1001 Albums Summary

It's Johnny Cash at the end of his life, doing what he does best. Singing American classics and country staples. But, this has Hurt, which cemented his legacy.

Gorgeous, serene, surreal soundscape. Need to listen to this over and over again.

Lovely album. Not for me. Other than the title track, nothing stood out.

CCR never did it for me beyond the hits. Same here. Proud Mary is a classic. Born on the Bayou, I'll listen to again. The rest, I could lose. Blues, even blues rock, isn't for me.

Opening song bangs (Carry On). Unsurprisingly, the Neil Young parts are the best. The rest is replacement level 60s folk rock.

"Down to Zero" was my favorite song on the album. The rest is pleasant singer-song writer work that makes for great afternoon listening.

The long, jam-style jazz recordings are not normally my style. This is one of the best executions of it I have heard. While not on the original release, the added drum solo track is phenomenal; just mind-blowing work.

Post rock. Math rock. Whatever genre this is, I like the evolution from the punk that I was familiar with and love that it isn't grunge. Good Morning, Captain will be a song I revisit again and again.

Fun southern rock album. The two big hits stand out (obviously) but the rest sounded like a fun time at a good bar.

First time listening, I did not like this album. Second time, connected with it more. I was on the wavelength they were using and, also have listened to a lot more Brian Eno (producer) since I last heard this. Probably primed my brain to accept it.

Angsty music from the 90s. I'm never going to say no to that. Even though the album superficially sounds like it is not all connected, going straight through until the end, everything sounded like it all fit together. A testament to the song writing I guess.

The best Queen album for me? It has the trademark Queen sound without being too much.

This surprised me with its listenability. I thought it would be a slog considering my general dislike of the Eagles outside of a few songs. Shows me what I know. Guess it makes sense why they are are huge as they have been for the last 50 years.

I was not attracted to much of this album. But when it ended I found myself sad that it was over. The absence of his music haunted my mind for a few minutes. That must speak to something I liked that I cannot express in words.

This album is an example of my weakness as a music listener. I am sure that if I could pick up on the lyrics, storytelling in each song the first time listening, Elvis Costello would mean much more to me. But, I can't so he doesn't. His strength is in his lyricism and my weakness is in hearing that.

Janis Joplin, Jazz/Funk/Psychedelia, just not for me. I recognize the artistry. Her voice was one of a kind. But this is the second time I've listened to this album and both times I couldn't wait for it to end.

Thunder Road; Born to Run. All-time classics. The rest felt like standard-bear 70s stadium rock that I could do without.

An psychedelia interpretation of one of my favorite 'classical' pieces? 50/50 shot I'd love it or hate it. Disliked most of it but I give the credit to ELP for doing this. It is a piece that fits well with the genre.

When I was a (very young) man of a certain age, I bought this album on CD and listened to it all the time. I thought it would teach me about life, music, everything. I think this will probably the be last time I listen to it. Not that it wasn't worthwhile or good. Just that I'm not that guy any more and this music isn't for the new guy I am.

Sci Fi themed album from my teenage years? Of course this sits in my heart.

All time. Timeless. There is no one like Adele.

5 stars because it is stone cold classic and a foundation for the music I love so much.

I've always respected Radiohead more than I liked them. The intricate musicality, the ambition, I could tell it was exceptional in them more than most bands. But I could never grasp it all at once to fully appreciate it. This listen was slightly different as I finally started to *like* some songs in a way I never did before. I wanted to relisten to this album right after finishing it; something I've never done with a Radiohead album before. Am I growing?

Three stars only because I can hear the influence this had on some of my favorite music in the coming decade.

Changed my mind on this from 4 years ago. The album does trail off in the last quarter or so but the first half is so strong. I'm coming back to this.

Nostalgic for this kind of alienation. I wonder if this music would have felt underwhelming if we knew what was coming after 2010. Still, wove itself into my soul in 2010 and will always be there.

I can't believe there is an ABBA album I had never heard a song off of before. So many times while listening to this, I heard echoes, saw ghosts, or otherwise experienced glimpses of other songs--ABBA songs but also so many songs to come after. The influence this band had.

I recognize that this is entirely a "Me" problem but I have such trouble connecting with Bob Dylan's music because I'm not a "lyric getter" unless I actively follow along with them in front of my while listening. Because his writing is so intricate, it is impossible for me to follow along with any song unless I listen to it 5, 6, or 7 times at least. With some, this is not a problem because they are so beautiful that I'm willing to do that. But, most of his work, most of this album, do not hold my attention like that. This time, I did read every lyric as I listened to this album. As expected, it was incredible. But, I do not want that to be the way I can enjoy an album. Nothing against Bob, his acclaim is well-earned. Just is not for me.

This album is just a slog.

Any album that can get me to stop in my tracks and bring me to the brink of tears gets 5 stars. Epitaph, whew, what a song.

Does it matter that half of the album is barely mid-tier filler songs when it has the run of The Girl is Mine, Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean? No, it does not.

How is this an "essential" album to listen to? It sounds like a producer just needed a placeholder, generic soft rock album for a middling 80s movie.