1001 Albums Summary

Overrated by far.

Title track and Life in the Fast Lane are great. The rest is soft dad rock schlock.

Not a fan of 60's jammy psychedelia.

Generic britpop. I think there was a recency bias from when the original book was published that allowed this album to make the cut.

Another live album from the 70s

Linkin Park sucked then and they suck now. “In the End” earns this album an extra star.

It’s fine, I guess. It was very much background music and I have a difficult time rationalizing how this is on a list of essential recordings.

It's the Wall. What can be said that hasn't already been said at this point. It’s hard to get into if you’re not a Pink Floyd fan, but this is easily a 5/5 all time great album.

Very surprised by how much I liked this. Heavy on the vibraphone, but a very relaxing experience.

I guess I just don’t get it. I found this to be extremely repetitive and tedious. Very boring music to my ears. I have a lot of love for 60s and 70s music, but this doesn’t even rate for me. I have no idea how Rolling Stone concluded that this is the 3rd best album of all time.

This is the kind of album that makes you question the judgement of the makers of this list. Absolutely terrible. I can’t imagine that the 47th best album of 1994 is essential listening, even with how stacked 1994 is for great releases. There is the beginnings of something here, but none of the tracks go anywhere. It’s just a loop of sounds on every track. Who knows how they decided each track should be.

This is not the best album of the 90s, but it does encapsulate the sound of the 90s perhaps better than any other record.

Not my cup of tea.

MJ has never been my favorite artist, and that’s ignoring the pedophilia. However, this is perhaps the epitome of essential listening. The influence of this album has been seen and written about over and over again for 40+ years.

I’m getting very tired of electronic music. Probably 2/3 of my generated albums have been dance/electronic and I do not vibe with it.

If you want to listen to 45 minutes of a dude playing with an effects pedal while people moan incoherently, this is the album for you.

I do not understand why so many of these background music electronic albums are on this list. When the album finished, I didn't even notice that the music had stopped.

As far as the Kinks go, I’m only familiar with the hits, but I loved this album and it motivates me to become more familiar with their catalog.

Good but repetitive.

It’s good, but jazz isn’t my jam.

There’s so much great music of all genres and decades, but so far my list of albums from the 90s have been dominated by Britpop schlock. It’s fine, but “fine” isn’t a word that I would use to describe one of the 1001 most essential albums of all time.

I had never heard of this band and was very pleasantly surprised.

The instrumentals are good to almost great, but I really can’t stand Morrissey’s voice. It doesn’t help that he’s a pretentious dbag.

I had never heard of this band before, but I think labeling it as Britpop on this site is a misnomer. I found it to be much more punkish and dark in content compared to Britpop. Great instrumentals, but unfortunately, I had a hard time understanding the vocals. I had the lyrics up while I listened so I could follow along. I think this would hit harder had I listened to it contemporaneously with its release. All in all pretty solid listen. The very tragic situation with Richey Edwards overshadows the music.

I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this. I hated this when it came out in 2007 and “Paper Planes” was extremely overplayed. However, time and mellowing tastes happen and I don’t hate this. I probably won’t seek this out again, but it was fine for 45 minutes.

Solid mid 60s album that is unfortunately marred by what we know about the band mates.

No.

This is definitely a product of its time, but not in a bad way. Peter Gabriel may be the crème de la crème of 80s music. Truly a great album that I was not familiar with prior to listening.

It’s not bad, but there’s a whole lot of prog and not a lot of rock. Overall a good listen, but I wouldn’t have it in my every day rotation.

A very cool way to start the day. I’m not into jazz, but if I do listen to it, I prefer this big band swing style.

2 stars for the title track, but there’s not much else worth listening to here.

Not my cup of tea, but it was ok.

The final works of an absolute legend. Sincere and heartfelt. The deathbed testimonial of one of the greatest to ever do it is a reckoning of his entire life. Cash was not in good health during this recording and you can feel that he knew the end was near.

Janie's Got a Gun nets this 2 stars, otherwise this is very bad. Aerosmith may be one of the worst bands of all time who inconceivably has staying power.

I’m not opposed to metal or industrial music, but this just noise. Incoherent lyrics that were probably seen as subversive in 1992, but who knows because you can’t understand WTF these guys are saying. It seems that the Ministry think they’re very edgy, but it just comes off as cheesy and lame. Jesus Built My Hotrod was pretty cool, though.

I was always familiar with CCR growing up, but had never listened to a full album of theirs before starting this project. This is the 2nd CCR album I have generated and both have been fantastic. CCR stock is quickly rising in my rotation.

I had never heard of this guy before and my expectations were low, but damn this was good!

Lol, I originally gave this one a 2. What an idiot I was in 2024.

Very easy listening, but ultimately completely forgettable.

I liked this more than I thought I would, but it wasn't great. Some decent bits, but nothing that demanded my attention. Very much in the background.

Very nice music and I enjoyed listening to it.

This is not my favorite of Bowie’s discography, but it is still great! “Changes” and “Life on Mars” are all time great songs. I know people rag on “Kooks” but my toddler loved it and was dancing to it, so it’s endeared to me.

I didn't mind Martina's vocals too much, but Trippy rapping underneath it was incoherent and does not mesh well with her vocals. Overall, I found this to be very boring and further solidifies my dislike of trip hop.

Great musicianship but tracks are a little meandering.

I like the sound, but the songs are simply too long and it gets old listening to it. Very solid rock sound though.

Fuck yeah, Pixies! This is one of the best albums of the 80s and without it, the 90s alternative wave looks a lot different.

I hate Morrissey and his stupid voice, but the music underneath his bored sounding vocals is quite nice. The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get is a pretty decent song.

