1001 Albums Summary

Fantastic jazz album. The sax, keys, and guitar solos stood out to me especially. Rhythm section doesn’t miss. Messy Bessie was my favorite.

Adele is a vocal legend, and the writing is great, but it’s not something I’d find myself wanting to listen to.

Powerful, important album. Speaks to power and calls to fight against black oppression in an in-your-face but inspiring way; it’s now obvious why Public Enemy were so influential to many of today’s artists. Musically, lyrically, creatively, and philosophically, this album is a 10/10.

It’s the Beatles. Enough said. Love the experimentation and genre blending throughout the album.

Quintessential 2000s indie rock: Mr Brightside is iconic.

This was the first album I fully did not like listening to. Bland and uninspired rock sound, terrible vocals, and annoyingly repetitive melodies. Walmart Weezer.

Solid album, but not exceptional. Most songs sound the same, but still enjoyable to listen to.

This is a masterpiece. First time listening to Bob Dylan. I love the poetic, story-rich writing and unique vocal style on this album.

Loved it.

Super well produced live recording and insane musical talent from all members, but not that enjoyable to listen to as an album imo.

It’s so 90s, so angsty, but so artistically inspired at moments that I can’t shrug it off as just another bland 90s rock album. Checked out the acoustic version and liked it even better.

I don’t hate it, I don’t like it either. The instrumentals are pleasant but the writing sounds like someone who has never struggled for anything in their life trying to sound deep and profound when really they’re really just describing problems only upper-middle class white people in the 80s had the time or money to think about.

RIP Keith Moon, he especially carried this album.

I can only describe this album as “weed-inspired elevator music” but I mean it in the best way. Each song has its own unique style yet the album as a whole has a consistent vibe and it made for an enjoyable listen. It definitely deserves to be on this list.

Certainly a unique sound. Hits at some times (Jump, Breakout, Wonderful Place) but not at others. Wish the hidden tracks were actually separate hidden tracks at the end of the album instead of tacked onto existing songs.

Aged incredibly well, this is sampling realized to its full potential.

Ended up listening to it 3 times in the background at work and it helped me focus more than any other music has. The rhythm section absolutely kills it.

Impressive production.

Creative but kinda irritating.

Wanted to give it a 4 but the way the panning was too nauseating and did not translate well to headphones unfortunately. The couple mono versions are great, so it’s a shame they didn’t provide the whole album in mono.

A beautiful, poetic depiction of reckoning with death, regrets, and uncertainty of what comes after that’s inevitable at the end of a long life. Few albums so far in this list have moved me the way this one did.

Never would’ve expected to like this, but this album is incredible.

Certainly experimental. Excellent drumming and style. I always appreciate artists pushing the boundaries of genre and innovating their sound, and they definitely CAN.

Love their style and variety of sounds and genres on this album, all executed perfectly.

Not as bad as I expected given the “Noise Rock” label and the other reviews. I appreciate hearing something unique in the sea of bland rock albums on this list.

Cozy ass album

Brilliant

One of those albums that sounds simple now, but probably inspired lots of music that we now consider common/normal.

A good kind of country.

This is definitely the album that I listened to today.

First half 4.5, second half 3.5, evens out

Was skeptical at first because so far I’ve not been a fan of 90s hip hop, but by the end I was liking it.

Napalm Death is a good name because listening to this feels like a fiery, painful, agonizingly long death.

Boring

The edgy, screamy parts don’t hit for me but there are some amazing musical elements under the surface.

A perfect album.

Nothing significantly interesting about this album. Huge respect to Rick Allen tho.

Pretty neat; the nasally lead voice is the only unpleasant part of the album.

Album

There’s nothing wrong with it, I just hated listening. Also the drummer screws up the fill at 2:55 on I Will Not Be Denied.

As a white person I naturally like ZZ Top, but outside of the hits this one sucks.

Finally some good fucking bass

OH BROTHER, THIS GUY STINKS!

Really good, instruments are very folksy and make me feel like a 1600s peasant picking grain

The yapmeister

Interesting but really annoying

This one was really interesting, the kind of album I hoped to find on this list.

Aged incredibly well

Too British

So cool, title track was ambitious but a great listening experience

Flawless.

So beautiful and inspired, the flugelhorn/alto sax combo is so good

Beats to rob a bank to

Was gonna rate this a 2 until I got to Toonerville Trolley which ruined my day. Also borderline rapey lyrics throughout. Big fat 1.

