1001 Albums Summary

Understandably influential on the more moodier side of what would become indie with the likes of Radiohead. I can't see myself coming back to this often but for what it is and what it eventually influenced, its worth checking out.

Great country singer, loved songs like El Paso, Strawberry Roan and Running Gun. A few others sounded like filler but as a fan of Johnny Cash, I enjoyed the outlaw vibe.

Whilst this is a trendsetter for what was to come in the dance genre during the 2000s, as a whole i found the album falls into the trap where whilst a lot of the songs sound great individually, listening to the entire package drags by the end.

Fantastic mixture of funk, soul and at times almost psychedelic. The production and instrumentation is a highlight on all tracks, particularly on the extendes covers of Walk on By and By the Time I Get to Phoenix. The song lengths might seem off-putting but they flow by seamlessly.

First time hearing of this group. I enjoyed the laidback feel of the songs, however I felt the album went a bit too long. I can see a lot of these tunes growing on me.

Just couldn't get into this one ☹️

A very standard Bowie album IMO. Nothing on here to the caliber of his classics but still some good songs.

A preview of greater things to come.

Between this album and Hounds of Love, Kate Bush was on another level in her prime.

Feels like a teaser of greater things to come. Ironically it'll come in the same year.

A very grandiose listen in terms of scale, several classics here. The album I found dipped in quality around the midway point but picked up during the last quarter.

Honestly, songs are not bad but I can't find anything that hooks me in.

I had put this one off for a while. Not because I didn't have the patience or a lack of interest, but more the idea of listening to the same artist for nearly 3 hours. For me, this is not an album that I can sit down and fully integrate with, however as something playing in the background, its a decent time. The aforementioned 69 love songs are exactly that, there's no need to break down the content thankfully. The main standout is Merritt's voice, I don't think I've heard a register as low as his, but it somehow works, its unbelievable. It's also good that other vocalists take the lead throughout so Merritt's bass tones don't outlive their welcome. I can't see myself coming back to this often cause of the length but certainly great songs, a unique delivery and yeah give it a try.

Other than her 2 big hits (behave!), this is the first time I've listened to Dolly. Unfortunately country music rarely translated into the UK market, but following from this I fully understand why she earned the moniker Queen of Country, a voice you could just listen to and just enjoy without skipping a track.

Kinda drifted with this one, instrumentally there were some nice moments but not too big a fan of the voice

Its the quintessential Metallica album. One of the greatest metal records of all time. Not much else to say that hasn't been said already.

Such a unique sound its difficult to categorise but not one skippable track on here.

Good mix of psychedelic and early proto-punk.

I debated whether to give 4 or 5 stars to this album. Whilst it is the best-selling record of all time, I don't think its perfect, The Girl is Mine is the weaker of the two songs Michael did with McCartney and The Lady in my Life is kind of a weak closer. Having said that though, there's a reason why this is highly regarded. The hooks on here are phenomenal even in the weaker tracks. Michael was on top form here with hit after hit after hit. Its genuinely an essential pop album.

A love letter to the sounds of British institutions like The Who that somehow managed to also be a precursor to what would become known as Britpop. There She Goes may be their most popular song they ever released but don't sleep on the rest of this!

This is where David Bowie truly started to come into his own as a songwriter.

One of my favourite trios of all time. So many classics here!

A cornerstone in the world of heavy metal. Whilst "metalheads" will and have debated about British Steel being a heavy metal record, there is no denying that these 9 tracks rock!

Ahhh the early 00's where nearly every indie band started with The. Honestly, apart from Valerie (which is on the follow-up) I have not heard the singles from this debut since then. Honestly listening to this, its not a bad little album, but apart from the singles, there's not much else that sticks with me.

As incredible a singer Adele is, there is not much on her 3rd outing that hooks me in like its predecessor. It peaks on the first song and after that its all run of the mill.

I just couldn't get into it sorry.

Tiny Dancer will forever remain the highlight, but there are plenty of gems aside here to enjoy.

Jay-Z may have released The Blueprint but this is THE BLUEPRINT for what would become hip hop. Essential listening.

One of the better live albums I've heard recently. A lot of them tend to be fixed in studio, this here by Sam Cooke is so raw you could imagine being there.

I strangely heard Wild Flag before Sleater-Kinney. I think its pretty average, nothing horrible but then nothing amazing either.

One of my favourites of all time.

Took a while to get the layout of the story being told bur overall a nice album.

There is no denying just how important this album was in the birth of punk. Now having said that, I think The Stooges hit their stride on the follow-up. 1969, I Wanna Be Your Dog and No Fun are absolute classics but then We Will Fall will always remain a dredge to get through.

