171
Albums Rated
3.17
Average Rating
16%
Complete
918 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
14
5-Star Albums
8
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Out of Step
Minor Threat
|
5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
|
Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
The Residents
|
4 | 2.03 | +1.97 |
|
Tank Battles
Dagmar Krause
|
4 | 2.13 | +1.87 |
|
Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Aphex Twin
|
5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
|
Homework
Daft Punk
|
5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
|
Pornography
The Cure
|
5 | 3.31 | +1.69 |
|
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
|
5 | 3.41 | +1.59 |
|
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
|
5 | 3.45 | +1.55 |
|
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
|
5 | 3.45 | +1.55 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Back In Black
AC/DC
|
1 | 3.86 | -2.86 |
|
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
|
1 | 3.57 | -2.57 |
|
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
|
1 | 3.24 | -2.24 |
|
Who Killed...... The Zutons?
The Zutons
|
1 | 3.14 | -2.14 |
|
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
|
1 | 2.87 | -1.87 |
|
Go Girl Crazy
The Dictators
|
1 | 2.84 | -1.84 |
|
São Paulo Confessions
Suba
|
1 | 2.83 | -1.83 |
|
So Much For The City
The Thrills
|
1 | 2.81 | -1.81 |
|
Metallica
Metallica
|
2 | 3.79 | -1.79 |
|
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
|
2 | 3.74 | -1.74 |
5-Star Albums (14)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Black Sabbath
3/5
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
2 likes
Sam Cooke
5/5
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!
2 likes
Depeche Mode
3/5
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
1 likes
The Icarus Line
3/5
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 :(
1 likes
Mj Cole
3/5
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.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (8)
All Ratings
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
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)
Janis Joplin
2/5
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
Beck
3/5
unpretentious and fun, if a little bit bogged down by some middling cuts
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah!
Willie Nelson
3/5
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.
OutKast
4/5
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
Eminem
3/5
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
Eagles
2/5
[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
Depeche Mode
3/5
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
Kraftwerk
3/5
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
Dusty Springfield
2/5
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
Janelle Monáe
5/5
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
Scissor Sisters
2/5
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
Tim Buckley
2/5
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
Carole King
4/5
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
John Lennon
2/5
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!
Duke Ellington
3/5
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
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
the cover art: walter wick’s vitruvian man
the music: pretty flavorless indie pop
deserves to be one of the 1001? no
Eels
3/5
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
Bad Company
2/5
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
Jethro Tull
4/5
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
David Bowie
5/5
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
The Coral
2/5
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
Love
4/5
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
The Zutons
1/5
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.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
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
OutKast
4/5
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
The Yardbirds
3/5
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
Rod Stewart
1/5
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
Brian Wilson
4/5
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
Talking Heads
2/5
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
Beatles
4/5
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.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
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
The Byrds
3/5
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
Al Green
4/5
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!
Kanye West
5/5
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 :(
Eminem
4/5
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.
The Replacements
4/5
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
Moby Grape
2/5
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
Jamiroquai
3/5
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
The Rolling Stones
4/5
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/
Sam Cooke
5/5
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!
Richard Hawley
3/5
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
Laibach
3/5
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
T. Rex
3/5
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
Pink Floyd
4/5
it's The Fucking Dark Side of the Moon
deserves to be one of the 1001? i don't know, you tell me
The Specials
3/5
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
The Offspring
4/5
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
The Cure
5/5
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
Dr. Octagon
4/5
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
Beastie Boys
2/5
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
De La Soul
5/5
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
Death In Vegas
2/5
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
The Style Council
2/5
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
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
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
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
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
Herbie Hancock
5/5
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
Faith No More
3/5
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:
Black Sabbath
3/5
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
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
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
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
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
Rush
2/5
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
The Dictators
1/5
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
Adele
2/5
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)
Metallica
2/5
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
Radiohead
3/5
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.
Blur
3/5
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
Hookworms
2/5
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
Queen
3/5
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
Peter Gabriel
3/5
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
Nina Simone
4/5
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!!
Sigur Rós
4/5
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?
The Doors
2/5
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
The Icarus Line
3/5
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 :(
XTC
4/5
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!
