1001 Albums Summary

An interesting mix of standards one would be more likely to associate with Johnny Cash and interpretations of more modern songs. The results are mixed. I personally don't think "Bridge Over Troubled Water" works at all. "Personal Jesus" is interesting but feels a bit gimmicky. "I Hung My Head" is very good, but his interpretation of "Hurt" is superlative. Especially poignant knowing this is his last album, the emotion and feeling in his voice touches me every time. That one song for me is enough for the album to have earned it's place.

I like Hendrix's music, but never loved it. Listening to this album I have to admire the production. It sounds fantastic and yet it still leaves me a bit cold. File it under and acknowledged classic but not coming back soon.

Serious Glam rock. Good fun but not favourite and time has moved on. No doubt this was innovative at the time, and still a good listen with some banging tunes. However the years haven't treated it that well. In terms of the recording itself, it was ground-breaking as a live album, but again time has passed. Good but not great.

Enjoyable music. I don't know anything more about Elliott Smith than I read on Wikipedia. Perhaps had I been more onboard at the time it would have meant more to me. I can certainly hear the influence on artists that came later. A good, but not great album to me. 3/5

I suppose a lot of people would list this on their top 100 albums let alone 1000. Peak Eagles, the album is commercial yet has some biting lyrics and uncomfortable themes. The title track is of course so well known it became a meme before memes were a thing. Life in the Fast lane is a good rocky song. The last Resort comes across as a country song in places, but heavily orchestrated in others. This is one of those albums where the styles can change quite radically from song to song. I like that.

I remember in my teens thinking Jim Morrison was a profound and gifted poet/songwriter. I read the biography, listened to the music, and all was good. This time around it leaves me a bit cold. Don't get me wrong, the musicianship is top notch and Morrison's brooding style suits the music well, especially on this albums more blues focused style. Now though I find the lyrics less compelling and the majority of the songs forgettable. A good album, but in my opinion, not great. This one does not make my top 1000.

Interesting. At the time, like a lot of my peer group I had distain for this sort of music. It was for people who couldn't sing. Needless to say my opinion has changed over the years. This is a great album. I'm not going as far as a 5, as I think it builds rather than totally invents, but hey, that's just my opinion man. Will I relisten, possibly which is a pretty good endorsement. 4/5

Good but unremarkable to me. I imagine you had to be there at the time.

I enjoy this album but it's difficult to imagine how innovative it was at the time. Listening to the stereo mix it's hard to imagine it in mono as well. Ahead of it's time and mostly stands the test of time.

Lovely background music. Doesn't do as much for me as I imagine it should. Guess I don't get Jazz as much as I thought.

Again, really nice. I understand the structure but it doesn't move me. Enjoyable in the background. I can't see sitting down and listening all the way through.

Kanye's last great album before his descent into insanity. Some outstanding tracks. Very raw in places.

Nice. I'd never heard of them and they seem the kind of thing I would have been listening to at the time. It almost feels like reminiscing, but without the associations of a song you know.

Not listening to this shit. I try to be openminded but this is a step too far. I begrudge the fractions of a cent he would earn from my streaming.

It's OK and might improve with a few more listens. It does feel a bit like he has the style but leaves me cold.

Absolute genius. The backstory on this makes it even more special. A performer at the absolute top of his game captured giving a once in a lifetime performance. If you're coming to this cold you should google the story of the concert. It will help you understand.

I rate Leonard Cohen quite highly. That said this isn't my favourite of his. Good album, not great.

I've liked Beck for a while but never actually sat down and listened to this album start to finish. It's really quite even with no real duds. Enjoyable and a few new songs added to frequent rotation.

Interesting to have listened to back to back with III. You can really hear the change in the music from a more folky bluesy sort of sound to a much harder rock. This style of rock was never my favourite, but I can appreciate the talent and influence of the band. Another album with not a bad track on it.

I listened to R.E.M. pretty much from the beginning when their odd, often un-understandable lyrics and different sound were perfect for my late teenage angst. By the time Document came out I was well past that and they changed as well. The lyrics, while still often odd were intelligible and the meanings understandable without digging to deep. For me this is about my favourite period for REM. Of course great music was still to come but for me this was when the changed from a band I listened to in order to seem a bit pretentious, to just plain good music.

