May 06 2025
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
A-Trak does Heads Will Roll better tbh. by a lot. this is a worthwhile album though. very emblematic of its era in a way that makes it a good distillation of the late 2000s indie scene; where rock music turned electronic and the internet really sunk its claws into the culture. a more engaging and interesting album than Fever To Tell, i can tell you that much, even if it does lose me as it winds down
deserves to be one of the 1001? i would say yeah (yeah yeahs)
3
May 07 2025
Pearl
Janis Joplin
not really my type of blues rock or anything. sounds pleasant, a lot of very retro organs. Kris Kristofferson does a much better Me and Bobby McGee. shame she passed away so young.
deserves to be one of the 1001? ehhh probably? maybe. wouldn't be one of my first choices though
2
May 08 2025
Odelay
Beck
unpretentious and fun, if a little bit bogged down by some middling cuts
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah!
3
May 09 2025
Stardust
Willie Nelson
for a standards album i gotta say that Willie Nelson does a great job at keeping things consistent with his style and artistry. a little middling at first, but i found myself increasingly drawn into the atmosphere. probably pairs well with a nice whiskey. best listened to at night as well, i would say.
deserves to be one of the 1001? would not be my pick for a second Willie album, but i'm not upset to see it here. sure.
3
May 12 2025
Stankonia
OutKast
finally a fucking great album. Outkast represent everything i love about hip hop and there's a strong case that this album is the peak of their creativity and willingness to experiment. Ms. Jackson is among the greatest number ones of all time, B.O.B. is an eternal banger, Humble Mumble, Xplosion, Gasoline Dreams... man this album rocks.
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely. any of their albums other than Idlewild can have a case made but this one's probably the strongest
4
May 13 2025
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
now this is an interesting one. controversial and transgressive but greatly aided in the mainstream due to racial politics. weird spot to be in. i'm white so i don't think i can really come up with a good appraisal of Eminem's role in the greater culture of hip hop, but at the very least he was important. pretty well loved first few albums too before he went Shyamalan and completely fell off. this is one of those good albums and it's not really that great to me, as Eminem has a very schoolboyish appeal that i've grown out of. not without merits though. Stan is great and chilling, with a great use of Dido's Thank You
deserves to be one of the 1001? ugh. fine. i guess. this list needs more hip hop anyway
3
May 14 2025
Hotel California
Eagles
[before listening] ah SHIT! well. 6 albums before i rolled Dad Rock, not a bad streak for a list as weighed down by that sort of rockist pap as this one. i'll give it a fair shake but none of the big hits do much for me.
[after listening] yeah this is boring, insipid and mediocre
deserves to be one of the 1001? hahaha no
2
May 15 2025
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
ah hell i'll take this over Violator. much more strange and menacing. Never Let Me Down Again is great obv (don't skip the Aggro Mix), but there are some great deep cuts too. Little 15 is crazy atmospheric and brooding. pretty neat.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
3
May 16 2025
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
ok i know that i should love Kraftwerk since they're pretty much THE electronic act in terms of paving the way, but i just don't really get this album. i love both the heady idm and the dancy Chicago House that they would influence, though. it sounds nice at least. an album more appreciable than enjoyable for me
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely
3
May 19 2025
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
nothing super special but pleasant enough. Dusty has a good voice and does the songs covered here justice. feels more like a full album than most stuff in this vein from around the time, so that's a plus
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe
2
May 20 2025
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
masterful album. extremely ambitious matching a complex storyline, frequent genre and style switch ups (Make the Bus is an of Montreal song pretty much (speaking of which, no Hissing Fauna on the list? lame)), and luxurious instrumentation. one of the best ones in the list for sure. an album that continues to show off new layers on each listen. half the songs are candidates for best on the album too.
deserves to be one of the 1001? very much yes. i like this more than Dirty Computer but i'm glad the more whimsical one made it on. but ideally both would /shrug
5
May 21 2025
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
extremely funny to get this album the day i put my cds in storage n lost access to my cd player (temporarily) (i got a used copy of this + never listened). sounds like everything that came out from 1974-78 all smushed together. which is interesting because i go "well this is derivative!" but like, it doesn't really rip off anything and has a unique sound. i'll bat for the Comfortably Numb cover but not much stuck with me.
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe
2
May 22 2025
Greetings From L.A.
Tim Buckley
it's okay. everything is executed properly, but after the emotional and visceral Starsailor (which ISN'T ON THIS LIST???), this feels a bit understated. mildly groovy, lyrics are still up to par, and not a terrible album by any means, but it's not really giving me much. Make It Right is beautifully submissive.
deserves to be one of the 1001? over STARSAILOR?? not a chance
2
May 23 2025
Tapestry
Carole King
difficult to talk about an album as universal as this one. by far the most notable thing Carole King did as a lead artist and not without merit. folksy and comforting, this is probably the peak of soft rock.
deserves to be one of the 1001? for sure
4
May 26 2025
Imagine
John Lennon
this album's name has been dragged through the mud all because of that goddamn title track. i don't think the stink from the celebrity cover from early 2020 will ever wash out. rest of it is proof that McCartney was the superior songwriter. i can kind of fuck with the atmosphere and premise but it rarely is engaging.
deserves to be one of the 1001? no but (barely holding back grin of extreme contrarian pleasure) Plastic Ono Band / Yoko Ono should!
2
May 27 2025
Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
uh i'm out of my depth but this is a nice listen and one i was happy to revisit for this project.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
3
May 28 2025
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
the cover art: walter wick’s vitruvian man
the music: pretty flavorless indie pop
deserves to be one of the 1001? no
2
May 29 2025
Beautiful Freak
Eels
about on par with the follow up, though less essential since it doesn't have Last Stop: This Town. writing is good, vocals not so much, never actively offputting
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not. Electro-Shock Blues probably should though
3
May 30 2025
Bad Company
Bad Company
wait so Bad Company UK is a band, but the original Bad Company are also from the UK? that doesn't make much sense. i've grown to appreciate this type of boomery blues rock but this isn't a really standout example
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe. probably not but maybe
2
Jun 02 2025
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
prog tends to be a bit snooty and verbose in an overly silly way for me, but i'm not a disliker of this nor Thick as a Brick. while the coherence of the latter isn't as strong on this album, it still has its moments and the edgy atheist side B is fun enough
deserves to be one of the 1001? yea
4
Jun 03 2025
Blackstar
David Bowie
among all the late-career albums from artists past their peak on this list, this is easily the greatest. it's been a shamefully long time since i last listened to this album... but it's so singular, so massive, so larger-than-life i find it difficult to be in the mood. i'm happy it was chosen for me. because GOD this is brilliant. my favorite Bowie. yes. more than his classic glam records or the Berlin Trilogy. epic swells and eclectic instrumentation. Lazarus is one of the best tracks of the 2010s. Sue has a lovely deep guitar crunch running through it. I Can't Give Everything Away is a perfect finale: urgent, ethereal.