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
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
The Clash
3/5
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
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
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
Gram Parsons
5/5
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
Dire Straits
2/5
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
Portishead
3/5
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
Linkin Park
4/5
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
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
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
Mj Cole
3/5
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.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
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
The Doors
3/5
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
The Verve
3/5
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
The Cult
4/5
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
Stephen Stills
2/5
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?"
Robert Wyatt
4/5
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
Prince
4/5
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!
Depeche Mode
3/5
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
Gotan Project
2/5
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.
The Stone Roses
3/5
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
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
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!
Radiohead
4/5
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
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
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
The Byrds
3/5
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
Pulp
4/5
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!
Scott Walker
4/5
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
Arcade Fire
2/5
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!!!!!!!!!!!
Charles Mingus
4/5
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
Giant Sand
2/5
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
Coldplay
3/5
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
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
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
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
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
Tracy Chapman
4/5
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
Christina Aguilera
1/5
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.
Alice Cooper
3/5
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
The Thrills
1/5
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
R.E.M.
3/5
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
Elton John
4/5
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!
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
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?
Minor Threat
5/5
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
Nick Drake
2/5
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
Foo Fighters
2/5
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.
Prince
5/5
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!
Calexico
3/5
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
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
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
Grateful Dead
2/5
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
Deep Purple
3/5
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
Sex Pistols
2/5
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
Justice
4/5
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
Emmylou Harris
4/5
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
Elvis Presley
3/5
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.
The xx
2/5
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
Coldplay
2/5
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.
Daft Punk
5/5
Daft Punk. house music that appeals to rockists maybe, but if you see how edm listeners talk about them and this album, you'll see just how foundational and beloved they truly are. this is the raviest they ever got and it has some timeless and delectable grooves. huge fan of this.
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely!!! and please!!! add Discovery!!! the greatest album ever made!!!
Mekons
3/5
seems to be a fairly important step in the development of alt-country. unfortunately the singing is uncomfortably north English. sorry brits. though i like the stomping and apocalyptic sound. the cover art fucking rocks too. it's ultimately a lot more interesting and compelling to think about than to listen to, but it was worth a shot. the Hank cover at the end is fun.
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not but i'm happy it was presented to me. would be real swell if Hank Williams was on this list, but he died over a decade before the album became dominant
Dagmar Krause
4/5
wtf guys this rocks! weirdo takes on Weimar-era German pop standards. kind of brilliant despite being a covers album. i suppose when you have the Henry Cow connection, you're not gonna be the type to play these songs straight. but very nice and rather good at fitting in the Waitsian niche of jaded reimaginations of cobwebbed and time-yellowed pop music. the one where she sings Brecht is probably even better tbh.
deserves to be one of the 1001? ehhh... maybe a different thing in this vein.
deserves to be one of the bottom 20? i suppose something has to fit down there. a shame all the most interesting ones fall into the abyss but hey! this website hates fun!
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
another of those niche examples of a live album being the canon discography pick. though i do feel like Eat a Peach's name gets thrown around about as often. makes sense that a live album would represent a band with a tendency to jam. this is really great stuff. i think a lot of noodling jam band stuff loses flavor due to the focus of technicality over songwriting but this album makes up for it because it *sounds* good. the musicianship is impressive but it has a swing and a looseness that makes it approachable. good jams lock you into the groove and lose sense of time, and that happened when i listened to this album.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah. and i wouldn't mind seeing Eat a Peach on here too
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
would probably have rewired my brain if i had heard it after a shift at long john silvers. Racing in the Street is an all timer
deserves to be one of the 1001? 5 Springsteen albums is a bit much, but this is a pretty good one nonetheless. sure
Joan Armatrading
3/5
a pleasant and well-written folk rock album with hints of Springsteen and Mitchell. would go to influence more than it probably gets credit for. didn't resonate with me so much but hey! i have a Saint Kitts dot on my music map now
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeas
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
feel like i get a *lot* of Laurel Canyon albums on this list. this one's a good one. not mindblowing but i do like the songwriting and playing. fits into the late 60s scene quite well.
deserves to be one of the 1001? well at least this one probably does
Queen
4/5
doesn't quite fit into the silly side of their sound so much but it's pretty fun when it does (Bring Back That Leroy Brown). and Killer Queen is a wonderful song too. definitely uneven but keeps the energy pumping enough to be a good time.
deserves to be one of the 1001? more than Queen II i would say, so probably yes
Black Sabbath
3/5
not the first example of, but certainly the big breakout for metal. seminal album but not my favorite in the style or by them
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes!!!
