I really like the contrast between the chill vibes of the music and some of the heavier lyrics. And always good to know that the problems we have today have been persistent for decades. Not depressing at all Felt the mixing could have been better. Vocals seemed to really overpower the music, though that could easily be a problem of the YouTube version I listened to.

I am admittedly ignorant to the intricacies of music production. But man, why don't more albums sound this good? The mixing is fantastic.

The Stones are a quintessential Greatest Hits band for me. You could compile a lengthy and killer album with their greatest hits. But any individual album is a bit lacking. This is a 3.5. The one-two punch of Wild Horses and Can't Hear Me Knocking rules enough to bump it to 4 though.

Really starts off with a trio of bangers. The influence this album has is readily apparent. Sometimes it can be hard to view a work of art separate from the art it has influenced. It is hard to view a work alone and not think of the many pieces it has gone on to influence. Sometimes a work of art might not stand the test of time on its own but rather as a piece of all it helped create. I think this album is not that. I think it does stand on its own. I might like some of the music is inspired more, but I liked this quite a bit.

No idea why they didn't choose Toxicity for this list.

Really starts off with a trio of bangers. The influence this album has is readily apparent. Sometimes it can be hard to view a work of art separate from the art it has influenced. It is hard to view a work alone and not think of the many pieces it has gone on to influence. Sometimes a work of art might not stand the test of time on its own but rather as a piece of all it helped create. I think this album is not that. I think it does stand on its own. I might like some of the music is inspired more, but I liked this quite a bit.

It's Miles Davis. I mean... cmon.

Nothing wrong with it, just not very interesting.

The instrumental song "R.L Got Soul" is quite good

The short instrumental section in "Hard Feelings" is the best part of the album. Overall, not a big fan of Lorde's singing voice.

Nice blend of punk and bluesy country. A bit long for what it is, but I dig it.

This rules. Probably my favorite album up to this point.

Could I listen to most of this album while playing Skyrim and it not break the immersion? Yes. 4 star album

I can't think of any other band that incorporates the guitar the way Dire Straits do. It isn't just a guitar solo or two per song. Used almost like punctuation during vocal sections. And the guitar sound is so clean. Really stands out during an era that was progressing to heavier distortion.

The Weight is already one of the top songs of all time. The rest of the track list could be nothing but white noise and this would be a 5 star album. Luckily, the rest of the songs are good too

Singers in bands tend to get all of the attention and credit. So when singers go off to do solo work, it offers the chance to recognize the unnoticed impact of the other band members. This is readily apparent for Morrissey. His solo work here isn't awful by any means but clearly Johnny Marrs's songwriting and instrumentation was a key aspect to The Smiths's success. The song complaining about Indian immigrants knocks this down a star though. There is something nefarious about hearing Morrisseys' sad wistful voice - so commonly heared mourning some lost love - complaining about non white people in the subway station. Yuck.

Dat sax tho

A trio of good songs (Tainted Love, Where Did Our Love Go?, and Say Hello, Have Goodbye) surrounded by meh.

I do not like Red Hot Chili Peppers. They are the music equivalent to licking an ashtray. That said, I liked the song Breaking the Girl decently enough. And Under the Bridge is good

Smooth as silk

Classic for sure. Not necessarily something I'd think to put on, but I won't complain when I hear it.

Probably my favorite Miles Davis. Not as accessible as Kind of Blue

Forgettable.

I went in not expecting to really like this because I'm honestly not a big queen fan. But I ended up liking it a decent amount. There is a noticeable drop when you get to a song that doesn't feature Freddie on vocals. But those songs do serve as a good pallete cleanser from the bombast of the Freddie songs. A 3.5 for sure but this site doesn't allow half stars for some god awful reason.

It might be due to very low expectations given the terrible album cover, but I didn't find this too bad. Some enjoyment to be had. I'm glad british people aren't real though.

Really wishing I had that half star increments... 4.5 album. Very good. Talking Heads rule

Good instrumentation. Worth another listen but didn't really draw me in

Electronics is tricky because it does not lend itself to just listening. It works better in context to something else. Be that dancing or as the soundtrack to a movie (for this album, The Matrix comes to mind). Without that context it risks becoming stale and repetitive. That said, I found this album to be pretty well paced. As soon as a song was nearing that repetitive state where my ears tune out, it added something new to the track to grab my attention. It would be a killer score for The Matrix.

You open an album with a French horn interlude and you've sold me

3.5. Some good songs here.

Ah, yes. A classic album from "The Misspelled Animal Names" I don't really want to be so reductive in only drawing comparisons to another band with a misspelled animal name. I think that is unfair to what this album offers that is unique. There are some neat production tricks. I think this is an album that would grow on me with subsequent listens.