So, how does an artist follow the biggest selling album of all time? By releasing a Bad one of course. Joking aside, Bad is a fantastic pop album much like Thriller, its 1A and 1B in terms of his best work. If Thriller earned Jackson his King of Pop title, Bad let him continue to sit on his throne.

It is their greatest triumph. A double album that goes through genre after genre yet neither drops in quality nor outlives its welcome. Essential.

This is probably where Elvis was at his peak from a vocal perspective. From the get-go, he is front and centre stage belting it out. I didn't actually know any songs from this record apart from In the Ghetto, but every one just runs so smoothly with hints of soul, country, gospel and blues.

First time hearing this album. I've always loved new wave and synth-pop, so to me this is up there with the likes of Duran Duran's Rio or Depeche Mode's Violator.

Wow! I remember when this album came out, just how (no pun intended) massive this album was in the UK, especially around this period when rock music was not popular in the charts. To this day, Blackholes and Revelations is Muse at their peak. Its sad how quickly they fell into irrelevance following this but it proves just how fantastic this album is.

Great beats, some absolutely dreamy vocals scattered throughout, honestly I'm not a massive Jungle listener but I have to respect Goldie on this.

If I'm being brutally honest, I would not have given this album a passing glance if I was twenty years younger. As it stands its not an album I would listen to in full regularly but there are plenty of standout tracks that peaked my interest. Standout Tracks Homemade Dynamite Liability Green Light Supercut

The first album in collaboration with Quincy Jones sees Michael boldly move from his motown roots of his early career and onto a fusion of Disco, R&B and Pop. Simply put this album put Jackson on the trajectory to being a global superstar.

Probably the most accessible album of its kind that I've heard so far on this project. Its unlikely I would listen to this again but its not from a perspective of disdain.

I feel like I'm cruising through Vice City listening to this. As a whole its not on the level of Rio but the singles are classic 80s pop and the deep cuts are enjoyable.

It's a telltale sign when your biggest claim to fame as a performer is that you wrote songs that others had better success with. Still its not all bad, it helped with my sleep apnea so there's a positive.

I've listened to more Steely Dan this year than I have in my entire life! I think this is their most consistent album out of the 3 I've heard so far. Much like The Eagles and Hotel California, I can't see myself coming back to this album regularly as its not a genre I tend to consume but definitely one of the best of its kind.

Honestly, I was not surprised that this album would make an appearance at some point on this list. Whilst this album is not necessarily a concept, it is more beneficial to listen from start to finish on the first listen with the monologue that weaves between the songs expanding as it gets further until the conclusion which to this day is cleverly put together. Of course it would be a chore to sit through an hour plus unravelling a monologue if the songs weren't up to scratch in general and thankfully I can't find a negative against any of them.

I was quite surprised seeing how late this album was in the career of Muddy Waters. The fact he only had a couple more releases before passing away is kinda shocking too. As far as the genre of Blues, I don't think there's anything more accessible than the Chicago iteration. Just in terms of how it pulled from an established style (Delta Blues) to being a catalyst for an upcoming genre (Rock n Roll). But Hard Again ironically comes nearly 25 years give or take after the likes of Chuck Berry evolved that sound, yet it doesn't sound like Muddy is trying to keep up with trends. Instead here you have 9 tracks that sound so raw and makes me wonder if a lot of them were done in one take. Lyrically, its the blues, there's not much to say but instrumentally from a solid rhythm section to this harmonica that flows throughout and of course some nice guitar leads too.

First time listening to James Taylor. Honestly I found it difficult to pinpoint what genre category he falls under. Yes he primarily a singer songwriter with folk instrumentation but his voice carries a country cadence to it along with some blues and a tiny bit r Rock n Roll to boot. Yeah short and sweet, i can only see this growing on me more and more.

Compared to my consumption of all things Rock related, I very rarely listen to Electronic music or at least listen to a full album. This is mainly due to the repetitive and sprawling nature of the music which is always a factor. I grew up listening to The Chemical Brothers with their big hits like Forever Be and Hey Boy Hey Girl, however, i don't recall hearing anything from this album. If I can compare it to a rock album it would be Bleach by Nirvana due it only being loved by purists and the group's sound evolving to something more charts friendly on the follow-up. So the question is, are the purists correct as this is seen as a pioneer in Big Beat electronic music. I will say as a positive the 50 minute runtime did not feel like an endurance test here, a lot of the tracks flowed nicely into each other. In fact it almost plays like a live set with a real band which gives it its charm. Would I say this is worthy of 5 stars though? Not quite. For how well the songs flowed, except for the Brothers Gonna Work It Out sample on Leave Home (which I knew from Public Enemy) unfortunately the majority of these songs don't necessarily have a memorable hook. Nonetheless, its a fine album and time has been kind to it.

