1001 Albums Summary

Post listening I still don’t know who Lenny Kravitz is. He takes liberally from those who came before him (perfectly fine) but brings nothing new to the table. A couple of decent songs, but too many throw-aways.

........ no. Look, it's not about genres, it's about creativity. The most creative thing that happens on this record, that was completely unexpected, was the thieving of "I am a Tangerine" by the Shondells. That and the song by Of Montreal that was basically an Of Montreal song ...... so, points for that. It's not a record that I would say anyone "needs" to hear .... unless you want an example of what a lack of creative vision sounds like.

The first time I heard this record, I was completely taken aback. It was so fresh, so unexpected, something I heard but hadn't heard before. It basically cleared out all the cobwebs at the time on it's first play. Exhilarating .....

Why? Undoubtedly the top boring album generated so far ..... bored ... boring, boring, bored. 1/2 stars ....

An absolute stunner of a debut album. One of those records that is released every so often that blows out the cobwebs on the music scene, rearranges what is possible and, afterwards nothing is the same for a while.

I was planning on writing something that references the past creativity of this band, the struggle that continuing that creativity can sometimes be ..... and how this album is a perfect illustration of that dynamic. Wait, I guess I just did. Anyway, this album? So disappointing. 1.5 but I'll give out 2 because their responsible for so much great stuff that it's hard to fault them for coming up short .......

.... stop the pain. This is surely on the list of boring records generated so far. It's early so I'm not sure where it lands on that list but right now it's at the top right under Hot Fuss. 1.5

Why can't I give it 10 stars?

It pains me to rate a Tina turner record so low but that plastic 80's sound just grates on my ears. Tina has a voice and it's the only redeeming thing about this record. I don't know how someone with so much soul could soldier through the experience of making something that winds up so soulless and not go crazy but, here we are. 2.5 because it's Tina .....

If you gene spliced 10cc into Ween and then ran it through a studio with Beck helming the production, this would be the result. Glorious, beautiful, funtastic. I started this project hoping I would be introduced to a gem that I had know nothing about, that I had somehow missed and I have been rewarded.

I get that some of you will dismiss this record because all the “60’s hippie” trappings that come along with it …. but ….. you just can’t fuck with the musicianship, the writing and certainly not the singing on this record. The arrangements and production are perfect. Do yourselves a favor and listen to this on a real sound system. Fuck Spotify and YouTube (good lord what are you doing?). A 5 for sure that would be a 10 if the scale went that high (11, in fact, for all the Neil haters out there).

...... the only band that mattered. ....10/5

- 2.5 ..... doesn't hold up -

What else could this be but a five? Their second record consisted of work from the same sessions and that one is pretty damn good as well. A truly great album.

As a species, what the hell were we thinking? Ok, this stuff sort of comes out of 1950's/60's variety hour entertainment .... except the arrangements are boring and thin. Ok, maybe this was Eurovision before there was Eurovision? The sad part is we are now forever forced to look back and admit that we made this band important, we gave them hits and gold records ..... it's so embarrassing. 1.5 for the 2 songs with hooks .......

This album always seems to be trying too hard ..... 2.5 for the risk taking ......

ok .... Better than expected but there is better music from this time period. 2.5 for the hits .......

Ok, kinda boring ..... perfectly competent.

5 stars just for “What Goes On” & “Pale Blue Eyes” ……….

I just can't get into these guys ..... it's probably a failing on my part .....

.... is generic, angst-ridden narcissism a thing? This record is currently competing with "Hot Fuss" for the "shittiest record on this list" Championship belt .... .5 stars

ok, I'm really conflicted with rating this because, again, competent, even skilled but boring .... I'm not even gonna say "it's not my thing" because Hey, Laura Nyro is amazing and maybe that's the source of my conflict with a number of the records on this list: They're fine but does anyone really need to hear these??? ... ever??

2.5 stars - It's perfectly fine but I would rather listen to XTC.

........ why?

... aaahhhh the Pixies.

Eno's fills and textures evolve into the song structures themselves. He makes so much possible for others to follow.

An absolute power-shot …..

2.5 because it apes everything before it but brings nothing new to the table.

A pretty solid record considering it’s basically a musician in mourning hanging out with musician friends free jamming and rolling tape ….. 4 because it’s basically recorded improv.

