1001 Albums Summary

In 1967, John Lennon was 27 years old, Paul McCartney was 24, George Harrison was 24, and Ringo Starr was 27. These songs are achingly beautiful. It’s funny to me this album has such a seemingly lurid reputation as a revolutionarily psychedelic piece of art. It was at the time! Looking back this album is quaint in its sonic pallet, but it was the first to do it. Pretty rad that Ringo gets to launch the record with a timeless classic in With A Little Help From My Friends. Getting Better is in my Top 10 Beatles songs. She’s Leaving Home always makes me want to cry. Within You Without You still blows my mind, I can’t even imagine what it felt like it to hear it in Liverpool in 1967. Good Morning Good Morning seems like the blueprint for They Might Be Giants’ sound. The Reprise is maybe one of the best songs on the album? The intro to the song goes really hard - proto hard rock/metal? A Day In The Life is one of the greatest songs ever made - it should be blared over global loud speaker systems as the world ends. We would all die with dignity.

JB has the juice! Highlights: “Think” into “I Don’t Mind.” Overall incredible arrangement in the background vocals. Oddly the album feels sluggish at times and the entire run time is only 31 mins.

Devastating. No one had an instrument like Nina. This is such a powerful album that it’s hard to listen to some of these songs more than once in quick succession. True Art by a True Artist. Four Women is a seminal song, I cannot believe that she was able to make it and put it on a widely released album at the time (and name the alb after the track). Timeless, ever-relevant. It’s a song that hits like a nuclear bomb. Break Down And Let It All Out is maybe the best song about freaking the fuck out. Simone’s vocal range on Wild Is the Wind is absurd. She was a master poet. Her lyrics are spare but immense.

Nirvana has never been my band. But I get them and their importance. This performance is a very very cool context to hear their songs reimagined. The highlight for me is the Bowie cover! I also like that Sinead O’Connor then covered All Apologies like the arrangement on this album.

Stunning, beautiful, timeless. Artists are STILL chasing this sound. So thankful to get to hear this music.

A very cool record. Strong notes of Yes, Queen and Heart. Rad stuff.

“Dishes” alone gives this album 4/5 stars. Pulp is so fun and good. Jarvis Cocker rules.

One of the best albums ever made. It’s on my desert island with me. It’s 7 out of 5 stars. And yet…Maxwell’s Silver Hammer is on it: one of the Beatles worst songs. That’s how good this album is. Truly wild. I’m so thankful this album exists. John didn’t like the medley. That’s why I don’t like John.

A very cool album - crazy energy! Grateful to have gotten to listen!

Not only one of the best hip hop albums of all time, one of the best albums ever made. 10 tracks, zero filler needed. Fully formed. Incredible. If Nas never made another album again after this he’d still be top 3 GOATs. He was 20 years old when this album released.

Wow! I’ve never listened to a full Curtis Mayfield album before. Really really great. “So In Love” is maybe one of my new favorite songs of all time. I see SO many reasons why Mayfield was influential. I immediately think of D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterly. “Blue Monday People” also an awesome stand out! 10 tracks no fluff.

One of my favorite albums ever. I don’t know how they made this. They are mad wizards. It shouldn’t work. It shouldn’t be melodic. It should just be chaotic musical ravings. But no, there are some of the most beautiful melody, harmony and resolves of all time on this album. The “I Get Up I Get Down” phase of movement of Close to the Edge rivals ANY song as the most beautiful thing ever recorded. The climax of And You And I makes me weep. Every player is at the absolute peak of their powers. I am deeply grateful to my dad for introducing me to this album.

Very cool record. I see the roots of the early 2000s garage rock movement.

Some big hits on this one but hard to like an album in 2025 that starts the way it does lol.

Very cool and funky Bowie record. These songs are super accessible. Jangly funky tunes. I love that it’s so short too. Albums now need to be this short.

This shit rips. I’m very thankful for this introduction to N’Dour. I feel like my life is better now. Music rules.

I love this album. It was my gateway to Bowie in my 20’s. Timeless, wonderful, joyful.

Wasn’t a huge fan of this one

It’s a stone cold classic. They invented the 2000s 3 years early. They write indelible melodies with unmistakable edge/darkness on top. Radiohead are singular. This 10 year run from 97-2007 is up there with the best who ever did it.

Amazing record. SO funky but so subversive. Highlights: Can You Get To That, Hit It and Quit It, Me and My Folks, You and Your Folks, Super Stupid Wars of Armageddon is a hilarious closer (fart sfx?!).