1001 Albums Summary

Ambitious and interesting, but definitely also dated and pretentious.

Better than I thought, as I find Morrissey to be very uneven. His usual sins (a nearly complete lack of lyricism) and virtues (a great melodic and attitudinal sense) are on display here, but show a little more depth and sophistication than some of his earlier work.

There are some classic/amazing tracks, and there are some that did not age well. It's awkward listening to British dudes pretend to be from Appalachia.

Dummy is everything. The tremolo of the opening chords on Roads alone is enough to give me frisson, and when Beth's "Oh..." comes in, I just melt into a puddle of weepy nostalgia. It's perfect.

I tried to get through it but it was too long and bombastic. Relax was fun but I think it's nostalgia more than anything else.

It's better than I remember. I never loved it as a kid, but I enjoyed it for what it was. In my older age now, I appreciate the complexity, risks, and ideas even more. I wouldn't be surprised if I listen to this again in 10 years and give it five stars instead of four.

I spent days listening to this album by also checking out everyone's covers. Leonard Cohen's production was in an unfortunate Casio-tone phase for this one. Thankfully, he's still the greatest songwriter in the English language (I will die on that hill) so it's amazing... except for Jazz Police.