The trombones on this album sound a lot like the ridiculous trombone-based rhythm game Trombone Champ to me, especially on the first tracks, which kind of changed the tone of this for me. Couldn't stop picturing the Trombone Champ avatars tooting along. That aside, just a very strange album stylistically and I had a hard time deciding on a rating.

It's a double, broken up into four sides with somewhat different vibes: The Raven; The Wilderness; Consider; and Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay. Thankfully it's not absurdly long for a double (I'm fresh off the trauma of the Smashing Pumpkins). It's never awful but genre-wise it's mostly not really my thing. I think I like the Consider songs the least, and The Raven and Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay songs the most.

It’s enjoyable (and recognizable) classic rock, but I had a hard time remembering it after I turned it off. Not a bad one to start on.

This one didn’t grab me, especially having heard Rumors recently where every song’s a certified hit. If I was in the mood for Fleetwood Mac I’d always reach for that one instead.

Liked the sound of this album. Singing style reminds me of Duran Duran. MEAT IS MURDER song is so judgey and a bit spooky. I was in PE alone when the song came on and the cow moo's made me stop and take out my headphones to make sure it was the song and not real-life.

The first half of this album is stacked with 3 of the greatest hair metal bangers of all time, but inserted in the middle of those classics is an awkward and juvenile track about being so horny you need medical attention. The high points of this album are great, but when it dips into the middle-school stuff I have a hard time. What else should I expect from an album named Slippery When Wet, though? I'm rating as a 3 overall but if it stopped after track 5, probably a 4 instead.

Fun pop rock with summery vibes.

I could not have told you what kind of music Van Morrison was before this album came up here, but I really liked it. Thanks to this week's albums I now know the difference between Morrissey and Van Morrison. "And It Stoned Me" is a great, catchy opener. "Into the Mystic" is the top track.

My brain has always refused to latch on to the Beatles. I thought With The Beatles was alright at first, until I realized how much of the parts I liked were just covers and it lost me. Leave Meredith Willson's "Till There Was You" on the Music Man soundtrack where it was meant to be enjoyed, thank you.

This is the first 1001 Albums listen that I'm rating a 1. I'm not really sure what makes this notable and it doesn't feel like its inclusion on the list is really justified. Although, "Your Own Back Yard" is kind of interesting for being maybe the most drugs-forward song I've ever heard ("I can quit; let me finish what I got / After all, this stuff sure costs a lot"). The streaming service where I listened to Born To Be With You had it and Dion's next album, Streetheart, combined onto one. The Streetheart tracks seemed more interesting.

Wasn't familiar with this band or any of the songs here. Nothing earth-shattering but it's an interesting sound and it grew on me over repeat listens. Some standout tracks were "Richard III" and "Tonight" but it stays interesting throughout. Some odd sound choices mixed in too, which I think I like.

Great stuff. It's chill electronica that's perfect to work to or relax to, sort of an early precursor to the lo-fi beats study music that YouTube would eventually popularize. I wasn't aware of this group but I'll be returning to this album in the future. Also I find it kind of funny that on the album cover, next to the band and album name, it just says "French Band." I also listened to the very faithful whole-album Moon Safari cover by Dave Depper from 2021 and enjoyed that as well.

Not really familiar with Neil Young beyond "A Horse with No Name." Usually when a singer sounds like a muppet that's a plus for me, but I couldn't really get into Rust Never Sleeps. Seems like there is some good lyric work though.

Somewhat enjoyed parts of this but it sort of lost me at the skit where Common beats up a woman. Get that he's poking fun at himself, but it's still weird to listen to. Some of the music's nice.

Unpolished, aimless, and mostly unremarkable other than maybe (if I'm being generous) "Motor City is Burning." Ends on the 8-minute "Starship" which is a weird sort of almost performance art piece. That kind of track usually works well for me, but even it wasn't really compelling.

That guitar riff and "Oh, make me over / I'm all I wanna be / A walking study / In demonology / Heyyy" slaps really hard as an album opener. Great track. I'm rating the album at a 4. It's not as good as Live Through This but it's pretty solid; Love is in great form and the album stays consistently enjoyable throughout its run. However, I didn't think there were any standout songs other than the title track. The lyrics are often quite good though, and it's got clear themes and something to say.

