1001 Albums Summary

Talking Book is just one of those albums that feels timeless. Songs like “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” are iconic. It’s emotional, innovative and romantic. Put on this record while you cook dinner for your partner. Or your friend. Or, put it on for yourself. Have a nice evening, you deserve it.

I don't have a great deal to add to the conversation that hasn't already been said about this album. We all know the impact Bob Dylan's voice had on music in the 60s. He was 22 when this album came out.

This album came out a year into my undergrad experience at UNLV. I had seen The Killers perform in a tiny practice shed with a friend of the band a few months before the album dropped and we all kinda knew they'd be big. It dropped like a bomb and it was inescapable at the time and eventually got overplayed on the radio, but the record does have some undeniable classics that are still resonating with younger generations today. I tip my cap to this era of rock music and what this album brought to the conversation.

“The Bends” is a defining album of the ’90s, and for someone born in 1985, it hits a nostalgic sweet spot. Yes, I was 9 when it came out but found Radiohead in my teens, and with each new album fell in love with the band again and again for how new and innovative their sound was. Thom Yorke’s vocals on tracks like “Fake Plastic Trees” and “High and Dry” are spectacular and the rawness of “Just” has one slapping the ever-rock-fucking hell out of their steering wheel. Bend me, Mr. Yorke.

This Year’s Model is a standout album and remains a pivotal work in Costello’s career. The influence its had on pop and rock music cannot be understated, so feel free to recommend it to just about anyone with two working ears. Except my two-year-old daughter. She didn’t want anything to do with it and much preferred “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” on the car ride home.

Björk is a singular voice and her music has always reached me on an emotional level. Her live shows are truly something to behold and I believe her music will stand the test of time as one of the boldest and most innovative of her (and my) generation. She's an alien. An Icelandic angel. Debut might be the most accessible record for any Björk newcomers, but that doesn't make it any less distinct or imaginative. It's a daring first effort that will only become more refined and sonically cohesive with each progressive release. Standouts, "Human Behaviour", "Venus as a Boy", "Big Time Sensuality" and "Come to Me" each highlight a different facet of Björk's diverse collection of styles and influences on this album. It's fantastic debut to what would become a legendary career. Fun fact: Björk was the first woman to headline Coachella and the only woman to headline it twice.

"It was a stone groove, my man" Standouts: The 15min-long "Chameleon" and "Watermelon Man"

My relationship with Cat Stevens' music has mostly been through film and TV. The soundtrack to Hal Ashby's 1971 classic, Harold and Maude. A cameo on The Simpsons. The theme to Extras. Tea for the Tillerman is a gentle album. It evokes a late afternoon. It's a very pleasant listen.

The Bridge Over Troubled Water album is special because it represents Simon & Garfunkel at the peak of their creative powers while also marking the duo’s final studio album together, making it both a creative high point and a bittersweet farewell. I've had this record on vinyl since I started collecting records way back in my freshman year of college. I remember loving it then and I still do today. No mystery why, as the themes of love, friendship, and perseverance feel timeless. Standouts for me are “Cecilia” and the very nostalgic classic, “The Only Living Boy in New York.”

Damn, I forgot how good The Stone Roses are. This album in particular should/needs to be in my collection. The self-titled debut still feels fresh today and perfectly blends psychedelic rock and 80s dance. What a perfect intro on "I Wanna Be Adored". And the nearly 10-min jam sessions on "I Am the Resurrection" and "Fools Gold" both feel anthemic and groooooovy. One can really tell how endlessly influential this record was. 4.5 stars!

There's a lot of undiscovered Britpop out there for Americans in their late 30s to stumble upon and this was an example of one such discovery. By me. There's a funky fusion of sounds in here that I didn't like or d̶i̶s̶l̶i̶k̶e̶. *Edit Upon a second listen I mostly DISLIKE this album. It feels derivative and lacks cohesion. The funky fusion of sounds I mentioned on my first listen feel messy the second go around and I found myself skipping tracks more frequently. I revise my rating to 2 stars!