What a record! With Tapestry, Carole King proved that she couldn’t just write the hits, but she could sing them as well. I Feel the Earth Move immediately pulls you in and once you’re in, you’re here for the ride. A lot of the songs should be familiar as they were originally written for other artists, but King’s more relaxed renditions are quite nice.

Urethra Franklin is one of the best singers of all time!

I went back and forth on this one. One minute I thought it was quite good, then the next song would be terrible. Ultimately, I think there’s better folk music from this era. Not bad, but I will not revisit.

This is one of my favorites! George benefited from having a huge backlog of songs due to Paul and John dominating the Beatles songwriting. In my opinion, it stands as the best solo Beatles record out there and definitely deserves to be considered one of the best albums of all time.

Like most electronic music, I find this to be background music. Not terrible, but forgettable.

I found this rather middling outside of Take on Me. I was very disappointed that I didn’t like it, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

No

It’s my long held belief that The Rolling Stones do not have any great albums. However, they are an excellent singles band. They fall into the category of bands whose best albums are the greatest hits records. I’ve listened to Beggars Banquet a few times over the years and on this fresh listen, the hits are still the only songs that I recall ever hearing. The tracks aren't bad, but they're just plain forgettable.

This was derivative and kind of bad, to be honest. I’ve never been happy with the BritPop bias this list has, but having known plagiarists on this list is egregious. This was grungy after the grunge wave had come and was on its way out. I have a hard time believing this this is somehow one of 1001 records I should hear before I die.

Solid mid 60s folk, but the hits do shine above the others.

BB King is one of the best to ever do it, and this album shows it. I don't usually like live albums, but the crowd did enhance the experience as I believe blues, like jazz, is best experienced in a live setting. The blues isn't one of my favorite genres, but the influence of the genre on popular music is undeniable.

Surprisingly I have never listened to Sonic Youth, but I am glad to rectify that now. Very solid outing and I look forward to more.

Insanely repetitive and way too long. When the only info in the Wikipedia article is that it was included on this list, it begs the question of why it was included. That said, there were a couple of tracks that weren’t bad, but they are near indistinguishable from each other to make the whole thing a slog.

I am not a Green Day fan, but this album is one of the greatest pop/punk albums of all time. There aren’t any songs that are missable. Whether the other bands of the genre want to admit it or not, without Dookie, their output is not nearly as successful.

Starts off really strong and brings it down for a chill vibe. The final track, See the Light, is an absolute delight.

This softly plods along and ultimately goes nowhere. This is typical of Paul Simon. As much as I love Simon and Garfunkel, his solo work is pretty weak.

I’ve never given Hole a chance on account of Courtney Love, but this was pretty great. I see where the accusations that Kurt wrote a lot of the album come from, but in doing my research, I don’t think that’s the case. This is a solid grunge album.

Janis is very talented and one can feel the raw soul and emotion coming through. However, I do find that I can only tolerate it for a few minutes before I start wanting a different sound.

Peter Gabriel is definitely a product of his time, but his music is the crème de la crème of 80s music. This is the 2nd Gabriel album I’ve gotten and he is rapidly becoming my favorite artist of the 80s.

This is way too overproduced to be anything more than a 3. All the collaborations and the production give a very sterile listening experience.

This album highlights many of the issues of modern dating and relationships from a feminine perspective, but rather than a critique of those issues, it seems very much of a glorification of the vapid nature of dating and lifestyles in general of today. I appreciate the insight into a lifestyle foreign to my own, even if it is anathema to me. I agree with some other reviewers that this was maybe added a little hastily. It seems lost in a sea of other similar releases over the last few years.

I haven’t listened to Tommy in almost a decade and I remember it once being one of my favorites in my late teens/early twenties. I played it for one of my friends and he just said it was weird and why would I listen to this in the year of our lord 2009. That stuck with me and every time I listened to it afterwards, I thought about that comment about this thing I loved and felt a twinge of embarrassment. Well here in 2024 at 35 years old, I don’t give a shit about your opinion, Alex, Tommy is fucking awesome. It is weird and definitely a product of the 60s. One of the early rock operas and others have done it better, but I absolutely love this album. My unpopular opinion is that this is my favorite Who album.

I only know Get Together by Youngbloods and that song isn’t on this album. This is as average as average gets. It “bridges the gap” between psychedelia and country rock, but is that a gap that needs bridging?

I had never heard of Moby Grape and I had alto find the album on YouTube, but was very pleasantly surprised by what I thought would be another annoying psychedelic band from the 60s. Very nice stuff here and it’s a shame they didn’t really “make” it.

I’ve never listened to Fugazi before and admit I didn’t know anything about them. I knew the name, but I’m embarrassed to admit that I thought their music was a totally different oeuvre. I had them in my mind akin to Yanni. My mistake for not giving them a chance before. This is right up my alley. Awesome stuff.

I always like the idea of metal but never actually like it when I listen to it. It’s a shame because I really want to like it. I usually enjoy the themes and subject matter, but the actual music does nothing for me. I did enjoy the title track and I Am the Law as I am a fan of Stephen King and Judge Dredd, respectively.

Adele is very talented, but her music is very one note. Every song is about heartbreak. If she broadened her subject matter a bit, I might come around on her a bit more. Maybe, probably not.

This was a very cool listen. Punky and bluesy which seems contradictory, but it works.

Reiterating that the Stones are a singles band. Gimme Shelter and You Can’t Always Get What You Want are great. The rest is middling.

