1001 Albums Summary

I don't usually like this style of rock. I usually find it really boring, but I liked this album more than I thought I would. I think that was mainly because of the lyrics, which were amazing. They were a bit cryptic at times, but were just really beautifully written, and the messages were really deep, meaningful and inspirational. There were several lyrics that just hit me in the gut because of how strongly they resonated with my life at the moment. I just wish it was stronger musically- there are pretty ambient sounds and all, but overall, the production and melody writing just feels really samey and directionless. I wasn't a fan of the drumbeats which sounded quite robotic (quite common in this style of music). Also the vocals left a lot to be desired for me. I'm glad I read the lyrics because otherwise the overly pretentious vocals would've been all I noticed. I just wish the singer could've invested the lyrics with the power and emotion they deserve, rather than putting on indie airs and trying to sound like Dylan. Nothing wrong with Dylan, but here, the imitation of his style felt pretentious. Not sure if I'll listen again, but I'm glad I got to hear these lyrics at exactly the right time. Favourite songs: An Ocean In Between the Waves, Eyes to the Wind

There was never any question in my mind that Aretha Franklin can sing. I'd heard "Respect" before listening to the album, of course, but had never heard any of the other songs. And while I definitely had respect for her (pun not intended), I'm not usually a big fan of singers who don't write their own songs. I was under the impression that she only sung covers. I was pleasantly surprised to find she had writing credits on quite a few of the songs. However, the album is still more about her voice than about the songs. I do find her tone a little shrill for my liking a lot of the time, but there's no denying she's a great, soulful singer who knows how to deliver her message convincingly. Of course, it's iconic how she took Otis Redding's "Respect," which was initially kinda misogynistic, and turned it into the ultimate female empowerment anthem. Other than that, I loved the self-written "Baby Baby Baby." You can really hear her pain when you listen to it. Favourite songs: Respect, Baby Baby Baby

I actually own this album, but haven't listened to it in ages and also never really sat down and listened properly all the way through. Annoyingly, I could not find my CD, so it had to be Spotify. I'm not usually a fan of artists who don't write their own music, but Ella Fitzgerald is and always has been the exception. I grew up with her (not this album- a hits compilation that my parents had), and she'll always have a special place in my heart. Even so, I don't listen to her often, but when I do, I'm blown away by her voice. I honestly have so much admiration for Ella and her voice. She is definitely one of the greatest vocalists of all time. I could go on for paragraphs about her obvious technical brilliance (her control, tone, versatility, emotion, inflections, and the ease with which she sings are enough to make most singers look amateur), but I think what makes her the exception to my tastes is that she's more than just a pretty voice. She has so much personality, and she invests that personality into every performance. She's an individual, and a true character, not afraid to be herself and having the time of her life doing it. She puts her whole being into every performance, and her joy is infectious. It's the most beautiful thing ever. You'll notice I rated this four stars rather than five, and that's because I'm not sure I can see myself listening to this every day. I probably will listen again because unfortunately, I was multitasking and wasn't able to give Ella's voice my full attention 100% of the time. However, the song writing is also a key part of this release, the way I see it. Man, the Gershwins wrote some funny songs. Definitely something which had to grow on me, and their style did significantly grow on me by the end of this 3 hour release. I still don't see how they're supposed to be one of the greats, though. Their songs tend to fall into two categories: slow ballads which are all quite generic and don't do anything unique, and upbeat ones with quirky or joking lyrics. The second category especially got on my nerves at first. I think what helped me appreciate the more upbeat, light hearted songs were that these are generally the ones Ella sings best. It felt like she was more authentically herself singing these songs, rather than playing the crooner on the slower numbers (although she does that well, too). In fact, several of the upbeat songs felt like they were written for her, although I know that's not the case strictly speaking. Nelson Riddle's arrangements also deserve a word. They were gorgeous and very atmospheric. Not sure of favourite tracks because I have a feeling that the ones I liked less were only because I wasn't giving my full attention (as I said, I was multitasking). Will have to listen again at some point.

I guess I should appreciate that this is making me listen to stuff I wouldn't usually listen to, but when I saw the genre was punk rock, I couldn't help being like: "do I have to?!" To be clear, there's nothing wrong with this album. It's not something I would typically voluntarily listen to, and it didn't convert me to a punk either. However, it wasn't all bad. I found it weirdly easy to listen to. I enjoyed the distorted guitar tones and the choruses were usually catchy. The anti-establishment lyrics were both amusingly stereotypical to the genre and somewhat sympathetic. On track 1 I was hit by how universal the themes were, of needing something more- something the establishment isn't providing. I wonder whether these people can see, though, that turning to a rock and roll culture of drugs, sex and violence is a distraction. By buying into it, you're basically just buying into the establishment you think you're rebelling against. Anyway, I thought this album was well done. The lyrics were well written, I can't fault the music from an objective standpoint and overall it was just very sonically and thematically cohesive. I probably wouldn't listen to it again, though. Favourite tracks: White Riot, London's Burning

I didn't expect to like this album. I'd never heard of this band before, but the cover, band name and album title all brought to mind something that was maybe a bit silly. I was imagining some kind of goofy, overproduced reggae pop or Latin pop. It wasn't what I expected- it was actually way better- but still wasn't my favourite album I've ever heard. It ended up being bluesy rock, which was a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't say the goofiness I was expecting was entirely not there, but it wasn't bad enough that I couldn't take any of the songs seriously. The musicianship isn't bad. There are two singers, one whose voice I much preferred to the other. Neither are the lyrics, though there's a bit of a fixation on holy/religious imagery to describe the blues. You get the impression that these guys worship the genre a bit too much. The only song I absolutely couldn't stand was "Sheik," which just made me cringe. Overall, I found the whole thing a little pretentious. Ironically, they were trying too hard to seem... authentic and unaffected. Because those things are "cool." They're part of that "bad boy" image associated with blues and rock. I bet ZZ Top saw that in all their idols, and here, that's who they're trying to be. I guess that's just how it is: you're either great or you're trying to be great. Favourite tracks: Hot, Blue and Righteous, Have You Heard?

This album has got to have been my biggest disappointment from the 1001 albums so far. Previously, I'd heard one song from this album: "The Boys are Back in Town." I heard it on the radio, but I'm thinking it was probably the studio version I heard. My dad told me it was Thin Lizzy, and I remember him saying: "this song is all about the riff" (I'm young- born this century- so a lot of the music on this list is more my dad's era). I agreed with him. The lyrics aren't that great, but the riff has stuck in my head ever since, after only hearing the song that one time (I never heard it again). However, I like my lyrics. It takes more than a good riff for me to like a song. Despite that, the first few tracks left me pleasantly surprised. The lyrics were a lot better, the musicianship was top notch, the energy and overall sound was really my vibe, and I was genuinely thinking this might turn out to be my first five star album so far. However, it only got worse from there. From those first few great songs, all of a sudden the quality of song writing just deteriorated, and I would even say most of the track list is terrible. By the end it was just hard to listen to. Favourite tracks: Emerald, Still In Love With You, Southbound

This is the first time they've given me an album I've heard before, and also my first 5. It wouldn't be entirely honest to call this one of my "old favourites," though, because I only discovered it this year (I'm young and trying to discover classic music, which is why I signed up for this site). But it was definitely a favourite before this. The title track touches me in a way that not many songs do. The rest of the album falls short compared to it, and I love the rest of the album. The whole track list is solid, with several other classic songs. However, even if the rest of the track list was terrible, this album still deserves 5 stars just for "Bridge Over Troubled Water." One of the greatest songs ever written. Favourite tracks: Bridge Over Troubled Water (obviously), El Condor Pasa, The Boxer