Torture. Can anyone please make this guy stop groaning at me

God I love black sabbath

old man tries to reclaim youthful energy and fails

Isn’t Steve lovely, isn’t Steve Wonder-ful?

Zzzzzzz a couple neat songs but mostly boring

A very inconsistent album, but really enjoyable and unique.

cool musically but not for me, though I do love a good meat loaf

KEEP ON CHOOGLAYNNN

beautiful

Elastica pencil in my ears

What an undeniably unique record. Experimental, psychedelic, ambitious… both the writing and the instrumentation have a ton of depth and beauty despite the oddity. Definitely not an album for casual listening, but with an active ear it’s much easier to appreciate and feel the intention behind the music.

The OG ambient artist.

By far the worst production of any album so far

British

We have Megadeth at home:

Just fantastic, will be listening multiple times

I have no idea why I enjoyed this. But I did.

4.5. Yellow is iconic, but I thoroughly enjoyed every other track, sometimes more.

love me some DnB

Sinatra is obviously great but the band is very on point on this album too, just an all around enjoyable listen.

Not only did it make my ears bleed for most of it, it was also kinda rapey. Bumped up to 2 because the last 3 tracks had good arrangements.

hell yea techno

hell yea music

Haunting, beautiful, poetic. The spoken word throughout was surprisingly fitting (most albums don’t do it well) as it added a lot to the looming tension and dark themes, in addition to a wide dynamic range. I love to see such quiet, minimalist instrumental sections in a rock album. Good Morning, Captain was a great finale.

I just can’t buy into whatever this is selling.

We have Coldplay at home:

pretty good but producer gotta chill with the pan dial holy shit

reviews led me to believe I was about to experience torture but this one was actually pretty neat👍

Editing this over a year later to demote to 3. Upon revisiting it's still pretty good, but almost too minimal and boring to be equated to other electronic/ambient albums I've given a 4. Again, nothing wrong with it, but just doesn't wow me equivalently.

fantastic, tasteful culmination of Latin, jazz, and rock

I really wanted to like this :(

RIP Neil Peart

Experimental albums like this are a breath of fresh air in this sea of bland britpop, but I don’t see myself listening to this more than once

Singles are great but album as a whole is tiresome to listen straight through. Another reviewer nailed it when they said “songs feel long to listen to even if they’re not”

Neat, never heard anything likes this

Edit: originally rated this a 4, but Spotify just came out with lossless and on second listen this is absolutely a perfect album.

Band rocks, vocals suck

I get it, the noise and chaos is the point, but it’s just not good.

Really enjoyed this one

this is my SHIT

I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, down, down, down I'm goin' down, hey a-boppa de down, down

Comparing this to her latest albums (TPD, Midnights), this is some of her best pop. However despite the catchy choruses and melodies, it lacks depth and originality.

I like guitar solos… but not this much.

Surprisingly wholesome and upbeat hip-hop

Nahhhh

Hot Poop would have made a great title track. We get it dude, you hate hippies.

Was a 4 until ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’… unbearably stupid

Phenomenal writing and pleasant listening. Lyrics are still so real and important 36 years later.

We have the Beatles at home:

mehhhh not for me

hell yea

RIP

Nice vibe, holds up well for 2010

I feel the urge to purchase an F150

Adding Ginger Baker and Tony Allen to my list of drummers to idolize

2006 hiphop had better to offer than this

+4 for band/arrangement. -4 for vocals.

A perfect blues album.

All hits.

Decent but please stop spamming vocal growl over every line…

Pretty good blues

I get why people are turned off by this, but her vocal style is genuinely novel and her range is so impressive that I found this album to be quite good. Also transphobes can kindly stfu :)

Cover art goes so hard

Phenomenal.

The GOAT. It’s incredible how these sounds and textures were produced in the 80s.

VIBES

Fantastic.

Fun, but not something I’d ever choose to listen to again

This album speaks for itself. I loved the creative audio effects in The Prophet’s Song, like Freddie with a delay effect singing in a way that he harmonized with himself multiple times over, and the section shortly after using panning to create a push-and-pull effect between the left and right acapella “groups”. Freddie Mercury is the GOAT.

I’m compelled to give this a 4. Why? No idea, I’m just as confused as you are. Wait, who are you?

I didn’t like any of this.

I know by many standards this would be boring/nothing special, but there’s something about this that just hits different.

I think I need a few more listens to fully understand and appreciate this one, but it’s exactly the kind of album I wanted to find on this list. Unique, beautiful, a little eccentric and poetic, but regardless very well done.

