Nevermind
NirvanaThe last great rock and roll album, possibly the end of the genre.
The last great rock and roll album, possibly the end of the genre.
Folksy, ethereal, the lyrics rarely evoke modern life, a sort of minor CSN.
The punk album, defined a genre, a marketing ploy to sell clothes, but Johnny and the snear transcended that.
A classic , every Marley album should be here.
White guys doing Reggae, Reggae de Blanc. Copeland is a great drummer. Any Marley album is better then any Police album. I wasn't a big fan in 1979, I saw it as thievery, still do. They took something heartfelt and commercialized it, I am not saying they are not talented, but it is so commercial, like some ad exec came up with the idea. Blonde hair and all. I mean, I know Malcolm McLaren created the Sex Pistols as a marketing tool for his clothes, but the Pistols transcended that. I guess commerce and R&R have always been partners, occasionally the art shined through. The album is a great reggae/pop blend, late Boomers rejoice.
Awesome, even some funny songs, the crowd takes the record to another level. The cover with Cash sweating. Great stuff.
I came for the rage, stayed for the blend of R&B, funk, punk, heavy metal, politics, rap and mind twisting guitar. I'm too old for a steady diet of it , but in small doses it is cathartic. I saw them live at Lalapalooza, they were great, with water bottles flying the entire time, it was a great performance.
I knew the hits, the album is pretty heavy and it sounded great on the buds. My first time listening through. I thought it was great, if I was a teen in the 90's this would have been on heavy rotation. The girl on the right looks like my buddy Bledsoe.
Heavy, too heavy, Spotify didn't have the lyrics. According to the Church of Coltrane, you become the music you listen to. In this case that is very scary.
The cloying pop voice, the music reminds me of the Monkee's. Like Greek desert, too sweet. Oddly subservient lyrics on some songs. Apparently they were big in Japan. Love foot is a great pop confection.The cover of Ironman is hilarious. Great Divide has a great melodic hook. The more of these albums I listen to, the more I think I own a better 1001 albums than are listed here.
Bombastic Led Zep at their best, have they ever given credit for all the blues riffs they stole. Plant's falsetto is a bit ridiculous. Zep was on heavy rotation when I was a teen, my friends were big fans. Plant is probably one of the greatest guitarists and Bonham hits the drums like he has iron hammers. It is all a bit absurd but it is entertaining. The soft/hard of Tangerine is beautiful, his overdubbed vocals remind me of auto tune. The acoustic That's the Way is sweet. It is hard to be objective when you've heard the album a million times.
Greasy, gritty, the Stones take American music, blues. R&B, country, gospel and interpret it, some times they raise it up. The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band? Yeah, sometimes they are.
Sexy, entertaining, all very listenable and great guitar.
"What a drag it is getting old..".they had no idea when they penned those words. This is an old fave for me, Aftermath, 4x4- great albums. I like the Stones, what's not to like, topical, you can sing along, they mix it up, plenty of hooks. The songs aren't sappy love songs. Flight 505- "of course I'll have a drink." These guys defined rock and roll and incredibly, they are still at it. The randomizer has been giving me a lot of Geezer Rock lately. 4.5 stars for this classic, I may round up.
Opens with the 'wall of sound' The album is heavier then I would of thought being familiar with the hit. A good album.
Great singer song writer, with a tinge of sadness through-out. Bette Midler does a great version of Hello in there and Bonnie Rait, Susan Tedeschi cover Angel of Montgomery.
Never was a big fan, the follow up band after the lead singers suicide I liked better, OEM. I guess they were one of the first post-punk, New Wave bands. I think the National do depression better, but that's 40 years later. The more I listen to some of these albums the more I question the value of rock and roll. It may be Sturgeon's Law, '90 % of anything is really bad.' Oh yeah, Joy Division was the Nazi sector devoted to using concentration camp victims as prostitutes.
I love it, even his falsetto isn't too annoying. It is all listenable. You can make out the lyrics. It is melodic and a pleasant listen. I remember being in a bar on the Lower East Side and there was a note on the jukebox that said if you played Yellow the bartender would throw you out.