This album is fine, but I'm not sure if I see why it's one of the 1001 albums. It sounds pretty and all, but doesn't really have much else going for it. The album feels overly long and almost all the songs are boring and too long (apart from a couple of weird short ones, which were still boring). Kelela, who I'd never heard of before, has a nice soulful voice, but really poor enunciation. I couldn't understand what on Earth she is saying most of the time. I guess it's on the list because of the "experimental" production that wasn't even that original really. The last track took me completely by surprise, though. I was sitting there bored, tired and looking forward to finishing the album and going to bed, and then, suddenly, I'm hit over the head with these lyrics: Nothing to be sad about It's not just me, it's everyone Let me remind you, let me remind you Nothing to be sad about There's a place for everyone Let me remind you, let me remind you This was so exactly what I needed to hear that I got all choked up. I was almost in tears until, at the last chorus (after she's already sung the chorus a LOT), I suddenly realise that the lyric is actually "nothing to be said or done." I was getting all emotional over a misheard lyric. That realisation was quite a letdown. The actual lyric doesn't even make much sense. Oh well, it's still a decent song and the only song on this album I even slightly care about. Favourite track: Altadena

A bit of a mixed bag for me personally, but I can definitely see why this is one of the 1001 albums. It's an extremely well done high energy rock album full of well written songs, and also has a slight experimental edge to it. Sometimes they took the experimental side a little too far and left me asking "what's going on...?," but I appreciate that they were willing to go there at all. Clearly they were just being really creative (it's not too derivative or too pretentious), but it doesn't always fit the song. However, when it does, it's amazing. My previous exposure to this album was just the chorus of "Pour Some Sugar On Me." I heard it in a YouTube video about songs One Direction ripped off, and apparently this was one of them. They played the chorus of "Midnight Memories" and then "Pour Some Sugar On Me," and I've got to agree it was extremely similar. I don't know if it's just because I'd heard it before, but "Pour Some Sugar On Me" ended up being one of my favourites on the album. It's just such a huge, infectious chorus. You can't help but sing along. This is the main strength of this album's songwriting. The hooks and choruses are huge and bombastic. I didn't enjoy all of them (some were annoying- for instance, I wasn't a fan of the chorus of "Women," which was a shame, as I was really enjoying the lyrics of the verse. I don't even know why, but I really enjoy songs that use that kind original sin/the fall trope. It's kind of a guilty pleasure of mine), but that's just a matter of taste. Lyrically, most of it is about sex (so not really that deep), but it was well done. The main thing I didn't enjoy lyrically was the "I don't care about love, I just wanna get laid" kind of message that was in a couple of the songs. I think that's a really sad, unhealthy mindset (is it even PC to say that these days? I don't even care: love is important). "Gods of War" is a great song. Trust me to say that, though, as it's the only "serious" song on the album. It has an anti-war message, and I appreciated that. I'm not sure if this album is a little front loaded or if I just got sick of it as it went on (especially since their sound is a LOT- 3 or 4 songs is fine, but after a while it can get a bit too much). There were good songs later on (the title track and "Gods of War"). But other than that, I enjoyed the first half a lot more. Favourite songs: Gods of War, Pour Some Sugar On Me

I had high expectations of this album. They were not met. I've heard a handful of Rolling Stones songs in my life, and most of them I really liked. Some I even loved. None of the songs I'd heard are on this album. And after listening, I'd go as far as to say none of the Rolling Stones songs I particularly like are on here. I wouldn't say this was a bad album. But there was nothing that particularly caught my interest in a positive way. I think I prefer their softer stuff, because most of the softer songs I found enjoyable enough. However some songs, especially the rockier ones and that goddamn country song, really made me cringe. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is probably the best song on here. I enjoyed it, and could see it growing on me. The chorus lyrics are simple but powerful. I think, after the classical intro, it was less experimental than I was hoping for, but it was still good. The best thing about this album was that it was short, and I'm not just saying that because I didn't like the album. It's the first album I've gotten so far that isn't overly long, and I really appreciated that. Favourite songs: You Got The Silver, You Can't Always Get What You Want

My dad would be so pleased I listened to this album. He was obsessed with "Chameleon" a couple of years ago, and tried to get me to listen to Herbie Hancock. I told him this kind of music wasn't really my taste, and he told me I need to be more "open minded." And that apparently, I only listen to "female singer-songwriters who write catchy pop songs." I don't listen to actual good, classic music. "That's not even true!" I told him. "I listen to the Beatles- they're not female!" But he said, "that's just one band." So I tried to force myself to like this album. The thing is, for all its technical brilliance, I find instrumental jazz extremely hard to pay attention to. It ends up becoming background music at best, and annoying noise that I deliberately tune out at worst (especially fast, high saxophone solos). But when I was halfway through "Watermelon Man," I reprimanded yourself. "You're not paying enough attention, and your mind isn't open enough!" I stopped it and started the album again. And though I tried, I didn't pay "enough" attention the second time either. Because I'm listening to the album online, I would get distracted by the screen, which I couldn't use for maximum absorption by pulling lyrics up because there are none. But the way it stands is that I would find it very hard to pay attention during the fast solo sections. "You're a keyboardist," I'd tell myself. "At least pay attention to the keyboard solos. Learn from the greats. Listen to exactly what Hancock is doing." I couldn't make myself. And as I've said, I couldn't deal with the fast, high saxophone. It hurt my head. I can only handle saxophone when it's slow and low. I should say that I did like this more than most jazz I hear. And my favourite parts were the softer sections- they were truly sublime. The final track, "Vein Melter," was the softest overall, so it was my favourite. Hopefully, one day I can return to this album with a more open mind. I know it would be good for me. Favourite track: Vein Melter

Kind of interesting, kind of meh. What did I like about this? Well, the arrangements were always gorgeous and tasteful. The lead guitar had everything I usually look for in lead guitar. It was soulful, a beautiful tone and distinctive, memorable melodies. However, the vocals let this down. I honestly think this band's vocalist just isn't very good. His lyrics are fine- they were weird and a bit obtuse, but I liked that. They were unique. However as a singer, he leaves a lot to be desired. He appears to be going for some cross between punk and so-called "art rock," but retains only the worst parts of these genre's vocal styling. He has the pretentiousness of more "sophisticated" rock styles with none of the usual technical proficiency. The unpolishedness of punk without its raw, real authenticity. To his credit, he sung some songs better than others. I particularly remember him singing the title track well, and also "Elevation," where his delivery on the word "confidential" got me every time. Closing track "Torn Curtain," however, was far and away my favourite. What a beautiful, unique song. I can definitely say I've never heard anything remotely like it, and that's not something you're able to say every day. Favourite song: Torn Curtain

It's decent rock and roll, I guess, but mainly just a whole bunch of covers. I'm certain the only reason this is on this list is just because it's The Rolling Stones. "Tell Me" was my favourite track. It was the most interesting musically, with the most distinctive melody. I was pleased when I found out it was the only original on the album, but also not surprised I had a preference for the original without even knowing it was one. I tend to have a good feel for these things. One track doesn't justify it being on the list, though. I found it hilarious that they only listed the songwriters' surnames in the writing credits on Spotify (apart from the original, which they put their full names for). It feels colloquial, more like the way people like them would talk rather than how it would be written in an official writing credit. 2 stars because I didn't find this horrible to listen to. I enjoy this style of music. Favourite track: Tell Me

I'm not entirely sure why this is special enough to be on this list (maybe it's simply a case of "I wasn't there," or it influenced a lot of music after it), but it was a blast! Which feels a bit weird to say given the depressing subject matter, but it was lots of fun. I loved the lyrics, which were really clever for the most part. There's lots of politics, but I tended to prefer the more personal songs. There was this kind of dramatic self loathing to a lot of the lyrics that you really have balls to put out there. It was all just very intense. However, there were a couple of political songs I really liked. I applaud them for being brave enough to release "PCP." Also, "The Intense Humming of Evil" was amazing, especially how it got all darkly existential in the chorus. Political songs in general are a weird one for me. I'm never sure whether or not I agree with what they're saying, especially if they're older songs and I wasn't there to experience the climate. In the more politically focussed songs, there's an annoying habit of rattling of 30+ names of people I've never heard of, which made it hard for me to understand some of the messages. The second half of the album was better, with a perfect run from tracks 7-13. I actually kind of love a back loaded album. Obviously, a consistent album is better, but I tend to love albums where all my favourites come from the back half. Favourite tracks: The Intense Humming of Evil, PCP, Faster

A bit discouraging that, so far, my only 5s have been albums I've heard before. But this is obviously a 5, and anyone who disagrees is objectively wrong. It blew my mind the first time I heard it, but I haven't listened to it in a while. It was great to revisit it. Definitely one of the best albums of all time. Favourite tracks: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (pts. 1 and 2), Wish You Were Here

