1001 Albums Summary

Album #1 - 3.5/5 I've never really listened to funk/psychedelic, so I wasn't sure what to expect, and also don't have much to compare it to. Overall, really enjoyed! I'd give the instrumentals alone a 4.5/5, but the vocals/lyrics brought down the overall rating for me. Standout songs that I really liked were "One Nation Under a Groove," & "Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll!)" Also a huge fan of the instrumental/jam "P.E. Squad/Doo Doo Chasers" - this would definitely go in my regular rotation if it was on Spotify. Wacky lyrics throughout kind of took me out of the enjoyment. I'm all for silly-goofy, but a 10-minute song about poop ("Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad") was a bit much for me (though I'm now obsessed with the concept of sandwichphobia?) Too bad it isn't on Spotify, that probably would've improved my listening experience. Listening to the full album on youtube meant it was hard to tell when one song ended and the next started, plus ads. It's also confusing that there are multiple versions of this album (and a few of the songs) so I'm not completely sure what I listened to. This album makes me want to do more research & listening into Funkadelic, Parliment, & George Clinton! It's an entire universe of music I know nothing about!

Album #2 - 4/5 Overall a really fun new wave punk/rock album. "Precious" was SUCH a banger to kick off the album. Other standouts for me were "The Wait" and the instrumental, "Space Invader." I am also stoked on the drums throughout the entire album, holy shit. All the time signature changes? So good. It's pretty wild to comprehend that this was their debut album. Also, the range of genres they touch was pretty sweet. I'm so glad to now know who Chrissie Hynde is. That voice!! The confidence & attitude! Proposing to men in other rock bands so she could get a green card to stay in England for the punk rock music scene? Obsessed. Listening through all the songs and reading up on most of the lyrics I was a little shaken up by the sexual violence in "Tattooed Love Boys" & "Up the Neck." (Maybe also alluded to in "Precious" and "The Phone Call"?) That was just a bit much for me.

Album #3 - Phil Spector: 0/5 This album (for a Christmas album): 4/5 Today I learned: what "Wall of Sound" is. Neat! I'm not a big fan of most Christmas music, but this is a really awesome collection of classic Christmas songs! I'm looking forward to putting this album in my winter rotation BEFORE Christmas day next year. Probably worth skipping "Silent Night" with the creepy Phil Spector voice-over, though.

Album #4 - 5/5 Damn, this whole album makes me want to get up and dance. Interesting jazzy detour with "Pueblo Nuevo" (from the Wikipedia, learned this song & "Beuna Vista Social Club" are the two danzón songs, so maybe that's just my least favorite genre featured on this album). I didn't need to understand the lyrics to thoroughly enjoy most songs on this list. Standouts were "Chan Chan," "El Cuarto de Tula," "Dos Gardenias," and "¿Y Tú Qué Has Hecho?" Crazy that this group of musicians got together and busted out this masterpiece in 6 days. Stoked to learn this album became a stage production that's headed to Broadway! I expect it to blow up when it does.

Album #5 - 2/5 I just don't get this one. I've never been a huge Bowie fan (I like his hits, but the appreciation hasn't gone much deeper than that) so I do think I'd probably appreciate this album more if I knew Bowie better. I will say the story around the surprise release after his health issues is absolutely badass. There were several songs that had cool elements (that crazy spacey guitar rift and the funky brass in "Dirty Boys," hello ORGANS in "Love is Lost," emotional vocals & guitar in the chorus of "Valentine's Day," time signature shenanigans in "If you can See Me," etc.) but none of the songs' sounds felt very comprehensive. Even the "standout" songs for me were just okay "How Does the Grass Grow" & "(You Will) Set the World on Fire." I really reaaalllly want to like "Dirty Boys," because I like many individual elements, but the song just doesn't come together for me. I'm looking forward to reviewing other Bowie albums throughout these 1001!