OEM, I owned a few albums, not this one. It is all there, the drum machine like beats, the chiming, bell like guitar and synth. You can almost hear the hooks being worked out on a glockenspiel. This album is listenable but a, 'so what'. I don't understand the reasoning behind some of these choices.I guess I'll have to get the book. Reddit had a link to an interview with the author. I started my own list of albums that should be listened to, Chuck Berry is on it. Here's an interview with the author, he talks about 1001 at the 30 minute mark. https://www.1001albumclub.com/episodes/audio-interview-with-book-author-robert-dimery/
'Talvin Singh, is renowned for creating the bridge between Indian and electronic music.' The easy joke is, "Maybe some bridges shouldn't be crossed." Butterfly was pretty but that was probably one of the more Western tracks. Actually the album is interesting. I'll never listen to it again. 3*
The Smiths! Morrissey! So what. 'I Want the One I Can't Have', has some good lyrics. My personal list has albums I want to listen to more than once. 2*
Morrissey has a wonderful voice, too bad he's singing Morrissey lyrics. I imagine Morrissey is insufferable in a one on one situation. Yesterday was a Smith's album, thank God there's no loose rope and an attic available. Three stars, only because of the voice. There is no need to listen to this again, make it two stars. I did like the abrupt ending. I read the entry in the book and re-listened to Suedehead, it is jangly and entertaining, but still a two. The book people love Morrissey.
'I believe in you' was pleasant enough with some chunky guitar. All the rest is pretty forgettable. The British centrist nature of this list is getting tiresome. This is a mediocre 80's pop band. The official list has one Tom Petty album, no Hot Tuna and incredibly no Professor Longhair. Talk, Talk more like Sleep, Sleep 2*
Red Headed Soul? One would think it was an American soul album. It is all very pleasant, some disco-ish songs. Going back to the British-centric list, where's Rufus/Chaka Kahn? Blue eyed soul but not real soul, that's an issue for me. 3*
Piece of My Heart is a classic , the rest is pretty heavy with Janice going from a whisper to a scream. Roadblock has some good guitar buried in the mix and the lead in the end. The original album ended with Ball & Chain and was titled 'Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills'. Columbia passed on that. You wonder what Janice would have done with the right band, like Hot Tuna. There is a tape called the Typewriter Album with Jorma playing and Janice singing around a kitchen table. 3*
I owned this album. The landscapers were working while it was playing, it didn't make much of a difference. It is interesting, but is it good? Do we put these albums in the context of the time they were created or do we review them from the present? The same question is asked of the Constitution. Is recorded music a museum piece or a living thing? I admire the creativity, but I don't want it on heavy rotation. I was 3 stars then the 6 self indulgent minutes of 'Sentimental Journey' killed me. 2* The list has two Pere Ubu albums, they are out of Cleveland, art school no doubt. The wife said, "This is what music sounds like in hell." I save that line for Bon Iver.
There's a lot of music here. Some of it quite beautiful, could have done without the 'Village Ghetto Land' strings and the POC history lesson. Unknown songs like 'Saturn' are better then much of the stuff, this app has forced me to listen to. Talkin' to you Morrissey, OMD and Talk, Talk. 4*
All very listenable, "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" is transcendent. 3*
I am not a heavy metal fan. I see the logical progression from Led Zep. Soaring guitar, pounding drums, operatic vocals, replace Gandolf with horror, jettison the soft parts and the blues. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it, fast, hard and complex. 3*
A poet who sings, Patti Smith is better at it and I don't need a masters in English Lit to interpret her lyrics. Like Dylan, The Grateful Dead and Leonard Cohen other people cover their songs better then they do. kd lang in Cohen's instance. There are four Cohen albums on this list. ....there are no diamonds in the mine. 2*
Relatively benign, hip/hop, hippy, trippy, afro, I never listen to it again.
Pretty listenable, a few great songs.
Randy Newman produced an album called 'Sonny and Brownie' by two veteran blues men, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. The album is a masterpiece and not on this list. Their version of Sail Away is definitive and devastating. Listen to it now. This album is good, his voice is limited, but it's about the lyrics and music. Old Man is a horror. Political Science seems like a good idea. 3.5*
Poor Skip, it's an interesting back story and, I guess, an important document, 'Weighted down' indeed. You can hear the Thorazine. The original release ended with Grey/Afro, so did I. 2.5*
Four stars for Sweet Child of Mine, alone. 4*
Inoffensive, dreamy, almost background music. Yes, chemtrails over the country club, artificial clouds over a care free life. 3*
Really? The editors missed Morrissey and hackneyed lounge singing? This list is more annoying then edifying. Check out Richard Cheese. 2*
I thought I was angry, then I heard Linkin Park. Mix in angst, adolescent self doubt and you have the lyrics. There wasn't really a melody you could hum, but I guess that wasn't the point. They had some song about toss grenades (Bleed It Out) that I loved it wasn't here. 3*
I liked Fernando, and the instrumental that sounded like something from an Irish funeral. 2*
Finally a gem I never heard. Jerry Lee is rocking. A short intense record, perfect. 4* It seems the American pressing has a different song selection. Now I gotta look for a definitive pressing. Found it, "The Killer Live 1964-1970" Wikipedia has the track listing in the order it was performed.