Taylor Swift’s music is not for me, but she is the best of the best of her milieu. Love her or hate her, she is iconic in the pop sphere. I actually knew a couple songs on this album (Blank Space, Shake it Off, Bad Blood) and they aren’t bad, the ones I wasn’t familiar with were pretty forgettable as I wasn’t really willing to do a repeat listen.

I will never understand how people find incessant noodling on instruments remotely interesting. Calling this selection of tracks ‘songs’ is a bit of a stretch. Honestly it wouldn’t be so awful if it weren’t for Dark Star which just sounds like they’re testing their equipment. Dark Star’s reputation rings true as it meanders for 25 minutes. Feedback is almost as bad, but at least it’s only 8 minutes of aural torture. This is the type of album where you had to be there and tripping to find enjoyable and since I’m neither, it’s really hard to listen to.

Unclear if the fascism is a bit or not. Yikes, but I actually didn't mind the music. I probably won't listen to this again, but it was interesting.

Despite the thin sound, the musicality is quite good. It does sound strangely manufactured and inauthentic, but the riffs are good. I do wish the bass sound came through. Metallica is a “safe” metal band overall and it shows on this record.

Never listened to Portishead before and I greatly enjoyed it. I went back through their discography after listening because I liked it so much. After listening to their first 2 albums as well, I don’t really hear this as a departure of their sound. Still great stuff though.

Pretty good background music for cleaning the house or studying. I tried to actively listen but my mind kept wandering. Everything sounds the same.

A great debut album that has admittedly very dated and juvenile lyrics at times. There is a certain charm to it that can’t help but laugh at.

I feel like I just had sex with Prince.

I don’t know why, but I love Yes. This is the 2nd album I’ve gotten from them, and I just love it. Not as noodly as a lot of other prog rock which helps.

Hands down the best of the Unplugged series. Nirvana delivers a mixed set of originals and obscure covers that is truly a heartfelt experience. The emotion in Where Do You Sleep at Night is palpable.

Message in a Bottle is a great song. The rest of the album is pretty mediocre though.

Very weird, but innovative.

Love Jim Morrison’s voice and the Doors on the whole and even like The End, but damn that song is too long. Every song is absolutely memorable in its own way and this album is one of the greats of the psychedelic movement. I have it at a soft 8/10, probably 9/10 if The End were 5-6 minutes shorter.

Overall pleasing to listen to, but jazz isn’t really my thing. I find it be meandering a lot of the time.

Pretty good pre-punk album. It’s not really my thing, but there is some pretty cool stuff in here.

Very thin sound and the vocals are pretty bad.

Very nice. Al Green has a very soulful voice and the album never rises above its well known title track, but the whole album is still great.

Anita has a fine voice, but the 80s production and sensibility has aged like milk.

Man I just don’t like Joni Mitchell’s singing style. This was better than Blue in my opinion, but despite great lyrics, I just can’t deal with her voice.

Full of great songs that sent RCHP to the mainstream. Good stuff that unfortunately goes too long. Everything beyond Under the Bridge could be cut and nothing would be lost.

I definitely understand why people don’t like Dylan’s voice, but I love it for some reason and his songwriting is second to none. Bringing It All Back Home is bookended with two of my favorite Dylan tracks in Subterranean Homesick Blues and It’s All Over Now Baby Blue. Everything in between is great as well. Dylan is not for everyone, but if you are a fan of rock from the mid-60s onward, he is your favorite artists’ favorite artist.

Damn this is bland. It’s very well performed and produced, but it has to be a collection of some of the most boring songs ever written. I have a pretty high tolerance for yacht rock, but this is as edgy as a marble. Peg is nice, I guess.

Entirely forgettable. This is a genre I just cannot get into. It all sounds exactly the same to me, but D’Angelo does have a good voice.

It’s more sophisticated than yacht rock, but not proggy enough to be prog rock. It was an interesting listen that didn’t quite scratch the prog rock itch. I had Aja by Steely Dan yesterday and there’s definitely more here than there.

If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.

Every song is the same for 55 minutes. Absolutely should have stayed in 2010.

5 stars for The Weight alone, but the rest is great too.

Very dated, but there is a certain level of charm to an early 90s concept album about sci-fi sex pills, if you can get past the extremely misogynistic lyrics.

I’m only 3 songs in and this just sucks. Update: All done, and yeah, the whole thing sucks.

It’s hard to be objective on this one since I am very familiar with it and quite enjoy it. ‘Band on the Run’ is a great opener and the album never rises above the first track. ‘Jet’ is still a pretty good listen, but you do feel that McCartney cheesiness setting in. The rest of the album is very forgettable if it’s a first listen, although ‘Picasso’s Last Words’ ties everything together very nicely. Although ‘Country Dreamer’ is a bonus track, I do think it is one of Paul’s better solo tracks. Personally, this is a 8/10. Hopefully history will be kinder to Paul’s solo career. John has never deserved the amount of praise he receives.

Lou Reed exudes cool and this album shows it. He almost sounds bored of his own music, but not in a bad way. I had no idea Bowie was involved with this, but as I was listening, his influence comes in clear.

This is very strange and very long. I like to give albums like this 2 listens because I’m not familiar with it and it’s hard to review on only 1 listen. However, the length and repetitiveness of this is keeping me from wanting to do it. My wife listens with me on the weekends and hated it so much that she made me put on headphones to listen to it. In the end, I think the British bias of the book editors comes into play here. I could have died happy having never listened to this.

The early rock standards have never really done it for me, but Lewis’ performances here are some of the best. Unfortunately, he is a racist pedophile who (maybe) murdered one of his wives.

I’ve always been a Black Album person, but I am admittedly not a metal fan, much less Metallica. That said, I thought this was very good. Beyond the title track, Orion was a highlight.