Album #6 - 4/5 I took so long to rate this one because I listened to it about a dozen times to figure out how I felt about it, but I'm still not entirely sure! Overall, I did like it. It's unique with a lot going on. Touching on so many different genres, with really fascinating lyrics! So much power & energy in Nick Cave's vocals. Very gospel-coded. I struggled to pick stand outs, because there were things that I both liked and disliked about every single song on both discs, but it somehow comes together to be a powerful complete package! Stand outs are: "There She Goes, My Beautiful World," and "Easy Money". I did also love "Fable of the Brown Ape," and "The Lyre of Orpheus," but they're not ones I'd put in my regular rotation - a bit too dramatic for daily listening. Overall, this album was a great listen!

Album #7 - 2.5/5 Rock N Roll is a loser's game! Who knew. This was another album that I just listened to on repeat to try to figure out whether I actually enjoyed it or not. The more I listened, the more I liked it! It's good, not great. As far as glam/glam rock goes, it's just nothing special. I also wasn't stoked on anything from this album enough to put into my regular rotation. Standouts: I really liked "All the Way From Memphis" (though the saxophone gets a bit too lost in the sauce for me toward the end), "Violence" (so fun!), and "I Wish I Was Your Mother." "Ballad of Mott the Hoople," also gets an honorable mention. Really cool song, but just not my vibes.

Album #8 - Ye: 0/5 This album is really nostalgic for me, and shows that Ye really had the ability to be great. Too bad he turned out to be an absolute garbage human. Ye is a Nazi-loving, Hitler-praising antisemitic. He is a misogynist, a MAGA bro, and an idiot.

Album #9 - 2/5 I read a different review that called this "waiting room music," which felt accurate. I'm sure it's largely my own a lack of understanding & appreciation of the genre(s), but this album just wasn't for me. Not bad, but not something I would revisit.

Album #10 - 3.5/5 Generally I enjoyed this, but wasn't overall that excited by this album. It's hard to listen to songs that have been a part of popular media for so long, and try to reflect on how unique and impactful it would've been when it came out. "One Way or Another," is obviously a classic that slaps, but it's hard to be exhilarated by a song I've heard a million times in a million different pieces of popular media. Debbie Harry's voice as a lead woman was commanding and powerful, which I loved. Standouts: "Heart of Glass" & "Fade Away and Radiate."

Album #11 - 3/5 "Mother" was really shoehorned in there, huh? That one deserves a skip. Everything else was good enough. Really enjoyed the album namesakes, "Synchronicity," & "Synchronicity II," as well as "King of Pain," I could see myself revisiting this album while doing a lyrics read along. Lots of intriguing lyrics! The musicality feels a little repetitive - it all just kind of sounds like... The Police. I would be perfectly happy to never hear "Every Breath You Take," ever again.

Album #12 (After almost a year of breaking from this!) - 5/5 Hell yeah. Great sound. Amazing lyricism. Beautiful themes. Rad album art. Fuck Kanye West.

Album #13 - 1/5 Honestly, I love a whiney little bitch boy. You're allowed to be loudly sad. I like the sound of the album enough (nothing special)... But reading through the other ratings in here, I've learned that Morrissey is a piece of shit! No racists for me. <3 (Actual music/album is probably a 2.5.)

Album #14 0 1/5 Not for me. Seems like there is a great message / theme to the album (lyrics) but the music/sound just isn't for me.

Album #15 4/5 When I was a kid, I had these red tinted sunglasses that I wore everywhere and one of my older brother's friends made fun of me and proceeded to call me "Elton John" for years. Great album. Great musician. Indian Sunset is... bizarre (seriously, wtf?)

Album 16 3/5 Hell yeah. Good stuff. That first 3-song lineup is pretty insane. Nothing about the album as a whole feels groundbreaking listening to it beginning-to-end for the first time in the 2020s, but I wish I knew what it felt like to hear this album for the first time in 1991.