1001 Albums Summary

Amazing recording deserving of a re-listen despite not being a Dylan fan.

Pretentious? Sure. Anything new? Nah…it’s called old school for a reason. But J5 has flow for miles. Hard to argue with this album landing on this list.

A surprising good first album.

If I could rate this more than 5 I would. This review is not without bias, as it truly is a revolutionary album in more ways than one. It’s an album I would consider as one of the most influential for me and one I would take to a deserted island if I could only take one. Zach may have lost his way a bit, but this album none the less drives its point forward with hooks, lyrics and pure rage. So few bands would dare to deliver an entire album based on social justice. Perfect album for the times now more than ever.

xx is undeniably a beautiful album, if a bit indicative of the sound of that era. Hard to argue with the idea that if you have the best ingredients, even a simple recipe can become something magical. xx exemplifies that concept in so many ways.

A few good “hits”, but as a whole this album has not aged well.

Well produced, but unless you are into panty dropping music or in the mood to get it on, it’s hard to take the overall album too seriously.

I recognize and appreciate the cultural relevance of this album. That said the album is a bit of a slog to get through as it’s not a very cohesive album. The first few tracks are memorable anthems. The rest of the album is sadly forgettable.

Billy Joel is unquestionably talented. However I find his music becomes very samesie real quick. His reliance on tempo shift into jangly little ditties, for me, often ruins an already good song. I find he can’t confine himself when he needs it most. To many songs are ruined by his need to burst into a keyboard piano mash. Piano bars had their day, so perhaps did Billy Joel.

This album epitomizes college rock from the 90’s. It was an album that everyone in college listened to and felt like they were in on something amazing. It was lauded like it was the 90’s version of Sgt. Pepper. In the end…it’s an ok album, nothing special. Their one breakthrough song is a cover which doesn’t say much for the rest of the album. It has been for the most part left behind and there is a reason for that. We grew up and discovered that our pretentious idea of music matured, and our belief that this album was something special gave way to the reality that it’s an ok album.

A bit raw. A bit contrived. But still Zepplin and was a sign of even more greatness to come for them.

Absolutely no sane list, even one with a hefty allotment of 1001, should include two albums by The Prodigy. Will echo what I said of Fat of the Land…it hasn’t aged well. This album even more so. Poison though….

I’m sorry. I just can’t get into Costello’s voice. He projects through strained vocal cords, and the rest of the time he just sounds like a muppet trying his best to sound like Dylan.

Not a country fan but I do enjoy me some Willie Nelson. He manages to tackle standards like only Willie can. This is a charming album. I won’t likely listen to it again anytime soon, but I’m not mad that I did.

Can’t deny the technical wizardry this band always seems to convey. Nothin quite like them.

Not into Latin/Rumba music? Don’t know what it is? One listen to this and you will be hooked. Intoxicatingly energetic. Just be sure to put on your dance shoes before you listen.

I would not consider myself an Elvis fan, but none the less, it’s a tightly produced and fun album. Hard to deny it’s rightful place within this list.

Perhaps the most tolerable Elvis Costello album? Not a ringing endorsement by any means. Still not a fan.

Funk at its finest.

Blur has always circled the periphery of my musical universe. Apparently this was the case for lots of Americans as well. While Girls and Boys saw airtime, songs like This is a Low never got the attention they should have. That song alone redeems this band in my estimation. What once I thought was a goofy britpop band, upon listening to this album in full, completely reversed my impression on how deep they really are. Candy crunchy on the surface but with a ton of layers with a deeper dive into the album. Almost a 5. That good.

Even non-country fans can find something to love with the album. Ever poignant as always.

The sheer amount of material here and all of it at worst intriguing and at best timeless. 5 outa 5 all day long.

The fact that this came out 10 years after Tribe and it still sounds as fresh as it did back in the day is a testament to Q-Tips genius. Vastly underrated album.

While this album finally led them to breaking through in the US, Parklife for me is their best album that shows the depth of their talent. Still top tier Blur.

Not the most cohesive album, but then it’s not designed to be. The title suggests exactly what was going on. This album will always have a place in jazz history.

Hard to argue with how influential this album was for the future of punk and post punk bands. Listen to this album then chase it with Unknown Pleasures. May not be his “best” but is easily one of the most important albums to the genre.

It’s a classic for a reason.

I’m a Rush fan so this is obviously biased. Not ranking Moving Pictures a 5 is a cardinal sin. Masterpiece of prog rock.

Nothing stands out. Much of the album has the same saccharine jangly sound. At just over an hour, it’s just a lil too much.

Energetic, dark, smokey, noir, defiant. Just some of the words that come to mind when you listen to this amazing album. One of the best jazz recordings of all time.

Imagine yourself, a misunderstood teen, just settling into a midnight run of some Dungeons and Dragons in the early 80’s. Satan Panic at its height! Black Sabbath and Venom blasting out of the JBL’s. Let the nat 20’s roll!!! \m/ Metal will always be contentious, even amongst those that call themselves metal heads, myself included. So yea this album is not gunna be everyone’s cup of tea. Especially when you consider this album in the context of its early influence on death and black metal as newly developing genres at the time. All that said…yes it’s a bit campy. Metal still had lots of punk roots at this time and it wasn’t taking itself too seriously so that’s to be expected. Does it hold up…absolutely!!! It’s a fun romp into old school metal. It’s got some killer riffs and some legit hooks. Their influence on bands like Metallica, Megadeth, GWAR, and Slayer can’t be dismissed.

I get it, just not my cup of tea.

Rock Opera Gods

An undeniably influential album that cultivated punk and hard rock. It would be impossible to minimize its influence on bands to come.

Is Tom Waits talented…sure. Is his overall style and sound contrived. Yea….yea it is.

It’s fun. But not one I’m inclined to go back to anytime soon.

Not a huge Wilco fan so this is a biased review. I was pleasantly surprised but not enough to want to dive into their discography more. I have a sneaking suspicion though that the author of 1001 will have me returning to Wilco some time soon.

Most will over look this album as insignificant. The album, but more specifically the artist, deserves some deeper understanding as to what was accomplished. Gram was and will remain one of the, if not thee most influential contributors to the alt country scene. Alt, lavender, stoner, what ever else you want to call country today that deviates from the mass produced drivel that pollutes the airwaves owes a huge thank you to Gram Parsons.

Goth girl source material. Easy 5. One of the best if not thee best of the genre.

If you hate the over played Come on Eileen, you might be surprised by this bands other music. I know I was. Crispy Bass. What’s not to like. Surprisingly fun album.

One of the albums that heralded me towards my heavier proclivities. Not my favorite thrash metal band, and not my favorite album by Metallica, but there is a reason this is gateway metal music. It’s approachable and still maintains some teeth.

Typical 90’s electronica. A smattering of sub-genres from house to trip hop to trance. I would imagine if you are not into the genre this would not be your cup of tea. But if you are into electronica this will likely fit nicely into your rotation right next to Boards, Underworld, or Air.

About as good as the Heads would ever be. Their best album and one that holds up amazingly well.

Vanilla psychedelic rock. I’ve never been a real big Traffic fan and this album certainly doesn’t inspire me to dive further into their catalog. Steve Winwood would eventually find himself in to 80’s and much more in tune with his song writing and composition.

The Coo of a Mourning Dove. Thom Yorke just can’t help but sound like he is slowly dying with his whiny lyrics. A precursor to future sad sap bands like Coldplay. It’s a formula for sure. Peak pretentious College Rock. Young minds inspired by mediocrity. To each their own. I’ll pass.