1001 Albums Summary

Classic talking heads sound with a few influences from other genres. A few gems mid album

Refreshing throwback to hip hop’s golden age. Fun, witty, crafty, and creative. The interludes didn’t really stand the test of time but not many classic hip hop albums can claim that theirs do.

I expected to like it as much as I have in the past but something this time around didn’t hit me the way that it had in prior listens. Still, too many gems, and the songs flow so beautifully from one to the next, to rate it below a four.

It’s hard to tell when Depeche Mode was in their prime but this album might be it. Lyrically, not very strong, but their unique synth-electro-laced sound, anchored by one of the best male pop voices of all time, this album is hard not to like.

Bruce and his band packed this album with BIG song after BIG song that hit on so many levels. This was the first time I listened to this album from start to finish and it did not disappoint. Lyrically haunting, powerful, and beautiful. Outstanding Classic American Pop-Rock sound that helped paved the way an entire genre. I’d like to hear these songs live one day. Yeah…. I think I’m going to do that.

A few great classic rock tracks, but the album, as a whole, lacked the coherence and flow of of some of its better-known and respected contemporaries.

Ghost’s flow and lyrical ability are almost always great but the beats, samples, background vocals and interludes in this album were mediocre at best and brutal and cringeworthy at their worst. A couple of tracks were worth saving on a playlist but I don’t think I’ll be seeking out the rest anytime soon.

Old school funk…with a message.

Despite the fact that I generally like that type of sound and era of music, I just could not get into this album. I think it’s Michael’s voice. The strings and background vocals detracted from my experience as well.

Perfection. I’m going right back to track one right now and listening to it again. These songs could be 2-3 times as long and the world would be a better place.

The music was a bit too hokey, and the vocals a bit too breathy and somber, for my taste.

People love Leonard Cohen. I respect that but this was just not my thing, and I love classic folk music. His lyrics are beautiful but I found this album fairly dull and uninteresting, musically.

Man, people’s heads must have exploded when listening to this album for the first time. 50 years later, I can certainly still appreciate what Ozzy and Black Sabbath were trying to do. That said, I very much prefer their later work, after they “found” their sound…. dare I say. My favorite things about this were the guitar solos and also the bluesy sound of some of the tracks, a common ancestor of a lot of modern day music, including Ozzy’s metal🤘🏽

Major “Miranda Sings” vibes but I don’t think she was trying to be funny. Wow. That was rough.

I enjoy Jazz in person but don’t typically listen to it in my spare time. This album was solid and enjoyable, and it’s easy to hear and admire the sheer talent of Monk and his mates.

Ahhhh Jamiroquai. Always the right amount of funk for a Tuesday afternoon. Fun sound. I imagine this is what a British wedding sounds like before Sweet Caroline but after Mr. Brightside.

There’s a lot going on here. Overall, a fun album. Simon’s voice and lyrics are always so great and so on point, and this album is no exception This was a bit of a mish-mash that worked in certain occasions and, in my opinion, felt awkward in others…. kind of like a folk-Afro beats version of Ice-T’s heavy metal project, Body Count. I like both things separately more than I like their sum. It just felt a bit contrived. On top of that, the Dixie/Rockabilly tracks seemed like an afterthought. With any other artist at the helm, I would have likely rated it lower.

This was a fun one. Quirky but, man, does Eno know how to combine sounds, instruments, notes, voices, yelps, squeals, and squeaks into something that just works. It was like a mixed media art exhibit pumped through my car speakers.

It’s wild that this album came out in the 70s. Talk about blazing a trail. Fun listen. Three metal anthems in one 15 minute stretch. Fantastic.

What the heck was that? Was that for real?

Soulful. Even though I don’t understand the lyrics, it Reminds me of times past. When life and the world were so much simpler.

Talented chaps and, while I like the energy of this album, I didn’t dig the sound much nor the lead singer’s voice.

Great album. Absolutely great. Over the years, though, I have listened to other albums that deserve 🐐 status and, for as good as this is, it doesn’t give me the same level of warm and fuzzies as the others. Considering this relativity, Revolver gets a four.

So much feeling. So much soul. I knew so many more of these songs than I expected and I enjoyed learning about Carole King and her incredible influence on music history. Beautiful album.

Meow Wolf ambient music. Kind of crazy-making after a while.

Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day can almost carry a whole album and, in this case, they do. I was hoping I’d fall in love with another track or two from War but those two will have to do.