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely
5
Jun 04 2025
The Coral
The Coral
never heard of this. apparently it's super common in charity shops in, you guessed it, the uk. even at its best (Shadows Fall) it's not terribly original or interesting. derivative.
deserves to be one of the 1001? no
2
Jun 05 2025
Forever Changes
Love
shit dude i forgot about this album. what a shame! this is some top-tier 60s psych. how whimsical! how quaint! god bless this album.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
4
Jun 06 2025
Who Killed...... The Zutons?
The Zutons
i kinda dislike the term "landfill indie" because i think it has the connotation that so much of 2000s indie music is garbage. but this website has given me a new interpretation. it's called that because there's enough of it to fill a landfill. and so, so goddamn much of it is represented on this list. this isn't a particularly good example at all. every interesting idea is smothered under a blanket. i didn't need to hear this before i die, and i think i would stand by that even if British 2000s indie rock was my favorite genre. also the cover art of their newest album is ai LMAO.
deserves to be one of the 1001? nope.
1
Jun 09 2025
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
red hot silly peppers. reddit hot shitty peppers. Flea plays a mean bass lick, John Frusciante is a great guitarist, and Anthony Kiedis delivers some of the worst lyrics in any album this significant with a very obnoxious delivery.
deserves to be one of the 1001? (begrudgingly) yea sure i guess. i hope i don't get Californication anytime soon
2
Jun 10 2025
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
ooh my first repeat artist, album 26 overall. this is pretty much two albums just stapled together but it's certainly an important part of the Outkast discography. Speakerboxxx is a good enough pop rap album, but ofc i'm team The Love Below
deserves to be one of the 1001? eh i can't make that strong of a case but it has Hey Ya and that counts for something i think
4
Jun 11 2025
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
British blues rock has a tendency to come off as weak to me, so i'm happy that a few of the tracks here are proper facemelters (thank you Jeff Beck!). generally the more weird and psychedelic songs are the better ones. good album overall. scrappy n youthful n very of its time in a charming way
deserves to be one of the 1001? wasn't expecting to say so... but yes
3
Jun 12 2025
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
i loathe Rod Stewart. his cover of Downtown Train is among my least favorite commercially successful pieces of music. many of hits are complete dogshit and the ones that don't suck don't really do much for me either. Maggie May is not an interesting or compelling song. but other than the lattermost, this album is from a different period. Rod still has a thoroughly unpleasant voice, but these songs I can at least understand the appeal of. still sucks though.
deserves to be one of the 1001? no but i can get why someone would defend it being here
1
Jun 13 2025
Smile
Brian Wilson
i don't think it's a coincidence i get this album today.
Brian Wilson's work with the Beach Boys is some of my favorite music ever. he had such an ear for melody and a truly whimsical and wonderful sense of creativity. i miss him dearly already. i hope he's up there reuniting with Carl and Dennis. rest in peace </3.
this is in a strange spot since the 1967 unreleased Smile Sessions officially came out in 2011. generally speaking, the 2011 Sessions are pretty similar (a few finished recordings were used here), but the flow between tracks is much more modern and smooth and Brian Wilson gives new vocal performances. i generally prefer the 2011 release but this rerecording of Child is Father of the Man fucks pretty hard. 4 stars but the Smile Sessions is a 5
deserves to be one of the 1001? in some capacity absolutely, with my preference leaning towards the archival release
4
Jun 16 2025
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
my least favorite of the first 5 Talking Heads albums. not necessarily bad, and Psycho Killer is a really iconic and important song, but flat and a bit underdeveloped compared to their later work
deserves to be one of the 1001? eh they have 4 albums on the list. the argument for it is there, but the other 3 albums i would leave on before this. so no. /shrug
2
Jun 17 2025
The White Album
Beatles
bloated? absolutely. has some complete stinkers? oh for sure. has some of the stupidest, most experimental, and weirdest songs released under their name? yes, and that's awesome. god bless this mess. everyone agrees that this is inconsistent, but there's little agreement on what the peaks and nadirs are. that's cool! Revolution 9 is one of the peaks btw.
deserves to be one of the 1001? fuck i mean there are 7 Beatles albums on here and that seems like a bit much. not *too* much, but you could cut it down to 4 or 5, which I think is the most any artist deserves. shit though, cutting this album would feel Wrong. cutting most would feel wrong. I would make my top 4 one of the early ones, Revolver, Sgt Peppers, and Abbey Road. but that leaves both this and Rubber Soul off... i mean i guess Revolver is less important than Rubber Soul to understanding the band but it's also my favorite. hmmmm. this album could be left off and i would understand it but i would have trouble cutting it if i were making the list. or not. they're The Beatles, they can have 6 albums, fuck it.
4
Jun 18 2025
Frank
Amy Winehouse
good and thoroughly well put together, but a little bit flat and lacking in the emotion a lot of what she's throwing back to excels at
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe. probably not as much as Back to Black
3
Jun 19 2025
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
i like The Byrds more when Gram Parsons is involved but this isn't bad, not bad at all. a little bit of country flavor but this is closer to straight psych rock, with some folk rock thrown in. i liked the simpler songs that preview the future of this band the most.
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe
3
Jun 20 2025
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
i mean. it's a great collection of soul. Al Green wails and lays himself all over these tracks in ways that make you feel like you just sat down after a hard day standing at work. speaks to something deeper than just what the lyrics dictate.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah!
4
Jun 23 2025
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
fuck the nazi behind this. and fuck him for making me wrestle with the fact that his first 5 albums are almost certainly the greatest 5 album run of any rapper. rightfully considered his masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy represents the gold standard of maximalist pop music. i haven't returned to this album, or any other of his, in years, but i cannot lie to myself. this is 5 stars. i hate ye so much.
deserves to be one of the 1001? ..... yes :(
5
Jun 24 2025
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
perhaps a bit juvenile and edgy, but has enough charm to its funnier songs and enough prowess on its serious ones to be a good time. i like this more than the MMLP. gets really good at the end.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes and i'm kind of surprised there's only this and the follow up. The Eminem Show should probably be on here too.