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
my least favorite of the three Bob Marley albums on this list, but it's Bob Marley and he's the face of reggae in popular consciousness for a reason. No Woman No Cry is the obvious standout but i also like the bluesy swing of Talkin' Blues
deserves to be one of the 1001? i think it's fair to have 3 Bob Marley picks, even if this is the least significant of the bunch. sure. Uprising i think could also work
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie Wonder. Innervisions.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes!
The Residents
4/5
some sort of murderous clown music? something like that? very strange. unlike anything else. i like a cheap synth being used for evil. makes my day more interesting. a pleasure to listen to, really. and if i said i like Buster and Glen more than Duck Stab?
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah and they should have multiple. Meet the Residents, Commercial Album, and Not Available are all also pretty important so...
deserves to be one of the bottom 20? i mean i get it. this is a prank album. but it speaks to me. i bet more than any other artist in the bottom 20 they'd get a kick out of being there. i think it's lame that it's so hated but whatever. you gotta piss people off if you wanna be fringe
Aphex Twin
5/5
really incredible, and rather groundbreaking work of atmosphere that is felt intimately. if you can't see the vision here i think it might be too late for you. you're not gonna make it. ambient techno fulfilled. wonderful synth work. textures and sounds that Aphex Twin makes his own; I can tell his hands have been on each song here.
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely for sure for sure BUT ONLY **ONE**???? ONE APHEX TWIN ALBUM????? ARE YOU SHITTING ME???? no SAW vol II, no I Care Because You Do, no Drukqs? NO RICHARD D JAMES ALBUM????? this list is fucking laughable holy fuck. also because i won't get the opportunity to say so otherwise: i wanna see some dub techno on the next edition. one of them Chain Reaction albums in the metal case.
ABBA
3/5
it’s kind of interesting actually how up until semi-recently, ABBA, and Dancing Queen especially, were held in this position where you were supposed to like them, but be embarrassed by it. like you had to preform being a good Highbrow music nerd, but if you couldn’t admit that you did like them deep down you had a stick up your ass. maybe living in a post-poptimist world has made me take some things for granted. as for the album: it’s good. Dancing Queen kinda carries it but those Swedish songwriters were acclaimed for a reason
deserves to be one of the 1001? sure
Common
4/5
what a great album. some lyrics that are a bit of an eye roll nowadays but most are Real Shit. and those mid 2000s Kanye beats are undeniable. a faint record of a time when he was fun to root for. and it avoids cd era bloat somehow! nice and tight. no wasted time. Chi-City was the 10000th liked song on my spotify btw.
deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely
and i'm a stem major that did decently well at math competitions in high school
Eurythmics
2/5
i don't care much for the rest of this album, which is mediocre synthpop with sparse texture in the tradition of The Human League, but the title track is classic for a reason and always puts feet on the floor. though outside of that context, listening alone on headphones makes you realize just how little there is to it. not a bad song, just one that needs the right setting. This is the House is also worth noting. a lot of life in the groove there.
deserves to be one of the 1001? certainly a landmark single here, but as a whole album? the magic 8 ball says "better not tell you now". i guess we'll have to put a pin in this.
Spiritualized
3/5
very mellow and focused on atmosphere over song structures or progression. other than Shine A Light which has some lovely brass tones, not a particularly great example of this type of music. but it does sound like what i thought Pink Floyd sounded like when i was 8, so that has to count for something. 200 Bars bumps this up a star to a solid 3
deserves to be one of the 1001? i think the Spiritualized picks are pretty decent. though if this one was missing i don't think i would really notice or care
AC/DC
1/5
BYOOWWWWW AWAWAAAHHHHHH!!!!! this shit fucking sucks
deserves to be one of the 1001? imagine how funny it would be if it wasn't
Snoop Dogg
4/5
pretty great. one of the worse examples of misogyny in 90s hip hop but cmon, do you hold all music to that standard or just hip hop? beats are legendary and Snoop really could rap back in '93.
deserves to be one of the 1001? as one of the most important works of West Coast hip hop i have to say YES!!!!