This album reminds me of those quintessential movie shots of a crowd hearing a sound for the first time and being unable to stay still. First some head bobbing, then a close up of feet tapping to the beat, then some snapping fingers or clapping, and eventually the entire crowd erupts into dance. So good. So cool. So catchy.

Good golly. What a goddamn maniac. I didn’t know they had cocaine back then.

I dig this sound. Understated coolness.

I don’t mind the nu metal sound and this album has held up surprisingly well, 25 years removed from its release.

Wasn’t really feeling this one. Similar to Jungle in a sense but not as smooth and cohesive. The acapella-ish sound , if that’s what they were going for, seemed a bit disjointed. The best was very repetitive and, at times, seemed like it was building up a climax of sorts but then the transitions usually fell flat. Not a fan.

Kitschy and catchy. A little Velvet Underground, a little Flight of the Conchords. About 95% of the Violent Femmes music I’ve heard has been at weddings, dive bar jukeboxes and in the form of covers at dueling piano bars and mediocre suburban live music nights. Will not be a go-to for me but there’s definitely a time and a place for these tunes.

I didn’t have much faith in this one after the first minute but, damn, what a turnaround and what a sweet album. His featured singers, especially the female voice in the first few tracks were lovely and so talented. Great throwback.

3.5 This was fun. Like a modern day talking heads with a little Hotline Miami thrown in for good measure

What a bad-ass PJ Harvey is. The Thom Yorke cameo was sweeeeeet.

80s heavy metal.

3.5 I’d never heard of gene Clark and I would say that I enjoy his sound very much. Especially the ethereal sounding tracks

Quirky one. Like if Sgt. Pepper went straight to VHS. The first track was awesome but the rest was just ok.

One of my old time faves but haven’t listened to it in ages. I was ready to rate it a 5 even before listening but thought it would be fair to give it the same treatment as all the rest. 5 after the first listen. Then I went back and listened twice more in the last day and the results have been validated. Creative, inventive, cool as a polar bear’s toenails. So good.

Never been a huge fan of the Stones. I’m still not but this one was good… and they get an extra star for Moonlight Mile.

2.5 This sounds like a hundred different 90s albums thrown into a blender and puréed into a CD.

That’s a lot of cool to pack into 40 minutes

3.5 I hadn’t heard of Dennis Wilson before. This was completely new but felt vaguely familiar at the same time due to the Beach Boy pedigree. I liked it.

Kraftwerk.

3.5 I couldn’t get the Gallagher whining out of my head.

So haunting. So beautiful.

Prime, pre-cray, Kanye. So talented.

Goddamn it, Joni. Feels. So many feels.

Timeless IMO. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this came out when I was 16, and that several of its singles had iconic music videos in the prime era of music videos. But maybe it’s just really f’ing good. Most albums are lucky to have a handful of tracks that are great. Very few albums can be played from beginning to end, every time, without fail fail, without skipping a beat. This is one of them.

Ravi’s music is mesmerizing, intricate, soul-stirring, and, for those of us in the western hemisphere, so incredibly unique. Forget 4/4. How about 14? How about 16? In his intros, Ravi tells you he’s going to come at you with some wild stuff. And then he does. Effortlessly. I only only wish I could hear this sound in person.

🤘🏽 Killer Queen 🤘🏽

4.5 Grimy, gritty and vile at times. Captivatingly beautiful in others. I know this album well enough but I hadn’t listened to it, front to back, in ages. Trent is a musical genius and this is him at his best. Loved it.

Good gracious. This thing damn near blew me away. Smooth, grandiose, fun, touching. If you had someone describe each song one at a time and line those descriptions up for you to read, you’d say “no way this will work.” But does it ever. A work of art.

Nice sounding poppy rock. Enjoyed it .

The organ and quirk is strong in this one. My head bobbed a few times and I thought it was turning around but it just keep going, unapologetically, down this path of weirdness that I just could not get into.

Paulie set a high bar…. an impossible bar to hit without his Liverpool buddies His fault, not mine. Knowing this, I tried hard to assess this one objectively. The album starts off (meaning the first half of the single Band on the Run) so beautifully and touching, but then it arrives at just good. There’s nothing wrong with good. Good is good but this isn’t rest something I’ll be going back to anytime soon. At the same time, I probably won’t turn the station or skip the song if I come across it. Perhaps it’s the type of thing that grows on you. We’ll see.

