1001 Albums Summary

It is only fitting that this be the first album in this listening journey. While not my personal favorite Zeppelin album, it is still a prime example of technical and stylistic mastery. This, to me, is the most Zeppelin-sounding Zeppelin album. I do think that disk one is a bit stronger than disk two. Highs for me include In My Time of Dying, In the Light, Ten Years Gone, and, of course, Kashmir.

I was not able to find this album on Spotify, but I pulled together the track list and listened to what I could. I just hope I didn’t miss anything! I have a soft spot for music of the 50s, and Fats Domino truly exemplifies its sound. Overall, this album was a very enjoyable, easy listen. It’s simple, soulful, and effective.

I’m a bit picky with my folk music. Fleet Foxes is good, but I wouldn’t say it’s great. A bit monotonous at times, and the vocals sound a bit of the times.

Has been one of my all-time favorite albums for years! This is Rush at their absolute best. Every single note on every single song is perfect. Highs for me include the title track, A Passage to Bangkok, The Twilight Zone, Lessons, Tears, and Something for Nothing. Oops—that’s the entire album! It is amazing how expressive Rush can be, especially on this album. The imagery in the title suite is so vivid and masterfully captures so many emotions—wonder, fury, sorrow, wonder again. This is continued in the remainder of the album. I love the chorus in The Twilight Zone, especially the second one when you get that whispering in your left ear. It gives me chills. I love when the guitar follows Geddy’s voice when he cries out “You didn’t listen again!” in Lessons. I love the wistful sensitivity of Tears. I could go on and on!

I have not listened to much Elvis Costello prior to this and was pleasantly surprised by this album! It has good rhythmic energy throughout. Certainly easy listening. Songs that I liked included “No Dancing,” “Alison,” and “Sneaky Feeling.” I can hear how this artist/album could have influenced future bands, like Weezer.

I don’t typically listen to jazz, but I enjoyed this. I find his playing to be very expressive and thoughtful.

The Cure is one of those bands that I’ve liked everything I’ve heard from them, but never really got around to properly checking out. This album, simply put, is cool. It makes me want to put on a long, black coat and sunglasses and mysteriously walk around the city. I particularly like the opening track “One Hundred Years,” “Strange Days,” and my favorite, “Cold.” The Cure has such a distinct sound that they really have mastered in this album. That being said, it can get just a bit one-toned at points, particularly around the middle.

Definitely a fun listen, but not quite my cup of tea.

Another 50s rock and roll record. Nothing bad to say, it’s good easy-listening music.

It’s not that I don’t like the music, it’s that he’s way too comfortable dropping slurs like that.

Not a huge Elvis fan. This album is not bad, just not something I’ll be going back to often.

I had never heard of this band before. I liked this album and I will be returning to it.

I liked it, but it can be a bit one-toned at times.

Not for me, too ambient. Plus, I’m not a big fan of electropop in general

A great, nostalgic album for me.

Liked it but didn’t love it

Not my thing.

Solid easy listening. He and Emmylou Harris sound good together

Wonderful album, Simon and Garfunkel can do no wrong.

A great album, nothing bad to say!

I liked some of it but did not like the rest

A very solid album. I like!

I had never heard this one before. I enjoyed every second of it!

It certainly is Aerosmith

Objectively the most perfect album of all time.

Not bad by any means, just not for me!

I like it but don’t love it. It feels longer than it is.

A classic old school record. Not much to say about it

Something different! I like it

Never been crazy about the Stones, but I really liked this. A pleasant surprise!

I had never heard this before, but I enjoyed. I’d say 3.5 stars

Good music, love his crowd work

This sort of indie rock typically doesn’t resonate with me. I liked this album more than I initially thought I would, but I still think it lacks edge and other elements that might help distinguish it from other albums of the same genre/time period.

I had never heard this before, but it is a lovely folk album and I enjoyed my listen.

A classic.

This album is sooo good

Really good

Solid album. It has a great groove to it, but it doesn’t have much to make it really stand out.

A great pop album.

I liked the samples they used, but not much else stood out to me. I thought the album was kind of flat and probably won’t listen again.