This album is an excellent example of some of the challenges that come with the format of this project. I find myself over and over having a difficult time contextualizing the the records that we're listening to and as in everything, context matters. We hear these things out of context and then we're asked to rate them. Something feels not right about that. It's great to discover things that we've not heard before and it's great to go back and listen to things that we've heard numerous times and have forgotten about or dismissed on a certain level due to familiarity. But .... It's difficult to understand why these records were considered ground-breaking. We can't un-hear things while looking back. The way we hear about music has changed, the distribution channels have changed, the politics have changed and all of these issues matter when it comes to the reception of these creations put out by these artists. I remember when this record was released; the write-ups, the criticisms, the hoopla ..... Mentioning this record in the same breath as "Exile on Mainstreet" .... I'll admit, I scoffed heartily. I mean, that's one tight record; the playing, the writing, the production, it's all there. Who would dare? Well, Liz Phair did. Say what you will but that's a ballsy move and I gotta give it up for that. Additionally, in 1993 the sexual politics of this record (within the music biz) are so out front. Now, we take it for granted but then? So, I'm listening to this and I'm trying to keep this stuff in mind, admit to myself my built-in prejudices and assess fairly. There's some really good writing here, some really good songs. Sometimes it DOES remind me of "Exile on Mainstreet". There's also some of it that just doesn't hold up. There's some of her singing that I just can't get past. So, I ask myself, why do I give artists like Bill Callahan a pass on his singing but not Liz? She owns her voice just like he does and that's what matters; it's HERS, her art, like or not, here it is. I'm not sure I know the answer yet. Anyway, it's not perfect but 4 stars for owning it.

Just about a perfect record ...........

2.5 for whatever this did for electronic music at the time .....

Joni ….. youngsters won’t get it but this album is astounding. Just listen …….

Perfect.

Some old skool rap just doesn't age well ...... 2.5 for the vintage ....

... so Very underwhelming.

.... steppin' on Motorhead's jock while running everything through electronics and samplers but still coming up with something that sounded like nothing else ..... 3.5

Very solid record from a time when the execution of the craft mattered; not perfect but really close. 4.5

.... do I really need to add anything to this?

just a beautiful record ........

Recorded in a closed-for-the-winter hotel using the Rolling Stones mobile recording unit, this is a record of the band PLAYING. What you're hearing is what happened with very little "studio" applied. ..... fucking amazing. 10/5

yer kidding, right? .... the only band that mattered. - a perfect record - not one weak song - - the standard -

Disappointingly boring .....

- It's kinda boring and static. There's just not that much for me to latch onto ..... maybe it's me .... -

Such a strong debut. So different, such a unique sound.

- w t f ? -

Another pleasant discovery. Chi-town shoutout ......

- Why? Perfectly competent; completely uninteresting; so not vital. -

..... so good.

- Are the Brits responsible for the most inconsequential, non-discript pop / rock music? Serious question .... -

- I'm sticking with my original assessment of this band: Most Overrated Band of the 1990's. -

- This project continues to surprise me. I guess I didn't know music as much as I thought ..... or maybe there's just so much out there it's not possible to grasp as much as we think we can .... thanks for this one. It's a beautiful record that exemplifies, at it's core, what the creative process is really about. We do this because we must. Maybe our efforts will be appreciated, maybe they won't but make it anyway. Don't give up. It's what makes us human.

- Absolutely one of the best Pink Floyd records. Tight, imaginative, atmospheric, reverent, dark and beautiful. -

- 2 because it's Bonnie Raitt .... -

- Another record I did not know existed ... how is that possible when it comes to David Bowie? .... I blame myself. It's also another record that proves what an absolutely unmatched artist Bowie was; second to his last record of a long career yet still full of work of high quality. If I'm so blessed to have even a portion of this much to say this late in my career, I would die fulfilled. He was a gift to us. May we never forget.

- I'm giving it a 3 because Bon Jovi let Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on their tour bus to rip bongs and film ....

- I don't think I need to write anything about this one .... -

- 3 because it's not like these guys can't play, they're clearly good musicians and they care about this music, ..... at a certain point, I didn't. I'm sure it's a failing on my part so +1 = 4 ... -

- A perfectly competent record, even interesting at times but .... it feels completely out of time. I've checked and rechecked the year of release because when i think about this one, I can't understand how you could make and release this record in 2017 .... so I'm conflicted and unsure how to rate it. It's not bad, it's just .... not. 2.5 rounded up ... -

- Another just about perfect record, this one from a criminally overlooked band. -

- ok, so come on, why? Not my thing, crazy polished production .... 2.5 because I'm not into it but I guess a 3 because of the craft ....? -