I was tempted to knock this down a star because of Neil Young's horrible views and his support of censorship, which annoyingly lead to my experience of listening to this album being disrupted by having to find every song where he has a writing credit on YouTube because they'd all been removed from Spotify. The same goes for Joni Mitchell, who they cover on this album. Unfortunately, Young's contributions are GOOD, and so is "Woodstock" (I was already familiar with Mitchell's original version, and even used to cry listening to it before she broke my trust), which kind of annoys me even more. I didn't remove the star because I was so excited about finally having a five star album that I hadn't heard before. This is my first, and musically, it warrants that. This is the kind of music I got into this list hoping to discover. I'm 22, and was really taken by 60s and 70s music when I discovered what it was a few years back, but was too overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of artists that I never dug as deep as I would've liked to. This band were one of the many acts from this era that I'd been meaning to get into, but there were so many of those that it was probably never going to happen without something like this list to focus my music discovery. All four are good writers, but I think Nash may be my favourite writer (judging, of course, from this album alone). This could be partly due to the fact that I'd kind of heard his contributions before though. My dad quite often used to sing "Our House" and "Teach Your Children" to me. Those ended up being my favourites. Although I'm certain I would've still fallen head over heels for "Teach Your Children" if I'd heard it for the first time today. It's a truly incredible song. I don't hear songs like that every day. Other than that, opener "Carry On" (written by Stills) was also amazing- the kind of opener that lets you know the album is going to be next level. Favourite tracks: Teach Your Children, Carry On, Our House

I didn't go into this with a very open mind, and I admit I was only half listening for a lot of this album. However, I still managed to be pleasantly surprised and impressed. There's no doubt about it that I'm witnessing one of history's great performers in action. The songs are okay, but this album is all about BB King's live performance. His rapport with the audience is something every artist would aspire to, and you can't fault it musically at all. He sings and plays with so much emotion and soul. Unfortunately, I will never get to see him live, but I just know if I was in the room when this was recorded, I wouldn't have been able to take my eyes off him! Favourite track: It's My Own Fault

Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this band. I don't think I like them as much as I want to like them. Don't get me wrong- I do like some of their songs. But I can't help but feel that The Doors constantly fall short of my hopes and expectations. I hadn't heard this album before, but I had heard their first album, which I wasn't too sold on the first time I heard it, but my tastes weren't as broad back then. I haven't gotten it on the list yet but am looking forward to hearing it again when I do get it, as it's been so long! From this album I only knew "Riders On The Storm" which, unsurprisingly, is my favourite song on here. The reasons it's unsurprising is that I'd heard it before (we all have that tendency, don't we?), and because it's a classic. Everyone loves it, and for good reason. It's a great song. Overall, though, I was disappointed. I think I was expecting some really surreal psychedelia, and instead I got a whole lot of blues. In terms of sound, this wasn't too big a deal. And it's not like there's no psychedelic influences in here either. Although blues is the primary genre, there's also plenty of psychedelic stylings which are combined with the blues in a really cohesive way that I've never heard anyone do before. It gives them such a distinctive and well rounded sound. I'm absolutely crazy about the contrast between dark and light, grounded and ethereal, real world grit and dreamlike reverie that this synthesis creates. As you can probably tell, my expectations being knocked a little didn't end up bothering me that much in terms of soundscapes. However, I'm a songwriter. When I say this, I don't just mean I'm someone who writes songs- songwriter is my identity. It's in my blood. Therefore, when listening to music, I find it really challenging not to listen primarily to the songwriting and judge it by that. I found a lot of these songs to be boring blues songs with uninspired lyrics about love, of the kind you hear in too many blues songs. There were a few times, too, where the 12 bar sequence shuffle just got a little old. It feels both disingenuous and unoriginal coming from The Doors of all people, especially considering their reputation for being psychedelic trailblazers. They're not black blues legends. They're not a rock and roll group, like the early Beatles and Stones, who took their point of difference from making blues more accessible and more pop. Obviously, all this classic rock is blues inspired in some way. But in terms of straight blues, I think it reach its peak pretty soon after its conception. There is only so much you can do within a genre where every song has the same chord progression and lyrics are generally very simple. By the time The Doors came onto the scene, it had all pretty much been done... I have no interest in hearing them copying and rehashing old blues tropes rather than pursuing the stylings that make them unique. I also need to add that for me, Jim Morrison's vocals just weren't it on this album. He just sounded tired all the time and I found it challenging to emotionally connect with his delivery. Ray Manzarek, on the other hand... why, as a keyboardist in a band, he's an inspiration to me. I aspire to be able to play like him. He is so central to The Doors' sound and is my favourite thing about it, providing warmth, light, colour, energy and soul to every song. In regards to the actual songs. Well, other than "Riders On The Storm" being an obvious favourite, I also really enjoyed "The WASP." It was so surreal with such poetic, imagery rich lyrics! Also, I've got to hand it to the solid opener "The Changeling." Not only does it rock, but I found the whole lyrical concept hilarious. In a good way. Despite all my misgivings, the only song I absolutely hated was "Crawling King Snake." I just thought it was so stupid. What were they thinking? Favourite tracks: Riders On The Storm, The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)

I mean technically this is fine I guess. It's cohesive enough, but then, what would you expect from the 1,001 albums list? Elvis Costello doesn't hold back vocally or anything, and I guess some of his lyrics are kind of clever. But I just found him very pretentious and the whole thing super cheesy. Costello reckons he's an alpha or something. I liked "Radio Radio," though, which I was disappointed to find out wasn't even on the original release. A good commentary on media censorship, although the hook at the end went on too long and got on my nerves, just like every other hook on this album. It kind of weakened the message just a little for me. My first 1 star. I almost gave it 2 for "Radio Radio," but decided that wouldn't be fair as even that one good song couldn't make me enjoy the album as much as I enjoyed the other albums I've rated 2 stars. Favourite track: Radio Radio

As much as I love this album, I was surprised to see it was on the list. However, this is actually my favourite Adele album (excluding 30 as I have yet to listen to it). I don't listen to Adele often, though, so it was fun to revisit this after quite some time. I remember having mixed feelings about this when it came out. For some reason I couldn't stand "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" and "I Miss You," both of which I love now. And back then, I was a very harsh critic of music. Not liking a couple of songs meant the album wasn't it. Despite the fact that the album contained two songs I already loved, and I also really connected with several other songs on it on first listen. Despite this, though, this album had quite an impact on me, and now it's just really nostalgic of my high school days. Especially the songs "Hello" and "When We Were Young." I was 14 when "Hello" came out, and I loved it the first time I heard it. It was everywhere that year, but for me, it never got old. At the time, though, my favourite Adele song was "Someone Like You." That changed when I was 17 and heard "When We Were Young" the first time. I was immediately taken by the melody of the chorus, and for a while, it became my favourite Adele song. Weirdly, I always used to say that the song felt "nostalgic even the first time I heard it." I'm not entirely sure why. I guess because a large part of the lyrics are based around memories, and it's kind of an old fashioned style like most of Adele's music? So that was when I decided to listen to the album. Although I've got to say that despite my favourite Adele song changing often back then, no Adele song has had the staying power for me that "Hello" has had. Every time I hear it, I just can't help screaming along the chorus. In fact, the first four songs of the album are just incredibly nostalgic, and I screamed along the choruses of "Send My Love" and "When We Were Young" too. I even sung along loudly to "I Miss You," which I don't know quite as well. As I said, I love it now. What about the rest of the album? Well, several songs hit me from the get go, although I downplayed how much I loved them for far too long. "All I Ask," "Sweetest Devotion," "Million Years Ago" and "Remedy" are all incredibly powerful. In fact, I want to particularly highlight "Million Years Ago"- I honestly can't believe Adele has such a powerful deep cut hidden away, and I always forget how hard hitting it is until it plays and I've got tears streaming down my face. The other three tracks: "Water Under The Bridge," "River Lea" and "Love in the Dark?" Well, they're okay. They don't let the record down majorly, but they're not quite on the same level to me. Favourite tracks: Hello, Million Years Ago, When We Were Young, All I Ask, Sweetest Devotion, Remedy

Wow. This was a painful experience. The vocals were terrible, the songwriting was irritating, the instrumentals were too chaotic and it all went on for far too long. It was a chore to get through. What is it with all the 1 star albums lately? I genuinely didn't think a list like this could have 1 star albums, because I'd think an album would have to be good to make it on here. But in the last three days I've had 2 1 star albums. At least these guys weren't as pretentious as Elvis Costello. But other than that, I think I actually enjoyed Elvis Costello's album, which I also gave one star, more than this.