There's something about bossa nova that makes you want to sit back and relax. Lounge about, make a cocktail for a friend (or lover) and do a silly little hip sway on your walk back over to hand them their drink. Gilberto Mendes knew what he was doing. One could call this the quintessential bossa nova album. I just might call it that. I might do a lot of things.

These Canadians sure do love America! But does this American love these Canadians? Kinda. There's a jaunty, ragtime gitbox way about this humble slice of Americana. That's cool, and I totally understand the importance of this album when it came out. Is it a first choice pick when I'm looking for some rock and roll music from this era? Not personally! Not a bad album for me, just not one I vibe with all that much. It's ranked #57 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time and has a perfect 10 rating on Pitchfork, so this jugtime hullabaloo certainly resonates with a lot of people!

None of the big hits on this record, but that doesn't matter. I can still dance to this.

I hope Ramblin' Jack Elliott took care of his bedbug problem.

This is my shit.

Surprising. Won't listen to again any time soon, but stoked these Mali boys escaped the Mali civil war and wrote a blues/rock album.

Prince records should get an automatic 5. This is one of his best albums. Strong 5.

Much like one can play seven degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon, the iconic guitar riffs of Nile Rodgers will always be seven degrees of separation from your favorite sample. Disco for the ages.

I love this album. It's one of Bjork's most intimate. It's etherial, delicate and dreamlike. Mostly produced out of her home in Iceland, Björk set out to create a “quiet” album with sounds that felt like they were being whispered into your ear. Employing “microbeats” she finds unconventional sounds to add texture and percussion. If you're a fan of Burial, you'll recognize how this technique can employ layers of sound and atmosphere. She would also work closely with Matmos, an experimental electronic duo, who contributed detailed textures using unconventional samples, such as recordings of insects walking on leaves. Real headphone listening. I'd also like to add that hearing "Pagan Poetry" live (perhaps whilst of some form of mind altering substance) is quite transcendent.

Oh heeeeeeyyyyyyy ooooooooo thisalbumwasinescapableintheninties ahhhy Ohhhhh heeeeeyyyyyyy yyyaaaaaaaa oneoftheposterchildsofaltrockyouberstbelieveit ahhhyya eventhooooo I don't seek out this type of music, I still think it was important counter programing in a post hair metal era of rock and roll music.

Along with Slint, Talk Talk is often cited as one of the pioneers of post-rock; a genre I was obsessed with in my 20s. Specifically their album, Spirit Of Eden--which is a masterpiece--and Laughing Stock, their final album. Both would cement their contributions to the foundations of the genre. The Colour of Spring sits firmly to the right of their 80s, hit making jazz and art pop era, and just before their more experimental, minimal post-rock era. They were still being compared to Duran Duran when this record came out and I can see why. I decided to listen to this record then jump immediately into Spirit Of Eden and really enjoyed stepping back and looking at the progression of the band's sound. I don't love everything on this record but still think it's a solid listen. "April 5th" and "Give Up" are highlights for me.

My CalArts friends love prog rock and experimental jazz. And I heard a lot of it when I spent my early LA years visiting them. So this is not uncharted territory for me. I can get into it at times and hate it others, but for me the vocals kill this record. I would've much preferred a purely instrumental effort from Soft Machine as Robert Wyatt voice sounds flat as a pancake most of the time.

The Queen of Soul! Always a pleasure listening to Aretha. This was a groundbreaking record. Passionate, soulful and raw. Easily in the top 10 albums of the 1960s.

Not my favorite Kinks, but still a great record.

This album is bleak. It's about addiction. It's about heroin. Really some of the gloomiest grunge music to come out of Seattle. This album offers a glimpse into Layne Staley's personal struggles, which he would sadly never overcome. He would die of an overdose at his Seattle apartment in 2002, succumbing to the darkness of addiction.

So stoked I got to see them perform live this year.

No disrespect to Muse, but why is this album on the list?

Knot my cup of tea