Syleena has a great voice, the production is stellar. Not very hopeful overall. A bit misogynist, Slow Jamz was fun. Got a little more hopeful and family oriented towards the end. 3*
So I'm familiar with OK Computer. I was never overly impressed and never understood the comparisons to Pink Floyd. Pyramid Song could have been Neil Young. The album is a little trippy. Much of it feels like atmospheric filler with mumbled lyrics. It wasn't a very good trip. Were they trying to fill out a record label contract? The opening riff from Knives out sounds like one of their hits. Amnesiac indeed , utterly forgettable. Glasshouse is brutal. 2*
Rap bores me. Misogyny, braggadocio, materialism, name dropping, I miss melody, and hooks. The production quality is admirable. 2*
Pop punk? IDK it rocks, it is topical and still relevant. 4*
Murder and mayhem... entertaining got 3/4 through, seems like a rather scary individual. I guess it would be fun to memorize some of the more horrific lines. 3*
Quite the voice. Lilac Wine shows it off unadorned. Hallelujah can fight it out with kd lang for the definitive version. 3*
Of a time, busy prog rock, concept album, wizards kings and queens, Yes, ELP, Zep, I guess that was the trend. Thick as a Brick made fun of it all. Punk rock smashed it. I like the softer stuff, 'Some Day, One Day'. "The Loser in the End" and "Funny How Love Is" seems from another album. 'Ogre Battle' is a blueprint for some future hits. it is an interesting album from a Queen development perspective. Is it one of 1001 albums you must hear, that's debatable. 3*
I love this. The orchestration may be a bit much, but it is of the time. Quincy Jones did the orchestration. Great sax. 4*
Semi-psychedelic lyrics, classic songs I have heard all my life. It never gets old. 5*
It is interesting from a sonic/experimental angle. The lack of melody hints at rap. The production values are excellent. I will never listen to this again. Do these albums sell? I find this list perplexing it goes from experimental music to second rate synth pop. Do I really have to hear these albums are they really enhancing my life or giving me insight into my time? Whoosh, I guess it is over my head. 2* Cathy almost screamed during Ancestors, I had to skip it. Apparently it is all voices manipulated in the studio. Good for her.
Fun stuff. Genius of Love has that great hook. I wish there was a way to mark which albums I owned at one time. Less cerebral than the David Byrne stuff. Some of the songs flow into one another. 'As Above, So Below' may have been a template for a later Madonna song. Some tunes have been sampled endlessly. 3* owned
The book's essay almost seems obligated to include a Simone album hinting that the later stuff was too political.There are so many originals, compilations and remixes available (over 75) it would be hard to pick albums for my personal list. I guess this shows her range and variety. There is a line from Billy Holiday. Nina requires a lot more research. I'm finding I like the stuff from the 50's and 60's best. 4+
Lou Reed, Velvet ish. Some noisy bits.
I guess it is important to some one. The main character seems like a nice guy. 2+*
I have a deep dislike for Steely Dan. I don't know why, it isn't rational. Corporate rock, Dentist Rock. Seems kind of soul less. The hits keep coming on this album. I would be fine if I never heard another SD song ever again. I imagine ChatGPT music will sound like SD. Only 40 minutes, thank God. The book calls it a 'landmark in Jazz Rock". One could argue it is neither jazz nor rock. The book loves Steely Dan, 4 albums?! It is in keeping with all the middle of the road synth pop the editor likes. 3* I guess.
The last great rock and roll album, possibly the end of the genre.
He was described by the BBC upon his death as "one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock history" Never heard of him. Nice voice, subdued orchestration.I prefer Mel Torme. 3*
I'm a fan of EC. Witty lyrics, hook heavy songs. Some of the punk aesthetic, but cleaned up and polished. I remember asking a smart classmate what he thought of New Wave he answered, old hat. The book copy talks about the album being about the struggle of relationships. But Chelsea isn't about that nor Radio Radio. There are seven EC albums on this list. That seems excessive. 4*
The hits still pop. Dance, music, sex, romance kinda sums it up. It would make a good album for background at a party. 3*
The Earth Died Screaming? I may die screaming. This is the first of five Tom Wait albums, can't wait. Obviously it is interesting and different, but that doesn't make it something you want to experience over and over again. Maybe my taste is very pedestrian. 2*
40+ years after first hearing this album the first song seems plaintive, different from my interpretation all those years ago. I guess nostalgia and familiarity plays a big role in my ratings. "It's old but it's good." Pocahontas is just great. This album is filled with quotable lyrics. It is surprisingly mellow considering Crazy Horse. Even Powderfinger, while raggedy at times is slow paced. Things pick up with Welfare Mothers. It both speeds up and slows down with Sedan Delivery. The gruff fuzzy guitar of Hey, Hey , My , My runs it full circle from acoustic to electric. Noisy, fuzzy out of the blue and into the black. 5*
I really didn't give it a hard listen, the first track I found a little squirrely the second track was more melodic, Rollin's sax was sweet. I have to revisit, I'm not familiar with T. Monk classics.