4
Jun 25 2025
Let It Be
The Replacements
really great portrayal of youthful angst. would be massive in the development of alt n indie rock as rejections of the glitzy mainstream rock of the 80s. especially 1984, a year known for being perhaps the biggest year of pop music ever. Seen Your Video is an explicit rejection of MTV culture. it's nice and rough and gay and *real*.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
4
Jun 26 2025
Moby Grape
Moby Grape
god damn this has been my "1001 albums filler" punching bag since i started this, and i get it now? 38 albums in? jeez... not for any musical reason, mind you. just cause Moby Grape sounds dumb. it's a fine enough record. fairly standard for late 60s fare.
i'm more excited to listen to Oar once it gets rolled
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not, but if you disagree i won't be mad
2
Jun 27 2025
Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai! v happy to get this. what other band has a didgeridoo player as a member? shit's awesome. also the Jojo Weather Report connection but that's neither here nor there on this album. less disco-pop and more jazz-funk than their later work, which may be a positive if you have a proclivity for that sort of thing. personally this is so clean and slick to where i like it more when they give in to the pop sensibilities and use those to play off the jazzy structures for maximum groove. but this isn't bad; not bad at all.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i'm maybe a little surprised this was the one instead of Travelling Without Moving (Virtual Insanity ;-;). but i liked it enough to be ok with it since it means Jamiroquai gets on this list
3
Jun 30 2025
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
as far as boomer blues rock from the time and place goes, i'll take the Stones over pretty much anything else.
deserves to be one of the 1001? hell yea brotherrr \m/
4
Jul 01 2025
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
to many this is the definitive Sam Cooke album. it's always interesting when a live album holds that distinction. Sam Cooke, granted, rose in the era before albums became the dominant release format, and this performance ties a lot of his best singles from the early 60s up in a little package. albeit the energy here is a lot scrappier, and more appealing to rock sensibilities. god does it make for a compelling mix. hard to beat Sam Cooke.
deserves to be one of the 1001? for sure!
5
Jul 02 2025
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
very tasteful bedtime pop music. has a weird thing going on where it's extremely British, but has a lot of country flavor to it. not sure I like that mix. leave it to us yanks ok? but it's not bad. subtle music with careful intentions. it can get bloody gorgeous at times; The Ocean is a great example
deserves to be one of the 1001? google "rng". if the number is a multiple of 5, then yes. i suspect it's here primarily due to Hawley's involvement with Pulp
3
Jul 03 2025
Opus Dei
Laibach
damnnn okayyyy. something interesting for once. thank you generator. the best and most evocative songs are the ones where Van Halen Jump synths are combined with this militaristic marching and chanting. this album has more reviews with the keyword "nazi" than any other album besides the three Kanye ones. the whole "posing as a fascist" thing can be offputting, but i have a higher tolerance with industrial stuff since being edgy n shocking is half the point. i'll get proper annoyed when it's clearly genuine. or has a Peter Sotos collage. did you know that Laibach were the first Western rock band to perform live in North Korea? not kidding!
deserves to be one of the 1001? yea! i was gonna make a copypastacore joke but Laibach aren't on there wtf
deserves to be one of the bottom 20? no! but i'm less offended by its appearance compared to some of the others
3
Jul 04 2025
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
you know, i don't really find the bangers here that bangin'. i like the folkier boogie stuff more. good grooves in there
deserves to be one of the 1001? this is one of the most important glam rock albums so i'm going with yes
3
Jul 07 2025
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
it's The Fucking Dark Side of the Moon
deserves to be one of the 1001? i don't know, you tell me
4
Jul 08 2025
The Specials
The Specials
in terms of more subdued, relaxing ska, i prefer the first wave Jamaican stuff. in terms of fast paced, hyperactive ska, i like the third wave punk stuff. but there's absolutely something special about this moment in British music history. a multiracial middle finger to thatcher.
deserves to be one of the 1001? as arguably the definitive 2nd wave ska album i would say Yes, Absolutely
3
Jul 09 2025
Smash
The Offspring
not too long before Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) The Offspring were a pretty respectable punk band! much rougher than the pop punk before or after, Smash still managed to be a huge turning point for the genre. this is closer to My Chemical Romance than Screeching Weasel. and i should probably say that i like pop punk so that's not a bad thing at all. but even if one doesn't, this album will probably manage to do the trick nonetheless
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably yes
4
Jul 10 2025
Pornography
The Cure
i forgot how great this album is. so dark, so dingy, so scary, yet so tender, so melancholic, so lovely. amazingly goth
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely
5
Jul 11 2025
Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
a very important one here. kind of the genesis of abstract hip hop as a defined movement. at least when it crystallized into something distinct. morbidly funny and wildly creative. Kool Keith going in this direction is really cool and shows how much he matters to hip hop.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes, despite its slipping position among younger hip hop heads
4
Jul 14 2025
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
Q-Tip is the best part of this. the hardcore punk callbacks to their roots are cool. the jazz-funk is not. i don't really care for the Beastie Boys despite their importance, unfortunately
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not compared to their first two, which are also on the list
2
Jul 15 2025
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
avoided the issue on spotify since that removes a few samples (man, copyright law makes me so mad). god this album is so great. cracked wide open the possibilities of what hip hop music could be. sunny and bright, and with brilliant production courtesy of Prince Paul. delightfully on the same wavelength as the acid house from across the pond, but in a completely different context. Me, Myself and I is a massive tune. fairly backloaded but god is that back half good
deserves to be one of the 1001? mhm mhm! a rare album that really could not be made today in all its sampledelic glory. simply essential. one of the most important 80s hip hop albums
5
Jul 16 2025
The Contino Sessions
Death In Vegas
the positives: Dirge is massive. builds and keeps intrigue as it adds increasingly dense layers of feedback and texture to the underlying trip hop beat. otherwise this is just a pile of mishmashed trip hop n neo-psych tropes with little flavor or depth. thin songwriting on here
deserves to be one of the 1001? no. trip hop is weirdly overrepresented. probably the only electronic subgenre where that's the case. make sense though, since it's not ravey or energetic or cerebral or experimental... it's just vibe music. it can be great for sure, but don't look for that here
2
Jul 17 2025
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
Strength of Your Nature has a Talking Heads thing going on. Tracey Thorn from EBTG is on here, which is pretty cool. hey quick question why is the guy from The Jam rapping? there's a lot of shit being thrown and the wall and not much of it sticks. it's fine.
