1001 Albums Summary

Song: Sixteen Saltines I'm kind of conflicted. I didn't hate the song, but the "wall of sound" was unexpected and a little overwhelming. However, I really did like the guitar work and the bluesy, funky flavor. Overall, it was kind of reminiscent of a White Stripes song, and I do like the White Stripes, too. I don't think I'd skip this song if it came on, but I also wouldn't seek it out again.

Song: Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin' I was pleasantly surprised by this song. I really enjoyed the soft string instrumentals & Ray's piano playing is wonderful, too. While it definitely sounds of its time, it has a real timeless feel to it, too. It's a very mellowed out song, but I liked that about it—it was a really calming listen, and I would definitely listen again.

Song: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes There's a lot for me to love here. This was a very layered song, with gorgeous harmonies and also really great solo moments across three distinct sections (plus the outro). I relate to the lyrics of the first section, really liked the bass in the second, and thought the third section had excellent vocal harmonies, plus the outro was such a dramatic shift in style and I loved it. This song fits right into my existing music library—it was almost reminiscent of some of my favorite Fleetwood Mac tracks. This was such a great listen, too—the harmonies were gorgeous, and the folk-rock sound was warm and comforting. I loved the guitar and bass in particular. I would listen to this time and time again, no question.

Song: Cry To Me Burke has a great voice, rich and passionate, and I liked it on this song. Also, I found the lyrics really sweet and touching, and the song had a really raw vibe that I liked as well. However, the rest of the song was nothing terribly special—I liked it well enough, but nothing stood out. The instrumental felt quintessentially 60s, and I wasn't a huge fan of the background choir. Still, it made me feel nostalgic, and I did enjoy the song—just not as much as others I've listened to.

Song: Be (Intro) I'll preface this by saying I have never been a rap listener. Most of the hits I heard in day to day life weren't appealing to me, and my one exposure to any type of rap by choice was the musical Hamilton, which definitely doesn't really count. I never had anything against rap, but just never felt like it was my type of music. I might have to rethink a few things. From the first few seconds of this, I was in love. The bass was full and resonant, the synths were cool, the keyboard gave it this lightness. the rhythms were layered and sounded so good together. (Side note: Kanye West may have completely flown off the handle, but man, he knows how to produce a good song.) And then Common entered, and I was blown away. If you don't focus on the words, it's an art unto itself, a percussive beat lying over a really interesting instrumental, crafted to fall into complimenting rhythms, flowing into each other. But then you listen to the lyrics, and the song comes alive with references to history, the political landscape, Common's life, and so much emotion. I want to listen to this again and dissect it a little, find all the details in the lyrics. When I said I wanted this project to expand my music taste, this was what I wanted—genres, songs, and artists I had avoided or never thought twice about, hidden gems that ended up being incredible. The moment where the instrumental drops away and just the bass remains and Common raps about looking into his daughter's eyes and wanting to learn through her is my favorite musical moment of this project thus far. My only complaint is that I actually wanted to hear more from it! I was not expecting to like this song much. I'm glad I did.

Song: Tom Sawyer I have never listened to a Rush song, and I can safely say I don't think I'm a fan. It started out okay, but as the song went on, Geddy Lee's voice really started to grate on me. He has a very whiny tone, especially on the higher notes, and I could barely get through it. However, I liked the guitar & synths, the instrumental break & the guitar solo in the middle were my favorite parts. I'm still unlikely to listen again, but I suppose it wasn't all bad.

Song: Walk on the Wild Side This isn't what I expected from an album produced by David Bowie, but I quite liked it. I didn't know Lou Reed—although I have heard of the Velvet Underground before, I didn't know its members. This song has a really nice, chill, relaxed feeling—the instrumental feels so familiar, and I'm certain I've heard it sampled somewhere before. Also, I liked the lyrics— although he was mostly speaking rather singing than them, it made the song feel a little like slam poetry, which I liked. The saxophone solo was also unexpected and nice, capping off the song with a fadeout. I would definitely listen to it again—more like this, too.