Honestly, this was great! Receiving it after all the 1 star albums lately was a massive relief, and almost made me rate it 5 stars. I would still say it's not quite 5 stars as there were several songs that didn't particularly interest me, and I'm not sure if I can see myself listening to it regularly. It's a very high 4, however- probably a 4.5. I've just got to say that, although I found some songs less interesting, the songwriting on here is solid. Everything on here is very well written. The instrumentation is tasteful, and the lyrics are so beautifully haunting and evocative. They delve into the trials of life in a way I'm not sure I've heard anyone do before. The metaphors are unique and intriguing, each song clearly has a lot to dissect and the emotion he describes feels utterly palpable. This is an album about longing, about suffering, about heartbreak, about the struggles that everyday people go through. It's an album about that existential yearning for something greater. About the feelings we try to ignore and push aside because they're too painful to acknowledge. These feelings are the "darkness on the edge of town" referred to in the album title. There were four songs on this album I particularly liked. One of them, "Factory," struck me as particularly resonant about halfway through the song. I was already enjoying it, then I suddenly realised how the whole thing was a metaphor for the lives of everyday people as part of the establishment. And then I loved it even more. Favourite tracks: Something in the Night, Racing in the Street, The Promised Land, Factory

If I had heard this album anywhere else, I would never have guessed it was one of the 1,001 albums. I would've betted on it being some promising young indie band who hadn't quite fulfilled their potential yet. This band have a distinctive sound. I appreciated how they drew influence from the styles of last century but with a modern edge to it. The lyricism was decent too, I just felt that most of the songs weren't particularly interesting. There were a couple of songs I liked, though. The last track was a huge letdown. I saw it was over 6 minutes and was hoping for something really epic. However, it was mostly just the same boring, uninspired instrumental for ages and ages. Favourite tracks: Kingdom Of Doom, Behind The Sun

Can't sing to save his life. Seriously, his voice was so irritating. A lot of the songs are overly simplistic, too. Some of the later ones might be good with a different singer, but still, this shouldn't be on the list. His Spotify bio makes him out to be some kind of genius. Well, okay, I'm not buying it. Favourite track: Autumn's Child

I don't really think this should be on the list. There are plenty of technically good singers in the world- it doesn't make you particularly groundbreaking. And while I didn't hate this album- I even enjoyed parts of it- it's a miss in a lot of ways. Could someone please tell me why there needed to be 20 SONGS on this??? Especially since this album is mostly filler. Most of the songs just aren't catchy, and this is the kind of music that should be catchy. There are a few songs which just didn't work and were painful to listen to, most notably "Make Over." I will say, however, that it was a well intentioned album. It's also not as sexual as its image would suggest. I've gotten several albums on this list with lyrics that constantly obsess over sex. This is not one of them. Outside of "Dirty" (which to be honest doesn't fit on the album) those lyrical themes are minimal. This album mostly focusses on themes of empowerment, and that is often looked at in a relationship context, but the focus is generally on the emotional side of things. I love inspirational themes, but this album doesn't do it very imaginatively and it become quite repetitive by the end. For the love of God, Aguilera feels the need to say "YOU CAN'T KEEP ME DOWN" in every other song. In almost these exact words every time. Despite enjoying several songs, I couldn't bring myself to give this a 3. Something about this album rubbed me the wrong way, although I'm not sure what. Maybe it was her vocal tone. She went for harsh and grating more often than not, although she does demonstrate an ability to sing with a more pleasing tone. Favourite tracks: Beautiful, Cruz, The Voice Within, I'm Okay

Aretha's "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You" was the second album this site generated for me. It was also the first 3 star rating. As soon as I was generated this album I knew it was going to be another 3 stars. Actually, I prefer the earlier Aretha album. This one not only doesn't have "Respect" on the track list, but overall is just less interesting. She has less writing credits (I think just one track, which wasn't even a particularly good song), and although she makes a few nice cover choices, overall I wasn't won over. You can't technically fault this, though, which was why I couldn't bring myself to give it a 2.

I was intrigued by this band name because I'm in a band called the Joy Collective. And yes, I had heard of them before but didn't know a single one of their songs, or had the slightest idea what they sounded like. Now that I've listened to this album, well... much to my disappointment, their music isn't very joyful. In fact, it's kind of depressing. Not to say there weren't a few songs I really liked and even related to. "She's Lost Control" even made me cry, because the lyrics were such that I was able to attribute intensely personal meaning to them that was probably as far from the writer's intended meaning as you could possibly get. Favourite tracks: She's Lost Control, Insight, New Dawn Fades

Upon seeing the album title I immediately thought of the book by George Orwell. I wondered if the album was about the book, but thought it probably wasn't, and I was right- just an unimaginative reference to the year it was recorded. However, this album is every bit as depressing as Orwell's dystopian society, for the simple reason that it's terrible. I knew "Jump," which I actually don't hate. I even like the synth hook, which is sparkly, catchy and fun. However, it's not even a 5 star track and it's by far the best song on the album. Everything else is absolutely atrocious, especially that unbearable piece of cringe about, well, let's say inappropriate relations between students and teachers. Oh well, at least it was a short album and only wasted 33 minutes of my time.

This was probably the hardest album to rate that I've been given so far. Even after listening to the full thing, I alternated between thinking it couldn't possibly be anything less than a three, to wanting to give it a one, to seriously considering giving it a four. I'm not even sure if the fact that I somehow managed to end up listening to two generated albums in the same day, and the other one was Van Halen's "1984" (a one, if you're wondering), made me more or less lenient towards this album. By this point I'm kind of sick of the sexually explicit lyrics in so much rock on this list. Weirdly enough, "1984" elicited that reaction more strongly for me, and I think this album is the better end of that type of rock. The Chilli Peppers in general are a very weird band for me, as someone with a preference for a strong melody and well written lyrics. They have several songs I like, and a talented lyricist. I tend to have a strong preference for their softer songs, however, because the obnoxious shouty style they go for in a lot of their more upbeat material is not my cup of tea. There are a few exceptions to this though. The only other album of theirs I've heard is "Californication," which I honestly WAY prefer to this. I'm only slightly more familiar with it, but I seem to recall liking most of if not the entire track list. In addition to being way more cohesive, it leans more towards their softer side, whereas this one leans heavily towards their shouty side. If I'm being entirely honest, I had already heard this album in its entirety, but didn't remember much of it. My friend played the whole thing to me once when I was staying at her place. The only thing I really remember was dancing really crazily to the title track even though I didn't like it. This means that the song is now vaguely nostalgic to me and I can almost say I have a love-hate relationship with it. I was surprised when listening, to find out that I knew other songs too. I didn't think I particularly remembered "Give it Away," but I got a sense of deja vu when the chorus hit. Apparently it was a hit, so before you get shocked that I haven't heard it, not only is this not my era (I'm in my 20s) but I don't know much music, which is why I'm listening to this list. Obviously, I knew "Under the Bridge," although mainly just for the opening line: "sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner." I had no idea it was called "Under the Bridge" either, and I knew it was the Chilli Peppers but I'd forgotten it was on the album. Those two songs ended up being my favourites on the album. "Give it Away" was one of the exceptions I mentioned earlier in regards to not liking their shouty stuff. Yes, it has no melody, but the chorus is so undeniably catchy. I have to say, however, that I'm infinitely grateful I wasn't around when it was a hit. It's one of those insanely repetitive hooks that I could imagine getting annoying really quickly if the radio was constantly playing it. "Under the Bridge" is, of course, the only softer song on the album. It was great. The lyrics were imagery rich and emotionally moving. They really told a story. According to Wikipedia, this song actually isn't about sex, which was weird because my initial thought was that it contained my favourite double entendre on the whole album: "under the bridge downtown is where I drew some blood/ under the bridge downtown I could not get enough/ under the bridge downtown forget about my love/ under the bridge downtown I gave my life away." The most objective criticism I have of this album is that it was very long. I started to lose interest shortly after "Under the Bridge." I really think it should've been the last track. There was only so much I could handle of this style of music. Favourite songs: Under the Bridge, Give it Away