- "Rocks", which SHOULD be on this list, is the best Aerosmith album and rocks harder than so much you won't believe it ..... "Toys in the Attic" is pretty fuckin' solid but only gets 4 stars because "Rocks" is ... well, hopefully you'll listen to it. -

- boring -

- Another artist I wish I would have had the chance to hear live. It would have been amazing. The recording is not great so I can only give it a 4 but, man what a show this must have been. -

- the joke is good ..... once. -

- so, "Who's That Lady" is a banger, there's some amazing playing on this record, weird cover versions of songs I just would not expect .... maybe that's on me ... but good weird, not bad weird. It's adventurous, fun, crazy and most definitely of it's time. It's not perfect .... -

- This one is a perfect example how the whole idea of "rating" some of these records just doesn't make any sense: How do you rate this? It's art, a performance executed under extreme circumstances ... I'm not qualified to "rate" this ... and neither are most of the other yahoos signed up for this project ... 5 because it's art and art is everything .... -

- .... the kids just don't understand. -

- ... more like 1 hour 18 minutes of my sonic life that I'll never get back ..... boring, weak writing, musically uninspired ..... -

- they were like 20 yrs. old when this album was made. -

- it's funny to me that no one mentions neo-psychedelia when reviewing this record cause it's so trippy ..... -

- .... seriously. -

- one of the greatest artists of our time -

- A really hard record. Rough in a good way, sad, haunting, beautiful, Lou makes you work for this one. So rewarding if you have the stomach and heart for it. -

- over rated -

- ...... why? -

- yeah -

- so enjoyable .... did not realize that the Todd was involved with this one. I'm sure he made it better .... -

- ... was planning on writing a thing laying out why coldplay is completely competent but bad band and this is certainly an album that no one needs to hear before they die ... but it's way more effort than they deserve. Let's just leave it at completely uninspired and uninspiring; the definition of generic. -

- I don't think anyone does soft aggression like they do. -

- 1 9 7 2 -

- Not much sounded like this when it was released ... it still holds up, a testament to the creative energy of this work, it sounds as fresh today as it did then. -

- yeah, this record killed almost everything that was good about hip hop - some decent tracks but, as others have said, doesn't age well. The book this website is based on is bullshit - there are toooooo many records included that NO ONE needs to hear. ..... one good thing about this project is I'll never need to read the book .... a weak 2.5 for the good tracks -

- not really into the growling / screaming vocal style of this type of music and not really into this band .... this one is, however, a great example of what's both right and wrong with the concept of this book / website .... aside from musical tastes, this record is most certainly NOT a record that everyone "needs to hear". It's just not. It's not even considered their best by people who are INTO this band so, no. but ..... I did get to hear something I never listened to before. I think I'm better for it .... expanding horizons and all that. OK, I'm ready for more pain, hopefully tempered with some really fantastic art .... -

- R E S P E C T -

- Better than expected; remember to put this one in it's proper context. -

- at times beautiful, at times pedestrian but always sincere. 3.5 but leaning towards 4 ...... -

- not perfect but pretty good .... today it sounds more "old skool" than I expected ... and, of course, some of the lyrics don't age well ..... but who gives a fuck? -

- This album is art and art is not easy. -

- Did not hold up ..... a few good tunes but somewhat boring. -

- masterpiece -

- Good but not quite great. I found myself wishing the mix did not bury the lyrics as much as it does, almost like there was not as much confidence in the singing as there was in the playing. Quite enjoyable, another good discovery (as many others have noted). -

- Another masterpiece. This album punches you in the face from the jump and never really lets up. This is the good U2. -

- fuck you -

- I had to go back and check the release year ... so forward looking, so good. -

- Just not very good. It's mostly a pastiche of blooze rock and not bringing much new to the table. The writing is atrocious for the most part; so very boring/unimaginative. Jack White sounds like he sometimes has ideas but they never really go anywhere. He's also made a great career out some of the shittiest guitar tone ever put down. I was going to give it a 2.5 rounded up to 3 but I'm rounding down because of the song "Little Acorns" .... -

- ART - .... another one I'm just not qualified to "rate". -

- No question. One of the great rock records. -

- so, not a big Smiths fan and don't really care enough about them and Morrissey to know anything about him (apparently a bit of an asshole, no shortage of those these days ....). As such, all I can go by is the listen .... which is as it should be - and I just didn't really care while I was listening to this one. I'll listen to it again ... maybe it needs a few spins. 2.5 but I'm gonna round down ..... -

- why -

- An absolutely perfect album, arguably a masterpiece. -

- The weakest songs on this release would make a great album ...... -

- the number of great songs on this release is frightening. The arrangements and production are perfect. The writing great and the guitar work is beautiful. Another perfect album. -