Interesting, may require a re-listen. Knew the hit.
It's an odd album. Certainly well produced with the snippets of conversation and his sweet voice, layers of voices. It is jazz like in some respects but never hints at melody except in the cadence of his voice. It has a sense of languid sadness. I'll give it a 3, but I'll never listen to it again.
I never listened to this album. First track was good, second track reminded me of Beth Orton who I love. Seems Madonna did it first. Ray of Light is back to Disco Madonna, the 'And I Feel' part reminds me of some other song. I started paying less attention.... pop drivel with some nice effects. Some yoga talk with a dance beat, go figure. The production values are excellent, all the extra sound effects are great. Popping from right to left. My speakers love this album. Headphones would be awesome. Little Star has a bunch of sonic layers. 3+* doesn't exist.
I Zimbra is a great start. Funny how it was so unique in '79. Cities, Life during Wartime. So is the list of the best albums or the most important? I guess the uniqueness qualifies it. 3 great songs out of 11. Brian Eno produced. I was doing construction in a loft building on Lafyette in SoHo, NYC in 1980. I get in the elevator and these two guys are fawning over this guy wearing Elton John glasses. "Oh. Mr. Eno we love your music,..." When my floor arrives, I turn to him and say, "Hey Eno how about some elevator music." The two fawners faces drop. He turns to me, smiles and says, "It's been done." I laugh and exit. 3*
You can see how they thought rock n' roll was dangerous. 4*
IDK, maybe I'm not a fan of the genre. Won't make my personal 1001 list. I guess it is important to someone. 2*
While I knew a few Fats songs and am very familiar with 'Fess who followed in the New Orlean's R&B style piano, this fills in some blanks. I like the rollicking piano and the horn breaks. Different then guitar domination and closer to jazz instruments. All the songs have the rolling, rollicking , bogie woogie piano back beat. Spotify had songs blocked out, I found them with a search. 4*
A new band to me, quite pleasant, a great mix of sounds, 60's pop, reggae with interesting incidental sounds. I may have to do a deeper dive. The Bees buzz brah. 4*
Simple, poppy, ringing sound, it's great.
Wow, I was a big U2 fan saw their first show in NYC at the Ritz, with Lisa Baker who broke my heart and ghosted me and before that had a name. Saw them a few times, the last time with Tommy Ryan at the Meadowlands. I have a picture of me, Tommy, Bill Clinton and Kofi A. Annon. This album arrived in time for another broken heart all those years ago. So with a lack of objectivity, 5*. It is painful to listen to some of these songs.
Some weird prog/heavy metal sci-fi story about a found guitar and a priest destroying it. Falsetto voices bombastic guitars, it felt very 70's. My buddy said he made a movie about it in high school. I luckily missed this growing up.
I've listened to this a hundred times, I'm a Floyd fan, seen them a few times. "There is no dark side of the moon really...." 4*
There isn't a song that you don't know. The songs reminded me of the Beach Boys with simply melodies and less complex harmonies. It is such a part of my culture that I would be happy never listening to this album again.
Love the title, the lead singer seems angry.The music is driving, the final destination doesn't seem pleasant. They want to burn my cities down. I live in a wood frame house. The angry 12 year old me would have liked this. The drumming and guitar are pretty impressive, how the lead vocal would maintain that gravel shout throughout a concert is beyond me. Then there is the smooth melodic vocal juxtaposition on some songs. A great art project would be a photo booth taking photos of the concert goers. I'l never listen to this again.
Pleasant enough
The mellow tron throughout was weird and sometimes loud.
Reminds me of 70's Stones with better harmonies
That was incredibly pleasant. Sweet smooth sax and guitar breaks , chugging along at a moderate clip. I loved it.
"Her papa was a midget Her mama was a whore Her grandad was a newsboy 'til he was eighty four"
The strings, the chorus date the album. But the smooth voice, the piano leads and sax breaks are great. I'm finding I like the 50's, 60's choices more than much of the contemporary stuff. Maybe time has filtered the older stuff more. My issue with this album is the length.
A few great tunes, not much of a vocalist. Some great lyrics. saw them live, it was fun, they still tour, as Chryssie Hynde said, you only need one big album to have a career.
Some pretty interesting effects, pretty impressive for a first album. Would be good with earbuds. Bjork, St. Vincent, FK twigs all have a thread running through them. There really wasn't a memorable tune.
I love Cecile. Fun, poppy new wave.