This is buttery smooth and all of the covers are great. The Isley Brothers were cool before cool was a thing and this is no exception.

File this under bands I’ve heard of but didn’t know any of their music. Well that mistake has been rectified. This was great!

I don’t like dance music. It’s simply not for me. That said, this wasn’t too terrible. I enjoyed E.S.P and Groove is in the Heart.

Great to listen to as I got the kids ready for the day. 43 minutes flew by!

A pretty interesting look into a genre that I had never heard of in qawwali music. I was somewhat familiar with Sufism, so it wasn’t completely out of sorts for me, but still interesting. I did find the runtime a little long and it seems that maybe the generator doesn’t send you to the right album, but it was good for a taste of this genre.

Pretty cool sounding despite not knowing what the lyrics are saying.

The title track is an all time classic, and that’s all you need to get AC/DC of this period. All the other tracks are very similar in sound. It’s not necessarily bad. AC/DC is a goated band for a reason, but I prefer Back in Black over this one. The only other interesting thing here is the unfortunate connection to Richard Ramirez.

Boring elevator music.

Fuck the Police and all that. It’s still very relevant 36 years later. The misogynistic lyrics are extremely outdated and off putting by today’s standards, though.

I’m not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. I know Eno as an ambient musician, so this definitely subverted my expectations. I quite enjoyed the weirdness and I will probably need a couple more listens to cement my opinions on this, but overall, I liked it.

I like Dusty a lot. She has a wonderful voice and has some all time classic songs on her discography, but I don’t think an album consisting of mostly covers warrants a spot on this list.

Man, this is dated as hell. It just comes off very cheesy to me.

Cyndi Lauper is definitely dated, but the songs are pretty good overall, if not a bit cheesy.

There’s a reason Bob Marley is synonymous with reggae. Absolutely a masterpiece.

Kendrick is simply the best. Every release of his demands attention, and this is no exception. Favorite track “King Kunta”.

Classic punk album. I’m not well versed in the genre, but this was pretty good.

Vintage Bowie. Not my favorite of his, but very important to glam rock.

I feel like even by 1999 this was out of date. Very cheesy and even at 43 minutes this overstayed its welcome.

It’s fine. There’s nothing too special here.

While every Radiohead album is at least good, "In Rainbows" is the last of Radiohead's great albums. It doesn't quite hit the highs of "OK Computer", but nothing the band has released since has equaled or surpassed "In Rainbows". Every song flows very well together ending with the somber, but comforting "Videotape".

I do not like Madonna and I never have, and I can’t say I particularly enjoyed this either. However, the influence on the next decade of pop music, for better or worse, cannot be denied here. It’s definitely a relic of its time and has not aged well. The American Pie cover is something that I had memory holed, and damn, it’s really bad.

I’m torn on this one. I really enjoyed the music and its influence on later artists such as Beck is palpable, but the subject matter is extremely objectionable. I know pre-2000s people were a lot more accepting of relationships with underage girls and probably every popular musician should be me-tooed, but this Lolitaesque glorification of fucking a 14 year old girl gives me the ick. 3 stars, I guess.

It’s Van Morrison. You know what you’re getting and what you’re getting is fine for a couple songs. Title track is a great song, followed by schlock that would befit 2010s era singer songwriters in Crazy Love. The rest of the album is fine, but I cannot stand Crazy Love.

The musicianship is great and the influence on music on the whole is undeniable, but jazz really does nothing for me.

This is very bland.

Very cool fusion of early 2000s indie rock and mariachi.

Definitely see the influence on indie rock here and it’s not bad, it’s just kinda bland.

This was pretty good, but I don’t really see how they are doing anything that hasn’t been done elsewhere.

One of the best, doing some of his best. The Wind Cries Mary is my personal favorite from this album. It does drag a bit in the latter half, but this is still a 9/10 in my book.

Pretty cool lo-fi rock. The first track is definitely the best by a country mile, but the rest of the album is interesting as well. I probably won’t go back to this often, but still cool.

Interestingly, I had Are you Experienced 2 days ago so it’s easy to compare the two. Electric Ladyland is much more experimental and features some of Hendrix’s best work, but it is significantly less focused and tends to meander. It is still a great album and All Along the Watchtower is worth the price of admission alone.

Did Johnny Rotten fart at the end? Nevertheless, he has the voice of an angel. Pure and well-trained.

This was really bad. The music isn’t bad, but the singing is honestly some of the worst I’ve ever heard. This predates Kings of Leon at their peak, and even their peak kinda sucks.

Pretty good for a debut. The hits are all time greats with the rest being somewhat filler. The opening track feels anachronistic, sounding like mid 60s British Invasion, but not bad.

Coldplay of old is not as bad as their detractors say, but it’s still only ok. I’ve never understood the comparison to Radiohead, but I see how Parachutes sounds like the Bends era Radiohead. Trouble, Sparks, and Yellow are great songs.

I like the Who , but a live album is like a handjob on your honeymoon.

I can’t put my finger on it, but I did not enjoy this.

Live albums can fuck all the way off. Seriously, though, listening to a live album is a lot like watching someone’s concert footage. Like, good for you? I guess you had to have been there. That said, I really don’t like jam bandy noodling. It does less than nothing for me and quite irritates me. I do like some Allman Brothers studio work, but this ain’t it.

The main distinction here between this and other 70s rock is that Rundgren mostly did this as a solo musician. Pretty average without that aspect.

I never know what I’m going to get with Bowie, but it’s always welcome. This is no exception. Golden Years is a great song and the stand out to me.