- OK, so, what would happen if Hawkwind discovered sampling and turntablism?? We have the answer with this record. It's also the lost sibling of the likes of DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, Kool Keith's scifi raps while with the Ultramagnetic M.C.'s and it prefigures Delton 3030 by 10 yrs or more. Good stuff ... -

- ..... it's Neil ... -

- if you don't know this record, do yourself a favor and devour it. -

- An absolute masterpiece. 10/5 -

- The thing that we consistently forget when we're (expected to) rate these releases is that these are ALL someones works of art; they are the results of somebody expending creative energy to make something that has not been made before, that we've never heard or seen or thought of before. We lose sight or (more likely) have no concept of the enormity of that task. Keep in mind that these artists are doing this in the midst of a grinding, capitalist machine attempting to wring whatever money possible out of these personal creations. This album was conceived of and created in the wake of the unprecedented commercial success of it's predecessor, placing unfathomable expectations and stress upon it's creators. Yet they still go ahead and explore, take chances, do the unexpected; they try (and often succeed) to make something we've never heard before. That in itself is astounding. 5 stars for making art when the universe was aligned against them .... -

- P E -

- Another in a string of great releases ... he was a blessing to us... -

- Good stuff .... I've been introduced to the parents of Jon Spencer (he basically copped his entire shtick from this band). This is is the Fugs, The Holy Modal Rounders, rockabilly Pere Ubu, the same vein of Americana that Handsome Family is in, Elvis on acid .... it goes on and on ... too bad it's such a shitty recording .... great fun. -

- it just doesn't hold up ..... -

- .... do I need to explain? -

- it's hard to argue with the string of records that this release starts off. The number of just truly great songs is impressive and marks the beginning of the peak of Rolling Stones output. -

- ..... well crafted but sort-of generic. -

- If all you think of is "soft rock" when you think about Steely Dan, then you don't get them and you never will. Certainly one of the great debut records ..... -

- Album #2 in the greatest run of releases of all time .... -

- Maybe I'm getting a little liberal doling out 5's here but this is another great one ....... -

- To produce something so relevant, so solid, so enjoyable so late in life after so much output .... -

- Sly ..... -

- ..... 5 just for "Chain of Fools" .... -

- 5 just for "Superstition" ..... but shit, "Maybe Your Baby" and "Big Brother" are right up there as well. -

- Liked this better than I expected. I will need to look into their other output based on this listen. -

- If you don't understand what a great songwriter Elvis is, I can't help you. Another stellar debut album ..... -

- The Kinks are amazing. If you don't appreciate them, I can't help you. -

- They remain, even on this project that encourages people to LISTEN .... undervalued, under-appreciated and over looked. The Kinks are a gift to us .... -

- I knew this was English before I looked up the Wiki entry ..... I can't put my finger on why I knew it; but there's a certain lack of soul ..... A couple of good tracks but somehow more boring than it should be. -

- I made it through 5 songs and just couldn't do anymore. Many have mentioned how good her voice is ... even that wasn't enough to get me through some of the worst pap written these days. Pair her up with someone who can turn a phrase, for gods sake. Until them she's a talent criminally wasted. -

- voices as instruments .... beautiful -

- competent but so absolutely derivative ... 2.5 -

- late 60's art music ..... -

- Punk -

- I read some of the other reviews and, I have to say, the folks dismissing this as "hipster bullshit" are way off base. I also don't really hear Captain Beefheart; there's not nearly enough dissonance and cacophony. The person who cited Steve Howe / Yes, however, nailed it. Longstreth is clearly aping Mr. Howe's stylings and some of his passages. The thing is, he's just not as good as Steve Howe. That's fine; not too many people are that good and aspiring to Yes quality creative output is nothing to scoff at. I think the bigger issue is Dirty Projectors, at least on this record, try to do too much within the same song just a little too often. I once had an instructor tell me "you don't have to use every trick in your bag of tricks every time" .... while listening to this record I was reminded of this advice. Remember, kids; self-editing is a good thing. Having ranted this out of my system, I can say that I still enjoyed the record. It wasn't something I could immediately categorize. That too, is a good thing and usually means we should pay attention to the thing that we're having trouble filing away. Art is, after all, fundamentally the search for the unknown. It's not a perfect record so, 4 stars.