Björk
2/5
i like Björk a lot but this one whiffs for me. she would get a lot more refined in later albums, and as far as dance music goes, this is house music without any of what makes it so great to me
deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe. if you really wanted to add like 5 Björk albums go for it. but you need to have Post and Homogenic first before we can talk about bringing this one on
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
one of the most important albums of the decade for certain, and one that stands as seminal in and out of the context of Kendrick's discography. even on his sophomore album he was quickly establishing himself as someone to keep an eye on, and for good reason. so many great songs, the crown jewel being Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst. really incredible lyrical depth and prowess on top of incredible rapping as well.
deserves to be one of the 1001? are you on crack? obviously!
The The
2/5
really a top tier album cover. anticipates the 90s wokeish coffee shop aesthetic. the music inside is decent but clunky. even with indie-sensibilities, not much 80s synthpop aged brilliantly. lyrics are decent at least. i too hate america.
deserves to be one of the 1001? you could keep it to just Soul Mining probably
4/5
no Albini on this one, though Thom Yorke shows up a few times. i understand that zoomers don't care about lyrics and songwriting very much, but it's kind of sad seeing the artists losing stock because of that. and admittedly the alt rock instrumentals are just good and nothing mindblowing. the writing sells it. and PJ Harvey is a good singer as well.
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably yeah. she's one of the most important British acts in her scene after all
Green Day
4/5
Green Day having 2 of the top 3 punk albums is ridiculous, but American Idiot still is pretty great at the end of the day. certainly a cultural touchstone that's aged surprisingly well. the big hits are overplayed but not without good reason. there's a reason why leagues of teenagers born after this album came out still rally behind it
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
Michael Jackson
3/5
oh god this was the right album for the wrongest of times. late 80s pop had some cool sounds floating around, but most of the time the dull and syrupy floated to the surface. look at all those cool freestyle artists who would break out with a big single that had none of the fun of their other work. but despite the sappy and poorly produced weak spots, Bad is, well, not Bad at all. Dirty Diana is a banger, and when Smooth Criminal comes on it feels like submitting the final assignment of the semester and being FREE!!!
deserves to be one of the 1001? i wouldn't mind if this was left off in favor of Dangerous, (which would be easily his best if some fat was trimmed Hot Take i know) but i think there's plenty of room for 4 albums by the king of pop himself
Tori Amos
3/5
more singer/songwriter stuff. obviously the lyrics carry this and they're pretty nice, albeit not my absolute favorites. this album reminds me a lot of taking painting lessons in high school. i imagine this would pair nicely with drawing or something else like that. can totally see how the writing and stripped down instrumentals would go on to inspire a lot of other women in this lane. very 90s too.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
Isaac Hayes
4/5
i'm thinking that maybe i should become a scientologist. very good grooves. a lot of soul and funk cooks, but almost none of it is as carefully braised as this.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah!
The Cure
2/5
i've spent almost 3 months in the uk and The Cure making more and more sense to me the longer i stay. it gets dark at 4pm in the winters and is always drab and grey outside. of this + the big two Cure albums, this is the simplest stylistically. probably the weakest too. has some neat vibe pieces but doesn't have the songwriting or pathos that later albums would.
deserves to be one of the 1001? uhhhh maybe? i think 3 is a good amount of albums to represent The Cure, and after Pornography and Disintegration what you choose to include is a matter of personal preference
David Bowie
3/5
Bowie's good. Golden Years is my favorite, title track is legendary but not a personal classic the way it is to some, and the rest are alright. do have to give some credit for just how ahead of the curve this one is, even down to the cover art.
deserves to be one of the 1001? likely so
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
screaming hot fire. album cover fucking rocks and does not lie. well, at least relative to the time period. not much was rocking this hard in the late 50s and i always have to respect a banger. big band music was definitely a bit outdated for the time, but this was bold and managed to stick, and that is something i'm thankful for.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
Hot Chip
3/5
Hot Chip had a moment i think in the late 2000s/early 2010s. this is very much in that electronic-focused indie sound that was huge at the time. there's a sound on How Do You Do that sounds like my morning alarm which wasn't very fun. but this sticks out to me in a world of bland indietronica because of the strength of the grooves on its best cuts. there's some tangible funk in this album. maybe a bit too long though.