I am not having the best day today and unfortunately didn't really have the energy to give this album my full attention. It had everything I liked on paper, but just didn't really grab my attention. Also it was a little off-putting for me that most of the tracks were covers of traditional songs. I don't have a problem with traditional songs themselves, I just am not the biggest fan of covers artists. Favourite track: Come All Ye

So this is their sellout album, is it? I got Tres Hombres before this, and after reading some of the reviews of that and seeing the cover art for this one, I thought it was going to be even worse and even more 80s with synths replacing guitars. As it was it was just kind of meh. The songwriting can't really be taken seriously. I preferred Tres Hombres to this, but overall I'm definitely not a fan of this band. Favourite tracks: Sharp Dressed Man, I Need You Tonight

This random album by some band I've never heard of is on the list... why exactly? The production was kind of cool, but the songwriting was mediocre and forgettable, and the vocals pretentious and weak. Also, when I saw this cover and album title, I kind of thought it was a joke! My initial reaction was: "Is this for real?"

What a shame. Track 1 had me thinking I was going to love this album. It had what I often miss in rock music- a strong melody. In this album, Foo Fighters display a tendency towards strong melodies while still being high energy and rocky. And not only are the melodies strong, they are distinctive. I've never heard an artist or band that writes melody the way they do. This is especially evident on track 1, "This Is a Call." It's also evident in the verses of most of the track list. However, on the rest of the track list, I didn't enjoy the choruses. They tried really hard to contrast the melodic verses with discordant, annoying shouting. I can't remember which song it is, but one of the worst choruses was literally just shouting "hate you" over and over again. "This Is a Call" is the only track that doesn't do the shouting thing, and the chorus is really good, melodic and very catchy. It also completely dissolves into just metal growling on "Weenie Beenie" (which is also a stupid song title). Luckily, they manage to recover it a bit after that, although the song about cows was laughable. I vaguely remember enjoying some of the other tracks towards the end, but I'd already lost interest by then. To be fair, I wasn't really in the mood for listening to an album today and wasn't giving it my full attention. However, this album also just wasn't good enough to keep my interest all the way through. I'd already given up on it even BEFORE "Weenie Beenie" assaulted my ears. Favourite track: This Is a Call

This album really showed me how much my ratings are based on my mood. It's not really that different from some albums I've given 1 star. However, I actually enjoyed it. I was not expecting this to be good, because I thought Pixies were some cheesy pop group. But it was just a whole lot of kooky fun. I didn't enjoy all of it, and I'm not sure I'd listen again, but I'm glad I heard it before I die. Pixies just don't take themselves too seriously, and display an admirable willingness to experiment. The album was a wild ride through different styles and feels, which is exactly how I like albums best. You couldn't predict what they were going to do next. Also, there was lots of really interesting timing stuff! I was slightly surprised when I realised I recognised "Here Comes Your Man." It's definitely the most ordinary, straightforward song on hear, but what a classic bass line! Favourite tracks: Silver, Monkey Gone to Heaven

Okay, the album is a little long and a little samey. But honestly, those are small complaints in this regard. I have a feeling that it won't feel as long to me when I'm not under time pressure like I was today. I cannot believe I'd never heard of Erykah Badu until today. What a queen. What a one of a kind artist. She melds jazz, soul and hip-hop so seamlessly into an extremely distinctive sound (am I wrong to say there's a touch of reggae influence as well?). Yes, those are the same influences that you hear in RnB, and this is more than a little RnB, but it's more than that. It sounds so much more distinctive and colourful than any RnB I've ever heard. The instrumentals are way more eclectic and interesting. But that's not all... we need to talk about HER VOICE. Honestly, it's so beautiful! She has a gorgeous tone with so much expression and beautiful inflections. This was especially noticeable when juxtaposed against that one feature, Stephen Marley, who can't sing to save his life. He sounds like he's always gasping for air or something. Oh well, something I'll have to get used to. Also, her lyrics are amazing! There are so many positive messages presented on this album, and all of them are really well done. Even the songs I thought I wouldn't like too much, like "Booty," I ended up loving because the message was positive. Favourite tracks: My Life, ...& On, Orange Moon, Bag Lady

I thought it was funny that I got Erykah Badu's "Mama's Gun," which has a song called "Orange Moon," right before this. This album is nice and pretty I guess. Didn't really keep my attention. Did not like the title track but the rest was pleasant enough.

This album was my biggest surprise so far. I didn't think I could love a metal album. I especially didn't think I could love songs containing that growling vocal style. In fact, just the other day I was talking to someone about not liking metal because of the vocals (she was agreeing). It's more than mere dislike for me. I find metal growling unlistenable. Usually, anyway. Because for some reason, I could take it with this album. This list has had a lot of these really intense rock/metal albums, and I've usually tended to rate them quite lowly. Not only because I'm not a fan of the sound, but also because they tended to have extremely sexually explicit lyrics that aren't well written. Not Linkin Park. The lyrics on this album are intelligent, powerful and meaningful. Not only that but they were... relatable? In fact, I was not ready for how much I related to the lyrics. Every song hit me in the gut in a way I'm not sure I've ever experienced. It was more than just "I relate to these songs." The lyrics were my exact feelings, my exact experience and my exact struggles. Honestly, I could've written some of them myself. It was so intensely cathartic. I actually cried twice, and came very close several other times. And no, I'm not even going to complain about the musical side of things, despite it getting a bit too intense for my usual palate. How could I complain when the music supports the lyrics so well? It just drives them home even more, making the whole experience even more intense, even more cathartic and even more powerful. Seriously, there is not a bad track on here (except maybe that goofy interlude, but it was so short that it's basically insignificant). My favourites were obviously the ones that hit me the hardest, and that I related to the most. However, even the songs I related to less were so well done that I ended up loving them anyway. Favourite tracks: Crawling, One Step Closer, With You, In the End, By Myself, Runaway

Decent enough, but I found it really boring. It could not keep my attention. Some positive messages, but very simple lyrically and structurally, with repetitive songs that go on too long and have little to know dynamic interest. Also heavily political. Didn't even know who Marcus Garvey was before this album (which not only is named after him but has TWO songs about him). Turns out he's some Jamaican political figure. Not surprised.

I have an irrational fear of going to jail, so this may not have been the best album for me. Just kidding... well, half kidding. This album was very good. I've never been very interested in Cash as I never liked his voice too much, but you can't deny his artistry. He's a great performer. Despite making lots of mistakes, he still gave a very polished performance in the way that matters. I also loved the mistakes, though! The whole thing just felt very real in a way not many recordings do, even live albums. Also, he really knows how to play to his audience. The vast majority of songs he played were about prisons or criminals, including some of his own. And he really is a very powerful songwriter. I was only half listening for a lot of this album, but I was still able to be moved by it. If I was fully listening, I probably would've been even more moved. For the record, "Send My Love To Rose" actually made me cry, and so did "Greystone Chapel." In fact, I'm going to write a whole paragraph about "Greystone Chapel." When he said it was written by an inmate, I thought "awww, that's sweet," but I thought maybe it wouldn't be that good. I wasn't expecting such a well-written, powerful song. It's up there with Cash's own songwriting. I'm not even Christian, but the song was so powerful and inspirational that it would be hard not to be moved by it. The whole situation is almost problematic though. It almost gives the message that it's worth committing crimes and going to jail, because you can write a good song and get to have a famous artist cover it. At least, that was my initial reaction. Reading Glen Sherley's Wikipedia page told quite a different story. Apparently, God couldn't save him after all, and neither could Cash. There were a lot of other covers on this album, too, but they were all very well chosen. They were all powerful songs, and performed so well. Favourite tracks: Send My Love To Rose, Greystone Chapel