2.5 Ok. Couple of decent tracks. Sounds like a Trent Reznor impersonator backed by the Ataris playing 90s rock covers

Didn’t love Nirvana then, still don’t love them today. I do get the appeal and remember how big these guys got back in the day but this album will remain off my rotation as it has over the last 30 years. 30 years? Yikes…. I’m old.

Lot of talent on that stage. Not a big fan of live albums and all that organ got me thinking of “What up with That?.”

Still can’t get into Fleetwood Mac but really don’t dislike it either

I found this to be a bit dull, repetitive and uninspiring. Maybe it was Aimee’s voice. She may be a wonderful songwriter and I may have missed out on that but the sound just didn’t do it for me. S

One of the greatest male pop vocalists of all time. The production and comp was a little too quirky and experimental for my taste but I still liked it due to a couple of gems and Gabriel’s always great delivery.

Dad rock! 🤘🏽

Great. My man Otis was feeling every second of every one of these songs more than the the original singers.

Love Janet + The Minneapolis Sound. The “quiet storm” type songs were not my thing, however.

Never been a fan of hair metal. This confirms it once again. Utterly forgettable.

British-Invasion-Light

Nice throwback psych-electronica album. Like Orbital meets an Ayahuasca Shaman.

This was a good one. A very good one.

There are a couple of songs in this album that never fail to fill me with joy. Others not so much but I’d play this in a heartbeat next Christmas.

Not a fan of country but this was decent.

Really great in parts, kind of dull and not interesting in others. I like her voice and some tracks were strong enough to justify a 3 from me.

4.5 One of the best male vocalists of all time singing over a sound of an era. Epic album .

This album had about 7 more Dylan tracks than I can handle on any given day.

Started strong for those of us that enjoy the early 90s techno sound. But fell flat by the time it was all said and done.

What a wonderful album. First time listening to it from beginning to end. Will do it again although the sound effects, non singing vocals/yelling interludes took away from the experience.

Left us too soon. Would have liked to have seen what could have been.

Decent . A folky, less talented version of Oasis, albeit a smidge less annoying.

There were a couple of songs in here that I was legitimately enjoying but then it evolved into some Buddy the Elf type sh* with a little hallucinogenic trip music thrown in for good measure. Odd.

Modern New Wave Sound. Not bad. Don’t turn it off when it comes on. May listen to more of their stuff in the but don’t think I’ll seek it out. They probably put on a heck of a live show though.

Inventive. Fun. Oozing with style and bravado. Really liked this one.

Wasn’t really a fan of the loungy marimba-organ thing throughout this album.

4.5 One of the best musical duos of all time at their absolute best. Beautiful, vivid storytelling. Near perfect album.

Broody but enough cool and nostalgia to be added to a late night driving playlist.

It’s The Beatles, man.

Even with the nostalgia, I couldn’t get into this one.

Not usually a fan of live albums but this was a fun one. Funny dudes.

3.5 Love me some good Grime and Skepta’s one of the best

Not his best but still enough soul and beauty to fill you up. Great listen.

Decent throwback to late 80s hip hop.

Nice throwback dancy-Brit-hip hop joint that has held up surprisingly well.

What a f’ing maniac. What a musical genius. This guy was as good as they get.

Very good album. Fun, rock music festival vibe. These guys really fit into a nice little unique corner of late 80s early 90s rock.

A lil’ bit dancehall. A lil’ bit Bhangra. A lil’ bit Quad City DJs. I kinda liked it but it was very repetitive. It felt like the songs could have easily been a minute long and the album would have been just as good.

When you gamble this hard, it doesn’t always pay off but the Boys did it. Versatile, funky, cool as hell, and raw. Loved it.

Really couldn’t get into this one. The vocals and lyrics were uninspired, the folk was tarnished by the brass/band. Not a fan

What a voice. Beautiful. The musicians backing him up deserve as much credit as he gets.

3.5 I really really liked a few of the songs on this. And really didn’t like some other ones.

Epic shredding by EVH but dated

I stopped writing notes for my reviews a while back and decided to start doing this again... unfortunately, for this album. This was... uh... not fun.

Yeah… the Stones are still not my thing.

Daaaaaamnnnnn, that shit was dope!

Sounded like a bad Duran Duran impersonation. Wasn’t much to like in this one.

Absolutely love this album. So beautiful. I just wish I understood what the hell they were saying.

I’d never heard of Solomon Burke and I enjoyed this one. Just a couple of rungs below the classics names synonymous with that era but still really good.

