1001 Albums Summary

Wonderful, but standard psychedelic rock album. Biggest standouts are "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit." Another is the beautiful instrumental acoustic guitar cut "Embryonic Journey." Not the most mindblowing record of the time, but the highlights are wonderful.

A fantastically punky and energetic rock n’ roll record. The production is punchy and the performances are raw, but what shines the most is Elvis Costello’s charming vocals and personality. There is not a dull moment on the album, though one nitpick is that it could have used more variety. Standouts include “Welcome to the Working Week,” “No Dancing,” “Allison,” “Sneaky Feelings” and “Waiting for the End of the World.”

While Eddie Van Halen's talent and influence as a guitarist is undeniable, there is very little substance to Van Halen's debut record outside of its virtuoso guitar licks. David Lee Roth certainly has skill as a vocalist, but the cheesy lyrics, forgettable melodies and lack of variety make this record a bit of a tough listen. The only highlight for me is a souped-up cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me."

As the archetypal "dad rock" band, Eagles, has crazy defenders and snobby detractors. The music itself is just fine. Most of this record is easy listening; well performed, pleasantly produced country-tinged folk rock that doesn't really leave much of an impression at all on me. However, it's hard to deny the quality of the two most iconic songs on this record: "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane."

Ah the infamously divisive concept album from Pink Floyd. The Wall is a really bloated double record. It’s unapologetically cinematic, but for a band that prided itself in dishing out long, compelling progressive rock epics, The Wall falls pretty flat. Perhaps it is because Roger Waters sounds like he’s finally converting into the outspoken eyebrow-raiser we know today, continually putting his foot in his mouth. His vocal performances and melodies are weaker than in their previous records, potentially due to the focus on this record’s “story.” The grim, evocative mood of the record is compelling, that’s for sure, but without the songwriting to back it up, the end result is a painful two-hour slog. Still, this record has one of the best Pink Floyd songs, the incredible “Comfortably Numb.” Some other highlights include “ Another Brick In the Wall, Pt. 2” and “The Show Must Go On.”

Figure 8 is the final record released by Elliott Smith before his untimely death, and it’s clearly the most well produced of his records. All of the tracks are compelling to listen to on a base level because of it, but the songwriting on this record is a bit more inconsistent than on his most essential album, Either/Or. And at 16 tracks, all of which are certainly not essential, it’s a bit of a bloated record too. Despite the poppier songwriting and professional band sound, what does remain is his devastating lyricism. They hit particularly hard considering his tragic fate just a few years later. And when Figure 8 hits, it really can hit. Songs like “LA,” “Stupidity Tries” and “Better Be Quiet Now” are particular highlights here.

The The is an interesting musical project I was not aware of. Infected is a bleak group of songs, and the most notable aspect of the record is the compellingly dark, lustful lyricism and singing from frontman Matt Johnson. However, the album suffers from some dated 80s production choices, whether it be the overly cavernous drums or corny synth timbres. The album hits its peak early with the incredibly good self-mythologizing of “Out of the Blue (And Into the Fire)” and the scathingly political “Heartland.” However, it ends with a whimper as the songwriting quality trails off in the second half of the record.

Ella had a legendary voice, and the songs I listened to sound great, but sorry, a 3-hour album I cannot do. So, 3 stars for 3 hours.

This Electric Prunes debut is one of the most forgettable psychedelic rock albums I’ve heard. The opening track, “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” has some cool chord changes and instrumental passages, and they punky energy of “Get Me to the World On Time” can be infectious. But this album is primarily composed of brutally boring numbers whose only redeeming value is the occasionally tasteful instrumental choice here and there.