I wanted to like this album less, but expected to like it more. Neil Young removed his music from Spotify in support of censorship, which made me lose all respect for him as a person. However, I'd actually really enjoyed every song if his I'd heard up until this album. I thought he had potential to become one of my favourite artists and was wanting to explore his discography more, but that was before what he did. After that, I lost interest. I still loved all his contributions to "Deja Vu," which this site gave a a few weeks ago, which left me feeling uncomfortably conflicted. This one just ended up being boring though, and actually, I'm relieved. 3 stars because there's nothing necessarily wrong with it musically. Some lucid lyrical moments, but over all, inoffensively boring. This isn't about the style, either- I'm a huge soft music girl and I like country too. But first and foremost, the songwriting has to be interesting, and it wasn't. The songs just dragged on and on, pretending to be deep but actually saying nothing, and doing even less musically. Favourite track: Heart of Gold

How do I even start this one? I was tempted to say "it's Sgt. Pepper" and nothing else, but that's already been done, and I'm more of a long winded kind of person anyway. This was the first album I thought of when I heard that this list existed. My reaction to hearing that there was a 1,001 albums list was "Sgt. Pepper's got to be on there." I'd been wondering when I would get it. Actually, I'd been wondering when I'd get a Beatles album at all. The Beatles were the reason I got interested enough in the classics to want to use this list to discover all of them. The fact that this was the first Beatles album this site generated for me was quite fitting, really, cos this is the album that introduced me to The Beatles. People will go and say that this album doesn't stand up today. That the only reason people love it so much is because they were "there." Well, I'm Gen Z. I 100% was not "there," and this isn't some obligatory "5 stars for impact." I don't give those—it has to really move me personally to be 5 stars. And let me tell you: this is the easiest 5 stars I've given so far. As huge as this album's impact on the world was, its impact on my life was just as big. And no, I didn't grow up with the Beatles either. I only discovered them a few years ago (through this album of course!). I could go on for ages about what I love. The connections I have with each of the songs, all my favourite little musical and lyrical moments, all the memories I have associated with this album and these songs... but what would be the point? There's so much that has already been said about this album. It's been analysed to death, when really it's all about joy, and love, and laughter, and that which words diminish. The point is that I am simply one of many whose lives have been transformed by Sgt. Pepper's one and only Lonely Hearts Club Band. I did listen again today. Actually I hadn't in a while, but as always was amazed by how much this album manages to move me every single time. I even cried at a few of the songs! Albums as powerful as Sgt. Pepper really show us how every individual is a microcosm. We change the world by changing its people—one person at a time. Sgt. Pepper changed so many lives. In doing so, it changed the world, and still continues to do so. And people calling it "dated" and "overrated' can have no effect on when music really touches you. To me, Sgt. Pepper is timeless. It never gets old, and I will never stop listening to it. Favourite tracks (somehow, I managed to keep this to only to 5—but I still feel I'm doing a disservice to all the other tracks): - A Day In The Life: I'm obsessed with epic last tracks, and this is the standard that all other epic last tracks should be held to. -Getting Better: SO underrated. I don't get why everyone doesn't go crazy for this song. It's insanely and deliciously catchy, and also has a beautiful, inspirational message about self improvement. -Within You Without You: My dad's favourite... and once again, my little inspirational-message-loving heart is in love. -When I'm Sixty Four: For some reason, this was one of the songs I cried to today. I'm not entirely sure why, but I do know that I can't stand the hate this particular song gets. I love it! -She's Leaving Home: Absolutely gorgeous and so emotional—has definitely made me cry at some point in my life. I love a good emotional song (I also love strings!!!), and it's also relatively underrated. For a supposedly overrated album, Sgt. Pepper sure has a lot of underrated songs. I feel like I have to mention, though... why is the band name just "Beatles" on this site? "The" is officially part of it, despite how often the word "Beatles" (and "Beatle") is thrown around informally on its own.

So here it finally is. Proof that doing this list is worth it. After all the albums that didn't move me, and many that even annoyed me, and most of my 5 star ratings being ones I already knew... here it is. I guess I shouldn't complain as this is only album no 42 for me. But this is my favourite discovery I've made through this list so far. I hadn't even heard of Gene Clark before today. Now I know that my whole entire life, I've been missing out. Could someone please tell me how an album could possibly be so perfect? I honestly can't believe an album as good as this one is even possible. The whole time I was holding my breath, waiting for that one filler track that let this album down, but it didn't come. It was just masterpiece after masterpiece. Impact moment after impact moment for the whole entire track list. The lyrics are out of this world. The music is beautiful, dreamlike and ambitious, all with Gene's beautiful, emotive voice at the forefront. Favourite tracks: I said on my review of Sgt. Pepper that choosing favourite tracks does a disservice to every other track. I already feel the same way about this—and after only first listen, that's quite the accomplishment. I'd be hard pressed to find another album that didn't have a single track that had to grow on me at least a little. Having said that, I think my favourites were probably No Other, Strength of Strings, Some Misunderstanding and True One. I'm aware I just listed half the album, but it still feels inconclusive, as the other half is also sublime! To call it the "lesser" half would be ridiculous.

Cormoran Strike may not be the most well known protagonist J.K. Rowling has created, but he's certainly one of the most well written I've ever read. A huge, one-legged private detective, he has certainly seen a lot in his life, yet remains deeply empathetic underneath his tough exterior. Despite being as different from him as you could possibly get, I am fully able to inhabit his point of view when reading it. What has any of this got to do with Tom Waits? Well, for whatever reason, J.K. Rowling decided to make him Strike's favourite artist. Naturally, when generated his album today, this piqued my interest. But after listening to "Heartattack and Vine," I can confidently say that I wish she'd picked anyone else. I should add that I had had some other previous exposure to Tom Waits, when I was studying towards a Bachelor of Music. We looked at him in one of my lectures, but literally all I remembered was the name, and I think I was even confusing him with Nick Cave, who we also looked at in the same uni course. However, my first association was with Strike. Onto the music now... or should I say, the noise. I apologise to Waits as a songwriter for my one star rating. His songs are well written, and probably deserve better. But his voice—or probably more accurately, the way he sings—made this album unlistenable. Why on Earth does he feel the need to apply so much distortion, all the time? Reading a bunch of other reviews on this site, saying he was putting on an act, suddenly brought the uni lecture on him all back. It was all about how he was putting on an act. And that might be why he's unlistenable. The distortion isn't natural—he's putting it on. There are moments when he drops it, and you hear that he actually has quite a nice voice underneath it all. Why he feels the need to ruin his voice to fit some ridiculous persona is beyond me. On the positive side, he's unintentionally shown the whole world how important it is to be yourself. Hearing that there are several more Tom Waits albums on this list is honestly such a letdown. I have to listen to several more albums of this voice??? I made it through this one, but I'm going to have to be really brave to make it through any more. Unfortunately, and though I tried, I couldn't put myself in Cormoran Strike's shoes while listening to this one. Highlights: the instrumental track

Thank goodness I am not doing this project back when I hated and disrespected rap. I would've given this a 1, and it does not deserve a 1. This still isn't the kind of thing I usually listen to, but it's pretty good. Favourite tracks: Be (Intro), It's Your World

