1001 Albums Summary

Let's be honest: you're not here for tight lyricism or complex instrumentation. You're just here to rock out, and this album succeeds in that regard. A lot of the songs that I would normally consider bad were saved by their energy. Plus, the singers' accents lead to some unintentionally funny moments ("Texas Chainsaw Mass-a-cree" is one example). All in all, this album is a punk rock classic and I had a fun time listening to it. Best song: Blitzkrieg Bop Worst song: 53rd & 3rd Underrated Gem: Listen to My Heart Best Song Title: Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue Album Score: 6/10

I don't even like rap. Album Score: 10/10 Best Song: i Worst Song: You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)

I did not expect live concert albums to be a part of this list, but okay... Being a live performance, there is a lot of extended jam sessions on this album. The most egregious example is Space Truckin', which lasts for almost 20 minutes. That being said, there is always something interesting going on in these jams that make them worth listening to, whether it be a seven-minute drum solo or a duel between a guitar and Ian Gillan's screeching falsetto. It may not be the most impressive thing out there, but it is definitely a good album to have playing in the background while doing other things. Best Song: Child in Time Worst Song: Lazy Underrated Gem: The Mule Best Guitar Impersonation: Strange Kind of Woman Album Score: 8/10

For a rockin' punk band with an unsubtle political stance, this album is really, really boring. It's not bad, but I have absolutely no feelings for it whatsoever. At least this band would go on to make some actual great music. Best Song: Janie Jones Worst Song: Police and Thieves Underrated Gem: idfk uhhh Career Opportunities i guess Punk Reggae: Police and Thieves Album Score: 4/10

5 albums in and I got someone I never heard of before. I must say, I am super impressed. If anyone tells you that modern music sucks, direct them to this album! Best Song: I've Been Dazed Worst Song: Piano Joint (This Kind of Love) - Intro Most Likely to be Used in a Car Commercial: Rolling Album Score: 9/10

Songs are definitely too long for my taste, but they're fine. Besides, this album gave us "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)", so it can't be bad. Best Song: Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?! Worst Song: Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll!) Fried Ice Cream: A Reality Available on Spotify?: lol no get real >:P Album Score: 6/10

Very corny but very fun. Lauryn Hill has an amazing voice, she kills every RnB song on the album. Also they censor every cuss word by backmasking the vocals WITH the instrumental, and that gets annoying. Best Song: Ready or Not Worst Song: Zealots Most Epic Hood: New Jersey Album Score: 7/10

Thirst half of this album did not leave a good impression on me, but that second half... goddamn! Adult contemporary still isn't my thing, but this album's second half might convert me one of these days. Overall, the album is perfectly decent, would be higher if that first half was better. Best Song: Constant Craving Worst Song: Wash Me Clean Underrated Gem: Still Thrives This Love Album Score: 6/10

Best Song: So Long, Marianne Worst Song: basically everything else Album Score: 3/10

A lot of these songs are great, but most of them just stick to the AC/DC formula with no big deviation. It's a fun formula, but I kind of wish there was more going on under the hood. Best Song: Back in Black Worst Song: Let Me Put My Love Into You Underrated Gem: Shake a Leg Most AC/DC Song Ever: Have a Drink on Me Album Score: 7/10

Very great album, even if it drags a bit sometimes. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go gaze at my shoes now. Best Song: Vapour Trail Worst Song: Paralysed Underrated Gem: In a Different Place They Stole Taxman's Bassline: Seagull Album Score: 8/10

Was gonna be unbiased for this album, but they ruined "Helter Skelter," so I gotta give them 1 star out of principle. Album Score: 4/10

Best Song: Friction Worst Song: Venus Album Score: 7/10

Very grungy and slimy. I like it. Best Song: Rooster Worst Song: Untitled Album Score: 8/10

Yep, this album is definitely white reggae. Not awful, but not fantastic either. Basically this album has "Message in a Bottle" and that's it. Album Score: 6/10

This album is an absolue classic. Every song gives off massive good vives, and it feels like everyone working on this album is having the time of their lives. Even the more ridiculous songs like "(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You" work because of Louis' infectious energy (plus it's funny how he giggles to himself partway through it). I had a huge smile on my face the whole way through, and if you hate this album, you might want to see a therapist. Best Song: Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody Worst Song: Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days Underrated Gem: Whistle Stop Shoobie Doobie Hooboy: Guaba Haba Zoozow Album Score: 9/10

Coldplay's modern pop endeavors may not be the best music out there, but their older stuff still holds up for me. The first half of this album is amazing; the chord progressions and melodies are hauntingly beautiful at points. However, the second half is full of less exciting stuff. Not bad stuff, but it's nothing particularly notable for me. Will definitely be coming back to this one. Best Song: The Scientist Worst Song: Green Eyes Underrated Gem: Politik OH MY GOD I'M SO SICK OF CLOCKS! I HAVE TO HEAR THIS SONG EVERY DAY AT WORK, I CAN'T ESCAPE IT! MAKE IT STOP!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKE IT STO-!!!: Clocks Album Score: 8/10

