1001 Albums Summary

Some of the better writing in Stevie’s career. Arrangements capture the era. Solidly performed from start to finish.

Felt a bit slower overall. Not as easy to sit through.

Complex arrangements, cogent lyrics, and rapid pacing gives this album the ability to reach a broader audience. One of the best albums.

Stands out as some of the most creative and influential albums. From the classic Kung Fu movie fills, the back tracks that set a districtive mood, and each rap track that tells you something relevant, you are listening to greatness on this record.

Great crunchy pop guitar. Stellar soul vibe. Toe tapping beats. One of the better albums.

Quite easily one of the best albums of all time. Employing so many sounds to deliver their well crafted and thoughtful messages, this album works to stay in your head for years.

Great music and lyrics - completely brought an original sound to the nature of rap at the time. With guest guitar spots like Kerry King from Slayer, they drove through like the existing market like a Mack truck.

Totally rocking grooves that have shaped a lot of rock as we know it.

Love the brashness of the sound and great lyrics but the songs are somewhat repetitive after a minute.

Joni has a way of transcending simple genre. With songs that craftfully demonstrate superior song writing skills, each one carries you with it.

Eclectic, unique, literally no two songs are the same on this album. Between the lyrics that are a clever mix between the Clash and Dylan and the hook heavy musicianship, this might be one of the best albums in the last 25 years. Coupled with the way they used video to change the landscape of their listenership, this effort is superlative.

One of my favorite records from college days. A prolific post-punk band with an artful dissonance then takes the stage for MTV Unplugged and sets the world alight. Iconic covers, clarified versions of their own songs, and clever banter between songs makes this a must have - particularly if you watched it when it aired.

Straight forward blues with far better production value than you would expect from a live recording. Such raw emotion in the vocals and licks and a stellar way of bringing the crowd along for the ride.

Incredibly creative music. Feels like a happy place between Frank Zappa, Flaming Lips, and a movie you will never be arthouse enough to see.

Artist-forward music such that it is so well-crafted musically that it is not imminently easy to listen to. If there was ever a need to understand where Primus, Radiohead, and other sonically unique musicians can trace their lineage, this album is chock full of examples. Only real detractor is the very specific sound that immediately dates it to 68-75 time period.

With the heavy jazz elements and the sound on this record, it is one of the most emotive releases in Bowie's collection. Having listened to this for the first time right after his death, I still am struck with the sense of finality he put into this work.

Love the guitar work Clapton provides along with the stellar blues vibe presented. Feels very dated in the production.

Warm and fuzzy pop tones. A college favorite.

Eclectic. Generally, too-layered electronically for my taste. Good samples but feels like I need drugs other than caffeine to appreciate this sound. Lo-fi / nightcore is an interesting development and they do it well.

Solid punk vibes. Simple construction and a lot of energy, solid guitars, and melodic hooks.

Brilliant playing, solid songcraft. Having grown up with Hee Haw on television, I knew he was skilled but this album demonstrated the Bakersfield Sound eloquently.

Falls easily into my list of the top 10 albums. Huge sounds on this album, launching with Immigrant Song, a song that puts your soul into battle mode.

Abrasive, connective - this album feels like darkness and chaos. One of the few selections that you can just as easily listen to on headphones to unwind, put on to boost your daily run, or hear while dancing at a club at 3 am. With all sorts of backing tracks permeating the songs to invoke the swirling keyboards and vocals, The Downward Spiral takes you to a fractured mental landscape.

Incredible album that displays so much of the talent with more of a conceptual vibe. Still not sure how Roger Taylor’s effort fit inside the scope of this with its more distinctive Zep sound but altogether, it’s clear how they used the songs here as a way of moving their sound forward.

Definitely feels like a midpoint for the band. Given the early sonic signature of the band as a blues outfit, this transformative release tries to go a lot of different places. However, it is certainly shy of the goal they land on in later releases. "Sara", "Tusk" and a few others stand out, but it demonstrates their ability to make great songs, not necessarily cohesive albums.

Caught off off guard with how they present the message in many of the songs. Hearing Strange Fruit in a reggae vibe is astoundingly listenable.

Across the board, there are so many insane accomplishments from this release. The Beatles spanned styles and depth to create this masterpiece.

Good overall.

Breathtakingly good effort. This album connects like a time machine with such good musicianship and relevance to events in 1966.

This album didn’t get enough of my attention because of all the attention it got elsewhere. Truly a solidly well Played and well produced effort.

Solid music planted in the center of her career revitalization. Wish I hadn’t burned myself out on this one years ago.