Iconic - if one word could sum up the Beastie Boys in general it would be exactly that. License to Ill is maybe their most accessible in their catalogue thanks to Rubin's production and the relatively short runtime. The songs (regardless of how fans and the media interpreted them) remain an essential introduction to what would be a legendary discography.

I previously heard Chrches on their follow-up Screen Violence. Honestly I have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this. The vocals and instrumentation gives it a dreamy vibe but if I'm half asleep as it is it just makes me want to for a nap.

An album that defines the phrase "I swear I heard this one in an advert somewhere..." And honestly 25 years or so later, the singles have especially held up. Unfortunately, the deep cuts are not as strong.

Much like 99% who listened to this for the first time, I only knew THAT song, you know the one that sounds condescending if it happens to be raining in the morning. Two thoughts came to mind when I saw The Boo Radleys on here. 1. There's more to them than Wake Up Boo!? And 2. Opening up the tracklist, on Spotify at the bottom was shoegaze playlist (since when were they shoegaze?) Now I've listened to the album i can say yes on both accounts to an extent. The loud heavily distorted guitars present within Shoegaze shows up occasionally, but they also tap into their more poppier sensibilities that would define their biggest hit. However whilst there is more to them, there's nothing on here that stands out on the same level as Wake Up Boo! But don't let that discourage cause whilst its not an essential listen, its definitely worth checking out nonetheless.

A debut that was so good, every subsequent follow-up failed to live up to it. Standout tracks: NY State of Mind The World is Yours Represent It Ain't Hard To Tell

I picked up on the psychedelic tones a few tracks in. It almost seemed weird seeing that this came out in the late 80s and not the late 60s. Whilst I appreciate that genre, I could not fathom what was done with it on here. Barely a melody or a hook to be heard and vocals so compressed it sounds like they were recorded with space helmets on. Occasionally, the guitars would be turned up like on Revolution, but it ultimately it just amounts to a cacophony of noise thats only memorable for the change in volume, nothing else.

If there is one album that needs to be listened to in the genre of progressive rock it is this one. Only five songs clocking around forty minutes and never falters.

I always feel conflicted when it comes to The Smiths. Whilst I have always enjoyed their biggest hits with Morissey's iconic crooning and Johnny Marr's complex guitar playing, they've never been a group I've had interest in album wise. Listening to Strangeways We Come, I found apart from the opening track, the strongest songs to my ears were the singles. This only accounts for 50% of the album and whilst the rest are not horrendous, they ultimately feel forgettable.

I try as best as I can to be diplomatic when it comes Kanye. When it comes to him as a human he's a egotistical megalomaniac. On the music side I can't deny he's produced some great tracks over his career. I thought this album started off quite well with On Sight and even Black Skinhead, however I Am God started and suddenly the megalomania was bursting out at the seams. I get rappers love to brag about their statuses but soldiering through this until Blood on the Leaves, I felt like I was being tied to a chair being forced to indulge in the biggest messiah complex in hip hop. Great producer but yeah the wheels fell off greatly on this.

Another Girl Another Planet is an absolute power pop gem. Unfortunately, I don't know if it was the vocals but the rest of the album didnt grab my attention like that song.

I was honestly interested to see that this album on the list. The only bit of trivia I knew was this was a collaboration between Alex Turner and Miles Kane. A very bold step musically considering the indie rock sound already established from Turner's first two albums with Arctic Monkeys, and in a way it shows the direction they would go on Humbug. I feel fair giving this 3 stars as I need more time to grow on me but on the plus side its just as cohesive as the aforementioned albums.

This is an album very much of its time. For some listeners this could be a detriment as even artists they influenced like Massive Attack could be seen in the same light (is trip hop is even still a thing?). Having said that though I still get enjoyment out of a lot of the songs on here, Step it Up and the title track remain classic earworms whilst you can hear a lot of the trip hop sound in songs like Sketch, Playing with Fire and Chicken Shake. Overall yes its dated but its still an enjoyable listen.

Violent Femmes self titled debut proves you don't need to have masses of distortion and songs about social and political gripes to be considered "punk" A strong debut that would be influential for its songwriting whilst rarely being duplicated in terms of sound. Favourites Blister in the Sun Add it up Kiss Off Prove my Love

I'm not sure how to feel about this one, I've never been a massive fan of Americana, just the odd song here and there. It never intrigued me when it came out and listening to it a decade later I can't say I'm kicking myself for missing all the hype. Nothing horrible about but ultimately nothing memorable either.

Yeah, not listening to this one out of principles. There's the argument that the music itself was highly influential and perhaps it was but once you know the concept of the plot you feel dirty for giving it any sort of praise. Are there more worse "sounding" records? Obviously but yeah this is difficult to recommend overall.