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not but at one point i bet it seemed like a definitive yes
Wire
3/5
man, it's taken me a long time to get around to Wire. stylistically punk but missing a lot of the edge and fire and aggression. not bad at all, though. i can see the links between this and indie rock. not a personal favorite but a fine listen and one that i probably should've gotten around to years ago but eh. c'est la vie.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes, and i'm a little surprised it's just the one. i've seen Chairs Missing and 154 get a lot of acclaim elsewhere
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
certainly brings the bongos. good dance music i bet. i can see why this became a gold mine for hip hop. doesn't do a terribly large amount for me but is interesting enough to make me glad i checked it out.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i think if this list took a strong bias towards hip hop this could work, given all that samples it, but otherwise no
Parliament
4/5
can't believe it took me so long to check this out since this is obviously my shit i mean STOP PLEASE. ANY MORE FUNK AND I OVERDOSE. I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE. PLEASE... PLEASE. WRAAAAAAAAAUGHGHHGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
deserves to be one of the 1001? you betcha + it wouldn't hurt to throw another one in for good measure
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
another good Bob Marley album; thought not my favorite it’s certainly the defining moment of his early career
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes!
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
was hoping to get this on a weekend. or really any day not involving a transatlantic flight. but whatever. Ella Fitzgerald put out a few albums with this premise, and this is the longest of the bunch. i guess i can understand the argument that this could do to be edited a bit but the encyclopedic nature is a strong point imo. she's a phenomenal singer and can elevate even the lamest song written by the (generally really great at writing) Gershwins. split it up into discs and it won't get old.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes. and it deserves to be spread out over a few days but this project isn’t quite flexible with that. and give her another album for good measure.
1/5
the tragic backstory is way more interesting and notable than the music itself, which unfortunately just mills around. too texturally ambitious to work as lounge music, sound design too muddy and sloppy to work as production porn, and structured too loosely to have memorable songs.
deserves to be one of the 1001? i would easily swap this pick for a more interesting electronic album. hell, if you want something Brazilian for this niche, Amon Tobin is right there
Lauryn Hill
4/5
seminal hip hop album that effortlessly shifts into and out of r&b. not my personal favorite nor my pick for the greatest album ever, but this is the real deal and i'd much rather listen to this than anything Tool ever put out
deserves to be one of the 1001? of course!
The Rolling Stones
3/5
carried, carried, and carried by Sympathy For the Devil. the rest is alright but far from the best work the Stones put out. an important step in the right direction but a bit dull as a full album.
deserves to be one of the 1001? it has a case but i would skip probably
Franz Ferdinand
1/5
the problem with Take Me Out is that it's built to grind to a halt and go for a stomp. makes for an exceptionally aggravating song when paired with the 2000s indie vocals. the rest of the album is just boring tbh.
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not
Moby
2/5
this album's the musical Shawshank Redemption, alright enough but revered because of how much exposure it had due to how loose the licensing was. it's rarely outright bad, but it's dumbed down and lacks drive or texture. baby's first sample driven electronic music. Porcelain is pretty good.
i'm coming at this from the perspective of someone that listens to more electronic than anything else so i have a pass to give it 2 stars.
deserves to be one of the 1001? probably yes tbh
Meat Puppets
3/5
the 80s were a hotbed of this sort of stuff. punk had cracked open the floodgates for raw and unpolished rock and the sterility of what was popular at the time made for noisy counterculture. this certainly isn't the furthest music out there, but it does carve a niche in that landscape. not really a favorite but not a bad album either. really sounds like arizona.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
Various Artists
4/5
my bitter and collegiate leftist bias against cultural christianity can take a break for this one. it's about as good as christmas can get. thank god Phil Spector is dead, eh? nothing but guilt-free listening here.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
Miles Davis
5/5
FUCK yes my favorite Miles Davis album! it's patchwork and abandons convention but i find it so so satisfying. the way the first third or so is repeated to make the last third is a really weird, yet ultimately beneficial choice. very ambient too. Davis had a good ear for sound design.
deserves to be one of the 1001? yes! and tbh we can bump his list entries up to 5. gimme On The Corner
Joy Division
4/5
really fitting for a shitty day. feels like industry.
deserves to be one of the 1001? with certainty