1001 Albums Journey

Nick Drake’s breezy vocals softly float over melancholic and moody instrumentals. The only word that comes to mind when describing the vibe of this album is Americana. It’s a quick easy listen, but left more to be desired. Fav songs: At The Chime of a City Clock, One of These Things First, Poor Boy

When it comes to Frank Ocean’s discography you listen to Blond for the experience, but you come back to Channel Orange for the bangers. It’s amazing how fresh it still sounds over a decade from its release. Nearly every song on here has infinite replayability. Also big win for bi visibility ✊. Fav songs: every song that isn’t an interlude - Thinkin Bout You, Sierra Leone, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Crack Rock, Pyramids, Lost, Monks, Bad Religion, Pink Matter, Forrest Gump

I was pleasantly surprised by this selection. Am I gonna throw this album into my rotation? Probably not. Did I groove out while listening to this? Hell yeah! I wish I knew what they were saying, but those cats were cookin. Light 3 (it feels racist going any lower) Fav songs: Irganda, Nick, Jolie

At the height of their commercial power and influence, the Beatles could not be bothered to exhibit restraint. It appears for this showing they set to dive into the depths of their subconscious for every snippet or half-baked idea for a song and record it. What that gets you is some moments of transcendent songwriting alongside some of their more esoteric bullshit (a ragtime tune, a Ringo Star lullaby, 9 min of unintelligible incantations and sounds, and a freakin Happy Birthday remix, really?!). True Beatlesheads will lap up every second, while the casual fans might find this 90 minute runtime a little bloated. For me, the White Album is not the paragon of a rock and roll album or a truly revolutionary force in the way your boomer uncle might describe it, but the Beatles know how to write good songs and on this album they are numerous. Solid 4. Fav songs: Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Martha My Dear, Blackbird, I Will, Helter Skelter

Nowadays it seems like being hot is a prerequisite for making music. Unfortunately as a result, what we are severely missing out on are weird little guys making music. Something about that screaming harmonica and Dylan’s wispy affectations really tickled my soul. For me, the album lost steam towards the end. I very much vibed with songs individually, but at well over an hour runtime, the aggregate was just too much Dylan. Soft 4 Fav songs: Rainy Day Women #12 and 35, One of Us Must Know (sooner or later), I Want You, Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues, Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, Just Like a Woman

Often imitated, but rarely replicated, Joy Division captured lightning in a bottle in their brief musical stint. For any other act, this raw sound might come across as amateurish, but on Unknown Pleasures Joy Division employs it deftly and to great emotive effect. Curtis’s haunting voice, booming bass lines, guitar riffs shrieking with reverb, and drum beats whose snare hits cut through the songs like the crack of a whip, all serve as the perfect vehicle to deliver the emotions of the album. It is gloomy, dark, and atmospheric, but does not overstay its welcome with a runtime of just 39 minutes. I understand why it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, Unknown Pleasures just works. 5 Fav Songs: Disorder, She’s Lost Control, Shadowplay, Interzone

I’ve always liked Outkast. I don’t really have much else to say. Firm 4 Fav songs: Gasoline Dreams So Fresh, So Clean Ms. Jackson B.O.B. - Bombs Over Baghdad Xplosion

One thing I can appreciate about Sly and The Family Stone is that they were clearly were an influence for music that sprang up in the following decades. You can hear the guitar and bass licks that would later come to define the sound of disco in the 70s. Their sound also draws on a wide variety of musical influences, which I can appreciate. I found myself most drawn to the moments on this album that were more funk inspired. Ultimately, I think I prefer the music that influenced them and the the music that would be influenced by them, but this Whitey did have a good time listening to this album. Solid 3 Fav songs: I Want To Take You Higher, Sing a Simple Song, Everyday People,

This is one of those classic albums that I had heard about many times before, showing up on many greatest of all time lists and as a cited influence for many of my favorite hip-hop artists, but had never actually listened to before. After listening I can see why it is considered a classic. The sound on this album is a beautiful blend of R&B, Hip-Hop, Soul, and Reggae all held together by Lauryn Hill’s killer voice. The beats are barebone but slap, the vocal harmonies make each track sound rich and lively, and the bars when Hill does flex her rap skills are tight. The album is thematically rich as well, touching on love, loss, healing, and faith. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by all accounts deserves its place in the pantheon of great albums 5 (you really think I’m gonna give Ms Lauryn Hill anything less than a perfect score during Women’s History Month?) Fav Songs: Lost Ones Ex-Factor To Zion Doo-Wop (That Thing) Final Hour When It Hurts So Bad Everything is Everything