Let me tell you a story. At the beginning of this year, I was at a music camp, and we had a movie night at the camp. We watched David Byrne's American Utopia, and, well ... it blew my mind. Every moment of it was just so impactful. His lyrics were so simple, yet so meaningful. I knew one song, "Road to Nowhere," which he closed with. I'd already gone from being ambivalent towards the song to liking it, but it was only that night that I started loving it. I knew all the words, though, and sung along loudly. "Road to Nowhere" is such a classic. It's almost as good as it gets .... but only almost, because there was another song I heard that night, a song which I'd never heard before, that moved me even more. It was an a cappella vocal arrangement piece that, judging from the lyrics, I think was probably called "Better Days" (I didn't even look it up afterwards .... I can't believe myself!). It had tears streaming down my face. Anyway, as you're probably aware, neither of those songs are on this album. In fact, I'm not even sure if "Better Days" is a Talking Heads song (I'm thinking it might be a solo song of Byrne). Even though I had been meaning to get into Talking Heads ever since, I never ended up listening to any of their music. So I was really happy when this album was recommended to me. I wouldn't say I was wowed by the album, but I did enjoy parts of it. Their style is very unusual and can take a little getting used to for me. It can seem simplistic on the surface but when you dig deep, there's actually a lot going on. For me, the bassist is the absolute star of this album. I really appreciate creative bass playing, and the bass here is as innovative as it comes. To be honest, I don't know if I've ever heard bass this unusual, or interesting, or dynamic. Of course, Byrne is also great. Having watched his American Utopia, of course, it isn't surprising how much presence he has. But it's still incredible. I also just really like his voice. He's got this dramatic, operatic style that I have a tendency to really enjoy in singers, but never strikes me as too pretentious either. I just think that, while they felt brilliant in American Utopia, here, his lyrics feel like they were what had the least effort put into them. Not all his lyrics, though, mind you. And I'm well aware he does the "deceptively simple" thing and I might just be missing the point ... but there were several songs on here that just felt like uninspired love/sex songs. Of the type that too many rock bands on this list do. I'll use this, however, to segue into the fact that I did recognise at least one song from American Utopia. "Don't Worry About The Government" was one of my favourite songs in the movie. It's a perfect example of the "deceptively simple" thing I mentioned above. Is it satire? I think it is, although I'm not entirely certain. Either way, there's something weirdly moving about how detached the lyrics are. Come to think of it, I actually enjoyed most of the songs, although some only for the bass. The ones where I enjoyed the lyrics too were my favourites, though, because I'm a lyrics person ... and also because the bass was usually still great on them. I remember liking the song "No Compassion," which explored some interesting lyrical themes. I feel obliged to talk about "Psycho Killer," since it was the hit. What a weird song. I can't for the life of me figure out what it's about, but it's still a whole lot of fun. A whole lot of mindless, iconic fun. I sure hope there are more Talking Heads albums on their list. This album alone isn't enough for me to want to do a deep dive into their catalogue just yet, but I still want to hear more of their music and see how they progress. As this is only their first, I have a feeling they get, well, fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better. Favourite tracks: Don't Worry About The Government, No Compassion

Had to execute a lot of self control to sit through this one, especially since I discovered Katie Herzig the same day and wanted to keep listening through her catalogue. I guess it's technically good, but I can't say I enjoyed listening to it and I couldn't see myself doing so again. I just don't enjoy punk. At all. I think it's the vocals. Favourite track: Shot By Both Sides, by a wide margin. The lyrics were really good and make you think. A shout out to the line "The conspiracy of silence ought/ To revolutionise my thought" (The Light Pours Out Of Me). This is an amazing line. However, the delivery just didn't cut it.

This sounded exactly how I expected to sound, and I'm sure it's very good but I couldn't be bothered paying attention. He doesn't write his own songs, and while he has a nice voice, it can be a bit of a drag (his voice I mean, because of how deep and mournful it is). Was this really the first album? And is it even a concept album, like they say? If we can call this a concept album, then my embarrassingly misguided review on rateyourmusic.com where I called "Please Please Me" a concept album might actually be true after all.

Cool title. If I never died, wouldn't that mean I'd have forever to listen to the 1,001 albums? Unfortunately, I struggle to pay attention to most instrumental music. It was technically good, I guess, but just background music for me.

I guess this band have an interesting sound. It's not really like anything I've heard before, but it was also quite annoying and the songs felt quite lightweight and shallow. The first two tracks I didn't like it all. I enjoyed "Kings," despite it being a bit silly (no, I didn't research whether they intended for it to have any deeper meaning or not... and yes, I can see why some people would interpret it as some kind of critique of power structures or whatever. I'm not going to interpret that way. It's frivolous and silly). "Midnite Cruiser" is the best track on here. It's still not super deep or anything, but it's perfect for what it is: a fun, light hearted piece of pop cheese. Honestly, it's one of the most perfectly pitched examples of that I've ever seen. "Only a Fool Would Say That" was actually interesting thematically, but a little cynical for my tastes. At that point I was thinking I might give this album a 4. But then came "Reelin' In The Years," and when that chorus hit, I realised I'd heard it before, on the radio, and it was really annoying. Unfortunately, the album didn't get any better from there. I finished it thoroughly unimpressed and very annoyed. I sure hope "Midnite Cruiser" was the hit, but it was probably "Reelin' In The Years," because that's the one I heard on the radio. Favourite track: Midnite Cruiser

I hadn't heard this album, but I knew about it, and I knew Janelle Monae was a sellout. The first song of hers I heard was "Americans," which I liked, and which prompted me to listen to her "Dirty Computer" album, which that song is from. I hated it. Very simplistic and unimaginative pop, with way too in-your-face sexual lyrics. I heard people saying this album was better, and I believed them, but had no particular desire to listen to it. They're right, though. This album is WAY better in every way. It's intelligent, and ambitious, and beautiful. It calls back to the sounds of last century, but is also unique. Most of the lyrics are well written. The vocal melodies are so unusual and unlike anything you usually hear, and the whole thing really made me appreciate what a powerful, soulful voice Monae has. Also, the album is so varied! It does that beautiful thing that a lot of my favourite albums do, especially the older ones, where it moves between completely different and unexpected sounds, often within the same song. And as always, that somehow makes it more cohesive instead of less. I didn't like every song. I particularly disliked the "underpants" line in "Wundaland," which sounded like it would've been more at home on "Dirty Computer." The melody of that song being so much more interesting than anything on "Dirty Computer" makes up for it, though. And there were several songs I loved. The concept was a little hard to follow at first. I only really picked up on what was going on in the narrative towards the end. And also, while I inevitably appreciate a dystopian concept album, the whole concept of an android falling in love is inherently flawed. You cannot "be" an AI. AI is just a computer program that emulates consciousness rather than actually having it. It can't experience the world or feel human emotions such as love. Unfortunately, I found it a little hard to see past all that. But there was something cool about the concept, too. It had a lot of the elements I love in a story. Oh, what the industry does to the breaths of fresh air. Favourite tracks: BeBopByeYa, Sir Greendown, Cold War, Mushrooms & Roses, Oh Maker, Locked Inside, Dance or Die

This was so disappointing. I really thought I was going to love this album. I'd heard a few Eurythmics and Annie Lennox songs before, and liked all of them. One of them was "Sweet Dreams," but I think I'd only actually heard the end of it with the big harmonies. Well, this was not what I was expecting, especially in terms of quality. I'm not averse to synth driven pop. In fact, I love a fair bit of it, but I didn't enjoy the sounds on this album at all. They were way too harsh. On top of that, the songs themselves were all either boring and weak, or really annoying (especially that creepy Spanish one). "Sweet Dreams" was the only one of any merit. It was both melodically and lyrically strong and interesting, but the synth accompaniment didn't suit the song at all. It would've sounded so much better backed by a live band. I almost liked "This City Never Sleeps," which really created a vibe with the verses. But the chorus just missed the mark and ruined it for me.

I groaned when I saw this one, because I had 1984 previously on this generator and I hated it. This was actually significantly better than 1984, and even had one song I really liked (Little Dreamer), but I still wouldn't call myself a fan of theirs.

Not that I'm some Bob Marley aficionado or anything, but I'm surprised this was the Bob Marley album chosen for this list (it's the only one on the list, right?). He's an artist with so many iconic, ubiquitous songs. The only one in that category here is "No Woman, No Cry," and it's not even the definitive version! The studio version featured here just doesn't hit the way the live version does. And okay, I did recognise "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)," but that's not quite in the same category as songs like (to name only a few) "One Love," "Three Little Birds" and the live version of "No Woman, No Cry." I wouldn't say this has particularly impressive deep cuts, either. All the songs felt really long and just weren't as well written as his classics. Also, I think half of the track list is covers? Favourite track: Lively Up Yourself

So I finally got around to this one (haven't used the generator in a while) and I really like it! I wasn't sure what to expect because the only song of theirs I'd heard previously was "Volunteers" and I wasn't a fan of how shouty the vocals were. But this was great for the most part! I wasn't really giving it my full attention because I was multitasking while listening, but the majority of the songs were gorgeous and it was so nice to just let them wash over me. There were a few songs I found annoying, especially in the second half.