3.5 this one had a few fun songs in there that I’d add to a Jake Rudh playlist.

Nile Rodgers production

Perhaps I would’ve liked this a bit more if it didn’t remind me of American car commercials

Timeless. This is my kind of dad-rock.

This lady is good. Really good. The production value of this is also top of the line. It’s easy to see why it was such an immense hit. I’m not a huge fan of her voice… a bit too effective for my taste, but it’s hard to listen to this and not give it the props that it deserves.

Lot of really deep, soulful, poetry in this one.

Mostly sweet Brit rock album

Really did not like the singing on this but I found it impossible not to enjoy Tricky and co.’s flow and electronic beats on most of the tracks.

Seminal Seattle grungy-metal sound. Strong finish with Would?, one of the best rock songs of the early 90s IMO

This was nice. A cohesive album that flows beautifully and can be played from beginning to end. Oh,and The Boss

This was a fun, trippy, classic rock album. Loved the live/improvisational feel. Would have loved to have seen this guys live in their hey day

One of the all-time-great rock albums and possibly the best of its era. So good then and still so good today. Lyrically and musically strong and haunting and energizing. This one needs to be on the shelf within arms reach indefinitely.

Prog Rock. Not a huge fan of the vocals. Won’t run back to it any time soon

This was like the Beyond Meat version of The Beach Boys Burger. It was ok but something just wasn’t quite right with it

Not a big fan of country but I can roll with Dolly on this one. Fun album that shows how and why she became as massive as she did.

Lot of nostalgia. Mid 90s rock vibe gives it another half point. It’s such a familiar sound.

A trio of above average singles from an time great rock band save this album.

A very good album from (one of) the greatest metal bands of all time.

These guys check so many boxes, and this album is filled with so many great songs.

90s electronica at its finest and “angstiest.” With some funky hip hop bass lines to boot. Some of the lyrics don’t hold up, as expected, but, still, sign me up. Again and again.

Damn it, Amy. What could have been. RIP

I went from damn I love the sound of a good sax . To that’s enough sax, thank you.

4.5 So smooth, so cool, consistently. Loved this one.

I enjoyed the uptempo tracks but not the broody stuff as much.

4.5. Damn. This guy is so good.

Great. A couple of songs are outright amazing… a few others feel like a MOMA side room exhibit,

Folk perfection. This is one of those records you listen to and it transports you to a time and a place. NY references, anti war narratives, counter culture harmonizing. This was a great one.

4.5 Seminal Hip-Hop album. If this had not been recorded, music would be different today.

Somehow, the more I listen to The Beach Boys, the more I appreciate them. Great album .

No-frills alt-rock/nu metal album that captured an era. Chester’s vocals are timeless and the lyrics apply for everyone frustrated with [you].

You can’t kill the metal.

Damn. This album has been off my radar for too long. What a treat to listen to it fully this time around. Instant favorite.

One of my all time favorite albums but hasn’t aged as well as I would have hoped.

Nile Rodgers 🙌

A couple of notches below ok computer but great nonetheless

Taylor has been on repeat at home this year b/c of my daughter. This is one of her better albums. Taylor’s, not my daughter’s.

One of the greatest folk musicians of all time. Died to soon.

This is ok. I can only listen to a few of her tracks before needing a break

4.5 beautiful album

4:5 One of the 🐐’s . So good.

Classic. 80s NY hip hop sound. Damn.

Karen O is one of the best leads of the last 25 years.

Frusciante returns and we all win.

This album is no f joke. Unique as it comes and incredibly high energy. I still remember the first time I saw them live in 1999.

Fun to go back and to that era but wouldn’t seek it out

🤘🏽🫨🤘🏽

Fans of the upright bass will love this album. I, unfortunately, am not. The audience chatter and background noise was also too distracting.

As expected

Classic , essential , rap album. Damn. This sound defined an era in the NY scene. Takes me back.

Started with a track that took me back instantly… then it made me think that if I’m going to listen to this, I might as well listen to punk. Like what’s the point of this genre, y’know? And then… I got the point. The middle tracks were awesome. Nice album.

Decent album. Folksy country …

Solid early cold play album

I really struggled with this one. The first track is dope and I’ve always liked it. Perhaps because it’s instrumental. When the vocals start, however, it’s like they suck all of the energy out of me. Exhausting sound. Not a fan .

I only knew the billboard chart kings of Leon before this . This early southern garage rock stuff is awesome.

4