deserves to be one of the 1001? no
2
Jul 18 2025
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
despite their importance to shoegaze (pronounced like Fugazi) as a genre, the only MBV i've heard is Loveless. that album sets the shoegaze bar wayy too high i think. but this is a different album. a scrappier one. less like the warm enveloping avalanche of Loveless and more like a rough and tumble slacker indie album from its time. it gives The Microphones and sludge metal at points. not super electrifying but i enjoyed my time well enough
deserves to be one of the 1001? i lean yes but i don't have super strong feelings
3
Jul 21 2025
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
i've been loving my fair share of ELO singles so i think it's a bit late to get around to an album. but whateva man im doing it now. could this have been condensed into a single album? probably yea. does Electric Light Orchestra's sound tickle my ears better than any other late 70s pop? also probably yea. still only my second favorite progressive pop album from the late 70s with this album title. Blue Gene Tyranny takes precedence.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes. maybe another album of theirs could be on here too but i haven't explored their catalogue enough to say
4
Jul 22 2025
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
pretty insane tbh. facemeltingly futuristic and utterly awesome. the musicianship is tight and the grooves are constantly moving in awesome directions. Herbie Hancock was in 2073 for this. and his other work at the time, too
deserves to be one of the 1001? without a doubt YES
5
Jul 23 2025
The Real Thing
Faith No More
you know, Ozzy Osbourne passed away today, and i got this album. it has a War Pigs cover! how fitting. rest in peace to a legend though, wouldn't be shocked if we all got Black Sabbath albums tomorrow to commemorate. either way this album has gotta be the most normal thing Mike Patton was involved with. not a knock, per se, though. Epic is awesome for a hit in 1990 and the rest of it has a very forward thinking alt metal sound. some banger deep cuts too. Woodpecker From Mars goes dummy
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not over Angel Dust but it's good to have Mike Patton on here in some form. a Mr Bungle album should be on here I reckon too :eyes:
3
Jul 24 2025
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
i anticipated something like this... rest in peace man :( i should revisit the first 3 Sabbath albums and see if i like them more now that a few years have passed. i have more of a taste for heavy rock music of this era and style than i used to. when this album rips, it rips. i do think a lot of the slower folky songs are a bit meh though
deserves to be one of the 1001? eh I would rather have Master of Reality but there are less deserving artists with three albums on here anyway
3
Jul 25 2025
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
would the people be mad at me if i said this was the weakest Jimi Hendrix Experience album? probably. still rips tho
deserves to be one of the 1001? for sure
3
Jul 28 2025
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
i’ve heard this so many times in art class. makes it an old friend in a way. very important to 2000s indie and a great album in its own right
deserves to be one of the 1001? v much yes
4
Jul 29 2025
2112
Rush
randian bs aside, i don’t like the vocals at all
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe but i’m cool with just Moving Pictures tbh
2
Jul 30 2025
Go Girl Crazy
The Dictators
any comment i make about the mood of this would quickly dissolve into insecure bitching on my part so let's not do that. i know the racist shit is supposed to be satirical but it is goddamn difficult to buy that something this fratty has any layers to it. also not really punk sounding tbh especially for the time period but that's not really a critique. still, putrid vibes.
deserves to be one of the 1001? nope
1
Jul 31 2025
21
Adele
i remember listening to this when i was a kid since my parents were old enough to be caught in the storm. shit, i hadn't heard Rumour Has It in over a decade but i could still sing the chorus. this was a moment. i was expecting the Lovesong cover to stink but the bossa nova flair makes it very tasteful. good adult contemporary. but the soul aspects of it feel a little white bread to me
deserves to be one of the 1001? for its sheer popularity? probably, but keep just one Adele album (probably)
2
Aug 01 2025
Metallica
Metallica
the beginning of the end for thrash metal's biggest stars. their Black Album is a departure from their 80s work that's dumber, less interesting, and less worthwhile than anything before. but listen, Enter Sandman does fuck, despite some poor lyrics. you hear those riffs? i ain't above dumb fun
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes. but as a cautionary tale
2
Aug 04 2025
Amnesiac
Radiohead
hey im gonna blow yr fuckin mind: that's a book on the cover. people will get mad at you for calling this table scraps from Kid A but it's not like, wrong? i think at one point this was my least favorite Radiohead album other than Pablo Honey. i don't stand by that anymore though. i've learned to appreciate the weirdo aspects this album has as a metaphorical little brother with weird niche interests to Kid A. Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors is so underrated tbh, which i have a pass to say because i listen to a lot of electronic and i know good idm goddammit
deserves to be one of the 1001? no. Radiohead has plenty.
3
Aug 05 2025
Blur
Blur
i'm such a fuckin yank. Damon Albarn's voice in this context rather than Gorillaz is jarring to me lol. this is honestly a pretty well-rounded album. a lot of studio fuckery and experimentation that gives each track its own flavor. perhaps all the American indie rock influence piped into this made it easier for me to latch onto than britpop.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i mean if you're dead set on having 3 Blur albums this one does have its own character and importance. but i would lean on Parklife and probably 13 as the only inclusions. but if you choose this over 13 i won't be mad
3
Aug 06 2025
Microshift
Hookworms
there are 3 albums released in 2018 represented on this list. they're an odd bunch, not really being the most notable releases even in their niche. i guess i listened to Golden Hour and liked it? this isn't even that bad or anything i'm just incredibly confused that this made it over the plethora of great indie stuff put out that year. doesn't mean it's that good, either. very middle of the road and uncompelling. it exists. the krautrock song is pretty okay
deserves to be one of the 1001? it's maybe the easiest no of the entire decade
2
Aug 07 2025
Queen II
Queen
queen are, fundamentally, a singles band. this album has no recognizable smash hit singles, at least to me. how does that work out for them? well, it does mean that a more unified identity is displayed here. i don't love much of it but the storybook fantasy flair is memorable and pretty fun. this is kinda tangential but the 2011 remaster is really muddy and the original mix isn't great either.
deserves to be one of the 1001? fuck i mean maybe. would just have A Night at the Opera and something else. maybe this album gets to be that something else! who knows
3
Aug 08 2025
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
kinda weird and quirky at times in a way that reminded me of what Kate Bush would be doing 5 years later, but a little subdued at times despite the competence on display
deserves to be one of the 1001? not as much as So or his third self-titled. probably could be cut but i prefer it to the latter
3
Aug 11 2025
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
Nina Simone goes up to the limit of how visceral and passionate music can be and regularly crosses it. listen after 8 hours of standing up at work when you're finally able to give your feet a rest. will feel about as good as the best sex (not that i would know)
deserves to be one of the 1001? yea but not as much as Pastel Blues!! why the snub? it has Sinnerman for goodness sakes!!