- boring -

- 3.5 cause it's J.Lee Hooker - some good stuff but I NEED to hear one of his early releases .... -

- Another introduction to an artist I had not encountered up until this project & exactly why I signed up in the first place. It's not a perfect record but it's pretty damn good. Sincere, high quality, personal. I'll checking out the remainder of his output as well. -

- He's such a great writer / composer that it's really hard to give this release the full 5 right off the bat and I was leaning towards a 4 ... but, consider; for almost anyone else this would be a perfect record. .... 5 stars just for "Pump it up". -

- 5 for "Spaced Cowboy" ..... I didn't realize he used drum machines on this one .... -

- I can't summon up a 5 but I look at the year released and I would have thought it was later than 1981 .... it's probably a shortcoming on my part as I was never familiar with this genre at the time so it's hard for me to put the work in context. Easily a solid 4. -

- I understand why people have a hard time with this one; it's not the Queen we know and love. The parts are there but they have not quite gelled yet. That said, this is a great record and from any other band, it would be considered at the top of their output. I'm only going to give a 4 because the debut is similar but it IS a masterwork. It's astounding how good this band was. -

- art -

- Why.. why ... whydidineedtohearthis? -

- An absolutely great record. They are hitting their stride on this one. Under-rated, criminally. -

- I read the reviews on this project and so many times think "There are so many people who just don't know shit about music; the history or how to listen anything, new or old." This is unquestionably a great album. The writing, the composition, the playing - it has it all. This record is clearly their own, referencing music history while bringing their own voice to the output. -

- One of the great live albums from the 1960's -

- ..... really? -

- It's ok ..... I don't think it's a release we all need to hear before we die unless you need a good example of the struggles of following up an extremely successful project with a solo effort. The writing is just not there ... it sounds like he had some ideas but really should have "spent a bit more time in the woodshed" before committing to a release .... unless he just didn't care and wanted to get this behind him. A weak 2.5 ...... -

- Easily their best .... and hardest ..... album of their output. They get the closest to the Stones here with their display of just nasty, filthy guitar rock & roll. Their masterpiece in my opinion, often overlooked. -

- Every one of the folks on this project that panned this record, this is your assignment: Go back and - LISTEN - to this record. Put all of your pre-concieved notions, all of your musical baggage, OUT of your mind and listen to the music. This is absolutely one of thee best records released recently. It's forward looking while referencing the past, it's inventive, creativity at it's best. It draws from so many yet is not pastiche. Y'all need to clean out your ears. 10/10

- A very strange record, as others have noted here. Difficult to rate for all the obvious reasons that I don't think I need to recount. I struggled with it but, in the end, I have to give it up to Paul; the greatest band breaks up and he goes out and makes art .... by himself. This is NOT an easy thing to do by a long shot and unless you've actually created something, you just don't understand how hard it really is let alone doing under the microscope that he was under. Yeah it's not a finished record, it's a lot of him just fucking around. But, you know what? That's what creativity is. He let us all into his studio, a most intimate space, to listen to him work. It's a very generous record and that's probably why it's so heart-warming to people. This is Paul finding himself and his path forward. Thanks, Paul.

- so good. -

- Doesn't hold up .... Perry Farrell has to be high up the list of vocalists (I use the term VERY loosely here) who annoy the fuck out of you .... and, frankly, musically very boring. -

- Such a good record. Damn soulful for a bunch of Englishmen. .... and for all of you claiming this record is boring, everything sounds the same; you're failing at the basic premise behind music. Listen ..... -

- lots-o-hits, I know but, with a little distance it's really just ok rock pastiche ..... -

- 2.5, rounding down. -

- It's fine, it's just not that interesting. -

- boring ... so much better out there from this time period. Why? -

- not a perfect record but so very good. Still gets a 5 just for the quality / ambition ratio. -

- Thanks for this, 1001 records I need to hear .... -

- gonna give it a 4 because it's not perfect .... it's adventurous and that's worth a lot these days. Solid playing, decent writing but at times obvious .... pretty good stuff. Another unheard band for me to explore. -

- Miles -

- art -

- Here's another example of the difficulty of this whole idea of rating these albums; I just can't place this record in the context of when it was released even though I'm certain that I heard then. My memory fails me. Listening to it now, the sound seems somewhat boring but, at the time of it's release, it was refreshing. I'm just unable to reclaim that experience ..... that's a failing on my part. It's a solid record with good writing and good performances. It's quite enjoyable. She made art and I'm not qualified to judge ..... -

- uuuhhhmmmm, ok. Sort of middling, somewhat competent. Not ground-breaking. Am I betraying my State-side bias? ..... 2.5 -

- there is nothing else to say except Rest In Power, Oz -