I gave this album two listens and while I appreciated it more for its energy and weirdness on second listen, ultimately it just didn’t do it for me. At face value I find the thought of combing blues music with punk aesthetics intriguing, but on this album the execution just wasn’t there. I really was not a fan of the production. It seemed like the instrumentals were completely drowned out by the vocals, which were rough to put it nicely. It’s a shame because I did really dig the blues vibe on a lot of the tracks. I imagine that this is one of those acts that probably sounds really great live, driven by their frenetic energy. I’m not ruling out the possibility that this will grow on me and I’ll learn to embrace the weirdness, but at this moment I’m just not having it. Light 2 Fav Songs: She’s Like Heroin To Me For the Love of Ivy Fire Spirit

I feel like grunge resonated with me more when I was a depressed high schooler. The album felt a little one note, but I didn’t mind it all that much. 3 Fav songs: Them Bones Dam That River Would?

Back in 2010 Arcade Fire had a stranglehold on the Indie rock scene and for good reason. To me The Suburbs sees them at their creative peak sonically and lyrically and out of their body of work is the material that continues to age the best. At points in this album their sound is energetic and driving and other times it is more subdued and spacious. The songs on this record flow from one into the next to create a soundscape that is as vast and expansive as the suburban sprawl they sing about. 5 Fav songs: Ready To Start Modern Man Empty Room Month of May We Used To Wait Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

As a concept album, Sgt Pepper is an intriguing conceit. The Beatle’s performed and recorded an album as if they were a fictional band with an entirely new sound. Hey, I guess stringing platinum album after platinum album gets boring after a while. Sometimes you gotta spice up the marriage when things get stale. Right off the gate in the opener they dictate this move to you. The track starts with the fab four singing over some guitar chords, reminiscent of their classic sound. But as soon as they hit the line “So may I introduce to you The act you've known for all these years Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the sound of horn and string instruments come parading onto the track, guiding you to the new sound you will be listening for the rest of this records runtime. From there the Beatles take you on a journey musically. There are more of these orchestral numbers like With a Little Help from my Friends (the transition into that track is so seamless it’s unreal) mixed alongside some more experimental tracks. This journey continues up until the Sgt Pepper reprise where the fab four comes back over guitars again, almost as if to remind you that it was the Beatles this whole time, even asking if you’ve enjoyed the show. To me every Beatles album really is a whiplash of an experience. They will hit you with some profoundly great songs then transition to some silly little whimsical number, with nonsensical lyrics. Sgt Pepper is certainly them at their most whimsical as it can at times be as goofy as those colorful pastel uniforms they don on the album cover. But I was here for it and enjoyed the ride. 5 Fav Songs: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band With A Little Help From My Friends Getting Better She’s Leaving Home A Day In The Life

You all know I love me some Steely Dan. As someone well versed with their discography, I was surprised to find out I knew little of Donald Fagen’s solo work. But I was definitely excited to dive in. Steely Dan always wore its jazz influences on its sleeves, but as they progressed into later albums they wore those influences more prominently. It’s hard to view Nightfly as a solo album because it could very easily slot into Steely Dan’s body of work. Its sound is very much reminiscent of what you heard on later albums like Aja and Gaucho, but fitted with a slightly poppier sound for the 1980s On here the chord progressions are silky, the harmonies are smooth, and the random improvisational bits of instrumentations make for a dynamic sound. To me, Steely Dan was always best at its jazziest and on this album Fagen certainly is. Light 4 Fav Tracks: I.G.Y. Green Flower Street Ruby Baby New Frontier

This is perhaps Beyonce’s horniest album. Surfbord. 🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️ Drunk in Love Blow Partition Rocket ***Flawless 7/11

Whenever an REM song comes on shuffle I’m never mad, but I’m also never particularly thrilled either. That’s how I felt about this album. They make perfectly good rock songs and this album is a fine crop of tunes. Good not great. Solid 3 Fav Songs: Finest Worksong One I Love It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

In the moments when the album lives up to the promise of it’s title, Queen really shines. The songs that are big sweeping operatic features with powerful guitars and killer harmonies are all amazing and highlight what makes Queen so special. But it felt like there was a little more filler than I was expecting for such an esteemed classic. The highs of this album were still phenomenal though. Very Strong 4 Fav Songs: You’re My Best Friend Sweet Lady Good Company Bohemian Rhapsody

George Michael has a powerful voice that can definitely carry a song. And the production was good even if that distinct 80s sound makes it feel a bit dated. But it was a little too horny for my Christian sensibilities. 3 Fav Songs: Faith Father Figure Hard Day