2nd Bowie in a row and this one is my favorite. Every song is a banger. There is not a second of fat to trim on this absolute classic.

This was done, but forgettable. I don’t see how this merits inclusion on the list as it had virtually no influence on its genre.

Da fuq is this? I can’t fathom that this is one of 1001 albums anyone should listen to. What cultural impact is found here?

Only the Ramones can play the same song 14 times and make it work as an album. Quintessential punk.

This album is so chill it got me through a white knuckle driving experience without losing my shit. Good stuff.

This was very monotonous and not enjoyable. There is not very much melody to any of the songs and it sounds like they're just speaking words over the same drum beat for an hour.

In Utero is not as polished as its more famous predecessor, but still an absolute masterpiece.

What a coincidence. I had In Utero yesterday and now Nevermind. I am intimately familiar with Nirvana’s catalog and there’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said. I, and I would venture to say most others as well, believe Nevermind to be Nirvana’s magnum opus. Sure, some people say it’s overproduced, but this is the seminal album of 90s rock.

I usually rate live albums fairly poorly, looking through my review history shows this to be true. However, Johnny Cash is the exception. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the San Quentin album, but this is still great. He’s a total badass and true showman who knows his audience.

This is not good and I question its place on this list. It is listenable, but sounds derivative of others’ works.

Pretty chill and enjoyable. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Beta Band.

Music of the 20th and 21st century probably wouldn’t exist in the same way without Little Richard, so there is no argument to be made that this doesn’t belong. However, it is the same song structure throughout and is a product of its time.

Le Freak!

Unfortunately, classic rock radio has ruined Boston, but it’s undeniable the music is good. It’s just so overplayed that it’s hard to appreciate it.

Underrated genius. Nick Drake’s story is incredibly tragic, but his music is some of the most beautiful ever written.

Prog rock is really hit or miss for me. It loses me when the noodling begins, but I do enjoy the songs when they can keep their focus. This is no exception.

This ain’t it chief.

I love Bob Dylan and even enjoy his voice. His lyricism and songwriting is second to none, but Highway 61 does have some of his more meandering songs in Ballad of a Thin Man and Desolation Row. I love those songs, but they go on a little long. Like a Rolling Stone is a top 10 song of all time. Overall great album that is maybe 10 minutes too long.

Pretty solid covers album. Very chill way to start my day, but ultimately doesn’t move the needle much. I do think it’s interesting that this spent a solid decade on the country charts.

This was very clearly not for me, a white man in his 30s, but I can see it’s important to the zeitgeist of summer 2020. The music itself isn’t bad, but not what I’d seek out independently.

Pretty good listen, but not as good as Superfly.

Overproduced and over the top. Not really for me.

Early 2000s indie rock, but not bad. However, I have to ask, why is this here?

My aunt is a militant Billy Joel fanatic and will broker no criticism of the man she deems to be the second coming of Christ, so I’ve always hated Billy Joel and all his extra sharp cheddar cheese. But damn, I have to admit this is a pretty good album. It’s schmaltzy in that Billy Joel way, but it’s not 80s cheesy.

This was a pretty nice way to start the day. You can definitely imagine yourself in a swanky club.

Good listening to some classics, but pretty tame. It is quite foundational, though.

I was surprised by how listenable this was to me as I don’t care for the new wave sound usually. I won’t go back to this, but it’s not as pretentious as the album title or band name would have you believe.

Pretty awesome funk album. You can really see how early RHCP was influenced by this.

The musical equivalent to scratching a sunburn.

Solid funk and the Temptations are music royalty, but this didn't really do anything for me.

Better than most of the electronic music I’ve gotten, but that’s not saying much.

Once again, the Stones prove they are a singles band. This is supposed to be one of the greatest albums of all time and it’s… just fine? I’ve never seen the appeal of this album.

I rather enjoyed this. I’ve never listened to Björk before and this is definitely weird, but you can feel the pain she was going through when this was made.

Music for old lesbians. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not for me.

Wow! This was way better than I was expecting. Solid blues album that gives a live feel. Muddy is one of the best to ever do it and it shows here.

The title track is great, but the rest isn’t great. I really do not like the sound of Richard’s voice. Linda’s songs are a little better, but it’s mostly mid.

Maybe it’s an issue with me, but my favorite tracks were the bonus B sides on the deluxe edition. The main album was just ok, but those B sides were something out of a Dracula movie and I was here for it.

Beyoncé has a pretty good singing voice, but I hate this kind of written by committee, completely artificial music. It’s hard to take it seriously and Beyoncé is such a product that I find her ruminating on sexuality to be quite disingenuous and fake.

Yep, this is certainly indie rock from the mid 2010s. There are some nice bits in the more upbeat songs, but the whole package is repetitive and overlong.

This is my second album by the Fall, a band I’d never heard of before, in as many weeks. I’m left wondering how they got not one, but two albums on this list. I’m desperately hoping there’s not a third. In all seriousness, the music is quite good, maybe great? The vocals, however, are some of the worst vocals I’ve ever heard. I loathe this guy’s approach to singing.

Very solid, but the title track’s vocals are very annoying which lost it a star.

I know Slipknot is very popular, but I don’t get it. It’s just screaming over loud instruments. It kinda makes me laugh that people out of middle school listen to this.

Very pleasant listening. Unfortunate that it was storming today as this should be listened to in the back yard at a barbecue.

Pure driven rock, no art to be found here, but every song is the same. It’s an enjoyable listen, though.

I like Dylan and his voice. No need to repeat previous reviews here.

It’s fine, but all kinda sounds the same. Come On Eileen is a classic, but still sounds the same as the rest.