*insert Nostalgia Critic joke here* Okay, so this album has a concept I like, and the story it presents is compelling and cool and stuff, but the songs themselves don't do much to stand on their own. A lot of these tracks I like in context, but I'm sure they wouldn't be very understandable taken out of context of the overall narrative (the ultimate cost of being a concept album). I guess what I'm trying to say is that I respect this album more than I like it, but I still think it's good all in all ("you're just another brick in the wall"). Best Song: Comfortably Numb Worst Song: Bring the Boys Back Home Album Score: 7/10

A timeless classic. Ray Charles has a fantastic voice and he effortlessly converts these country songs into beautiful swing and soul numbers. Fantastic all around! Note for Spotify Users: Volumes 1 & 2 are combined into one album on Spotify, but only Disc 1 was on the original album. Best Song: You Don't Know Me Weakest Song: I Can't Stop Loving You Album Score: 10/10

Best Song: Fame Weakest Song: Can You Hear Me Underrated Gem: Fascination Album Score: 7/10

Southern rock at its finest. A few songs are simply decent rather than great, but it's still a fun time regardless. Best Song: Free Bird (obviously) Worst Song: Mississippi Kid Album Score: 9/10

A decent mixed bag. At its best, it has some great proggy goodness; at its worst, it's just generic 80's dad rock. Best Song: YYZ Worst Song: Limelight Rush's Favorite Time Signature: 7/4 Album Score: 6/10

Honestly, what is there to say about this album that hasn't already been said? Best Song: Money Worst Song: On the Run The Lunatic: On the Grass Album Score: 9/10

I'm finally returning to this website after over a year, and boy, what an album to return to! This seemingly quaint and inconsequential collaboration between some of the most artsy Englishmen of the time (Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, "Tubular Bells Guy" Mike Oldfield, celebrated poet Ivor Cutler, prolific guitarist Fred Frith, etc.) has exceeded any and all expectations I had going into it. Each of the six tracks on this record create a vibrant and colorful picture of the ocean, delicately balancing the beautiful landscape of the ocean floor and the treacherous, stormy waters above. After learning about the making of Rock Bottom, it becomes very obvious that Wyatt's accident played a large part in developing the tone of this album. The marine environment this album resides in also doubles as an allegory for the emotional turmoil that he must have felt at the time (e.g., "Sea Song" includes references to seasonal depression, "A Last Straw" may imply a domestic argument), and many of the more avant-garde moments create an uncomfortable tension that further exemplifies this metaphor. Overall, Rock Bottom is a captivating and rewarding listen that I imagine will become one of t=my personal favorite records very quickly. Standout Tracks: Sea Song, Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road, Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road Score: SS

I'm wondering how the critics at the time thought this album would become a defining influence in popular music, but I'm not complaining. This is still a fantastic album that blends the traditions of its creators with the passionate energy of blues rock. What may come across as the trite, stadium-sized "alt-rock" of acts like X Ambassadors is transformed into a soulful, engaging performance by way of African polyrhythms and vocal stylings. In the second half, the band takes a slower, stripped-down approach and shifts its focus to a more folk-inspired sound. While I do enjoy the first half more, the entire project remains a great listen and neither side of the group overstays its welcome. If you're looking for a project that takes the elements of American music and makes something unique from it, I would highly recommend checking this out. Favorite Tracks: Soubour, Al Hassidi Terei, Petit Metier, Desert Melodie Score: A

In the final album of Nick Drake's tragically short career, his melancholy sound reaches its logical conclusion. Compared to his first two records, Pink Moon is as lonely and as bare as ever. Almost zero studio overdubs this time around (with the obvious exception of the title track), consisting solely of Drake's poetry and an acoustic guitar. This lack of instrumentation, however, works to the album's benefit, allowing all the focus to be placed on the words and how they are sung. Each track contains subtle changes in mood based on how the guitar is played, which keeps the record from feeling repetitive despite the simple formula. And even if you don't like this type of album, it's only 28 minutes, so you won't have to endure it for long. Standout Tracks: Pink Moon, Horn, Things Behind the Sun, Parasite, Free Ride Score: SS

"The DJ's name is Premier, and I'm the Guru" With Gang Starr's sophomore release, the duo ups the ante of their debut with a solid collection of tracks. Each beat that DJ Premier produced for this record is superbly mellow and understated, which is beautifully juxtaposed by the focused lyricism of "The Guru," Keith Elam. His rapping is rather complex for the time, employing internal rhyme schemes that could easily be written off as Guru just showing off, but he manages to come off as a smooth and refined MC. While this project is not as polished as their later works, and a few of the tracks can be seen as dated by today's standards, Step in the Arena still stands as a solid hip-hop record that I would recommend to anyone looking to get into the genre. Standout Tracks: Step in the Arena, Execution of a Chump, Check the Technique, Love Sick, Just to Get a Rep Score: B

Standout Tracks: Down to the Waterline, Sultans of Swing, In the Gallery Score: C+