4
Aug 12 2025
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
this list really illuminates a generational gap in music taste when it comes to post-rock. there's barely any on it! just this, the Tortoise album, and Spiderland which is in its own category tbh. zoomers love that shit. not me but i get the appeal. and this does appeal to me in a very real sense. sleepy music. the bombast feels lightweight, like throwing a football on the moon.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes. over ( ) which, like the actual list, i would skip. thumbs up on Sigur Rós here. but no Godspeed You Black Emperor and neither of Talk Talk's final two albums?
4
Aug 13 2025
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
i lament that i don't understand The Doors sometimes. they seem so cool but the music doesn't really go all the way for me with a few exceptions like Light My Fire and The End and Riders on the Storm. i think Jim Morrison is a good writer but nothing was that memorable to me
deserves to be one of the 1001? would just leave The Doors with the self-titled and Strange Days probably, L.A. Woman too maybe
2
Aug 14 2025
Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
it's not that there's no post-hardcore on this list, but what there is is a strange bunch. a lot of genre classics and staples ignored in favor of... this? either way it was a nice find. i like noisy, i like raw, i like punk. it is kind of bogged down by the garage rock revival qualities but there's enough noise to make it a more pleasant listen than anything The White Stripes ever did. not essential though
deserves to be one of the 1001? it's not bad at all but no. not important enough. sorry :(
3
Aug 15 2025
Skylarking
XTC
quite a fun listen. a bunch of little weirdo pop songs that are certainly indebted to the psychedelic 60s but are never derivative and unoriginal. certainly a product of its time, but never overwhelmingly tacky and gross
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah!
4
Aug 18 2025
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
hip hop before the golden age was weird. a completely different game, really. this is probably the best example of the pre-Eric B & Rakim era (they aren't represented on this list for whatever reason). some bangers like It's Tricky, and a lot of this sounds rudimentary in the 2020s, but it’s super foundational and worth listening to for that alone. just not my favorite.
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely
3
Aug 19 2025
The Clash
The Clash
important but i don't really care for this sort of punk. changed everything in rock music but that doesn't easily or necessarily translate to my personal enjoyment. it feels lame as fuck to play that card, but there's meatier, hookier, pointier written, rawer, angrier, and just plain better punk that followed. both by this band and by others.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah! and throw a Crass album on there too
3
Aug 20 2025
(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
siiiiiigh. Free Bird fucking rocks and the rest of this is a nice bowl of collards with potlikker. the confederate flag shit was always gross but i'm not gonna lie and say this isn't an awesome listen
deserves to be one of the 1001? fuck it yea why not
4
Aug 21 2025
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
i have cried my eyes out to Return of the Grievous Angel more times than i can count. it has a real, genuine shot at being my favorite song of all time. the lyrics are absolutely gorgeous and heartrending. and the country melody is just the best. it may be my favorite, but if i really want to bawl until nothing is left, In My Hour of Darkness is even more punching. knowing that Gram wouldn't live to see the release of this album makes it so heartbreaking and poignant.
I Can't Dance is a rocker. the medley is pretty nice too. and most importantly: Emmylou Harris' backing vocals throughout the album are a delight. i really wish they would have had more chances to collaborate, but unfortunately this album didn't come until Gram Parsons passed away, just a few months shy of the 27 club.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i love it too much to humor the idea of leaving it off
5
Aug 22 2025
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
i see a lot of crossover appeal between this and Steely Dan, strangely enough. a shame that i don't really care for yacht rock. or this slickass 80s production. no edge at all. lyrics are alright. the dubby Ride Across the River is a real highlight. almost brings it up to 3 stars. almost.
deserves to be one of the 1001? uh. sure. probably yeah
2
Aug 25 2025
Dummy
Portishead
trip hop is almost certainly the most accessible electronic music scene of the 1990s to the rockist magazine complex that this list comes out of. no thumping beat, extremely undanceable, and a lot less immediate. as someone that falls over 90s rave music, i have my biases against that. but that doesn't extend to the music itself! this has a thick atmosphere with a lot of almost hauntological interpretations of vocal jazz. one of the best albums of the 90s? no. but still a good listen worthy of revisiting
ALSO i got this on the 31st anniversary of its release. neat!
deserves to be one of the 1001? yea, even if i think trip hop is overrepresented, this is among the crown jewels of it
3
Aug 26 2025
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
woo! something fun and outside the box (for the standards of the 1001 list)! every criticism people throw at this is a compliment by others. angsty 70s hard rock has a place in the music nerd world, why not angsty 2000s nu metal? there's a reason why the reputation of Linkin Park has grown with their target audience. is the rawness smothered under a corporate sheen? sure, but that's always been the m.o. of the music industry. i'm not gonna be a hypocrite over it. and Papercut and In the End are massive tunes anyway.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i don't give a shit if this is juvenile and angsty. this album is Important. Meteora may be my preference but this one earns its spot pretty handily
4
Aug 27 2025
Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
while not my favorite of his work, it's always a treat to see something non-Western on this list. and Taj Mahal is such a great song. Brazilian music is great
deserves to be one of the 1001? Jorge Ben should have like, 3 albums on here
4
Aug 28 2025
Sincere
Mj Cole
why the hate? most of the lowly rated albums on this list are experimental or offensive. not this one though. it's just dance music? suppose it shouldn't be surprising when the term "electronica" is still being thrown around in the 2020s. nobody in the reviews section has any idea what to make of this. kinda shocking since the appeal is so simple. ignore the vocals and move yr body! rateyourmusic doesn't understand dance music? 1001albumsgenerator.com makes it look like a bunch of seasoned ravegoers. but i digress.
this ain't that special. but it's not bad. the title track reminds me of Flat Beat by Mr Oizo which is pretty awesome (Lambs Anger should be on this list tbh). does kinda suffer the dance music album pitfall of being way too long and unfocused. but the actual music is generally pretty nice, if a little bit too tastefully clean, uk garage. and i like uk garage!
deserves to be one of the 1001? Sweet Female Attitude and Sunship are both probably? (guessing as an American) more notable than MJ Cole, if you wanna include a 2-step album. which i think is a decent choice even if it does show some uk bias. i wouldn't pick this one though. not notable outside of its tiny niche
deserves to be one of the bottom 20? mmmm. no.