Earlier this year I started exploring 90s House/Electronic so I was already very familiar with the song Red Alert (which is a bop and a half). I was a little disappointed to find that a lot of the rest of the songs on this album were lackluster. This album committed the number one sin of dance music by being a bit boring of a listen at points. You know I probably need to be high off Molly in a warehouse somewhere shaking my ass to truly appreciate what this album has to offer. I’m gonna keep listening to Red Alert along with a few cuts off of here and leave the rest behind. 3 bumps of Ket 👃 Fav Songs: Jump N’ Shout Red Alert Bingo Bango

Just some really solid southern blues on this one. Favorite Tracks: Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Master of Sparks La Grange

Listened to this album last night on a traffic filled ride home from Maine. When Bridge Over Troubled Water played my coworker started to tear up a little. Unclear if that was because we had been in the car 3 hours and only traveled 30 miles or if it was because the song is that good. Simon and Garfunkel are elite songwriters, much like Bob Dylan, except they actually have a voice you’d want to listen to. Overall this album was great. Haunting and melancholic at throughout. The musical influences were varied and interesting. This album definitely has most of my favorite songs from this duo. There were some lulls in the runtime, but overall a certified classic. Strong 4 Fav songs: Bridge Over Troubled Water El Condor Pasa (If I Could) Cecilia The Boxer Baby Driver

It is clear that this album was the impetus for the indie folk revival that came about in the 2010s, giving way to acts like Bon Iver, The Lumineers, Lord Huron, etc. The risk with the genre is that it can often sound boring or uninspired when it is not crafted properly. On Fleet Foxes, this is certainly not the case at all. The songs here are vibrant, with lush harmonies/instrumentals and interesting compositions. As a listening experience it is dreamlike, deeply nostalgic for a past that, due to the distance of time, has become so hazy it almost feels like a fairy tale. Idk, I just really vibed with this album today. Perhaps, because it was 60 and sunny this morning when I put the record on it resonated with me so deeply. I very much felt like a conifer in the Pacific Northwest shedding snow from its pines in the spring sun, scenery that probably served as inspiration for this record. 5 Fav Songs -White Winter Hymnal -Ragged Wood -Your Protector -Blue Ridge Mountains

I respect heavy metal’s place in music history. If you track rock music from the 50s on it is sort of the natural progression to push its sound harder and harder. This music definitely has energy and I guess it was impressive from a technical standpoint, but I just don’t ever see myself getting into heavy metal, and certainly not thrasher metal. Not in this lifetime at least. I did listen to this thing from start to finish, but only because it had a really short runtime. Fav Songs (and I am using the term loosely here) Angel of Death Raining Blood

I really dug the vibe of this record. Pretty groovy. Big fan of psych rock and all of its offshoots. Fav Songs You’re Gonna Miss Me Roller Coaster Reverberation Kingdom of Heaven

Not quite as impressive as Bridge Over Troubled Water, but S&G are still fantastic song writers. Light 4 Fav Songs America Fakin It Mrs Robinson

Is this as impressive lyrically or sonically as what the Fab Four would eventually do later on? Certainly not. But are these tunes catchy? Absolutely. It truly is weird to see how much their sound matured and deviated from this starting point in just a few short years. The softest of 4s Fav Songs: It Won’t Be Long All My Loving Don’t Bother Me Till There Was You You Really Got A Hold On Me

Big, big, big fan of Led Zeppelin here. I love everything about their sound: John Bonham’s dynamic drumming, Jimmy Page’s shrieking guitar riffs, and most of all Robert Plant’s wailing voice (often times his vocal performance makes it seem like he is moments away from climaxing). This band has never been replicated since. Well, maybe Greta Van Fleet tried really hard too. Unlike a lot of other bands, it feels like Led Zeppelin debuted with their sound almost fully formed already. That being said, this album still very much feels raw at points. There is still a lot I like about that album though. I love the blues influences and this is definitely their most blues inspired record. A few of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs of all time also appear on this record. To me this is a great album in its own right, but serves to hint at greater things to come from this band. Solid 4 Fav Songs: Good Times Bad Times Babe I’m Gonna Leave You Dazed and Confused Communication Breakdown

As someone who already loved a lot of The Who tracks, Pinball Wizard included, I was surprised that I didn’t really enjoy listening to this album. When it comes to musical ability, all of the band members, Keith Moon especially, can play their asses off. At their best, The Who write these captivating tracks that are expansive and dynamic, with interesting song structure, vivid storytelling, and energetic instrumentals. Much of the tracks on Tommy, however, have a softer sound. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it just felt like their talents musically were being under utilized. This became all too apparent to me when I hit Pinball Wizard on the track list and the band came erupting through with an electrifying performance, sounding head and shoulders above everything I heard up to that point. Pinball Wizard is and will always be a banger. I still think this album has value. I can appreciate it as an import art piece in music history, but if I’m being honest I appreciate the idea of a rock opera much more in concept than in practice. Fav Songs: Christmas Pinball Wizard Go To The Mirror!