I had heard good things about this album before, but upon listening, I was pretty disappointed. They have some interesting things going on, but overall I found the album to be a bit annoying.

An incredible album with some of Dylan’s best tracks.

A few decent songs, but overall I didn’t love it.

Just OK. Has some interesting ideas, but really dragged.

THE shoegaze album.

Such a fantastic album, no notes

First time hearing this, and I like it quite a bit! Very funky

Mind numbingly repetitive. I actually kind of liked Breathe, but nothing else

A metal classic

Kickass and important, with amazing energy and one of the best album covers of all time

Always liked the sweet, sentimental sound of older country. This album is great, I like Jones’s voice

I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately, I found it to be a bit underwhelming. Solid alt rock, but nothing really blew me away.

Probably my favorite Prince album I’ve listened to. I recognize & appreciate the talent and creativity here, but most of it doesn’t really resonate with me. Just not my style.

Nearly 2 hours of Muzak with occasional repetitive and annoying sound effects/vocals

Great, ethereal album

A wonderful holiday album, incredibly nostalgic and spirited. Darlene Love is fantastic on this.

Very emotional with some good lyrical imagery. Unfortunately it doesn’t feel like there is enough variation between songs, which, combined with the tone and his voice, makes this really drag.

A great live album that I will certainly be returning to. I love the interactions between Cash and the crowd, especially when they convinced him to play San Quentin for a second time.

Wanted to love this but didn’t. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it feels like it’s missing something.

Not something I normally listen to, but I liked this. Good beat and flow, very smooth

Solid music, but for me, nothing special.

A great showcase of bluesy psych goodness, The Doors can do no wrong.

Not really a fan of hip hop in general, but I appreciate that they played around with rock and jazz

A good jazz album, I particularly liked Track C

I love the tone of this album, and I think it does a good job balancing heaviness and softness.

A classic 80s album with some iconic songs. Unfortunately, I don’t think it has enough going on to make it really great

A classic Stones album and maybe my favorite of theirs. They sound like they’re having a lot of fun with this.

I typically do not like electronica, but I thought this was pretty good, mostly because of its rock influences.

A solid album. I liked every song but didn’t particularly love any

Nirvana is not my favorite grunge band, and this is not my favorite Nirvana album. 3.5 stars

A mish-mosh of several genres & sounds, yet I didn’t feel it was that engaging. Songs are repetitive and the album is a bit too long.

I’ve enjoyed plenty of Bowie in my lifetime, but this is actually the first album of his I’ve listened to start to finish. This is great!

Another classic

A perfect album.

A well rounded classic.

My first Tom Waits album; not what I was expecting. Grimy and eclectic

Beautiful, powerful, and cinematic. My mother loves this album; listening reminds me of her

Such a great album, used to be one of my favorites. Always surprised me that this is their debut album, they are just extremely talented. Awesome riffs and vocals.

Not sure why this is considered an album you need to hear before you die; nothing special about this one. Sonically uninteresting and probably the most sparse wiki page I’ve seen so far

Pleasant, but ultimately I just don’t love alt/modern country

Nirvana is still not my favorite grunge band, but this is definitely my favorite Nirvana album

A great folk rock album with an experimental twist

Some really beautiful moments in this, especially from the strings, but overall not really for me

These English lads are better than I remembered. Fun, upbeat, and dare I say cheeky

I appreciate a lot of things about this album, but it’s a bit too rhythmic and repetitive for my taste. Just not for me!

Lofi beats to relax/study too; fine as background music, but in my opinion, not very interesting or stimulating.

One of the better Presley albums I’ve listened to so far. I like the country influence in this one

More lofi beats to relax/study too. Once again, fine as background music, but ultimately not for me.

My personal favorite Radiohead album. Dynamic, expressive, and well-balanced in many ways

I had previously only heard Time of the Seasons. This was great.

Lovely, gentle, and rootsy, I can see how this influenced decades of music

More lofi/trip hop, but there were a couple of songs that I actually liked in this one, specifically Black Steel and Pumpkin

A solid punk album, good energy throughout

Fun 80s album, but nothing mind blowing.