It's a quality album and Simone's performances are great, but this is a style and vibe I know I'd rarely find myself in the mood for. I was caught off guard but delighted by the "My name is... PEACHES!" ending to "Four Women" though. Giving this 3 stars as a matter of personal taste but it deserves its spot among the 1,001 Albums.

I didn't get a whole lot out of this one - most of it just didn't click with me, including the only song I recognized, "Higher Ground." But I did like "Living for the City," and it picks up a bit near the end with "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" and "He's Misstra Know-It-All."

Smoooooke on the water. Made in Japan is 10 minutes of material stretched out to fill an hour and 15. Everything's generously padded out with rock show gimmicks and tomfoolery, including a drum solo that could have its own intermission. If you accept the premise, though, Made in Japan is quite good at capturing the feel and energy of this kind of a live show. I enjoyed the album and I can see myself returning to it. The main thing that holds it back for me (and prevents me from rating it higher) is that, with the exception of "Smoke on the Water," the songs themselves were only okay.

Not a genre I have any familiarity with. I see some of the appeal here but the lyrics are really tough, and that's driving the 1-star rating from me. I'll stay vigilant against dope man but I doubt I'll ever listen to this again.

Cold turkey. Don’t really like Farrell’s vocals and the songs are okay at best. Also for some reason the steel drum on “Jane Says” is really distracting to me.

It's not amazing, but it is good fun. I don't think I've ever sat down and deliberately listened to Elvis before but I liked this album more than I expected.   Unfortunately every time I hear Elvis sing "Tutti frutti, aw rooty" my brain reframes it as "Aw, Rudy" and calls to mind the miserable decline of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. That scene in Borat... Aw, Rudy. This is a "me problem" and I haven't let it impact my rating.

It's a good album and I'm sure it was exceptional in 1966. I like "Taxman," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Got To Get You Into My Life." "Now my advice for those who die / Declare the pennies on your eyes" is a great line. Several songs on here I would skip, though.

"Won't you lay me down in the tall grass / And let me do my stuff?" Rumours is the first album I've had come up here where I already knew the album, and it's also the first album I'm rating a 5. It's densely packed with great songs and enduring hits - a real embarrassment of riches. Genre-wise it sits outside my wheelhouse, but the material completely overcomes that. "Second Hand News," "Dreams," "The Chain," and "Gold Dust Woman" are my favorites.

I don't have any prior familiarity with Costello. Gave this one a few listens and it was okay. Nothing incredible but I do think a few songs could grow on me.

I appreciate when albums outside the US/UK pop and rock scenes come up here. Djam Leelii sets a nice atmosphere for the most part. It does run longer than I'd like, with many individual tracks running 6+ minutes and noticeably overstaying. Plus the 4 tracks added in the 1998 reissue add more than 20 minutes to the overall album length.

There's good stuff on this album but it just didn't resonate that much with me personally. Also, I think I'm not really a fan of White's vocals.

"As high as the stakes get when paper get low..." I liked this one significantly more than Like Water for Chocolate. Reasonable runtime (not bloated) and a nice sound, with nothing I strongly disliked. Interesting sounds on "Be (Intro)." I also liked "Testify." I might return to this one, maybe. I believe there have been references to the film The Matrix in both of the Common albums that have come up here (here in "They Say"), which makes me think Common saw it and was obsessed. Maybe that was all of us for a time after 1999.

It opens really strong with "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)," and if it had managed to stay on that course for its full half-hour runtime - sharp, quasi-spooky psychedelic rock - I think this could've been really good. But, no, it's a Frankenstein's monster stitched from 2 or 3 identities. And "The Toonerville Trolley" is the abnormal brain? For a brief moment when I first saw this, the funny name and cover image made me think this might be some kind of fake band or parody album.