3
Aug 29 2025
Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
kinda funny how this band is Finnish considering their death drive for being American. it's on the more tasteful end of this 80s big hair glam sound, which is nice. but that's only enough to make it tolerable instead of putrid. this album's just not my cup of tea in the end
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not
2
Sep 01 2025
The Doors
The Doors
a rendition of a Kurt Weill / Bertolt Brecht song is always a good thing to see, and of course Light my Fire and The End are insane psych rock songs. but otherwise the drug addled, CIA funded story of The Doors is a lot more interesting than the actual music. but this is one of their better moments
deserves to be one of the 1001? too important to leave off, it needs to be included
3
Sep 02 2025
Urban Hymns
The Verve
yea that's a britpop album alright. Bittersweet Symphony is real great, and it's never like. bad. but its whole movement doesn't capture me much and this doesn't have the variety that some of the best britpop does.
deserves to be one of the 1001? uh yea sure. but i'd kick it out in favor of an Indonesian prog album
3
Sep 03 2025
Electric
The Cult
gothic rock, post-punk, 80s alt rock. all very cool styles. styles this band dabbled in on their last album. all that got scrapped in favor of meatheaded hard rock with the involvement of Rick Rubin. i should be mad that i have to listen to hard rock instead of all that fun stuff on their sophomore album, but i'm not. i think deliberately hitting yourself in the head with a rock can be a fun time! i'm not above stupid crap. it's kinda funny to imagine a world where Swans just said "HaHaHa fuck you" in 2001 and made I Get Wet instead of Andrew WK. but this does fuck! it's pretty much what i want in 80s hard rock sleaze! not an original bone in its body, but the depth of sellout is compelling enough to bring me back around. this is backhanded as fuck but i kinda love this for its sheer trashiness and antagonism towards taste and originality.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i mean Love certainly looks a hellofa lot more interesting.. and the fans of the band like it a lot more too. so yeah idk why this was the pick lmao
4
Sep 04 2025
Manassas
Stephen Stills
hhhhh i know that the california country rock sound of this time is something i'll praise and praise again but this one falls flat for me. songwriting is very forgettable and other than the occasional bluegrass flair, little stuck out to me
deserves to be one of the 1001? there's a lot of CSNY on this list even if you exclude Neil Young's solo work so i dont think it *needs* to be here. but if i had to pick one Stephen Stills album i would pick this and then go "wait, why do i need solo Stills?"
2
Sep 05 2025
Shleep
Robert Wyatt
while not as emotional or monumental as Rock Bottom, it keeps the beautiful sound and dreamlike atmosphere and pushes them even further. works really well as a comeback album. still maintains the unique creative voice while pushing forward into new territory
deserves to be one of the 1001? eh probably not but i'd take it over ~40% of the actual picks
4
Sep 08 2025
Purple Rain
Prince
it's Prince motherfucker. specifically his most universally acclaimed album. is it great?? obviously! but it's certainly a bit more mainstream and a lot less surreal than his other big albums of the 80s (1999 and Sign O the Times). that's not a knock, but to someone more familiar with Weirdo Prince like me, it can be a bit middling that this is his greatest achievement in the popular consciousness. still awesome though
deserves to be one of the 1001? of course! of course! of course!
4
Sep 09 2025
Violator
Depeche Mode
ok ok i said that i liked Music For the Masses more when i got that album, but this is closer than i remember it being. Enjoy the Silence is an all timer pop song, but i love Policy of Truth and Personal Jesus too. you can also throw in Sweetest Perfection. but otherwise it definitely is a bit uneven and is held back by that
deserves to be one of the 1001? for sure
3
Sep 10 2025
La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
dynamic music pressed into neatly trimmed sheets of downtempo. technically sound and evocative of Argentine cosmopolitanism, but ultimately not very interesting or emotive. it's okay.
deserves to be one of the 1001? this one strikes me as a representation of the entire genre of modern tango rather than an album to listen to in its own right. i feel like it was chosen not because it's particularly significant to electrotango, but because the authors felt that everyone should be familiar with the style and this was easily accessible to a British audience. this not only flattens rich musical lineages into a few token picks, but means that what is chosen becomes the face of the style to everyone but the nerds that care enough to look deeper. so tldr:
probably not because i don't think this is a particularly significant example of electrotango. but i could be wrong. if i am, fuck.
2
Sep 11 2025
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
beautifully of its time. that window between the 80s and 90s where the transition into cds hadn't finished yet, when teenagers started going to illegal warehouse raves, and everything burst into a collapsing pile of sound. music for the "end of history". it's just not that memorable or special to me as an american
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
3
Sep 12 2025
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
i mean come on. what, you're gonna deny this? christ.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes yes yes, it does it does!
4
Sep 15 2025
In Rainbows
Radiohead
relies a little too much on the sleepy and sad guitar tracks to be a favorite of mine, but this is canonical for a reason! 15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Videotape, and Weird Fishes are all among the best and most memorable songs Radiohead has ever made
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah! even if the music weren't as beloved as it is, the pay-what-you-want system being popularized by this would be reason enough
4
Sep 16 2025
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
EWF is always fun, right? everyone loves them. this is a fun little romp through the big styles of rnb from the mid 70s, and the mid 70s may just be the best decade for rnb. no way this would've sucked. you got soul, funk, a little disco, some fusion occasionally popping up as an influence. my favorite song is the instrumental Africano
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably, but if it's included, another one of their higher concept ones from the late 70s should to
4
Sep 17 2025
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
missing the country elements that i enjoy in this style, but not bad at all. not bad at all, really. title track is pretty good
deserves to be one of the 1001? this one does but i don’t think they need 5 on here lol
3
Sep 18 2025
Different Class
Pulp
very funny that i get this as soon as i land in the uk for a few months. maybe it’s just the shitty weather and the meal deal speaking but i found this really great, even better than i remember! great lyrics, and stylistically this is so much more colorful than most other britpop i’ve heard.
deserves to be one of the 1001? britpop needs a few on here. i say yes!
