of Grace Jones, actually. Interesting record. Glad to have ended up listening to it.

Jangly power pop. Not bad, not something I'd reach for though. Seems like it's another one of those UK records that the UK author decided to include on the list, but anyone anywhere else would have found something else more deserving.

This just didn't do much for me. I am not sure why. Maybe it's a vocal tone thing... there was some variety in the songs, but they all felt kind of same, somehow.

This feels very dated to me now. I remember it being interesting at the time. It seems very slow. I certainly wouldn't consider it "club music" at all.

I was surprised by how much I liked this. Something about the way everything came together... it was a nice, relaxing, smooth, upbeat listen.

I liked this record quite a bit, but that said, I've never been a super huge R.E.M. fan and it's probably because everything is just way too straight. I like weirder music, and while they definitely are not mainstream pop, they are closer to that then they are progressive rock or new wave or Zappa. My feelings about R.E.M. are probably colored by my belief that they were one of the last "record label" pushed bands -- they were allegedly alternative but that said they weren't as adventurous as other bands of the same era, and their singles and videos were always on heavy rotation... the hype around each new release just built and built for years and years.

Generally a fan. "This Corrosion" is an all time banger. That said, I think it's by far the strongest tune on this record, and as such, it's hard to give the album a five, though it is a really interesting mix of industrial, goth and emo stylings.

This is clearly a transition from folk to psychedelic in terms of what is going on musically and lyrically. It's cool, but dated.

I spent a lot of time listening to this record and the two before it back when they were released. I think this is a great album, with some really interesting songs and heartfelt singing. I love "Boy" but this record shows the band had matured a lot and they had become better musicians, better songwriters, better singers.

Such a fun record, and really unusual, one of a kind, unique.

This record was on major rotation in our shared living space when I was in college in the late 1980s. It would get played a lot later on in the evening when things were starting to get going... maybe around 11:30 PM, or midnight, when everything needed a little injection of weird energy. Worked perfectly!

This is kind of great, but then again, I like the solo Syd Barrett albums quite a bit, and this reminds me of those. A bit more straightforward perhaps.

Four or so absolute classic tracks, the rest is mediocre filler. Hard to rate as a result. If I could give a 3.5 or so, I'd do that, but given that I have to give an even star rating, I think it's closer to a 3 than to a 4.

She sold a lot of records, and there are some pretty songs on this album, but I don't really see the appeal. I like much more dynamic music, with rhythm and swing and bass and energy and edge and quirkiness. I can't argue with the musicianship, or production, but it's not for me.

I liked this quite a bit. It's quirky, but musical, and clearly there's a lot of thought behind the arrangements.

This album was on heavy rotation in the shared living situation I had at the time. I got tired of it, but that said, I appreciated then, and still appreciate now, the willingness to experiment. Certain tunes definitely have an industrial edge to them, and your typical mass market listener at the time had zero exposure to that style of music. It was great for this record to come out and have some impact in terms of a few tracks that were more adventurous. I'm generally a fan of the band, though I didn't like Joshua Tree, too polished, and preferred Boy to all the other records, with Unforgettable Fire probably being second (mostly due to the great production). This record restored some of my faith in the band not being washed up.

This didn't do much for me. It seemed angry without purpose. The musicianship left a bit to be desired as well. That said, they were definitely playing with energy and commitment so I'll not give them a one star.

I liked this quite a bit, probably because of the horns and piano. It had a fun honky tonk sort of vibe.

I found this particular record a bit more compelling than the other Nick Cave record (s?) that I've had in the 1001. Kind of a dark Johnny Cash vibe. This record had a bit more variety in the sound and lyrics, so I liked it more than the other one (s?) that I've had.

It wasn't bad but wasn't particularly innovative or memorable either.

Honestly, at first I didn't like this record precisely because so many people I knew loved it. The flute thing was a gimmick, right? Eventually I decided "Thick as a Brick" was fantastic, and it ended up changing my opinion of this record. It's brilliant.

I am generally a fan of the Stones, though I'm not as rabid as others, and prefer The Who and Led Zep among their contemporaries. This is a good record, with several classics, but is not a great record. As with many of their albums, there is definitely filler.

Difficult to rate this particular record. On the one hand, it's not terribly groundbreaking or very complex. On the other hand, it does feature some really cool Jamaican influences, some fun rapping, and is one of the few early bands where women were clearly in charge of the overall direction. I have the vinyl and at least one 12" single with remixes in my stash. I'm going to give it four stars as it's definitely above average, whatever that means LOL

I was surprised at how much I liked this record. I had never listened to it, but was familiar with a hit or two.

This is one of those things where this is a great great record, but there are other great records by Genesis that I like more than this one... but does that mean I have to give this four stars? No. It's a five star record. I think that "Foxtrot", "Lamb" and this record are all solid five star records. I happen to like the other two more, but that doesn't mean this isn't a five star record.

This was cool. I like this sort of thing but haven't listened to enough of it. Back in the day I was part of the rave or party scene in San Francisco. I attended a decent number of events over a couple of years that I lived there, and I also threw a few events with the help of many other people. I distinctly remember folks really enjoying the beginning of the ambient era, having a separate "chill out" zone that was away from the dance floor, so people could recharge and connect. Tunes like this were instrumental (pun intended) to having people get the right mindset, not zoning out, but active, but relaxed. Trip-hop indeed!