Song: Right Here, Right Now Waking up to find your love's not real Waking up to find your love's not real Waking up to find your love's not real Waking up to find your love's not real Waking up to find your love's not real... In all honesty, this was not as bad as I expected. I'm also not often an electronica listener, and while this was a little repetitive and grating by the end of the six and a half minutes, the first, say, two minutes were pretty solid. Unfortunately once you've heard roughly the first two minutes, you've heard the whole song. I liked the beat though, and the strings sounded cool. I liked when the vocals were just a little bit buried in the mix, so they became another instrument, a part of the layers. Overall, too repetitive for my tastes most of the time, but I think I could listen to it in the background.

Song: Freak Scene My opinion of this song was a bit of a rollercoaster, but ultimately ended rather low. It's just...nothing special, nothing especially good, and nothing I could see myself returning to. The singer's voice is too monotone for my liking, and while I think some of the background guitar is fine, the lead guitar goes off the rails in the solos. It's just too much. I can appreciate a good rock song, but there's got to be some sort of melody to a solo like that, rather than just a wall of noise. It's not enough to just play loud and aggressive, you also have to play well. More than anything else, that turned me off of this song. What a mess is right.

Song: Know Your Product I'm going to admit, going into this, I was relatively apprehensive. I typically try to keep an open mind, but three of the last four days have all been strikeouts for me, and two of those songs were rock-adjacent (hated Rush, really hated Dinosaur Jr.). So, when I saw a punk album come up, I was sure I'd hate it. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Is the singer especially musically gifted? No. Is his voice a little monotone and grating? No. But does he sound like he's whining and complaining? Absolutely not, he sounds like he's having the time of his life, and that's a stark contrast from the other rock songs I've listened to through this project. Some of the lyrics are objectively hilarious (let's shoot the professor!) but the subject of the song also seems pretty topical, considering today's age of constant advertising. Also, I really loved the brass section in the mix there, that's not a sound I usually hear in rock or punk and it was a really great addition. Generally, this was a really solid track, and probably my favorite rock or rock-adjacent song of the project so far.

Song: No Good (Start The Dance) I was not expecting to like this song much at all, considering my feelings about Fatboy Slim earlier this week. But it was, surprisingly, a much more enjoyable listen. The instrumental was more layered and had more going on. I liked a lot of the different sections of the song, despite the repetition. The vocals blended well with the instrumentals, and just added another interesting texture. Overall, while I still felt mostly that I'd heard nearly the whole song once I got about halfway through, it kept me invested with some shifts and new rhythms near the end. Definitely feels like music to move to, whether that's dancing or maybe running. This feels like it could be a good running song. All in all, this was a pretty fun listen, and I'd listen to it again.

Song: Zombie This is exactly what I was hoping to discover through this project. I never would have encountered this artist or this song in my day-to-day life, but this was just incredible. I love jazz, and the musicianship on display here was amazing. The beginning of the song just felt like a group of musicians just together to have a good time—the sax & trumpet solos and shout choruses over the drum & guitar worked so well. However, the song really shines after a few minutes, when the vocals begin. Fela Kuti came to make a strong statement with this album, and he does, combined with excellent rhythms and vocal arrangements. I love when music gets political, when the statement is done right, and this is done right. The last sax solo is also excellent (and it ends with a little bit that sounded like Taps, which is such a good parting shot) I truly really enjoyed this song, and I want to hear so much more like this.

Song: Pedro Navaja The generator has been on a roll these past few days with giving me some really interesting, international songs. Yesterday it was Fela Kuti & Afrobeats, today salsa. I thoroughly enjoyed this despite barely understanding a word. It made me want to dance, had a great rhythm and great flow. I don't think I've ever listened to a salsa song, but this was great.

Song: Sound and Vision David Bowie never really misses—I don't usually seek out his music, but I'm never upset to hear it. This was a solid track with a good groove and a cool, funky instrumental. I like Bowie's low register a lot, too, it sounds great. All in all, this was a good song that I'd listen to again.

