1001 Albums Summary

Incredibly mediocre. Clearly ripping off the Cocteau Twins, and not nearly as good as Red House Painters (who are basically a better version of this exact same band).

A classic that holds up well. Most underrated song on the album is clearly Almost Cut My Hair. But if I'm nitpicking, I would definitely have picked 4-Way Street over the studio album.

Just another mediocre pop album by Beck. Some catchy riffs but its a little repetitive.

Great artist but clearly not his best work. A relatively unremarkable disc, in my opinion.

Aren't these supposed to be the top albums of all time? It must not be because otherwise this couldn't possibly make the list. Yes, there are two decent songs on the album but Johnny Cash did a vastly superior cover or Personal Jesus and Policy of Truth (like everything else Depeche Mode did) is basically soulless pop. It only warrants two stars because there are two singles on the disc.

Finally, a disc worthy of 5 stars! How can so many great songs be jammed into 37 minutes??

Not bad but not great. I've never loved this band and this disc hasn't changed that opinion.

To call this album monotonous is being generous. Why anyone needs to listen to this album is a mystery to me.

Interesting album, though still mediocre. I don't think I'd ever listen to it again. Still better than their disco-era music.

I didn't love this album when it first came out but it's grown on me over the years. There are some classic songs and great guitar riffs but its hit or miss (like everything the Clash did).

Anyone who rates this lower than 5 stars should be removed from the list.

Extremely mediocre.

An excellent album by one of my favorite bands. I wouldn't call it their best disc but its loaded with classics.

Mediocre album by a somewhat overrated band (in my opinion)

This is much weirder - and less interesting - than I remembered.

Classic album. Not my favorite (that would be Piper at the Gates of Dawn) but its still worthy of 5 stars.

Very good album. A little pop for my taste, but solid rock and roll.

Uninteresting. I must be missing something but I don't get the appeal.

I can't believe I missed this album when it was posted a couple weeks ago. Its a classic. While its not a 5 star album based on the music, it deserves the rating it was so incredibly original and influential.

Not my favorite (Joni, or this album), but still a solid album

Sounds like a movie soundtrack, which is fun for about 5".

I'm new to this list but this is the first disc I've listened to that I'd never heard of and need to own.

This is an album that really hasn't held up as well as I had expected. Still a decent album but not as great as I had expected.

Obviously 5 stars.

Some great cuts on this album and the band is/was incredible but its got hits and misses. A great fusion of soul and some serious rock riffs.

Pretty boring. Channeling the least interesting elements of 80's punk/metal. Not the worst I've ever heard (or paid money to see in concert) but not worth inclusion on this list.

Hard to believe they were playing this at CBGB's. Still, its gets a 3 rating - mostly for nostalgia.

I bought this album when it first came out but I don't think I've listened to it straight through for 50 years. Its not bad. Pretty heavy on the McCartney pop, but not bad.

I was puzzled by the choice of this album, given that it seems like the tail end of the Cure's career (it clearly wasn't, even before they were reborn with a album in 2024, but I think of them as an 80's band). Though after listening to the full disc, I have to say its a decent choice. Its much more polished than their early work, and Smith's voice and guitar are crisp. That said, I prefer the early discs, which had more of a Joy Division feel.

I feel like a broken record but this is another odd choice. Its a decent album but hardly their best (or even in the top handful). Still, there are some great songs (e.g., Waterloo Sunset, obviously, and David Watts - though the the Jam do a better cover of the latter) mixed in with an otherwise unremarkable collection. That said, you've got to love a 60's rock album with no songs longer than 3 minutes

Never listened to this album before so I'm surprised by how many classic songs there are. And a couple that I've never heard that were surprisinly good (Sueno was my favorite). For an absurdly pop LP, its pretty impressive.

Great album. Never one of my favorites but a really original sound.

Is there no way to give zero stars?

I saw the Foo Fighters last year at the Jazz Fest. We left after about 25 minutes, bored by their repetiveness. This disc is a good reminder of why.

Another terrible disc (and another "can't I give zero stars?"). Has someone hijacked this list in order to drive music lovers insane?

Always thought this band was a little overrated - and this disc is a good example of that. Decent but certainly not exceptional.

Much better than I remembered, though its a spotty record. I do love the cover of These Days (I think she might have been the first person to record it - long before Jackson recorded it himself).

Didn't need to download this one since its on my regular playlist. Definitely one of their best discs and some great Thurston Moore guitar work.

Spectacular disc(s) - it was a triple album, if I recall correctly. Really shows how much George's talents were overshadowed by the rest of the group.

Haven't listened to this guy in ages - and it hasn't aged well. His early work was more inventive. This is much less interesting.

I'm a huge Nick Cave fan, and have most (but not all) of his catalog. That said, while this is a solid disc, its definitely not one of his best. This, like many other sub-optimal picks (in my short time on this list) makes me wonder whether some selections (like this one) are largely random - i.e.,. someone who knows that there should be some Nick Cave on this list but doesn't know his work well enough to choose one of his best disc. Still, the guitar on I Had a Dream, Joe is brilliant and Nick's lyrics (and voice) are always spectacular.

One of Eno's most accessible discs - that I probably haven't listed to since college. I think it holds up quite well. I would have given it a 3.5 if half starts were possibe but I'm leaning up to a 4 given how influential he was/is.

Couldn't be an easier 5-star pick. This is one of my favorite albums - and musicians, of all time. I actually saw him on the tour for this album and he was unbelievable.

Listenable but nothing special. A good example of why he's always been a mid-level player.

A mediocre disc by a band that completely passed me by. Not terrible, just not very interesting. Apparently I wasn't missing much.

Noise. Utterly unappealing in every way. Its like they took the worst elements of metal and fused it all together.

Never cared for this band, and that impression hasn't improved with age. They're just plain boring.

Some decent pop music that holds up OK, but was only OK 3-star music 50 years ago. This is what you get with too much emphasis on synthesizers.

I've always liked this band (and Julian Cope's solo work) but they've completely slipped off the radar. its a shame, since they were always a solid band, even if largely unremarkable. I'm giving them 4 stars partly out of nostalgia (its probably a 3.5).

A classic punk band from my youth. More melodic than most of their contemporaries - and they had definitely mellowed by the time this disc came out. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Great band, great disc. Not their best (that's Garden of Ruin, IMO), but Not Even Stevie Nicks is a great song.

Clearly a cult classic but I imagine they were better live.

I'd forgotten what a great album this is! Just the extended jam/bridge in Ramble Tamble alone makes the album, but add in one classic after another - not to mention the 11" version of Heard it Through the Grapevine! Such an incredibly tight band that disappeared way to soon (and no, John Fogerty's solo work just doesn't compare).

Classic 70's rock. Still listenable but pretty mediocre - then and now (I'm in love with my car? Really?). Other than a couple classics and solid vocals, its no more interesting now than it was back when it came out.

Brilliant album. Syd at his best, lyrically and musically. A completely different band than what they became when Gilmour replaced him but so much more interesting. Really, who else could have written Interstellar Overdrive?

I liked this a lot more when it first came out but it not feels pretty repetitive. Still, its very tight musically and easy to listen to.

Brilliant. Unarguably his best studio work - though all 3 are 5-star albums. Not only does this begin with an insane little instrumental, but its got some of his best work - including (but certainly not limited to) the best cover of All Along the Watchtower ever.