1001 Albums Summary

The first album I've gotten in this project is an album I've listened to many times before, by a band that I was a rabid fan of for some time in my early teenage years. Needless to say, I have a strong nostalgic attachment to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I can remember buying this on CD along with Max Payne 2 on PS2 on a weekend morning in 8th grade and spending the day playing my new game and listening to this album, which I had heard most or all of already. The chemistry between Flea & John Frusciante really carries Californication - especially the title track but really just about every track. I really love the outro jams on Easily and Purple Stain. Chad's drumming on the latter track is some of his best. As usual, Anthony Kiedis' singing and lyrics are the albums weak point. If I didn't have such nostalgia for this group, I think this would end up as a 3 for me, but the strong musicianship on displaying combined with my deep seeded attachment to this group despite them not aging as well as other groups I listened to in my younger days (though certainly not aging the worst) makes this a 4.

Hadn’t listened to T Rex before aside from “Bang a Gong” of course. While that’s among the best tracks on Electric Warrior, it’s a solid album overall. Nice, sleazy sounding, low-key early glam rock. I’m not sure how often I’ll come back to this record but I like it. Also I meant to give You Want it Darker a 3 and write a brief note. I liked it overall, very strong lyrically. It starts off strong, especially the lead title track. It ends well too. But the middle feels like a bit of a slog.

I like this album, definitely outside the realm of music I would normally listen to. Good for a relaxing summer day outside, or any kind of day where you're OK with time moving slowly. Although I liked this album, I can't see myself coming back to it a lot but glad I was exposed to what seems to be considered a quintessential work of Cuban music.

Aside from "I'd Do Anything for Love" I really am not familiar with Meat Loaf. Just the word Meat Loaf has always struck a nauseating connotation in my brain. Even before ever seeing or even trying a meat loaf, it sounded wrong. Anyways, those negative connotations have always come to mind when hearing the musician Meat Loaf mentioned. So I was actually pleasantly surprised by this album. Without having listened to much of Meat Loaf, it's hard to tell how much of this album is really coming him vs composer Jim Steinman. But either way, this album has some solid piano ballads, with some bluesy Rock n Roll mixed in (All Revved Up With No Place to Go) Some stand out more than others but there aren't any bad songs. So it's not perfect but it was still nice to an enjoy an album I wouldn't have otherwise listened to.

A bit all over the place, sometimes sounds like they're trying to imitate The Beatles, but overall I like it. I especially like the more Psych-Rock oriented songs.

Solid, conscious hip-hop. Not that they were the first to do it but as a teenager when this album came out, it seemed to re-spark the popularity of conscious hip-hop among my peers. It's a solid album all the way through. Some tracks stand out more, some of them run together. Overall I like it.

A great blueprint for electronic music. Their work would continue to get more interesting but this is a landmark album. Despite being such an important album, to me, it didn't necessarily feel exciting to listen to. Interesting, but not really attention grabbing.