1001 Albums Summary

There’s some fun bass lines here, though they got repetitive over the course of the album. Some real great piano. At times it’s boring or a little too “hillbilly” for my taste, and there’s a few moments where the music becomes cluttered and clunky. Freebies still isn’t really my jam but it does fit very well and is a pretty epic way to close the album. Overall, the album is solid but not great. 6 out of 10.

The Wildest! is a blend of New Orleans style jazz and swing, with a tad bit of early rock and roll blended in. The results is a raucous, fervent, and at times risqué style of jazz that is just pure fun. Prima’s trumpet combined with backing sax and piano makes me want to get up and dance throughout the entire album. Prima’s voice is not to my taste, though it is very fitting of the times. Wife Keely Smith’s voice is much more pleasant and compliments Prima’s, though her vocals are used sparingly. Even listening to the 2002 remastered version, the mixing / mastering are a bit off for my preferences. Overall, a very good album and a fun representation of late (1950s) New Orleans Jazz. 8.6/10

This was not my cup of tea. There were a couple songs that I really enjoyed, where the production felt like a clear precursor to what is now EDM, and her voice layered smoothly on top of it while maintaining a certain sharpness. Through the rest of the album, the production seemed disjointed at best, lacking melody and not finding pleasant rhythms. The vocal sharpness that gave necessary punch to the few enjoyable tracks was grating elsewhere. 2 / 10

It’s more accessible than most punk rock, but still carries that “fuck the establishment” message. Holliday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams alone make the album worth a listen. Wake me up when September ends is a childhood favorite. The remainder of the album represents more than just filler, it is all a very well constructed piece of a whole. A “punk rock opera” as it has been described. It gets a little stale and repetitive for me by the end, but overall a very, very solid album. 8.2/10

Good, smooth listening. Dude on the double bass was legit. A full album of elevator music gets a little boring. Solid 6/10.