4
Sep 19 2025
Scott 4
Scott Walker
i like this album! i like its lyrics, i like Scott Walker’s voice, and i like the late 60s psychedelic comedown style present. dude was going places, places strange and scary. makes sense with the dark undercurrent on this album. have a nice walk in the woods to it! just make sure to stay on the path and don’t go looking in hollow trees
deserves to be one of the 1001? Yes! Scott Walker carves out a unique and commanding voice in an era replete with great singer/songwriters. that said, i would also add one of his weirdo late period albums like Bisch Bosch
4
Sep 22 2025
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
indie rock, man. did Arcade Fire ruin it? no. that's wayy too harsh of an idea to humor. but they do represent a lot of the trends it had in the 2000s that i'm less keen on. but they had their moments and they could put together a decent song. i just don't think there's that much compelling here, really. Funeral at least i can understand the romance of. the lyrics are good but there's not much pathos in their presentation idk
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe i guess. b-b-b-b-but i don’t like arcade fire!! wahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
2
Sep 23 2025
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
freaky, progressive, radical, intense, and utterly facemelting. this album rocks. still fire and shocking nowadays. in '63 i bet this blew people's minds
deserves to be one of the 1001? you bet ur ass it does
4
Sep 24 2025
Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand
myah i think i would rather listen to one of their early cowpunk albums. a voice like this would work much better with that sort of rough energy than the slow and laid-back country flavored indie muzak on this album. get a lot of Eels vibes. if that's ur thing that's ur thing i suppose. sorta reminds me of the background music from Wild at Heart. vibe pieces don't do much for me though
deserves to be one of the 1001? no. the alt-country selection isn't horrible but this should not snub Uncle Tupelo
2
Sep 25 2025
Parachutes
Coldplay
platonic ideal of a 7/10 album. this makes for a hard time rating it on a 5 point scale. quite the conundrum.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yea i spose
3
Sep 26 2025
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
makes me think that 90s alt rock really was important and magical, if only for a little bit.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yesss
4
Sep 29 2025
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
well... it's Simon and Garfunkel. not their most iconic work but it does its job fairly well. one of these songs does a Dylan parody which is kinda fun but definitely is out of my cultural frame
deserves to be one of the 1001? you could make a case for it i think
3
Sep 30 2025
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Fast Car is eternal; the greatest hit of the entire 1980s. the rest is good, albeit a bit drably produced.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
4
Oct 01 2025
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
well at least the pants on the cover art are cunty as fuck. very much a slice of what early 2000s pop music was like, which is interesting in a way, but i don't find much of this compelling or memorable. Xtina isn't really a strong personality in pop music, and while she's pretty competent as an r&b vocalist, she's not like. special? i tend to forget how huge she was around this time. and the extreme 77 minute length is pretty unforgivable in '02. leave that shit in the 90s.
deserves to be one of the 1001? truthfully honestly none of her albums do. it's a puzzling choice even despite my belief that mainstream pop should be represented! especially since this is pretty comparable to The Velvet Rope, which is Much better, provocative, and well-realized. and guess which one's on the list.
1
Oct 02 2025
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
the bit hit single certainly carries this far, but the vibes are good enough to keep me on board for the rest of it. Mary Ann is a great little slice of early 20th century American cabaret music. would love to see more of that in Alice Cooper's work. his grasp of showmanship is his best asset imo. get weird!
deserves to be one of the 1001? for its importance to shock rock and glam, yes i think so
3
Oct 03 2025
So Much For The City
The Thrills
another cup of instant coffee another plastic spoon another table routine. another 2000s indie rock album. this time with a substantial amount of 60s California country rock flavor. that's like. this list's two favorite things. and they're Irish and have noticeably unamerican accents. not a fan. dull and bland.
deserves to be one of the 1001? no. but Whitehouse should have one
1
Oct 06 2025
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
forget all those shitty hacky sack bands that try and fail to reach the R.E.M. sound. i've heard some of the crap that played on the radio after this album hit it big and it's worlds apart in quality. i didn't appreciate this album so much back when i first listened, but boy does perspective paint this favorably. this is real shit. Spin Doctors and Soul Asylum and Gin Blossoms have worn my taste for mainstream alt rock to a nub, but this brought some of it back. real songwriting, real pathos. just not a personal favorite. i have higher hopes for Murmur
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah
3
Oct 07 2025
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
so fucking inconsistent it's not even funny but SHUT UP FOR A SECOND and let Love Lies Bleeding and Grey Seal and Bennie and the Jets work their magic and THEN KEEP LISTENING because even at his worst 70s Elton John knows how to put on a show. super fun times
deserves to be one of the 1001? YES!
4
Oct 08 2025
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
ugh the best bossa nova is dynamic and romantic. but it, because of the genre conventions, must be subtle. the greats, like Bebel Gilberto's father, take great care to make something beautiful and emotionally complex. but far too often the essence is diluted and you get muzak. this has that y2k electronic flair (this list loves the frictionless downtempo sound of this era), which i suppose is better than the early 60s pop that would artlessly chunk in bossa nova gestures. but still. not really interesting. pass.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i take umbrage with this being here instead of any of Joao Gilberto's solo work. truthfully the Brazilian music selection on this list is nonsensical. Acabou Chorare is absent. what's goin on?