Good stuff here! Pretty sure it's the hip hop album I've enjoyed the most so far. That said, some minor grumbles: I'm not sure how I feel about Missy interrupting the album to do DVD commentary; it bugs me that she starts so many songs by introducing them as Missy Elliott exclusives; and I'm having a hard time with the line "Can I put my booty-booty up in your spaghetti?" And there's no way 2002 Missy could have known where we were headed, but the commentary in the opening monologue about how Donald Trump doesn't waste time with pointless beefs is quite unfortunate.

Cool to hear a genre I probably haven't encountered before, but I don't enjoy this sound and I don't think it's for me.

I recognize that it's good and also influential, but I just don't enjoy it.

A whole lot to like on this one: the music is joyous and energetic; the lyrics are a lot of fun and are a great fit with Prima's distinct voice and style; the humor works; and Keely Smith sounds great as well. "You took advantage of my hospitality and ate all my ravioli, so I can't wait to celebrate at your funeral" is the song theme I didn't know I was missing, but we've all been there. Ten minutes of extra tracks were added in the 2002 reissue - the highlight being the goofy "Banana Split for My Baby" - but even with those extras, I could stand to have this thing go a little longer. Just a little short of being a 5 for me, but it's a great album.

Never realized "Pinball Wizard" was part of a rock opera but I regret learning the story. Before, I was like an impressed bystander in the arcade watching this mysterious pinball prodigy smoke the machine and wondering about his secret sauce. Can't wait to get home from the arcade and tell my wife about this guy. But later I find out it's not his supple wrist, it's actually a byproduct of his childhood abuse, and now going to the arcade isn't fun anymore. Overall, Tommy is a disappointment. It starts off promising - early in the album there's the little "You didn't hear it / You didn't see it / You won't say nothing to no one / Never in your life" part in "1921" which I really like. But the story's a big bummer and the songs mostly aren't that great. The 10-minute instrumental "Underture" is alright and "Pinball Wizard" is a classic but nothing else stands out. On the bright side, there's a "Tommy can you hear me? Can you feel me near you?" joke in the 1991 Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Pod People" and I didn't get that reference until today. Great episode.

Definitely not going to be for everyone - some people will be looking for the ausfahrt - but I really enjoyed this one. I'm fond of early electronic music but I'm only familiar with a little of it, so it's nice to be guided to this. I've also got fond memories of Autobahn travel, so it's a winning combo. There's basically two parts here: the heart of the album is "Autobahn," a 22-minute tribute to the German highway system; then there's 4 other tracks. "Autobahn" is a wonderful listen; it's really successful at what it's trying to evoke. I like the way it moves through different "sound scenes" while continuously returning to its main theme. Among the B-side tracks, the highlight is definitely "Kometenmelodie 2," a beautiful song that could end up being one of my favorite electronic instrumental pieces ever. To me it conveys a really optimistic, forward-looking mood. None of the others come near "Kometenmelodie 2." I don't think they're unpleasant overall, just not as memorable and at parts some of them dip into sounds that are slightly grating. "Mitternacht" evokes being shackled in a dungeon next to a leaky pipe. Regardless, if you add "Autobahn" and "Kometenmelodie 2" together you have over 28 minutes of excellence so I think I'm comfortable rating this a 5.

Starts off quite well with "Take It Easy" and "Witchy Woman" but then it peters out into bland, mostly unmemorable country rock. A bird gets trapped in the album midway through? "Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy" is a pretty good line though.

If you told me that comedian Bobcat Goldthwait also had a music career and then played "Streets of Fire," I very well might have bought it. I did warm up to this album a little bit after a few plays.

Is This It gets an "it's fine" from me. Don't mind listening to it but there wasn't anything special that'd make me want to return to it. Recognized a couple of songs.

Had difficulty focusing at work today. Mind kept going back to thinking about how deranged the cover of The Only Ones by The Only Ones is.

What take is this, Dennis? I wasn't familiar with this group but I thought this was pretty good. Consistently enjoyable and has a nice variety in its songs, including some good instrumentals (like "On Sir Francis Drake"). It does some quirky things here and there (like the fifteen second track or the sound effects in "Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down") but nothing that feels like too much. I like "Quicksand."