Great old country. Pedal steel carried

I wish the production/mixing was a little better, but despite that, this is yet another certified banger from Black Sabbath.

This cover art kicks ass

RHCP are at their best when sticking to their psychedelic rock style, and at their worst when venturing into funk, rap, or punk. But still, I can appreciate they tried to innovate, and when it hits, it hits. (Scar Tissue, Otherside, Porcelain, Savior, Road Trippin’)

Crazy good for a debut album

I can understand what draws people to Elvis Costello, I just really really wish he never picked up the microphone.

This one really wowed me. The tone, the writing, the technicality, just a masterpiece of a prog album.

Funky af

I can totally understand people's gripes with this, but even the somewhat generic, lowkey dance beats had me nodding my head and tapping my feet more than Elvis Costello ever did.

Nothing special really. War Pigs cover just made me want to listen to Black Sabbath instead.

Flawless album, 10/10. All these 1 and 2 star reviews either don’t like hip-hop, or just hate black women. I’d wager it’s more the latter. I haven’t found one valid criticism of this album that isn’t just grasping at straws to say anything bad about it. Aside from that, this is really one of the most genuine, heartfelt, inspired albums out there, with phenomenal production, writing, and melodies.

Awful taste, but great execution.

ehhhhhhh

Loved this.

Really reminds me of Tapestry - Carole King, released the same year.

Super pleasant. Honestly a little boring and sheltered compared to their later albums, but I think that makes me appreciate their later innovation that much more.

Flute rock goes hard. I could do without the pedo themes tho

This is where Hendrix clicked for me. It stands apart from so many of the rock albums on this list in production, musicality, and technicality. Badass.

It’s fine. Doesn’t stand out to me much.

Loved this. Energetic, creative beats.

More listenable than most of the punk albums on here, but I still can’t stomach more than a 3.

I wish this actually was a finished concept album as they say, however it’s half a concept album and then a bunch of filler in the second half. Tracks like Overs and Old Friends really had me excited with fantastic production and instrumentation, but then the rest was way too poppy and bland. Good thing we still got Bridge Over Trouble Water out of them after this, but this one could have been a little more consistent with the “concept”.

Wow. As someone who admittedly gave 4s to Nirvana, this gets a 5. RIP Staley and Starr, both phenomenal on this album. Loved it.

Bingus

If I could go back in time, I would make it illegal for these producers to turn the pan dial more than like 30%. Please for the love of god save my right ear from engine noises for 2 minutes while the actual music plays in my left. Anyways, this was still a fun album.

Did not expect to like this as much as I did. Plenty of lyricism, unique instrumentation, groovy beats, and pleasant vocals.

This is incredible. Obviously I knew Shout and EWTRTW prior to listening, but I was unfamiliar with how well crafted this album was as a piece of synthpop gold. For all the albums I’ve resigned to “not for me”, this album is absolutely 100% “for me.” On one hand it really encapsulates the 80s pop sound and has arguably been overplayed, but at the same time it didn’t sacrifice innovation or artistry for those hits. Thank you Big Chair for your contributions to this experience.

Dylan has just never clicked for me. This felt like spoken poetry (admittedly beautiful and masterful) slapped into a basic blues/folk background that doesn’t change at all through the entire song. Which might be the whole point, but that’s not what interests me about music.

If you asked me if I thought this album was good or bad, I’d say “Either Or.” It’s just a basic soft rock album, not my thing.

Fantastic rock album with a lot of “personality” as another reviewer said. Will be bumping this in my 98 Wrangler with the top down this summer.

I wish I could pretend I didn’t like this, but they cooked up a good ass pop album that definitely changed mainstream music going into the 2000s. Credit where credit is due.

Very skillful jazz, their musical communication and ability to branch out into their own improvisation while not losing the other members is incredible.

First one I was able to listen on vinyl, and I’m so glad I did. Beautiful solos over superb rhythm section.

Charming, pleasant indie rock.

I didn’t mind this one too much, but I’m definitely with most of the other reviewers in that this was not deserving of the list. It’s most notable stat on Wikipedia is making #57 top UK albums once??? Come on…

Nope. I didn’t need to hear this before I die.

While I prefer Davis’ later, more experimental stuff, this one really holds up among the typical jazz big band(?) swing from the 50s. In particular, the solos and arrangements are supremely done. Every band note is a different unique chord with its own flavor and tone. I would’ve liked to hear the band overall a bit tighter, but perhaps Davis wanted a looser feel on this one. Jazz is what you make it and I appreciate this one nonetheless.

