1001 Albums Summary

Best of the best. Soundtrack of my summer of 1998.

A true 80s classic with more depth than the band is popularly known for.

I had a friend who had a theory that an album should never start too good because the listener could get stuck just listening to the first song or two. Cheap Thrills does a good job of heading that advice as I feel it starts very slow and nothing about the first two songs really grab me. They are good but not GREAT. Things start to pick up with Summertime and by the time we get to Piece of my Heart and into Turtle Blues it comes clear why this album is on so many lists of great albums. Janis shines from start to finish and the combo of studio recordings and live concert clips lend the album an electric feel.

Portishead is one of the bands that I appreciate in theory. I understand why their music is considered good and why their fans love them. But I can't personally connect with it. Nothing about their sound or lyrics or anything grabs me. It was nice to revisit them and attempt to once again try to make that connection but I was once again left feeling nothing.

Perfection from an artist we lost far too soon. Elliott‘s music could be deceptively simple sounding but the lyrics and music contain depths and layers that were carefully crafted. I love what we were given from him and mourn what could have been.

Listening to this album in 2025 feels like listening to an album from a deceased artist. I don’t know when or how or why Kanye became who is today but I’m able to separate the art from the artist enough to acknowledge the greatness of this album. It was fresh and original and exciting when it came out and remains a testament to the depth of Kanye‘s talent.