Loved the reggae vibes those little white boys brought to this album. Good not great. Fav songs: Message In A Bottle Bring On The Night Walking On The Moon

All in all I thought it was a fun listen. I really dig the combo of punk and ska. Fav Songs: A Message to You Rudy Nite Klub Too Much Too Young

This album was energetic, a little funky, and weird in the best way possible. On this debut, Talking Heads really combined an eclectic mix of influences to make a truly unique sound. Fav Songs: Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town Psycho Killer Pulled Up

To be completely honest, I am still struggling to figure out where the country or western was on this album. Maybe I am stupid or maybe country music’s sound has strayed so far I have no idea what it sounded like in the 50s/60s. Regardless, this album was fantastic in my opinion. I loved both the uptempo big band cuts as well as the moodier, laid back ones. The strings and backing vocalists were a nice touch, but Ray Charles has such a powerful voice that he could carry a song even without it. Really felt the emotions in his delivery on some of the more melancholic and slow ballads. Strong 4 Fav Songs: Bye Bye Love Born To Lose I Can’t Stop Loving You Hey, Good Lookin

This was an interesting one. Some songs I really dug. Other songs I couldn’t wait for them to be over. Firmly in the 3 range Fav Songs: The Thrill Of It All If It Takes All Night Cassanova

I am a big Jack White fan, especially his work with the White Stripes. All in all I don’t think this was his strongest material, but it had a few good cuts and was still a worthwhile listen. Fav Songs: Sixteen Saltines Love Interruption I’m Shakin’

As our second album from West Africa featuring guitar centric music, I prefer the other one to this, but can still appreciate it on some level. Fav Songs: Djam Leelii Ko Wone Mayo

Overall I thought this was a pretty good album. For a band that I had never heard of before, their sound felt very familiar. Can definitely see how they were an influence to later acts. Obviously they were pivotal for pioneering the glam rock sound that would emergence later in this decade, but I could even hear how their influences stretched further than that. I mean Buick McCane felt straight up felt like a Black Keys track. Fav Tunes: Metal Guru Baby Boomerang Buick McCane

Fuck yeah! This is exactly the type of album I was hoping for when I signed up for this challenge - something that slaps, but is so far out of my radar I would’ve never encountered it otherwise. Love the grooves on this album. All the instrumental sections are tight and interplay off eachother well. And even though they were sparse, I loved Kuti’s vocals when he did sing. You can feel his swagger cut through the tracks. Because of the cross influences, I think African music and jazz/funk pair well together. Almost like two long lost souls from a past life finding each other in this timeline.

As a suburban white kid who had a big rap phase in high school, Ready To Die was an album heavy in my rotation. Listen, I’ll be the first to admit there is a lot about this album that is a little goofy. I mean there are just so so many skits that include simulated acts of violence, sex (like Biggie getting sucked off at the end of Respect), and even a live birth among other things. But if you dig past those, even just a little, this album is actually really dark thematically. It is clear that Biggie went through a lot of trauma growing up in poverty and that through line weaves the entire track list. For every triumphant and braggadocios moment of making it big like on Juicy, there are tracks like Suicidal Thoughts, which cover the anxiety and depression, bubbling just under the surface, that comes with clawing and struggling to make it. Even the album title “Ready To Die” reads prophetic as Biggie knew that this life was always destined to get the best of him. Musically, the beats all go hard and when it comes to rapping, there is no one with a smoother flow than Biggie. Fav Bar: “You look so good, huh, I’d suck on ya daddy’s dick” Fav Tracks: Things Done Changed Gimme The Loot Machine Gun Funk Warning Ready To Die Juicy Big Poppa Suicidal Thoughts

This one definitely had me tapping my toes. I am not the biggest country music fan, but I have to say I much prefer the classic sound that is heard on this record to anything more modern. Fav Songs: Trouble and Me We’re Gonna Let the Good Times Roll Cryin’ Time

Ok so Dire Straits is the band I never knew that I already knew. Found myself recognizing a few tunes such as Money for Nothing and Walk of Life. I also see they perform Sultans of Swing which is an all time banger. This was a pretty solid rock album. All the songs felt spacious and sonically interesting. It lost a little steam for me in the middle where it was slower, but I enjoyed the majority of the tracks on here. Fav Tracks So Far Away Money for Nothing Walk of Life One World