Pretty good, better than some of his other stuff on the list.

While I am generally trying to separate art from artist in my album listening journey, everything about this guy from the album title to the name change screams huge ego and attention seeker. That even comes across in the overly performative music, which is decent at best, much less than “the most important album since Sgt Pepper” as Terence (Sananda?) had put it. The college dropout and army deserter has since blamed media execs for his failure of a career. Boasting your way to top of the charts puts a sour taste in my mouth and I think he deserves way less credit than he gave himself, which is evident given his work has never become relevant since. Now truly separating the artist, the album itself is fine. Dated, unimpressive, self-indulgent, but boring mostly. And who the hell wants to listen to a cover of a nursery rhyme?

Good soul/funk album.

Lots of nice details that elevate this from just a generic pop-rock album to more of a grandiose experience. I definitely had a different notion of what Elton John’s music was, and this one pleasantly surprised me.

This truly might be the album least deserving of its success. Utterly devoid of emotion, inspiration, and innovation. I know they’re capable of better (Achtung Baby, Joshua Tree), but this one was so sterile and boring. Coworker music at best.

Catchy, repetitive guitar riffs, excellent drumming, subtle but great bass lines. The vocals weren’t immediately appealing to me but grew on me over the course of the album. This is a neat one, which is surprising coming from someone who has consistently given low ratings to punk-adjacent albums.

Good indie rock, doesn’t really date itself to 2010s much as a first-time listener. A bit boring at times but overall a consistent and well made album.

I like these covers more than Dylan’s originals.

Very eccentric, experimental indie pop/rock. The vocals were a low point for me, but there were a few moments throughout that piqued my interest. Holes is a great song. But mostly I was just noticing how the background instruments/orchestra was 90% composed of default keyboard sounds with little to no production added, which is a bummer. Better production and vocals would’ve bumped this up to a 4 for me, but alas.

This is a hard one to rate, and honestly challenged what I would consider “music” to mean. What I liked: the minimalist but driving synths, ambient production, unique sound. What I didn’t(?) like: the moaning, screaming, meandering vocals. BUT, those same vocals took these songs from dark but simple synth tracks to something genuinely uncomfortable(Girl) or disturbing(Frankie Teardrop). So hear me out: if you value music for its emotional effect, then these should be equally as valid as songs that make you sad or angry or happy. Like movies. Obviously being scared is unpleasant, but horror movies are widely enjoyed because of their intense emotional reaction. I don’t see why music can’t be the same. With that said, there are certainly other albums on the list that similarly attempt to evoke uncomfortable responses from the listener but not in a way that is interesting or skillful. This, I argue does it very well and so as weird as it feels, I’m giving it a 4.

Blues rock. Some good instrumental moments, but overall a little forgettable. Riders on the Storm is great, but it’s unfortunately the outlier from the rest of the album.

I think Songs in the Key of Life was just sliiightly better, but I really have nothing critical to say about this one. Phenomenal.

There’s so much more to say about this one than I have time to write out. But what stood out most was the production. Many many albums so far have been ruined by poor/abrasive vocals, but I loved that the production turned her down a bit at times to exist within the context of the band as whole, like just another instrument and it made her vocals so much more enjoyable and enhanced the effect of the album as a whole. With that said, it is best enjoyed turned up loud and enveloped in the atmosphere of it all. Also drummer understood the assignment.

Boring as hell.

This one was really fun. A little dated but in a way that holds up better than other albums of similar style at the time.

Do you like sounds? I do. There’s a lot of them for you here. Honestly though, this is beyond genre or classification. Funky, dense, innovative. Well deserving of more listens to truly appreciate it, but it was a very unique but enjoyable listening experience.

It’s fine. Classic, bland 70s rock n’ roll rock. Petty’s voice is almost unbearable at times. Plenty of albums that should be included instead of this one.

Nice psychedelic folk album. A couple enchanting tracks but the rest are a bit dull.

Really great indie rock. I do wish the production was a little better. 4

Instrumentals are pretty decent, but the vocals just sound so so stupid. I was exhausted of it by track 2.

BOSSA NOVA BAYBEE!!!!! It’s neat that this was the first albums to bring bossa nova into the mainstream in the US.

She’s very talented, but I blame her for the popularization of the “singing in cursive” accent that plagues modern indie music. RIP tho

Short n sweet rock n roll good n fun.

This album expands well beyond its hard rock/alt rock classification. Very layered, immersive production and creative instrumentation made this a fun listen.