Quite dull.

A live album is certainly a choice. Not a good one, mind you. But a choice for sure. I'm not against live albums in general. There are some great ones (looking at you Stop Making Sense) but I'd never put that over a full Talking Heads album. And this isn't even a good live album. It is short though.

A lot of fun. Very nice melodies. Quite revolutionary for 1978

3.5

4.5 I am biased because this was a big deal to 10 year old me. But I think it holds up. Probably the definitive anti-Bush era album. Jesus of Suburbia is still a top tier medly

Let's give this album one song to be anti-cop, but you know who really needs to be taken down a peg? Those damn hippies. So the rest of the album will be making fun of hippies. This is good satire.

Didn't feel much listening to this. It isn't bad or offensive in anyway. Just doesn't do anything for me.

The Eagles is one of those bands thst have a great song you discover on Guitar Hero and think "man, I should listen to more of these guys", only to discover that Guitar Hero chose their one good song and everything else pales in comparison. Hotel California is a great song. Unfortunately, nothing else on the album is as interesting sonically, lyrically, or thematically. Great album cover though.

Bummed this wasn't on spotify for some reason. The youtube audio quality wasn't as good. But I was surprised by this album. Wish I could listen to it more easily.

Chock full of great songs. The only misstep is Revolution 9. But as this is a double album, one song is not enough to drag it down.

3.5

It is not that it's bad per se, but in the context on 1001 albums I must listen to before I die? I'm questioning that level of praise. Quite generic.

No

A decent portion of songs felt like they went on just a bit too long. Started to feel monotonous. But that is the nature of this kind of music and it is less suited for casual listening. Regardless, a lot of it was quite catchy 3.5

Anything with a Twin Peaks sample gets at minimum 4 stars.

The only good thing to come from Aerosmith is Liv Tyler

3.5 I got to listen to this in NYC. But this album doesn't feature the song from Elf. So what's the point of anything anymore?

Lots of different styles. Quite engaging

This is the kind of metal that people who hate metal think all metal sounds like. Just incoherent noise. The only way this album works is if it is meant to be satire of this era of terrible metal.

Love the dark fantasy gothic vibes. Not the biggest fan of Ozzy's vocals but they aren't enough to detract from the music.

3.5 Good sound but it all kinda blurred together.

I really like the contrast between the chill vibes of the music and some of the heavier lyrics. And always good to know that the problems we have today have been persistent for decades. Not depressing at all Felt the mixing could have been better. Vocals seemed to really overpower the music, though that could easily be a problem of the YouTube version I listened to.

I've had several listens to this album before; because of its acclaim. This is the first listen that really clicked with me. Sometimes an albums prestige sets unfair expectations, and I think this is a prime example. Sometimes too, and album requires more than one listen to really sink in. Which can be an issue when ranking the albums on this list.

Torn thoughts on this one. On the one hand, if they wanted an album with this vibe on the list, why not go with Angelo Badalamenti's score for Fire Walk With Me. Arguably the best film noir soundtrack on existence. On the other hand, as I listened, it did begin to grow on me. I started to see scenes from a movie that does not exist play out in my mind. It does a great job of playing with tropes and expectations to create visuals from nothing but music. And that's pretty neat. So I can see why it would be on the list from an experimental point of view. Doubt I will go back to listen again but I did have fun with it.

Those drums tho

I liked this a lot. Decent variety. Sounds great. Will go back to listen again

Pretty bland

I like Neil Young's voice. This may not be his best offering but it is decent. 3.5

Undoubtedly influential to the sound of thr early to mid 60s (looking at you early Beach Boys and Beatles albums). However, it just doesn't really offer anyrhing all that exciting or interesting in retrospect. It is very short though so it never out stays it's welcome.

Ultimate chill. Makes the days worries slip away and reminds you that, in the end, everything will be all right

I've gotten to the point I dread seeing yet another 60s-70s psych rock album. A genre I enjoy but is over represented on this list. So a good test of an album of this genre is that even though I groaned seeing this album pop up (I've not listened to it before) I really enjoyed it.

I've always had a blind spot for MJ. This is likely due to the fact that I grew up hearing all of the many many controversies and scandals and South Park jokes. Honestly, up until the day he died, I kinda thought MJ was always a joke. No one ever really liked him or his music. And I just never really went and listened to test that thought. So I enjoyed this album quite a bit. Always happy to have a push to listen to things that I for some reason never bothered to before.

Liked the instrumentation. The vocals were okay

Im not a big Elvis fan. This album didn't change that. But it wasn't as bad as I expected

3.5

Surprise Kate Bush!

No idea why they didn't choose Toxicity for this list.

