This was my listen the day after Brian Wilson passed. As far as I can tell, he was 99% of The Beach Boys, and their lasting influence would be little to nothing without him at the helm. I listened to the mono cut of this record for him. I don't know much Beach Boys beyond Pet Sounds, Smile Sessions, and their early singles. This album seems to sit somewhere in a transition from the surfy hits to the lush arrangements of Pet Sounds. Almost like an appetizer to Brian Wilson's masterpiece. For that, it was more of a historical intrigue rather than an inspiring listen for me. It was good, but not something I'd probably seek out again. The stand out track is definitely "She Knows Me Too Well" which feels like it could've been on Pet Sounds. The final track "Bull Session With 'Big Daddy' #1" seems to serve no purpose except maybe to hit a time quota. Even then, the album is under 30 minutes. It is also one of the ugliest album covers I've seen. Nothing like a solid brown block taking up a third of the art to really draw the eye in.

This was a new listen for me, an album and artist I had not heard before. I was really torn on it. Vega is a gifted singer, but I mostly found myself either annoyed by her inflections (like a knock-off Patti Smith) or just bored as her voice did not feel unique to my ear. Her lyrics did not stick with me, and her melodies felt too similar from song to song. The second track, "Freeze Tag" is especially emblematic of her trying to be Hejira-era Joni Mitchell with Pat Metheny but without the interesting jazz motifs and impeccable melodic singing. I think much could have been saved with different production. Much of the overly-compressed guitar, chorus pedal, and synth felt very dated and cheesy. Mixed with the serious and often-pretentious lyrics, there were times the album felt like parody. I don't think this album aged well, and may have been more enjoyable 40 years ago. I would compare some of the feel to a modern band like Men I Trust, which have very different lo-fi production underneath, and I could see much of the same ideas working in that way (though I concede that Men I Trust may also sound cheesy in 40 years). I am trying to appreciate this album in the context of its contemporaries, but I just feel very apathetic to it-- didn't love or hate it, and I will probably forget it. After the album finished, "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac auto-played and I was reminded of how interesting the instrumental side can be to back Stevie Nicks' unique and provocative voice. Of course, it may be unfair to compare an album to a masterpiece like Rumours, but that's what this generator is all about, right?

This isn't in my comfort zone of genres, so it's hard to evaluate. It was hard to listen all the way through as much of it felt like a very similar tempo with drum and guitar banging on in my skull. Maybe that's how most thrash metal heads want it. In the transition between "Subtraction" (track 5) and "Altered State" it was quiet for a moment and I literally had a sigh of relief. However some parts were interesting and I found my foot tapping along to some songs so it's not as if I hated it. Just not my taste.

Biggie is undisputedly one of the greatest rappers ever-- his voice, his flow, his presence. This album supposedly reflects "life to death", very ambitious. Where it suffers are the dated interludes like "Fuck Me" and the blowjob that ends "Respect". The 3+ minute "Intro" could be cut. It feels very 90's, of-it's-time. I don't think it's aged well. I also found the production lacking. Many of the beats were so similar, they blended together. Not so many hooks. These really put the spotlight on Biggie since they don't overshadow him, but they are also a bit boring. Ultimately, I can only take so much of the narcissism prominent in gangsta/mafioso rap. I cringe when Biggie talks about the size of his penis or is repeatedly misogynistic. Some of it is performance. But most of the lyrics and message are just not something I can relate to and find enjoyment in.

This comes about as close as you can to a perfect album. The guitar parts are as delicious as a full meal, but never overstuffed. Just perfectly placed notes. No skippable tracks, each one unique and solid. I read that "Marquee Moon" was done in one take, which the engineer thought was a rehearsal. Amazing. It goes to show what years of playing live and honing craft can produce.