Not terrible, per se, but there is much better grunge out there.

Best overall Stones album I’ve gotten so far, yet still confirms my opinion that they are a singles band. Only the hits are good.

A true surprise on this list. I had never heard of her and will likely go back to it.

Ignoring who Kid Rock became, this shit sucked when it came out and it sucks even more as it has aged. Misogynistic drivel peddled by a rich kid who wants to act hard.

Definitely a strange one here, but it’s not bad. The influence on the punk that would follow is evident.

Classic jazz record. Very cool. I enjoy this more than a lot of the improvisational jazz. It almost sounds mathematical if that makes sense.

First time really listening to Tupac and it’s fine, I guess. I’m not his target audience, but he has been essentially deified as a musical god and this not live up to his rep. It’s still pretty good for its era, but it has not aged well nor is it particularly mind blowing.

Sonic Youth is definitely pretentious, but I guess I am too since I like it. I haven’t heard a Sonic Youth album I haven’t liked yet.

I guess I’m the odd one out here. It’s ok, I guess. A bit melodramatic, but that’s the Cure’s whole schtick.

The instrumentation is quite nice and the vocals are pretty weak, but I vibe with it. Nirvana did these songs better, though.

Fucking terrible to listen to. This did absolutely nothing for me.

I don’t like New Wave, but looking at my history, the New Wave albums I’ve rated low are British, so maybe I just don’t like British New Wave because I enjoyed this. It’s not great, but was nice listening.

CCR is one of the best pure rock bands of the 60s. When everyone else went psychedelic, they stayed bluesy and it works great. Born On The Bayou, while great, is somewhat funny, seeing as they guys are NorCal AF.

It’s Dark Side

Pretty forgettable and one wonders why this album which was irrelevant when it came out made it to this list.

R.E.M slaps, no matter how pretentious Michael Stipe is.

This album works miracles. My brother has been in a coma for 8 years and this album brought him out of it. He woke up this morning and grabbed my phone and threw it across his hospital room to get it to stop.

I agree with the homie that said this is to punk rock what Taco Bell is to Mexican food. I like it, but I’m not proud of it, and it is certainly not authentic.

OutKast once again proves they are on the Mt. Rushmore of hip hop. Unique sounds that push the genre.

1969 Elvis ain’t it.

I’m an atheist but these dudes need Jesus.

Inoffensive to a fault and completely unnecessary listening.

A pastiche of late 60s rock, particularly the Beatles. Zappa is definitely underrated, but this is pretty mediocre.

Seems pretty unnecessary compared to its contemporaries. The covers are pretty weak, but the original songs have something pretty cool to them.

I guess I have the unpopular opinion of enjoying James Taylor. It’s easy listening and very safe, but it’s nice in spots

Revolver is low key the best Beatles album. It’s experimental without being too high on itself like Sgt. Pepper.

PS1 menu music. This is repetitive as fuck and boring to boot. This is the first album I have turned off halfway through. When the only info on wiki is that it’s in this list, it doesn’t belong.

Until today I thought the lyrics to Smack My Bitch Up was “take my picture”. SMH. A little repetitive as most dance music is, but the nostalgia factor comes into play for me and this is more listenable to me than most other electronic dance music.

Feels a little dated for 2002, but I do like that 90s style of rapping. I’ve never heard of Jurassic 5 before but I’m glad I have now.

Thanks to No Dogs in Space for exposing me to the Monks. Their story is very interesting and certainly unexpected. For 1966, this sounds like nothing else around. Very cool!

Proto-punk. It’s cool I guess but doesn’t really stand out.

The songs are great and seminal in West Coast hip hop, but I hate skits in anything. They bring down any album that has them. Would be 9/10 without, but 7/10 due to skits.

Once again jazz does nothing for me.

Pretty solid way to start a Saturday. I’m not a metal fan, but I think this straddles the rock/metal line nicely.

Opening track is nostalgic, but the rest of this falls flat. There’s other, better post punk out there.

Get it On is obviously the highlight here and the album itself is notable for being the first glam album, but that’s about it. Seemingly standard 70s fare.

I very much did not enjoy this.

I don’t think Mike Ladd ended up being as important as the editors of 1001 albums thought he would be.

Best 90s album to come out of the 80s. In all seriousness, Pixies were ahead of their time and I used to say they are underrated, but time has been kind and they are getting the appreciation they deserve.

Among the best funk around if you’re into that type of thing. I could be persuaded, but I’m not there yet.

Another concept album from the Who. It’s not bad and the bones are there for what would become Tommy. Rael 1 has motifs that were reused for Tommy. However, it’s just ok. I feel like I’ve outgrown the Who, despite my love for Keith Moon.

This is an all time great album from a seminal band from the 90s that maybe overstays its welcome by a few minutes. Billy Corgan is a chode, but the music is great!

Such a gentle soul with a tragic story. All of Drake’s albums are great!

I enjoyed this. Definitely a change of pace from British post punk and 70s glam.

I don’t have to have a degree or a career in STEM to know that using that as a criteria for judging music is cringey behavior. This album is a solid rap album from the 2000s.

I enjoyed this more than other albums by the Cure. Moody and ethereal and I probably would have loved this if I were a kid in 1980.

I have very limited experience with Fiona Apple, and I’m glad I got to listen to this. Melancholic and beautiful. It’s hard to believe she was only 18 when this came out.

Not as bad as I was expecting given the rating here, but I can't say that I found much here.

Maybe I’m dumb, but I don’t get any 60s vibes from this. It’s just 90s dance music to me.