An excellent classic. Dramatic and lush

Jazzy and I like her voice, but a bit too long in my opinion. It felt a bit monotonous by the end

Not one of my favorites from Radiohead, but still a great album

Incredible, soulful voice. Not a single bad song on this

Kind of goes hard, rock ‘n roll with a garagey edge.

Another classic. Awesome tone and sick riffs

I had never listened to Dinosaur Jr. before this, but I really like!

A funky soundtrack to a film I have never seen. Despite that, it was able to transport me to a different world

Awesome vocals with great harmonies. All in all, epic and packs a punch.

Enjoyed this album. Gloomy and bleak.

A great album—clever and poetic

A very fun, genre-bending album. Thrashy folk

Lovely album, very sensitive. I personally like longer songs

This album is awesome. Killer bass and vocals throughout

Another classic. No bad songs

Great 60s psych album. Wish Grace Slick did lead vocals on more songs, killer voice

An incredible album, hard to believe that this was their debut. Such a distinct sound, often dark and mysterious

My first time listening to this one, I really liked it. Acid rock with jazzy undertones. Quite jammy

I liked this better than “Ladies and Gentleman…” Solid album, but found it a bit underwhelming overall

Not a big fan of indie rock, especially from around this year. Found this to be pretty forgettable.

Some good moments in this album, and an incredibly striking cover

A very sweet voice and some interesting instrumentation at times. I like it overall, but no songs in particular stuck out to me

Not bad, but not super interesting.

A solid album with a nice flow that is maintained throughout its entirety.

Interesting album—I liked it better than I thought I would. Moody, atmospheric, sometimes a bit ominous. It kept me on my toes

Awesome album, heavy and interesting

Awesome album, but also a little corny

Really not for me. Too poppy and feels dated now

Solid album, great lyricism

Good album. I prefer the queen is dead

First time actually listening to this in its entirety, really solid and a classic for a reason

I like it–crazy and eclectic

A good album without a doubt, but I didn't have any particularly strong feelings about any of the songs.

*sigh* she has such a way with words

Really great album all around, not a single bad song. Debbie Harry’s voice is also so good

Elvis doesn’t particularly excite me, but this is one of his better albums that I’ve heard. Great vocals here

His voice is wonderful. At times, this makes me a bit nostalgic for a time I have never known

Such a beautiful and powerful album

It’s okay, but a bit lame and uninspired

This is a very fun album. Great energy and instrumentation

As always, Adele’s vocal performance is incredible here. Overall, the album is pretty good, but I think she plays it a little safe. On top of that, some songs were a bit too poppy for my taste. I actually prefer some of the lesser known songs, like River Lea, over many of the radio hits.

A really great, jazzy rock album. Really enjoyed the second half

In my humble opinion, very mid

Hard to get through, repetitive and annoying

I had never listened to the entire album prior to this, but I enjoyed it. Jazzier and jammier than I thought it would be.

Such a great album, effortlessly cool

I love this album, flutes and all.

A lovely little instrumental album. Great easy-listening

New to me, and I really liked it. Proggy space rock that kept on chugging along

I just love CCR. Such a great album

Not my favorite from Tim Buckley

Had some nice moments, but I mostly found this annoying.

Pretty good. Wanted to love this, but I found it a bit too one-note and repetitive.

Pretty good but could get a bit snoozy at times

A lovely album about love

Solid album, soulful and funky

I’m not a big Prince fan in general, but usually I can find a song or two in the album that I like. Not the case here. I didn’t like this one.

It’s okay. I liked the noisy, distorted parts better than the poppier parts. Was also a bit long, making a lot of it blend together

Quintessential uk punk, awesome energy

It’s a nice album, but didn’t love.

Lovely, peaceful, and romantic. Perfect for the quiet moments

Middle of the road album. Not bad by any means, but also not amazing or impressive.

A great, classic punk album

One of the best pop albums of all time. Fun and infectious energy

It’s not bad, but I am underwhelmed

This was okay. Some of the instrumentation could be quite lovely at times, but the vocals didn’t do much for me.