From my (very limited) previous exposure to Pretenders I thought this was going to be nice if maybe a little boring. It wasn't. Some songs were okay but overall not a fan.

I had high expectations for this one, and actually can't believe I didn't get around to it earlier considering how much I love Bohemian Rhapsody (the only song I knew before today). But about the whole album... I don't know what to think. It's obvious that they're geniuses. The album has this sort of dreamlike quality to it that a lot of the best albums do: it moves between completely different, unexpected sounds both between and within songs, which somehow makes it more cohesive rather than less. This is something you'll often find me praising albums for. In regards to the songs themselves though, I didn't find any of the other songs anywhere near as good as Bohemian Rhapsody. A lot of the songs just felt a little too joking. The only one similar in scale to Bohemian Rhapsody was Prophet's Song, and although I liked it at first, by the end I definitely didn't. It was too dark and that section with just the weird effected vocals was too much. I get that it's supposed to be "innovative," but it was unlistenable. When Bohemian Rhapsody came along, it wasn't even the epic finish it should've been (let's be real: God Save the Queen is a coda). Instead, the main thing I noticed was how obvious the disparity in quality was between this undeniable classic and the rest of the album, and how disappointed I was that it wasn't on a better album. The album wasn't bad, though. It could probably still grow on me if I actually cared to listen to it again, but I can't see myself bothering to do that unless this site introduces me to a Queen album I really love. There's just too much music in the world for me to do that.

Once again I experienced my usual boredom when listening to instrumental albums. I'm aware that needs to change, and this was pretty groovy, but I still couldn't pay attention.

I know this is supposed to be classic music, but I've always found most blues really boring and hard to pay attention to, especially the earlier stuff that wasn't recorded very well. Not surprisingly, I could hardly pay attention to this album. So monotonous and the lyrics were all either boring or annoying. 2 starts because at least it wasn't an assault to my ears.

I'm not the biggest fan of artists who don't write their own songs. There's no denying that Dusty has a powerful voice, although even that took a little getting used to. I was enjoying it by the end of this very long album, but at first I didn't like her tone. Regardless of the voice, though, an album by a singer who just sings other people's songs could never be above a 3 for me (unless that singer is Ella Fitzgerald).

Overall, this was just an average rock album and isn't for me. Thankfully though, it did manage to surprise me a bit with its variety, and there were some songs I liked musically, although not much I liked lyrically. "Friday Night" was really cheesy but it just worked. Not my first choice but I could appreciate it. Were this band really influential enough to make it on the list? I've never heard of them and they don't seem to be doing anything new.

Much to my surprise, this was actually listenable. The arrangements and the vocals were good, and I wasn't paying that much attention to the lyrics but from what I heard of them, they're above average for a rock band. I probably wouldn't listen again though.

Decent. I really liked it musically- lyrics were average.

So this is the second time I've shocked myself by liking a metal album on this list. I groaned when I first saw it because, despite the only Metallica song I knew being "Nothing Else Matters," their band name lead me to the assumption that their music would be full of unlistenable screaming. Not the case. Yes, most of this is heavier than "Nothing Else Matters," but it's certainly not less listenable than most of the hard rock stuff on this list. I've been getting quite a few hard rock/borderline metal albums lately, and I was over the lyrical content of most rock music on this list ages ago. Only a few days ago, I found myself wondering why rock bands couldn't write intelligent lyrics. And only a few days later, here we are. Maybe it's because this is technically metal, but it's close enough to rock that I'm able to say: "Finally!" This isn't more mindless sexual nonsense. These lyrics are actually GOOD. They're thoughtful, and inspirational, and explore a lot of really important themes. Okay, the first two tracks struck me as a little creepy at first, but both are still very well done. "Enter Sandman" has a really catchy chorus and sounds like it's about someone killing their girlfriend in their sleep, but it could actually be about institutional brainwashing. For most of "Sad But True," I was thinking: "whoah, this is a really abusive partner!" But then, towards the end of the song, it reveals that he's singing to himself instead. So this is a song about how we abuse ourselves- a very common theme on this album and a universal one. Then we get to "Holier Than Thou" and I'm just like: "Oh yeah! Go get 'em!" with every single line. This song is about the kind of person everyone hates: that annoying self righteous character who always has to prove they're better than everyone else. But it was when "The Unforgiven" played that I really started to realise that I was actually enjoying this album. This song is gorgeous and heartbreaking, but also very catchy. As far as I gathered, it's about a man looking back on his life and feeling it was wasted. Then we have "Wherever I May Roam," which is all about being a wanderer who doesn't fit in- a topic close to my heart. It's beautifully written and punchy and so much fun. "Don't Tread on Me" wasn't my favourite, but is still good. It's all about getting back at people who wrong you. And then they literally get existential on "Through The Never." I couldn't believe what I was hearing- I thought that kind of subject matter was wrongfully confined to "quiet" music? I think a metal backdrop actually perfectly suits these lyrics and the mental turmoil that often accompanies existential thoughts. "Nothing Else Matters" is, of course, a gorgeous classic with beautiful, inspirational lyrics about being true to yourself. Surprisingly, it's still one of my favourites here. When listening to "Of Wolf and Man," I was reminded of a more little known album I've been obsessed with lately: Marya Stark's "Lineage." A new age folk album influenced by tribal music, it's all about healing by returning to the wilderness, and reawakening the wild within. "Of Wolf and Man" not only has the same message, but a lot of the same lyrical imagery as is found on "Lineage." And since Marya Stark's album mostly focusses on women, I'm glad Metallica did a song like that focussing on men. "The God that Failed" is I think a critique of religion. Not my favourite but still well written. However, it was when "My Friend Of Misery" started playing that I really couldn't believe what I was hearing, and how relevant it is to my recent philosophical musings. The song is about someone with a saviour complex. I think it does a great job at dissecting what that looks like and how detrimental it is. I love how it came at it from a more forgiving angle and focussed on the misery this person is causing themselves rather than how it makes them "egotistical" or whatever. We wrap up with "The Struggle Within" which is the most straightforward look at the album's central theme: How much of our suffering is self created. We're left with the inspirational message that we don't have to suffer. That we can break free of all this mental turmoil and just enjoy life.

Decent. Mostly covers but his versions are unique with lots of great ad libs, and I actually enjoyed that monologue everyone's complaining about. Also, for some reason I though Al Bell was an AI up until tonight. Definitely relieved to find out he's a human being.

I'm not a fan of punk, and this site has made that clearer than ever, but for some reason I can tolerate The Clash better than most punk groups. Still, though, this one took me a while to get through, and I had this paused for ages, just because I'd rather listen to styles I'm actually into! This is the second Clash album I've got on here (the first was their self titled) and at first I thought this was going to be way worse. The first few songs were really annoying, and seemed more polished than their self titled (was it their debut? I can't remember...), which in this case wasn't a good thing. However, later on in the track list there were several songs I really liked, and in the end I felt positively towards the album and that I liked it more than the other album. It's still basically punk, but there are other influences in there as well now. You really get the sense that the guys are having fun even as they tackle serious subject matter. The lyrics were also really good, although sometimes it could be a little hard to tell what they were singing about. It seemed like they kept singing about hypocrisy in the music industry, and I liked that, but according to Wikipedia that's not the case. The songs I thought were about that.... weren't. Oh well. Highlight: Lost In The Supermarket. Honestly it was a great song, with really well written, thoughtful lyrics.

This is the second album I've got from this group, and I keep thinking: what was really so important about them? I mean, they had cool, slightly quirky indie pop production, but is it really that groundbreaking? And were they even that famous? I've certainly never heard of them. This album is very similar in sound to the previous one (which I think was their debut?). I liked it more, although I'm not sure if that's because of quality or just my mood (I can't even remember the other album well enough to know). About half of the songs had interesting lyrics, but half of them were uninspired. Musically, the song writing is average and the production carries the whole thing. All the songs feel kind of plodding. Depending on my mood, it's relaxing or boring. Today it was relaxing. Still a 3, but a higher one than the other album. Favourite tracks: Replica, Brave For You, Performance, A Violent Noise