Love Pulp, but that said I find it a bit uneven. Still a classic of it's time.

I remember when this album came out though I never had it on vinyl. I suppose if punk was a reaction to heavy and art rock this was a reaction to punk. Clear clean sound, more traditional rifts. Not a bad track on the album. What's not to like?

Love this album. Loved Steely Dan. I remember when the Nightfly first came out. I thought IGY was OK but didn't pay much attention to the rest. Now that my tastes have matured, this is one of my favourite albums and an absolute classic.

Again and absolute classic. Joni's voice soars and dips as she plays with words. It's poetry, but her singing elevates it to a different level. There are some classic hits. Carey and This Flight Tonight and my favourite California. However the whole album is great. Growing up in Canada I probably got exposed to this music more than most. Still love it.

Not a big fan of metal. Still not. I can hear the expertise in the playing, but I can't get past the recurring metal guitar licks. Does nothing for me.

An album I'd not really listened through before with of course the obvious exception of Layla. That song along justifies the album but there are lots of other good bits here as well. Little Wing is poignant when you know the story. The blues influence is good and strong. An album that could have led to so much more, but chance and circumstance mean we just have this one masterpiece, and of course the few lost tracks on "Crossroads"

A good album. I knew Ian Hunter more from his solo career, but of course knew of his history. Something super special, I'm not so sure but a very enjoyable listen.

I wore the grooves out on this when it came out, so it's difficult for me to disassociate the memories from the music. But I'll try... A good album, every song is a fun listen. What it lacks is any real passion, meaning, or message. But Hey! When you're a teenager blasting it through your headphones in your bedroom Rock and Roll is more than enough.

Sympathy for the Devil is of course the song everyone knows, and it's a banger. The rest is very good but needs to be taken as part of the bands evolution to be fully appreciated. I really like this album, and it is deserving of its place, but there really isn't anything revolutionary there.

Prob my favorite McCartney album outside of the Beatles. A fun album with lots of hits but nothing truly ground-breaking. That's fine and shouldn't be compared to the solo careers of other former Beatles. Listen and enjoy a master at work without looking too much at the past.

Interesting. More rocky than I'd have imagined, but still very angry. I probably won't go back, but enjoyed listening.

At once classic yet much maligned. Born in the USA was Springsteen's big jump from being know by his fans to the top of the charts. A formative album for me I saw the tour in Connecticut and played the album to death. I guess I'm hardly unbiased. The title track is misunderstood by the right and perhaps overinterpreted by the left. Once you move on from that you have classics life "I'm on Fire", "No Surrender" and "Glory Days". It actually isn't my favourite Springsteen Album. It is however definitely an album you should listen to.

Not my favourite. Good album, but Depeche Mode were never my thing.

Surprises with how raw the sound is given how refined they became. The blues influence is still strong on some tracks yet the hints to the future were there with "The Kids are Alright". Not my favourite of their albums but worth of it's place.

Interesting. Sound and Vision is of course the song I remember, but there is lots of interesting stuff. Enjoyable but I don't understand people calling it his best. Good but not the heights I've come to expect from Bowie.

Surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. I would have thought my days of Hair Rock were long over. Some great tunes and a band that I think were better than the stereotype of the music would lead you to believe. Lots of good bluesy rifts, songs with great hooks, and not over the top on the bravado. I probably won't be coming back to this, but it deserves it's place.

Interesting. Not so much an album as a collection of 10 minute long stories. Enjoyable, but not my thing really. Still great to hear, music of that era takes me back to a time that I was too young to understand, but still a part of. 3

I remember when this album came out. Completely different than the Guitar Rock I'd listened to up until then. I'm not convinced it was totally revolutionary. There were other bands around the time doing innovative things, but they were one of the first in this wave. Great album, all the tracks are fun, some are classics. Worth of a place in the 1001 albums.

Very nice. Great harmonies and catchy lyrics. I've like these guys for quite a while. However there isn't anything really original here. For me it falls under "pleasant but mostly forgetable".