A great shoegaze classic

Soulful and smooth as butter

Yet another excellent album by Queen

Neil Young is and will always be one of my favorite artists, so no surprise that I love this album. Top notch songwriting here

Beautiful and poetic, what a wonderful lyricist

Interesting voice and a really great album cover, but I found the music itself to be pretty meh.

An excellent and influential classic

An ambitious album that does a great job balancing lots of different sounds. The variety doesn’t make the 2 hr run time feel that long. Lots of bangers on this one

A really lovely jazz album. Cool how it plays around with time signatures.

This one was fun to listen to

I just didn’t find this very compelling. Her voice is great, but I thought it was kind of flat and boring and all the songs were a bit too theatrical for my taste

Absolutely legendary.

Better than I expected

A good album with a bit of darkness to it

Probably the best U2 album I’ve heard, but didn’t wow me. Could be a bit one-note at times

It’s okay, but not really my style

Nice, chill album. Maybe runs a bit too long, but the twinkly guitar and kora were hypnotic

Cool, funky jazz. I like the first song quite a bit, but I don’t think I listen to enough jazz to really appreciate this

Good album, just a bit corny

This was awesome, a really fun listen

Honk shoo honk shoo honk mi mi mi mi

Better than I thought it would be, I actually like his vocals

Good swing music, reminds me of Fallout.

Pretty good, I like the riffs in this one more than other punk albums I’ve listened to

Actually pretty cool overall, but unfortunately none of the songs really wowed me.

Might not be Bowie’s best, but still a rock-solid album.

An excellent live album and snippet of music history

She has a beautiful voice and this was a nice album. There really is nothing more to say about it. Pretty bland.

A snappy psych album. Don’t think they did it better than their contemporaries, but still a fun listen

I’ve heard a lot of great things about this album but never actually listened. This is really good—moody, dark, mysterious.

It’s okay, but nothing mindblowing. The vocals were kind of annoying at times

Some really great songs on here, but also some songs that I find a bit unimpressive.

Baroque pop/rock is very hit or miss to me. This one was a drag, sorry.

Some good hits and really pretty harmonies, but ultimately I think a lot of the songs kind of blend together. Also don’t think this really stands out when compared to other albums from the 60s

Solid live album with great energy. I like it, although I probably won’t revisit that often.

Enjoyed this except for that Aerosmith track, which is so cursed

Not for me, wasn’t really feeling this. Didn’t feel fresh to me, and I thought the lyrics were lame

A couple songs were pretty good, but mostly this was just okay. Not really anything special

A brilliant work of poetry

Not bad, just not for me

Sounds like how it feels to sit on the porch and drink an ice cold Coors on a hot July evening

Not for me

Very middle of the road, inoffensive and not particularly stirring

Somehow have never heard this before, but I really like it—very simple and effortless, in a good way. I like the cover too.

Really solid. Chill with great flow

Not their best, but still pretty good

Another unremarkable entry from Elvis Costello.

I <3 Rush

It’s got those classic, sweet and dreamy harmonies that The Beach Boys are known for, but nothing else about this is particularly stirring.

New to me. Pretty chill, enjoyed listening

Such a cool album, love this one

Generic 90s alt rock. Not bad, but not great

Really good vibes, had a good time listening

A delightful and well-done album that transports you to a different world. I love 60s-70s medieval folk revival, so of course I love this.

Not bad, but I didn’t find it super engaging and thought it ran a bit too long.

An incredible, sinister work of art—an easy 5.

I really liked this. I have never seen this film before, but I really want to now—next on my watchlist

Not bad. I think it does the symphonic, cinematic thing pretty well.

Nothing really stood out to me about this.

This is pretty good. I like how off-kilter it sounds at times

Bjork’s sound just really is not for me. Thought this droned on a bit

I always enjoy this one, really fun and exuberant album

I like the sound, but it gets way too poppy.