A true perfect album. No notes. Easiest 5 of my life. Fav Songs: Literally all of them

For me this album is just left out of my top 3 favorite Beatle’s albums. I’d probably go 1. Revolver, 2. Sgt Pepper, 3. Abbey Road, and Rubber Soul firmly at 4. This album serves as the clear demarcation line before they started exploring more experimental and psychedelic sounds in the latter half of their run as a band. While the sound on here isn’t as groundbreaking as some of their stuff to come, I still think this is a fantastic sounding album. Having a few albums under their belt, the songwriting on here is a little more refined and polished version of their classic sound. Just an easy listen from start to finish. Fav Songs: Drive My Car Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) Nowhere Man Michelle What Goes On I’m Looking Through You In My Life

For the most part I think 80s rap has aged far worse than anything the 90s produced, even though they were so close in time to each other. That being said, I think this album clearly stands out from its peers as it showed how far sonically the genre can be pushed and how it can be an outlook for political and counterculture messaging like rock was in decades prior. While the flows can feel a little corny and outdated at times, I do think there was some interesting production going on here and the beats laid down by DJ Terminator X went pretty hard at points. The track list was loud, frenetic, and full of righteous energy from Chuck D and Flava Flav. This album was definitely its strongest when it was the most political. Fav Songs Louder Than Bombs Show Em What Ya Got Night Of The Living Baseheads Rebel Without A Pause

Modern life is rubbish? More like this album is rubbish 🥁. I found myself struggling to get through this one to be honest. I think the best compliment I could give this album is that it was fine. Fav Songs: Advert Star Shaped Chemical World

This was a pretty mid album. Fav Songs: The Beat Pump It Up You Belong To Me Radio, Radio

As a concept, I respected the album and I think a lot of the arrangements were beautifully done. The whole track list had a melancholic vibe throughout. For some songs I think Willie’s more laidback and subtle vocal performance worked really well. On other tracks I think it was a hindrance to my enjoyment of the album. Ultimately, it left more to be desired. Fav songs: Blue Skies All of Me September song

Fuck posting an infographic to your insta story, this album has me ready to start hurling Molotov cocktails. The instrumentals go hard, the vocal delivery goes hard, the messaging goes hard. Full of righteous indignation and a vitriol for our current system, the album is energetic from the first note and never lets up. This album unfortunately still feels very much relevant today three decades later. Fav Songs Bombtrack Killing In the Name Take The Power Back Wake Up Fistful of Steel

Honestly my only familiarity to Prince before this was the song Purple Rain, so I was excited to dive deeper into his discography. This album surprised me a little. It wasn’t necessarily what I was expecting to hear from Prince. That being said it was still an enjoyable album. There’s a whole lot of diversity of sounds on here. At times it’s funky and loud and other times it’s slow and sensual. Do I think this album warranted two disks and over an album of runtime? Probably not. But there were still plenty of cuts on here that were fantastic. Fav Songs: Sign O’ The Times Housequake It Slow Love Hot Thing It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night

Miles Davis, Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley are all the goats at their respective instruments so it was cool to see them team up. This was like the Avengers of 20th century jazz music in a sense. Sometimes I prefer more upbeat and lively jazz music, but I must respect the craft here. Every song was very moody and spacious and each instrument had a beautiful tone. Fav Tunes Blue in Green Flamenco Sketches

I only listened to the first 10 tracks of this thing, which according to Wikipedia was everything on the original vinyl release. From the album art, to the vocal delivery, to the lyrics, this was a weird one, but a weirdness that I vibed with. Although I definitely enjoyed the A side cuts over the B sides. Fav Songs: I Wanna Destroy You Kingdom of Love Positive Vibrations I Got The Hots

Man Otis has such a powerful voice. I enjoyed the original songs on this album a lot, but I found myself really being surprised by the covers on this one. His soulful and emotive delivery can really elevate already great songs or with others like (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction offer a unique take on a classic. Also did not realize Respect was not originally Aretha Franklin’s song. Wild. Fav songs: Ole Man Trouble Respect A Change Is Gonna Come I’ve Been Loving You Too Long

These guys can certainly rock. The guitar riffs on this thing go hard and when the band locks in the grooves are entrancing. The deeper cuts on this are great, but the standout tracks are truly where Deep Purple shines. Highway Star slaps so fucking hard (shoutout Rockband 1) and who can forget Smoke On The Water. Fav Songs: Highway Star Smoke On The Water Lazy Space Truckin’