Love the atmosphere. The way songs build layer upon layer. Would take more listens to fully digest the lyrics but I'm sure they're depressing. But I plan to listen again. Alright, I wrote the above text right after my first listen then shortly after listened again. Can confirm: very depressing. But also not hopelessly so. A very beautiful album both sonically and lyrically. One of the best I've discovered from this list so far.

I am admittedly ignorant to the intricacies of music production. But man, why don't more albums sound this good? The mixing is fantastic.

Van Halen is great example of a group that is technically proficient, but so so boring. It is montage music. On its own it offers nothing. Put it as the backing track to a cool work out montage? Then it'll be pretty neat.

3.5

Chill vibes; good times

Bright as a summers day with lyrics that bring take all the cheer away. Good stuff

There isn't a thing I, or anyone on this site, could say that hasn't been said hundreds of times before. It's like trying to write about Citizen Kane. It may not have been their final release, but it was their final recorded and they went out with the biggest bang possible. The 2nd side medley is one of the best things recorded in popular music history.

Liked the sound for the most part. Nothing too stand out. I could see it growing on my after more listens but for now I'd go 3.5

Very theatrical and vibrant but also moody. Very good

Look, 1001 albums is a lot of albums. And I am sympathetic to the fact that after a while it may get tiring or boring coming up with that many albums that really deserve to be listened to. So maybe you decide to break up the tedium and add in a few troll albums. That is the only explanation I can accept for why this album is on this list. There are so many grunge adjacent 90s rock albums that could take its place. Hell, put Nevermind on here twice for all I care. Beyond being exceptionally generic, it doesn't even sound good. The mix is very muddy. Like I am listening to it on speakers lying submerged in a pool filled with the tears of the many musicians who deserved a place on this list over this album.

Undeniable in its impact on what would become the sound of most alt indie rock for the next few decades. More interested in creating a mood with its music than catchy melodies, it is easy to see how the "emo" artists of decades to come wouldn't have been without albums like this. It is hard to judge the album on its own apart from this influence. In ways it holds its own, and in others it feels lacking. Probably a 3.5

I respect this more than I like it. Maybe with further listens I could eventually like it.

Liked more than I would have expected

Context is important in music. Some things do not lend to casual listening as well as others. And electronica is a prime example. Often too repetitive for just listening, it benefits heavily from hearing it in the right context. Namely, when dancing. This album surprised me though by offering a bit more. At times quite cinematic.

One of the worst hours of my life. However, I understand why it is on the list. To fully appreciate the beauty of life, you must glimpse the deepest depths of despair.

4.5. Trying to not have too many 5 stars but this could easily be one.

I wish British people were still this cool

Smooth listening for a nice sunny day

Kinda boring. Never been a big fan of American Pie and it was by far the highlight of the album.

The pinnacle of okay

The Stones are a quintessential Greatest Hits band for me. You could compile a lengthy and killer album with their greatest hits. But any individual album is a bit lacking. This is a 3.5. The one-two punch of Wild Horses and Can't Hear Me Knocking rules enough to bump it to 4 though.

I like the balance between the up beat higher energy tracks and the slower contemplative ones. Some of these songs are prime staring -out-a-rain-soaked-bus-window or listlessly-swinging-in-a-park-on-a-foggy-summer-night tracks.

More albums should have the artist explaining the mechanics of their songs. In some ways, I enjoyed those explanations more than the music itself.

This album just did nothing for me. It isn't bad per se, but very forgettable.

I think I'd be more accepting if this was intended as a Led Zeppelin parody.

As the soundtrack to an experimental disaster or war film, this would be 4 stars. Having two drum sets played in sync (a move I highly respect) creates this wall of sound that the saxophones, while always ahead of it, are constantly on the run from it. It creates a highly chaotic sound that is very much its own thing. And then having the audacity to make the

Great instrumentation. Look, I am by no means a prude. I am not 17 and scared of Sabrina Carpenter. But this genre of 70s era dudes talking about how their dicks are gifts to the world is neither exotic, sexy, or sensual. It is just annoying and gross.

Not really my thing. But I 100% understand it's placement on the list. Monumental in modern pop history.

This happens with a lot of heavy punk and metal bands. I love the instrumentation but the vocals leave a lot to be desired. Not that I want the vocals to be super clean or anything. Just more on par with the quality of the instrumentals.

Within the first 4 songs, there is more variety and experimentation that many artists have across multiple albums. Insane to think what this would have been like to experience upon release.

I can understand some of the negative reviews if this was the first time they had listened to this album. I believe this is my third time listening and the first time it really clicked. Partly that is due to listening with more rapt attention instead of casually listening at work. But I believe having some familiarity with the album allowed me to better digest it as a whole. That is an inherent flaw in listening to a new album everyday. Some albums require time and multiple listens for them to fully make sense.