2
Oct 09 2025
Out of Step
Minor Threat
the real fuckin deal. no bullshit. pair this with the first 2 eps and Salad Days for best experience. hardcore is so cool. i love Ian MacKaye's rawness as a vocalist and just how energetic this whole ep is. it's like the music is gonna fall apart from rattling so hard. this is probably the best part of their discography. songwriting is juvenile but it's sold so well. way better than either of the Green Day albums on here cmon guys.
deserves to be one of the 1001? no... because the Complete Discography should instead >:) but i understand that adding compilations is probably against convention so i get it. the self-titled would probably be a better pick for importance but i suppose if you wanna cram as much Minor Threat in as you can, this is a fine pick
5
Oct 10 2025
Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
myeh i think Nick Drake is a decent songwriter, and this is solid hangover cure music. don't really care for him much as a vocalist or a performer. hard to deny the influence, though. +50 points for being referenced in that Boris cover
deserves to be one of the 1001? i get the desire to have all 3 Nick Drake albums on it but realistically u could probably cut this one. though i'm certainly on the more negative end of opinions on him fwiw
2
Oct 13 2025
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
as Nirvana were entering their final years, Kurt was getting progressively more interested in breaking conventions. he made an album with William S Burroughs. he got Steve Albini involved with In Utero. then he took his own life. and the rest of the band live on wandering aimlessly. i don't like the great man theory of history, and i don't like it when it's applied to art. but Grohl is no Cobain. remember when he was caught cheating on his wife and everyone went apeshit? kind of funny in hindsight.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i truthfully could not give less of a shit about the Foo Fighters. even The Colour and the Shape would be a hard sell to me.
2
Oct 14 2025
1999
Prince
ah. well. i came home drunk last night and crashed halfway through side B, so this isn't really that fresh. but. i've listened to this album many times, and i must say that it's really probably the best 80s Prince album. of course, the first side has the big hits, but the real best side is actually side D. Lady Cab Driver is actually awesome, the bit where Prince monologues while having sex with this lady is crazy, and the constant tidal pull of the ambient street noise does so much to bring atmosphere. and the guitar solo? incredible. it transitions so smoothly into All The Critics Love U In New York, which is another banger with some weirdo elements. make sure to listen to that on the 4th of November for max vibes. International Lover is an incredibly smooth closer too. bangers all around, this album
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes!
5
Oct 15 2025
Feast of Wire
Calexico
very smooth and atmospheric, but certainly meaty enough to make me stay interested. certainly sounds Southwestern. an album that only could have come from the arid hills of Southern Arizona
deserves to be one of the 1001? iirc The Black Light is the most celebrated album of theirs, but i don't mind this one being the Calexico pick. they deserve a spot. sure
3
Oct 16 2025
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
here i am. sick as a FUCKING dog. it hurts to talk and to swallow and to sit and to be. i do NOT need to be hit in the chest emotionally as well but maybe it wouldn't hit as hard if i weren't able to describe myself as "frail". but yeah the songs are tender and fragile, and the sentiments are rich and complex. wonderful album
deserves to be one of the 1001? for its importance to 2000s indie yes
4
Oct 17 2025
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
i just can't really get much out of this jammy stuff. probably goes down easier than one of their live albums, since there's real songwriting here. but firmly in the "not for me" camp
deserves to be one of the 1001? it's important enough so yes
2
Oct 20 2025
Machine Head
Deep Purple
the type of dad rock i can really get down with. bangin' riffs. and a few fun solos in there along the way. the side openers are iconic for good reason even if they've been drilled into the ground a bit by overplay
deserves to be one of the 1001? for Smoke on the Water alone, sure
3
Oct 21 2025
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
oh boy not this album. not this discourse! is this ideologically "punk"? no. is it good? not really. is it the first to the punch? also no. this album's legacy is more of the "punk band in a 2000s Cartoon Network show" than it is the hardcore scenes of today. but even a lot of the "real" punk bands will tell you that this album is important, goddamnit! the iconography and imagery are long enduring, whether that be because of the marketing pushing them or not. but none of this evaluates the actual quality of the record, which is why discourse about authenticity so often smothers the work at the centre of the conversation. i find it bogged down by a lot of the conventions late 70s punk rock dabbles in. not for me really. but don't think i couldn't let myself forgive the fakeness of the Sex Pistols story if the music was bangin' enough
deserves to be one of the 1001? this is important in the sense that it *did* define punk music in the popular consciousness and led Lydon to a fruitful career with Public Image Ltd. is it more effective as imagery than music? yeah, for sure, and maybe this list isn't "1001 Band T-Shirts You Should Wear Before You Die", but the marketing around it was stupidly effective, and a punk album that everyone's mum knows is an anomaly in the grand scheme of things
2
Oct 22 2025
Cross
Justice
it may drag in the middle but make no mistake. this is some high-class stuff. Stress, Waters of Nazareth, Dance, Genesis? whew. club classics for sure. anyone filtered by Tthhee Ppaarrttyy is not to be trusted
deserves to be one of the 1001? forget all the Daft Punk comparisons. the legacy of this album to electro house cannot be overstated. this is some important shit and it absolutely needs to be here if you give a shit about dance music
4
Oct 23 2025
Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
mostly covers, like most Emmylou albums from this time period. and country music in general. she's good at what she does hence this is a good record. shrimple as that. the song she did write, Boulder to Birmingham, is the standout. really phenomenal song
deserves to be one of the 1001? one of her 70s albums should absolutely be here and this is a good pick
4
Oct 24 2025
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
the fact that Elvis was drafted is mindblowing to me. many have already cracked jokes about it but i can't imagine anything like it nowadays. i suppose the BTS boys doing their mandatory service counts. loses me a bit as it goes on but not a bad experience. Elvis' voice does some fun little croaks on Such A Night. i wish that the album format had a bit more polish in the early 60s because they would just dump anything on these and it really hurts to have this be the big representation to the modern album audience. but such is life.
deserves to be one of the 1001? it has a good case of being one of the most important points of the Elvis story, and there are some good songs even if none were huge smash hits. i think the three Elvis albums on this list are decent picks. maybe i would lean towards a singles compilation for this time period if i didn't wanna follow the rules.
3
Oct 27 2025
xx
The xx
RUINED INDIE POP!!!!!!!! but its shadow on mainstream pop led to some utterly fascinating developments. i find it a bit dull and plodding personally, though i see the appeal pretty clearly and think that it has earned a spot in the public consciousness
deserves to be one of the 1001? i might not care for it much but yes
2
Oct 28 2025
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
In the UK for a month and Damn! both Coldplay albums! maybe the setting is helping out, because I did enjoy their debut more than I remember. that said, AROBTTH is a lot more dull and a lot less definitive of a statement than Parachutes and I found it had grown off me instead.
deserves to be one of the 1001? either this or Parachutes does, maybe Viva la Vida. pick one tbh. i'd leave it at that. put it on a wheel even! give this 10% of the area, Parachutes 40%, and Viva la Vida 50%. then spin and let the chips fall where they may.
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