Up until about six months ago I knew nothing of Tori Amos. Then a friend insisted I saw here in Manchester. He was sad that she had lost the range in her voice, but as I didn't have that background I just enjoyed it. With this album I can hear the range she had. Very Kate Bush-esk in sound. Lyrics that have to be listened to, more than once in many cases. Very good. Still not one of my personal top albums, but a great listen.

I like this album a lot, but it's not really a casual listen. "Quiet Life" is the most likely song to be remembered, but the rendition of "All Tomorrows Parties" is also fantastic. The album is of its era and the sounds show that. Still the music is original and manages to innovate despite using some familiar hooks. I'm struggling to give it a five though, so four it is.

Early Who with Keith Moon in full form. I think you have to take the who in era's, the modern name for this sort of change. In this early Who the music is hard, loud and very raw. For an early live album it is exceptionally well recorded and almost doesn't sound live. Greatest live album ever, I'll reserve judgement, but near the very top for sure.

Different from the albums that came before, and yet a wonderful thing. I haven't given this album the attention it deserves, but it is transporting when you listen in full. Almost a concept album, but not quite. The first side is the one you'll remember most. Of course "Running up that Hill" is there with it's recent revival, but Cloudbusting was always my favourite. Wish I'd seen her live. Perhaps one more show like "Before the Dawn" please. It's hard to say this is her best album, there are contenders like "The Kick Inside" and "Lionheart" , but def a 5.

Enjoyable. Special, Not so sure. 3.5

Damn! I have to give this a five. I'm not a huge Stevie Wonder fan, but this is very good. Not something I'd listen to every day, but there's not a bad song on the album, and some absolute timeless hits. I imagine I'll hit some more of his albums later. We'll see how those do. Meantime, this is a classic, well worth a listen.

Heresy I know, but far from my favourite Bowie album. I get that he made it knowing death was imminent, and it's his last testament as such. It of course belongs on this list for that alone. In places it is moving, but it's not an album I'll come back to often.

Really surprised by this. A great album and one of the few I've gone back to listen a second time almost immediately. The glam is strong and the influences on others easy to hear. I never rated T. Rex highly before, but I'm converted.

I was about 12 when this album came out. It's good. Sweet Emotion is of course a classic. Walk this way also a great song. The rest to me, not so much. The musicianship is great but I don't hear anything groundbreaking. So a couple of hits and a bunch of admittidly good filler.

On first brush I thought. Good, but not amazing, but then I think this was the beginning. So much in this album was new. Of course you can hear the influences, but they made it their own. Ozzy's voice was at it's best and very very good. The guitar rifts aren't derivative, they are original. Any other album with this sound I'd likely give a 4, but this one deserves a 5.

I like this a lot. Never a huge Stevie Wonder fan, but that's more a me not him thing. The brilliance shines through. 5/5

"American Idiot" and "I walk alone" are the ones I knew well. Hadn't really taken the time to listen to the entire album. It's good. Great, well I don't know. I think a four for being a great album, but nothing feels particularly innovative or original.

Not what I expected. Honestly OK background music, but nothing worth a second listen here. "What are their names" is about the only thing that made me stop and listen, and even that seems a sad echo of the protests of the late 60's. Oh well, not every album can be ground-breaking. 2/5

Quite like this. Of course I was a huge Split Enz fan which counts into it. This is enjoyable music with some clever hooks. It's not going to change the world, but why should it. Sometimes music can just be for pleasure. Dad-rock, perhaps, but it is a 35 year old album, so why not. Nothing ground breaking, but a good solid album with no bad songs. 4/5

No idea what to expect from this. I didn't know about the Paul Simon connection until I read some other reviews. I try not to do that until after I've listened so my opinion isn't influenced. I like the music, the rhythm and his singing. I like the way the sound bounces between speakers giving it a lot of depth. I don't know enough of it to say it's ground breaking or influencial, but I know what I like. It will get more listens in the future 4/5

I’ve always enjoyed Blues, while perhaps not totally understanding the history. This album doesn’t need a deep understanding. You can just listen and enjoy. That said what I do know about blues tells me this is something special. Given the timing I can understand it was likely the influence that started “white boy blues” as well. That’s a good thing. People like me probably wouldn’t have heard the classics and greats had it not been for their influence. 5/5. Gotta be.