"It's President Kennedy callin' me up / He said, My friend, Bob, what do we need to make the country grow? / I said my friend, John, Brigitte Bardot / Anita Ekberg / Sophia Loren / Country'll grow." The songwriting on this one's worthy of the acclaim. Favorites were "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall."

"They'll hang us in the Louvre / Down the back, but who cares—still the Louvre." Not my favorite style, but it's a really well-made pop album. Also I really like the album cover.

The trombones on this album sound a lot like the ridiculous trombone-based rhythm game Trombone Champ to me, especially on the first tracks, which kind of changed the tone of this for me. Couldn't stop picturing the Trombone Champ avatars tooting along. That aside, just a very strange album stylistically and I had a hard time deciding on a rating.

No prior familiarity with Gang of Four. I felt fairly ambivalent towards this one. I'm giving it a 3 but it's a weak 3. Between Entertainment! and MC5's Kick Out the Jams, I'm starting to think maybe the early era of punk/punk-adjacent music isn't my favorite.

I listened through three versions of 1989 today: the original 2014 version; the 2023 Taylor's Version; and Ryan Adams' whole-album 1989 cover from 2015. I'm sure Swift will be remembered as the most significant recording artist of the current century, and she almost certainly deserves another slot or two in the 1,001 at next publication. I don't connect with everything she does - her last few albums have been misses for me, and she shouldn't agreed to do Cats - but overall I like her. 1989 is my second favorite Swift album overall (behind Reputation) and kicks off my favorite period of hers. It's an outstanding, catchy pop album. "Shake It Off" is a banger. "Blank Space," "Style," "Out of the Woods," and "Wildest Dreams" all get lodged in my head from time to time. While I like the refreshed sound on Taylor's Version, I think I prefer the album without the bonus "vault" tracks at the end. 1989 by Ryan Adams: This whole-album cover of 1989 was also available; since I already knew 1989, I thought I'd work Adams' version into today's listening so I could hear something new. Glad I did - it's a really interesting reinterpretation of the album that changes up the mood and makes it into something somber and dejected. I especially like his take on "Out of the Woods." I think this will stay the rotation for a bit. Fun "I get that reference" thing: Wikipedia says, "When recording the album, Adams said he found a sound somewhere between Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and the Smiths' Meat Is Murder (1985)." I've been exposed to both those albums in the last 2 months through this site, so that feels like a neat little reward for doing this project. Feels like I am learning!

There are brief flashes of something pretty interesting here, but the album is delivered in a deranged way. About 5 songs into the album I pick up my phone and discover that actually I'm only partway through track 2. I bring the volume up to try to hear what they're chatting about, and then I get blasted when the music kicks up unexpectedly.

Went into this one completely blind. I enjoyed it. It's got a smooth, gentle folk sound.

I generally enjoy Cohen but I don't think I've listened to a whole album of his before (mostly it's been "best of" playlists). I didn't have a great time with this album today. "So Long, Marianne" is the only song here that I'm really enthusiastic about (a few others like "Suzanne" are alright). Seems to be a strong sameyness to a lot of the songs here.

As many have commented, the Coldplay vibes here are clear; on some of these tracks I could've been tricked into believing it was them. It's enjoyable but probably wouldn't outrank any actual 2000s Coldplay album for me.

I enjoyed You Are the Quarry. Multiple great tracks, including 3 in a row at the beginning of the album. I also like "The World Is Full of Crashing Bores" and "First of the Gang to Die." At times it's kind of darkly humorous ("It brought you the hamburger / Well, America, you know where / You can shove your hamburger") which is enhanced by Morrissey's vocal delivery. There's a weird time-displaced quality to the album too; it doesn't feel like an album from 2004.

I don't understand what's happening here but I really like it.

Not my favorite genre but it's well-made. Good as unobtrusive background music.

First off - zombie guy can get tossed for popping up and scaring me when I clicked to finish rating the Dave Brubeck Quartet. I know the name Iron Maiden but couldn't name any songs. I generally enjoy metal so based on the name recognition I expected to like this album. It beat my expectations - really good metal album. Vocals are in line with what I like for the genre. I think the album cover image kind of clashes with the actual content. I didn't recognize any of the songs.