Nostalgia plays a role in my review, but damn, this was so formative and integral to getting me into rap. This has definitely aged extremely poorly in some areas, and was probably rightfully criticized at the time. However, the songs are great and I owe my appreciation for rap to this record. I fall into the camp that, despite there being an autobiographical bend, it is intentionally shocking and not to be taken literally.

What a great way to start the day.

Tragic figure. You can really tell he was influenced by the Beatles, particularly Lennon. Smith ultimately inspired later artists like Ben Folds and the Shins. Great stuff here.

In some ways, Def Leppard is the best of the hair metal bands, but shit still stinks even if it’s the “best” shit. Fucking awful. I’m glad Nirvana killed this shit off.

I rather enjoyed a few tracks here. I’m not a New Wave guy, but this was pretty good. This is my first Costello album, but it’s my understanding that many people feel he is over represented on this list. I’m curious if my opinion of this one changes as I get more of his stuff generated.

Where shit becomes poop.

This wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’ll revisit this group unless they appear on this list again. Seems pretty derivative and unnecessary.

I remember liking this album when it came out, but it’s definitely a product of its time. I can’t say that that this had any cultural impact beyond its initial release.

Not a jazz fan, but this is good background music for hanging around the house.

Today is the day after the 2024 US election and Donald Trump has just been reelected to the White House. This album mirrors my feelings today. What a shame. Good music, though.

It’s emblematic of the Summer of Love, but runs a little long and the songs where Grace Slick doesn’t sing lead aren’t as good in my opinion.

It’s very unfortunate that douchebags ruined Wonderwall because it is a good song. The whole album is good, but it is overplayed. Probably the best of all Britpop albums. Best track is Don’t Look Back in Anger.

Weird, as all Björk is, but not bad. Probably won’t revisit, but I’m glad to have heard it.

John Lennon works through his demons publicly and on wax. It’s a bit rough, especially compared to his Beatles output, but overall the album is very effective. Maybe an 8.5/10 from me, but I’m biased as a massive Beatles fan.

Another example of great Old Country(TM). Dolly is a true American treasure and she shines in this offering.

Boring. You’re not a genius just because you can’t work well with others, you’re just an asshole. Your artistic vision isn’t so great that collaboration is moot. Unintelligible lyrics and fuzzy guitar noises isn’t genius. This is music for people who enjoy smelling other people’s farts.

Pretty good, but is a little on the longer side.

Second double album in a row and I’m tired, boss. This isn’t bad, but it’s too long. Very few, if any, double albums are worth the time investment and this isn’t one of them. That said, there’s some really good stuff here, but you have to cut through the chaff to get there. This would have definitely benefitted by cutting about 15-20 minutes of fluff out of it.

This is my first time seriously listening to Black Sabbath and this is definitely a 5/5 record. Simply fantastic. I’m going to dig deeper into the discography this weekend.

Burke has a great voice and the songs are good, but it all kinda sounds similar song to song and I can't really see that it offers anything that other contemporaries didn't offer.

I always wrote the White Stripes off when I was in high school and this was current because I was one of those “le wrong generation” kids. How wrong I was! This is bluesy and not like anything else out there in 2003. Wonderful!

Prince is properly rated as one of the greatest of all time, but I would argue he’s under appreciated. He’s a musical genius whose work is overshadowed by his raw sexual charisma which makes people not take him seriously. Those who know, know. Prince is him.

From the first song, I couldn’t wait for this to be over. Boring as shit.

Very nice for a relaxing morning. Beautiful cover of Sweet Jane. This won’t be in my every day repertoire, but I’ve got a spot for it in my head. I can see why some folks would find it boring, though.

Pretty nice classic punk album from down under!

Easy 5 from me. It doesn’t fit with my usual tastes and I can’t really articulate why I love it. Maybe nostalgia? I’ve been listening to this since college.

I’m getting really tired of British New Wave. Maybe it’s my distribution lately, but I feel like I’ve had at least 2 of these a week for the last couple of months. They all sound similar and do nothing for me.

I liked this a lot. I’ve never heard of Traffic, but I know Steve Winwood. Good stuff.

A bit long with some repeats, but this was great to listen to as I cleaned the house after having some difficult guests.

Just on the description, I thought it would be a Beastie Boys ripoff, but it’s a lot more lowkey. I’ve been enjoying it, but it doesn’t seem much like essential listening to me. I’m going with a 4. This was a really good album that didn’t make waves the way I think it should have.

Title track is good, but ultimately it’s pretty generic.

Nice little indie album for Thanksgiving day. Nothing really jumped out to me though.

A true game changer for hip hop. It definitely sounds a little dated, but I love it.

It’s very good, but Superstition far outpaces the rest of the pack.

Extremely dated and repetitive, but very listenable. Nothing really special sticks out about it, but I am going to have to rate low due to the guy being a kiddie diddler.

Nina is an all time great, but this particular record leaves a feeling of being an incomplete package. Understandable given that its tracks are from the cutting room floor.

I can’t say why but I loved this! It hit me on a day where I was having to drive a lot and really helped pass the time in the car. It’s weird, no one should ever do a project like this, but it was great.

Bombastic, maximalist, and completely over the top. Bat Out Of Hell lives up to its title in a purely fun experience that demands your attention.

I always found Sonic Youth extremely pretentious, but this is my 4th Sonic Youth album and I’ve liked, not loved, all of them, so I guess I’m becoming a fan? This one is noisy in an inoffensive way and Teen Age Riot is a great opener. That said, I don’t usually enjoy double albums as they tend to overstay their welcome which brings this one down a bit for me. Great album overall.

It’s British, innit? Not bad as far as Britpop goes, but not for me.