Such a broad-hitting release. Love the diversity of sound.

Headphone masterpiece. This album is chock full of content that could easily have been written in the last 5 years.

Most every track sings. Run for Your Life seems eerily out of sync with the rest of the album thematically and certainly darkens the tone on a fairly chill album.

Over the top musical and lyrical goodness. This album sets such a high bar for accessible prog rock.

Some of the best killer flows and beats.

While the writing is interesting, I could find no connection to the plastic crooner voice and schmaltzy accompanying arrangements. This is music out of time and space and the world is better for it.

I am incapable of impartiality with respect to Bowie. He is one of the most gifted artists in the space and time to which I am fortunate to live in.

Well articulated performance during a critical point in history.

Love his voice as well as Wood’s guitar. Overall, there is a late 60’s blues rock feel that doesn’t make it incredibly unique.

Very different sound. Hit and miss in terms of connecting to songs.

Fantastic work on this album - swerving into a punk landscape with Hynde's superb vocals and well crafter musicianship, this is a stellar piece of rock.

Stellar sonic creation.

Superb storytelling and ambiance.

It is stupid how much talent Adele has and she showcases so hard on this record.

Love this album more than most!

One of the top albums of all time. With much packed into this release, there is no weak song, nothing wasted.

Good quality electronic music. I just cannot rate higher as it is a genre that eats itself on a regular basis.

Keely, Louie, and the rest completely tear it up with the wildly connected musical skills, vocal variation, and showmanship.

One of the biggest losses to music was Jeff Buckley. This album is full of examples of his incredible talent.

Love the song writing. Love the folk guitar. In most respects, enjoy her vocal stylings but never have been a fan of Joan’s vibrato-heavy stretches.

Very 90s AOR. Generally mid.

Very listenable- can’t say I am the biggest fan of their interpretation of Pink Floyd but overall, solid cuts on the album.

Epic record!

As far as jam band rock goes, it’s good. As a whole, I grew bored to tears with the riffs on the blues classic.

Some very good pop cuts but it still feels very poppy.

Simple bluesy rock that works on so many levels.

Such a brilliant signature sound. From headphones to full speakers, the quality explodes and whispers throughout this release.

Good songs but not a great album.

Good cuts on here but overall, not generally as engaging.

Clever arrangements, solid song work, great to listen to.

Extremely solid core blues rock.

Great songs and writing - imminently listenable.

Love the themes and songcraft - her voice is always impressive. Really shows the artist in her form.

True blues - not that Muddy Waters needed further demonstration of his bluesmanship, but this body of work stands out.

Laurel Canyon might be just another place on map if not for the Byrds. Tom Petty and countless others were steeped in the jangly sounds of McGuinn and company.

When this came out, loved it. While the beats are stellar the rage is pure, and the sense of encapsulated history is accurate, a lot of slurs and denigrative language should remain in the past.

The good songs are great. Just not that many good songs out this bunch.

Great flow music.

Some of the most intelligent guitar work put to an album. Very emotive and thoughtful songs.

Without a doubt, one of the most incredible albums - not a bad song in the bunch and is utterly deserving of praise as an influential work.

One of my top 5 albums. Not a bad song on the release.

Prime punk

Not my favorite New Order album but always worth listening to. Has their telltale feel.

Revolutionary release.

Wonderfully unique

Listened to this collection of harmonies and SoCal melodies more than I would like to admit.

This release shined on their incredible connections to rhythm and beats.

Solid references and work that really comes together for the listener. Maybe not a great first album of the day listen but coffee helps.

Fun, well assembled album.

Good craftsmanship but the music is easily lost to my ears

Sickening amount of talent in the Davies family. The Kinks represent an amazing force in the rock and roll spectrum.

Decent blues rock but for the era of Yardbirds, and so many others, this feels like the Dollar Store version.

Generally, not my favorite album of the band but certainly an incredible listen. Bombastic and subtle across the span of the album.

Love the way he brought country into a gritty sound.

One of the best albums recorded. Pure drifting waves of soaring guitar, crunchy street corners, and sonically enhanced blues melded into one release.

A few interesting selections but felt generally too arbitrary in its random noises and key changes. Actually a bit disquieting.

Brilliant storytelling in the space of spectacular musicianship. This is a landmark release

Not generally a happy place, it is a wonderful place of influence that Young creates with this record.

Not one member of the band showed up with a faulty performance in the studio that day.

Good rumba music

Cool arrangements and good writing.

Love the songs on this album; some are definitely better than others; great showcase of the Laurel Canyon sound

Painfully complex at times, you can see where their dissonance would make it hard to pick up broader acceptance.