Another album that feels displaced from a different decade. There were parts of this one that I enjoyed... "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)," "Has My Fire Really Gone Out?," and probably a few others.

Generally enjoyed it and there are a couple top-tier songs (“Wild World” and “Father And Son”). I also listened to his 2020 re-recording, Tea for the Tillerman 2. Mix of upgrades and downgrades there - its “Wild World” sucks.

The album's fine but not especially memorable for me. "There She Goes" is good but not great.

Iconic album. I grew up in the 90s with a lot of alternative rock radio, and the singles from this are really evocative of those years for me. Sometimes I forget how much mid-90s MTV I watched. I'm unsure if I've ever listened to the full album before now - I know I didn't own it but I think a sibling might have. I went in optimistic. The singles hold up. But, the double album thing is genuinely frustrating. It's lucky this one came up on a Friday and I got a few days to get through it a few times. It starts with a bland, pointless instrumental - like it's giving me time to get to my seat and get settled ("Tonight, Tonight" even seems geared to work as an album opener so I don't know why it doesn't just start there). By the end of track 6 it's already hit most its truly great songs. Then the album just slogs on, and on, and on for little benefit. There are at most a couple tracks in the back hour and a half that rank better than okay (I like "1979"). So much of it sounds so similar. I think my tastes are becoming clearer to me, that I would much rather have a half-hour album that I can digest than a long journey with so much material that it still feels only vaguely familiar on a second or third listen. I went in thinking this might be a 5-star album. Maybe there is one here - just one that's sharing disc space with a pair of 2- or 3-star albums. I'm going to give it a 4 on the strength of the best parts, but in the middle of the black night of disc two I did feel tempted to go lower.

Looks like it was a groundbreaking album. It’s fine, but I couldn’t really get into it.

There are some things on here that I like and that might end up stuck in my head a little, including “Lost” and “Pyramids” (although I don’t know why that one runs nearly 10 minutes). Nothing amazing though.

It's not the worst but it's not really my cup of beer. A couple of reviews here used the word "cornball" and I think that's pretty accurate. Sorry to say that I don't think the intervening years have been very kind to the good ol' boys.

It's a double, broken up into four sides with somewhat different vibes: The Raven; The Wilderness; Consider; and Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay. Thankfully it's not absurdly long for a double (I'm fresh off the trauma of the Smashing Pumpkins). It's never awful but genre-wise it's mostly not really my thing. I think I like the Consider songs the least, and The Raven and Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay songs the most.

Really enjoyed this and I think I'll give his other live album a listen too. This one captures a fun little window into a different time.

Really great psych/pop/rock album that gives me the feelings I wish I got from the Beatles. Kept wondering during my first listen whether I’d hit a song I recognized, then “Time of the Season” hit right at the end. I like “Care of Cell 44,” “This Will Be Our Year,” and “Friends of Mine” too.

I rated Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town a 3 but later came to feel that I'd shorted it, so when Springsteen came up again I thought I'd have a chance to make it up to him. Nope. I really disliked Nebraska. It's just sort of miserable.

I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as I enjoyed his You Are the Quarry from 10 years later.

It's deeply weird - strange droning music, backwards singing, imitations of trumpet noises, even at one point what sounds to me like some kind of Dracula impersonation - but feels less "fun" than other weird albums I've enjoyed. Still, by the second listen I began to warm up to it somewhat. Worthwhile if you like experimental stuff.

Not my favorite vocals and a lot of the songs feel very samey to me. I like "Rooster" but I think overall this album's on the lower end of 90s grunge for me.

An instrumental jazz/funk album with just 4 tracks. I enjoyed it but I wasn't overly enthusiastic about it. Sometimes it gets to be a little much (but only sometimes).

Pleasant and short bossa nova album. I was a little disappointed that the majority of the album is English language; I would have enjoyed more Portuguese but I think it was only "Canoeiro" plus parts of the dialog in the background on "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice." I feel guilty admitting it, but I do like the goofy parade song. I don't really enjoy watching parades but I think I like the idea of watching a parade.