Very cool and much different than nearly everything else on this list. The music in a vacuum is great, but with the tragic context, this is very cool shit.

Calming and chill if you find it on YaTube, annoying screeching if you listen to the subpar remake on Spotify. One of the few world music albums on this list and this is very contemplative and relaxing to listen to.

The piano playing is absolutely superb, but an hour of solo piano improv, it’s just background music.

I like Tom Waits, but this is just a bit bluesier than I like. Still good, though.

Muse just feels artificial and insincere in a way that I find a little off putting. This album sounds like they basically just ripped off Bends era Radiohead with a sprinkling of Coldplay for good measure. Musically, there is some interesting ideas with keys and rhythms, so I do give it some credit.

This was a fairly annoying listen, not least of which is that it’s not on Spotify. Besides that, her voice is extremely annoying, despite good music and lyrics.

No one can deny Fats’ influence on the course of western pop music and the songs are really quite good. This definitely deserves a spot on this list, if nothing else for how influential he was on music. This is very short, sweet, and a nice change of pace from a lot of the rest of the list. Apropos of nothing, the version on Spotify is missing about 40% of the album, but luckily I found a playlist someone made with the correct tracks.

It really is a Bittersweet Symphony that that song is not on this album. This is entirely forgettable and boring.

All over the place at times, but eclectic and interesting. Not game changing, but it makes me so, very happy.

First time listening to Stone Roses. Good shit here.

It’s fine. Harris’ voice is great and all the musicians play their parts well, but it’s just so dull. This is Harris’ 19th(!) album and her first with mostly original compositions and I can’t say I have much interest in hearing anyone’s 19th album. It’s usually not their best work.

Very tedious listen. I’m generally pretty open to prog, but this was meandering and each track being 18 minutes long made this a chore. Moon in June is the best track by virtue of there being some sense of direction due to the vocals.

Vespertine - Björk 3/5 I don’t hate her like a lot of folks do, but this is my 3rd Blork album and they all kinda sound the same.

Holly’s influence cannot be denied, and this more than earns its place on the list, but these 50s albums do not hold up. Not Fade Away and That’ll Be the Day are all time classics.

I will never understand how listening to tape loops repetitively for 5 minutes for each song is enjoyable. This is listenable, though, so I just listened to the first couple minutes of each track before switching it to the next track.

I can’t say this really deserves a spot here. The hits are ok, but the rest is pretty bad.

I love Neil Young, but this was boring as shit.

I was surprised to find I liked this. Old school country.

All standard oldies station Christmas hits. Not my jam, but it is of the season.

Pure 80s pop. The hits are the obvious stand outs. Good driving music.

Funky

Every song sounds the same. Not really vibing with this.

Pure power 80s pop! Fantastic listen!

The title track alone is worth the price of admission but the whole album is a very pleasant to listen. The Hammond organ does get a little old though.

This is an interesting listen and exposure to world music is very important. However, I didn’t really vibe with this, even though I do believe it deserves a spot here.

Pretty eclectic album, but not much worth listening to here.

The Doors are probably the best of the psychedelic blues bands out there and it shows here. Jim Morrison is at his best here and, unfortunately, we will never know if he could have gotten any better as he died shortly after the release of this album.

While not as great as the highs of OK Computer or In Rainbows, Kid A is yet another great Radiohead album.

Country, croony, and anachronistic. It’s a pretty good listen for a debut and I enjoyed it much more than her second outing.

This started ok, but progressively got worse as it went. By the end it was just an annoying noise in my ears and I wanted to be over.

Crazy how the Who went forward in time so they could learn Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit.

Musically, this is great! However, there seems to be a lack of cohesion within each song. I did enjoy my listen, but it was a little all over the place.

Honky Tonk has to be the corniest sub genre of country around. I literally cannot distinguish between singers or songs in the genre.

Not so bad as far as electronic music goes, but still has the over repetitiveness that is endemic in electronic music. Not for me.

Van Halen doesn’t do much for me. Eddie Van Halen is undeniably one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, but the songs are just kinda dull. It wasn’t a bad listening experience and I do like some of the songs, but Van Halen fans practically cream their pants talking about how awesome and cool they are, and they’re just ok.

This is some generic slow 80s pop for 35 minutes. Not terrible, but it feels like it lacks any momentum throughout.

This is classic country and has a fair bit of covers as old country tends to have, but Harris has a great voice. This is very early in her career, but you can see why she became a star. I’ve had one other album by her, but was from the twilight of her career and left me wondering why such an album would be included, so I was very pleased by her debut outing.

I enjoyed this. Solidly 7/10 for me. Album title is prescient as I’ve gained some appreciation for electronic music in the year since I started this project. I used to pretty much rate electronic albums 1 or 2 pretty much by the end of their opening tracks. I would be curious to see if I still feel that way towards some of those records. This one has some songs that were popular in the mainstream, so there is some familiarity here that helps my rating.

The most prog that ever progged.

Good, solid punk album. I prejudged once I saw British post-punk that I would hate this, but pretty cool and easy listen.

It’s a 2 on account of Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye. Otherwise it would be a 1. I was put off immediately by the first song and it never really got better.

I appreciate the experimentalism of pop Bush is known for, but it just does nothing for me. I know Running Up the Hill because of its resurgence a couple of years ago and the rest of the album does not compare. I found myself annoyed by the end and had to not have any music for a bit.

I know Slipknot is an important band overall, but I’m just too old or not angry enough to appreciate it I guess. The music is good, but the screamed lyrics are just corny as hell. When Corey Taylor is actually singing it’s not too bad.

British Weezer in my book.

Foundational record. Ray Charles was a legend.