One of the top albums in my opinion. .

Stands as one of the best metal AF records. Sonic brilliance.

Top 10 of all time - worn this out listening to it on repeat. Not a bad song on the album. Truly a revolution in sound.

Stellar writing - very catchy beats.

Worthy of any top 10 album of all time collections.

Crazy to hear. The quality of the recording tries to overshadow the overall insanity of Nick Cave’s early punk rock/gothic effort. Every song speaks with a middle finger.

Such a cool shift in base sound from Blue, Joni keeps her storytelling forefront with jazzier accompaniments.

Everyone should have listened to this album at least 20 times in their lifetime.

My favorite thing about this album was not listening to it any longer. Collins’s voice was badly used, the song craft was middling, and the pop-drivel was so beneath reasonable standards.

Really solid album. Not their best but definitely shows their progression.

Always love the band but Di'Anno's voice never gets me connected.

Very clever album

Such a defining album that helps appreciate the groove Waits finds and rides like a wave.

Incredible concert footage from a band so beyond its time.

Stupidly good Britpop

I think their song construction would great favor a live setting. The slow lumbering discordancy seems to beg for a smokey music hall. Struggled to stay with this. I would have likely enjoyed this a great deal more at 21 than i did 20-something years later.

Superlative results by Dre. With an ear spanning countless samples from all over the musical spectrum, he is able to build all of it into tracks that became more than the original material.

Great flow state music.

Such a well-imagined and beautifully executed collection of songs that pulls you into a world better than the one you live in.

Hands down, one of the most significant albums created. From start to finish, I can listen to this entire album over and over. A true progenitor for so many flavors of rock and metal.

A bit poppy for my taste. Clean music but doesn't usually connect for me

While transformative for the adjacent music scene, beyond Religion 1 and 2 and Public Image, the rest of the tracks are a bit more discordant (Low Life gets credit for its punk hooks) than is my preference. However, on the strength of these 3 or 4 tracks and the auditory journey by Lydon, it makes it work.

Katy is king!

Several great cuts. Most of the album is pretty mid. Tribe always delivers though.

Genuinely one of my favorite records - it was a much needed infusion of simple rock.

Good album that suffered from vast overplay when I was growing up.

As a fan of their original albums, this work showcases how talented and mature they have become as artists. From casually jangly to incredibly intense introspective lyrics, you take a ride on this collection of songs.

Does not resonate with me. Feels like pre-packaged beats with vocal loops that are shrill, at best, due to the way the songs are mixed. Cool cover but the music misses me.

Nothing resembling normal, this album feels like a drug-fueled ride through the land where discordance and art house meet. Not to be listened to often but certainly see where it should be listened to at least once.

One of the better albums in rock.

Solid effort into the pop punk fray

Amazing listen - great quality performance and solid recording. The skills of the musicians are well showcased.

Incredible smooth jazz with a lovely recording. Puts you right at the club listening.

Top 5 album pick. Each song on this album is pure metal.

$5 punk shows, 1-minute songs, and Napalm Death. They burn through songs like a cocaine-fueled chainsaw though a 1/2" piece of plywood. Good stuff.

Very good music for getting your flow state.

Never would have made it through my 20s without this album. Equal parts morose and jangly, sarcastic and sincere, and wholly amazing to listen to.

Quintessential 80s. The Butler brothers, the saxophone, and the rest of the band create so much space to breath in the songs.

Perhaps, one of my overall top 20 albums. Not a single throwaway song in the bunch.

Great guitars, songwriting is solid, starts to feel slightly boring in places.

Some of the best work on one record - Afrofuturism found. Hard to imagine more influential playing on another record.

While not particularly sensitive to swearing in conversation, when done in music in such heavy density, it rubs like sandpaper. The music is solid. The arrangement matches. It seems like there was a contest to see how much trash language someone could fit into an album.

Never stops amazing me how talented this group of musicians is. Tina and Chris bring some soul to the album with their funky rhythms. Jangly and fresh guitar and vocals from Byrne and Harrison sync to the rhythm in a weird landscape of fun.

Love Wilco, love a few songs on here, but the overall artsy vibe that permeates much of this release kinda misses me.

Genuinely, this album has to be one reason headphones, an easy chair, and gin was created. Never listened to his particular album before but it will be staying on regular rotation now. Stunningly talented musicianship with the leadership of Duke.

On point effort - can't love what he became but the effort on this one is solid.

Punk and art school meet up to create sound that cannot be matched. Dissonance with a raised middle finger.