Song: Little Wing Jimi Hendrix is a legendary guitar player, and the guitar was absolutely the standout here. The rest of the song was cool, but not my taste—during the second verse, the trippy vocal effects made my head spin. I don't think I'll listen again, but this was a good song—just not for me.

Song: Boulder to Birmingham Wow. This song is so stunning, and it nearly brought me to tears. Emmylou Harris's voice is absolutely beautiful, so pure and sweet, and she sings with so much emotion that I just got swept up in the song. I could listen to that on repeat for hours.

Song: I Wish I Didn't Love You So This sounds like it came straight out of the 50s. It's a very nostalgic, pretty track, and Lang has a great voice. Overall, this was a pretty solid track, and a song I'd definitely return to.

Song: Angels I wanted to like this more than I did. The first verse was beautiful, and I really connected with it. Robbie Williams's voice is very raw, especially in the chorus—sometimes it adds extra emotion, but sometimes it just sounds like he isn't quite on pitch. The instrumental break/guitar solo near the end is also a high point, but the buildup doesn't really pay off as the final chorus sounds not much different from the others. Overall, this was okay, and I think I could listen to it again, mostly for the first verse—that brings it up to 3 for me. Ultimately, though, I just didn't connect with this song.

Song: Blueberry Hill Just finding this album was a bit challenging, it wasn't available on the streaming service, but I found the individual songs. This song just had a really nice, chill, laid-back groove, and I love the bassline & sax. It definitely sounds very 50s, but not in a bad way—solid song, and one I would listen to again.

Song: Eleanor Rigby I have heard this song before, but I listened to it again for this project because it's just really good. There's something beautiful and haunting about this song, with the harmonies and the excellent lyrics. The highlight for me is the instrumentation, though—the different stringed instruments overlapping and harmonizing make it sound so epic. This song is one of the all-time best, honestly, and probably my favorite Beatles song. Just beautiful.

Song: Plateau The singer is awful. Just absolutely awful—he can't hit high notes and the low notes are off key. The instrumental redeems it slightly (and serves to bury his vocal a bit) but not enough for me to score it well.

Song: The Man Who Sold The World First of all, this is a crazy coincidence: yesterday, I reviewed Meat Puppets II and noticed a lot of reviews mentioning Nirvana's covers of Meat Puppets songs. I log on today and see the exact Nirvana album with the Meat Puppets covers. However, I kind of hated Meat Puppets, so I went with the Bowie cover instead, which was incredible. The vocals carried a lot of emotion, but the standout to me was the instrumental—especially the outro. Just stunning.

Song: Emily This was a long one, and very interesting. The entire song felt like a meander through a forest or a field, with a very loose structure. It felt like a poem set to music. Newsom's voice is interesting and sounds old-fashioned—I found it hard to believe that this album is only from 2006. The instrumentals were also really beautiful, the strings and harp blending together really well. Because of its length, I don't think I'm likely to return to it on a casual listen, but I did not dislike this. It felt very much like an art piece, with a lot of little beautiful moments. Still, the whole song never really came together for me, and I honestly don't think I understand it fully. Not bad, just not my style.

Song: Rescue Me I liked this vibe. I don't remember having too many strong opinions about this, but I thought it was a solid track and felt very funky and fun.

Song: Born in '69 This is absolutely the type of thing I would typically rate low, but I was in the right mood today, I guess, because I very much enjoyed this. The lyrics, even though sometimes fairly bad, are endearing and kind of funny, and I enjoyed this track a lot.

Song: Where is my Mind? I'm quite familiar with this song, but it's been a while since I've heard it. I forgot how good of a song it was, honestly, really solid song and really enjoyable to listen to.

Song: Headache This is the second coincidence of the project—the Pixies today and their lead singer today. This isn't the type of music I usually listen to, but something about it just really hit me. I really enjoyed this song, the lyrics, the instrumentals (that keyboard, for some reason). I would absolutely listen to that again.