She’s so cool, this album rocks

Not bad, but I definitely prefer their later work

Super smooth, but thought it was boring overall

It was good, but maybe a bit forgettable for me

A classic album with some good hits.

Such an incredibly boring album

Mordecai and Rigby would love this

What a beautiful, charming performance, she really is divine

Such a brilliant album.

Not Bowie’s best, but not bad. Super funky

A great pre-metal album that was really ahead of its time.

Hell yeah.

I really like this one, it’s just really lovely

Not Springsteen’s best, feels too commercial

Oh my god, this is so boring

It’s pretty good, but didn’t love

She has a wonderful, powerful voice, but I don’t love the instrumentation here—too 80s and not super interesting

What a marvelous album. Beautiful, cozy, and romantic

It’s just so good!!

Not even close to being my favorite Radiohead album, but undeniably great. Lots of incredible soundscapes and interesting textures

I had never listened to this before, but I love it. Completely drawn in by his great storytelling and its beautiful simplicity

A wonderful classic, has so much soul

Liked this more than I thought I would, it’s surprisingly nice

His voice is miserable to listen to. Didn’t find the instrumentation and lyrics very compelling either

Good voice, but thought it was a bit boring

Eccentric, which is no surprise because it’s Peter Gabriel. I definitely prefer his work with Genesis, but this isn’t bad.

Such an awesome album, never gets old

I actually prefer this over other Nick Cave albums. He really sounds insane on this one

Yet another phenomenal album by Dylan. Just incredible songwriting here

Songs a bit hit or miss for me, but overall okay

What a great album, really powerful and moving

A good album, although I do think it can feel just a bit monotonous at times. I know she was quite unhappy with the instrumentation (especially the flutes), but frankly, I like it! And I like her voice

Smooth as hell

I don’t like britpop that much, but this is pretty good

Hell yeah.

Apt band name. Love the fart noises at the end

Nothing special, but I like the album cover

Really fun! Made me wanna dance

What an incredible album—dark, raw, powerful. One of my all time favorites

A great album with great songwriting

Going in, I wasn’t sure I would jive with this, but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. The fiddle/violin on this fucks

A classic, but the songs are pretty hit or miss for me. Still a good album all in all, but I don’t love

Not my favorite from the Stones, but still pretty good

I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t think it did anything groundbreaking. Not really my kind of music, super repetitive

Awesome album, it’s hard to have a bad time while listening to CCR

Maybe not his best, but it’s still really good. Paul Simon is just a great songwriter

Not bad, but it didn’t do too much for me, especially the vocals

Super relaxing and contemplative. Great to have in the background while doing some work

Completely new to me. Had some nice moments musically, especially in the first half. I’m definitely not afraid of some whimsy, but I think the second half with its narration took it too far and felt distracting to me rather than enchanting.

Maybe my favorite from Springsteen. Solid album with excellent storytelling

Not super familiar with reggae, but I thought this album was great. The chill, smooth instrumentals let the political messaging of his lyrics take center stage.

Really really good blues

A masterpiece and so incredibly iconic

At first, I admit I was dreading this just a bit—2+ hours of Metallica, and it’s a live album. But, I actually loved this! Really interesting idea, the orchestra sounds great

A generic rock album, nothing stood out to me except Hard to Handle (and even then likely only for nostalgic reasons)

To me, just a bunch of noises

When it’s not gross, it’s lame

Yet another excellent album from Bowie…

A couple great hits, but I found the rest to be a bit lack luster

In my opinion, very middle of the road

Okay, but not for me. Also found it to run a bit too long

I’ve always loved this album and actually prefer it to Kid A. Not super crazy about Packt Like Sardines and Pulk/Pull, but the rest is just so so good. Pyramid Song is one of the most eerily beautiful, hypnotic songs ever written.

Really great album, so so smooth

Right up my alley—whimsical, psychedelic folk with interesting instrumentation

A bleak album with some interesting production. I do like this and I appreciate its legacy, but I don’t love it. I’m just not super into the sound of a lot of post-punk in general

A fun listen for sure, but I don’t really like the vocals, especially the high notes

😏

A solid classic. Such an awesome, unique voice