Very cool view of earlier Steve Albini and some solid ear blistering music. Not big for replay for me.

You cannot mess with Violent Femmes. One of the purest college music albums ever recorded. Alongside the instantly recognizable album cover, this album is an instant earworm anywhere you start the music. I forget what 8 was for.

Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, and Tony Kaye are so well put together on this album.

Very plugged in sound - incredibly listenable. Absolutely part and parcel of a movement. Ear worms for days on this album.

This is one that demands full attention. With so much complexity afoot in this release, trying to use this as background music would serve as a distraction.

Stunningly earthy and well performed bluesy rock. Ronnie Lane's voice was imminently less memorable than his counterpart, Rod Steward. Overall, true classic.

Exemplary construction of beats. Might be the highest ranking I will give an electronic dance album.

Writing that brings you exactly where he wants to take you. Simple yet well-crafted songs.

While musically talented, it was generally uninspiring.

Solidly played music but I couldn’t remember anything I had listened to 20 minutes later.

Not many records that promised and delivered as much as this one did. Jackson solidified his name with this collection of ear worms. Musically, it is infectious and just on the premise of the melodies and beats, should prevent any listener from keeping their foot still.

Love their energy and the way they impacted punk in America. But you have to be in the right space to listen to this album. High energy for sure.

Superb record that did so much for punk. Particularly effective at waking almost anyone up.

So much stellar writing and performing on this album - stories shared by the piano and given so much life.

True godfather of a sound, Willie kills with this release.

Didn't like having to relive when this was popular. It was definitely a sound that worked for a minute but that minute has left.

Orton's voice and lyrics set you into a unique space.

Colossal sound. Guitar that unmistakable and sets a vibe unlike many others. Incredibly rich palette of sounds on this album from theatrical (Lazing on a sunday afternoon) to hard driving (I'm in Love with my car) to little poppy (You're my Best friend) and country ('39). Incredibly well produced and performed.

Informs a lot of future glam and metal with the riffs and jams on this album.

The first ELO album I owned and wore out several copies. Such recognizable and solid rock

"Punch you in the throat" rock. It's what cocaine listens to, to wake up.

Good songs, strong musicianship. Vernon’s licks can only be heard so many times before I have to press Next.

Best Pixies album - legendary.

Apart from the charted single form this album, it doesn't stand out and stays very relevant to 1981 but musically does not advance.

Solid blues rock; great use of piano.

Solid album. Genuinely find a lot of Beach Boys songs a bit too vanilla.

Aretha is unparalleled on this release.

The punkest of all punk.

Sincerely, one of the best albums to land and define the 80s without being schlocky.

Stunning album by an incredible artist. Many coming through the alt-country current structure owe a debt to her.

Interesting listen. Hard to stay engaged but good background tunes.

Good tracks

While Bjork's voice is wonderful, strong, and unique, this album is art solely for the sake of art.

Steve puts out incredible work on this release (not unlike the quality of his other releases). A product of his influences combined with a stellar skill at writing and performing, talent is in his blood.

Art, I guess, is subjective.

A cut driven with such intensity and relatability.

Solid way of finding all the spaces you can rock on this album.

Found this to be fairly hard to listen to. I can hear the elements that shows talent but talent does not always make for great music. Or even particularly good.

Despite being a person who tends to dislike electronic music, this is quite a good album. Diverse sources on the tracks, so it's not super repetitive.

Iconic and influential album.

Enjoyable alt-country. Clever writing but feels a little more produced than I care for.

So many things here. It is fairly unusual to someone in the throes of a number of genres to have a band from 1964 they're never heard of. This was the case for me. Next, the sound is so across the board and almost feels anachronistic at times. From the jangly to fiercely crunchy guitars, the sonic overload of all the instruments at once in places then having a wonderfully balanced valley rock sound, these players find so many angles at a pivotal point in time.

It is the musical equivalent of Mr. Snuffleupagus; a bit silly, lumbering at times, and is part of a fun place. Enjoyable tunes but nothing that stands out over the top.

Sheet talent here. From covers to originals, this album is iconic

Drop-D tune lords, Korn pushed themselves into the national consciousness with this album. While it hasn't sustained them, it was certainly an influential and highly listenable effort. Factor in the video prowess they brought, and deal was sealed.

Punk. Nerd. Transcendent.

Iggy and Stooges put Detroit on the punk map for sure.

Incredible blue-eyed soul

So aptly named, Paul Weller could coax the cool from anything. This vibe just sets you right.

Superb songwriting

Superb songwriting

Superb recording from beginning to end - creative and atmospheric.

Cool electronic beats

So incredibly intense