1001 Albums Summary

Love this one. So fun and classic. Takes me back to the jungle book

Too long, and while I get that it was important at the time, the music is kind of meh. The search for a good rock opera continues

Enjoyable, recognizable music. Probably won't revisit this though.

This is the one album I started on this list and just couldn't get through.

Honestly kind of mid. I had high hopes and her voice is great, of course, but the music is boring and the album drags.

I'm so glad I can listen to this on Spotify. Also I really wasn't familiar with any of the songs, which was a surprise. It's great!

Fun, recognizable music. The album is too long for the singularity of texture and tempos it offers. I didn't have a BAD time. But I'm unlikely to come back to it.

This is a thousand years too long, but it's reasonably enjoyable if you want something to throw on in the background while work or study and badly want to make no decisions about what music to play next.

Better than I expected from the Fiona Apple I've listened to in the past, which I've mostly found to be overrated. Criminal is a bop. Overall a pretty strong album, though I'm unlikely to return to it.

This album is great. So many good songs, and so weird. One of my fav Beatles albums.

This is a great album and I'd never heard of Sarah Vaughn before. Will be adding her to the rotation for sure.

This didn't leave much of an impression. It's a bit overly reliant on harmonica to create interest in every song, and all the songs blur into sameness. Mid

This is fine. I can't seem to connect with the Stones the way some people do. I wasn't mad about having to listen to the whole album, but I probably won't come back to this much, if ever. Wild horses is a good song though

Fun, breezy. What you expect from the beach boys. But it's no pet sounds.

✅Fun, easy listening. I saw somewhere that this was removed from newer editions of the book, and don't really have a lot of feelings about that. But I had a good time

There's an awful lot of masturbatory guitar solos in here, and their jam band style could have used more editing for an album (ramble ramble absolutely does not need to be 7 minutes long, good God). But some of their better songs are on this, and it's a vibe. Enjoyable enough, but I won't revisit.

✅ fine. I don't really get it with the Rolling Stones. I just got sticky fingers a few days ago and thought this was less work to get through... Though the global reviews seem to prefer sticky fingers. Maybe it's the "Seinfeld isn't funny anymore" effect, but so far, I just don't understand why the Stones wind up in all these best album lists.

✅✅ I was surprised by this one. I'm the first track I was worried it would be the same 60s folk that everyone seemed to be doing them. But the music is interesting, the singer is incredible, and the use of electric instruments gives it an "edge" (for 60s folk) that's really interesting. I'll come back to this one.

Yuck. Awful lyrics, stunningly misogynistic. Should be removed from the zeitgeist

✅✅ This surprised me. The songwriting is pretty sophisticated, and the vibes are great. I'm interested in listening to more of their stuff now

This was fun. Dury makes no effort to obscure his Essex accent - which I love. The lyrics are playful (and yes, pretty horny). Lots of funk influence, good stuff. ✅✅

✅✅✅ Wow. I knew a couple of these songs from the radio, but I had no idea how sophisticated this album was. It's very dark, but also beautiful and very raw. The drums are great. This will be added to the rotation of shit I come back to when I'm really depressed

I don't really get a cover album. Some of them are really good - or even great - but is a cover album really something I need to listen to before I die? I'm unlikely to revisit this, except for occasionally Hurt.

✅Pixies are great, but I don't think this is their best. I'll come back to the band, but probably not this album.

✅✅ this was fun, but not something I'm likely to revisit.

✅ parts of this are really cool, and you can totally see why Prince is so influential. But this is way too long and it felt like it dragged because of that. If they had trimmed this to even 55 minutes instead of 80, it would be a stronger album.

✅✅✅ yaas Queen

💙 incredible. I liked this the first time I heard it, and then listened again and liked it more, and now it's definitely in the rotation. A very weird and cool album that she produced herself (werk). The effects she uses must've been wild in the early 80s. Even now, they're super unique to Kate Bush's sound. You can totally hear the influence Kate Bush had on Björk. Rad as hell

Mid.

This is obviously an incredible album. Great singles, great pacing, great emotional impact. No notes.

Very cool. Can totally see why he was influential. The sound is big and dark and serious

This was fine. It feels like a clone of better psychedelic/art rock from the same time period, but I had a good time listening to it. Can't see myself seeking it out or listening to anything else by the band, though.

This is a nice, fun album. Lots of familiar songs, decent pacing. Could see myself revisiting it, but it's probably not going in my regular rotation

Fun! There are some really good songs on here. I didn't know anything about this coming in and was expecting a more hard rock type of sound from a band called t Rex, for some reason, but it's more glam. I'm interested in hearing more from this band. The album drags a bit toward the end though, for me.

✅ This is fun, reminds me of the talking heads. Probably won't revisit much though.

✅ this is alright. I can see how it might've been important in the genre at the time, but imo it's been eclipsed by artists who do it better. Glad to know of it.

✅ fine. Unlikely to revisit

This was so much fun. Upbeat, cool guitar lines, easy listening. I may actually check out some of their other stuff

✅✅ I wouldn't have told you before today that I knew who Dire Straits was, but I knew a ton of songs from this album before I listened to it today. It's good stuff, the album is paced well and while I only listened to the remaster, the production works well for the sound. Might revisit pieces

✅✅This is cool. Clearly foundational to the blues, and the guitar times are iconic. The harmonica player is really good, as well. Blues doesn't generally draw me in too deeply, but I'm glad to know this.

✅ this is okay. The singles are good, but all at the beginning of the album, and there's not much to sustain it after that. I saw another review that said it's about 20 minutes too long and I agree. It's jarring, given Beyonce's public image now, how much of the lyrics here are about other women being terrible. Not exactly a girl's girl album. I don't think this aged particularly well.

❤️ This is a top five album for me. It's one I come back to again and again, and it's had different meanings and places for me in different seasons of life. Easy 5 stars.

This was a really fun album, though I don't think I really know the genre well enough to understand why it's in this book. Probably won't revisit it, but a good time was had.

✅✅✅

This is awesome. I've heard it before, but didn't listen very carefully. It's clear why Hendrix's guitar sound is so iconic, and the place he has in music history is fully deserved.

Fun, the usual

Great beats, but they add up to songs that are kinda boring. Meh

This is okay. It's crazy short - 14 songs in 15 minutes. I won't revisit it.

Talking heads are classic, and I've pretty much heard them enough.

I enjoyed this. I might come back to her occasionally. I'd never heard of her but what a voice!

This is pretty enjoyable. I may revisit it occasionally, since I'm seeing them live soon. Probably not part of my regular rotation though

Already in my rotation, but enjoyed it as always

This is fine. It's pretty saccharine and doesn't feel very authentic. But the guitar playing is good.

This is great. Going in the rotation

This was fine. I probably won't revisit it but I wasn't mad about listening to it

I get that this was a really important album in the evolution of hip hop, and listening to it I can understand why, but it feels like the genre has surpassed this so far that it hasn't aged well. I'm glad to have listened to it, but I won't again.

This was enjoyable enough. Can't see myself going back to it, and it's about twice as long as it needs to be, but a good time was had

This is another that's fun, but I can't really see myself coming back to it. It was a good time though

Not really understanding why this is on the list

I suspect I'd need to listen to this a few times to really "get" it. On first listen it seemed overly long, especially disc 1.