Elton John's magnum opus. If I'm not mistaken, the 3rd of 6 straight #1 albums in the US. I would call it a flawed masterpiece. It's very bloated, with over-the-top production in some places. As many people would agree, "Jamaica Jerk-Off" should have been cut as it doesn't fit and is the most annoying track. I also think "Dirty Little Girl" and "All The Girls Love Alice" are a bit weak. I've also never been a fan of the ordering of the tracks. "Candle In The Wind" (one of my least-favorite songs ever, but probably because I heard it too much as a kid) right after "Love Lies Bleeding" takes out a lot of momentum from what is a much more upbeat album overall. It should be reserved for maybe the end of side 2 or 3. I would put "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" as track 1 as it quickly establishes the mood, then "Bennie and the Jets"-- the audience noise reminiscent to the transition to "With A Little Help From My Friends" on Sgt. Pepper. "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" could be earlier, maybe the opener to side 2. I think "Love Lies Bleeding" actually serves better as an album closer than opener.

My favorite Zappa record. Perfectly off-kilter, heavy, melodic, and weird. Five of six tracks are instrumental. Although his comical lyrics and non-sequiturs are integral to the Zappa sound, he was first and foremost a composer of unique melodies and wild soundscapes. Zappa's early-career talents are on full display on this record. "Peaches En Regalia" is one of his fullest, catchiest compositions. "Willie the Pimp" is the only track with lyrics (Captain Beefheart) and features some of my favorite guitar playing. "Son Of Mr. Green Genes" is a mash-up of the first two to close out the first side. "Little Umbrellas" is a breather which eases you into the second side of the record. "The Gumbo Variations" is controlled chaos with dueling sax and fiddle (or is it some effect on the guitar? idk) "It Must Be A Camel" brings it all home with wonderfully jazzy motifs from a different planet. It's not a perfect album, but it is immensely enjoyable and I haven't tired of listening to it over the years.

What more can be said about this album? It's iconic, it holds up, it's still relevant. "The Guns of Brixton" still feel ominous. "Train In Vain" is perpetually danceable. "Hateful" will be stuck in my head for days. The album's long, but none of the tracks feel like filler. They are each unique, catchy, edgy without feeling pretentious or overdone. Strummer and Jones are at the pinnacle of song-writing talents. It's arguably the best album of its era and genre.

I was not looking forward to listening to this album. I've kind of been a Nirvana hater since I was younger, I think because I found them overplayed, and I usually find Kurt Cobain's voice grating. But this is an instance I'm grateful for doing this 1001 Album Generator because without it, I never would have come to realize why this album is so deeply loved. I used to just see this as an MTV cash-grab to exploit the popularity of the band, and a lame gimmick for a hard rock band to play their hits acoustic like this. Furthermore, this obviously was recorded only a few months before Cobain's passing, and I always wondered if people just thought it was good for sentimentality's sake. There is indeed something ominous about the stage being decorated as a funeral. Perhaps now that I'm older, nearly 10 years older than Cobain was when this was recorded, I can understand the sincerity and vulnerability in the performance. You can hear Cobain nervous and stiff at first and become more comfortable as the recording goes on. I do not know how much was being played up for performance's sake, but it felt very real to me. I enjoyed the latter half of the album more than the first. Some singing still felt grating to me, and I'm not a fan of acoustic-electric guitar sounds in general. Although Nirvana's songs translate surprisingly well to acoustic renditions (credit to good songwriting), I felt the most enjoyable songs were the covers (perhaps because I could just hear the Nirvana songs in their original and constantly comparing them). The Meat Puppets' performances and songs "Plateau" and "Lake of Fire" stood out, and I'm going to listen to Meat Puppets II shortly. I'll admit it, I cried a little at the end of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night". This album really gives a glimpse to what Nirvana could have evolved into, that they were not limited to just being a grunge band, and that is what makes this record so bittersweet.

I've been a bit soured on Elvis ever since I understood that most of his music was appropriating that of black artists. It is evident here in "Tutti Frutti" and "I Got A Woman" amongst others. Elvis' singing is undoubtedly great, like a stuttered tremolo. It does get a bit tiring after a while, with many of the songs a similar tempo. It probably would have been better as dance/background music rather than sitting and listening intently as I did. As immensely important as this first Elvis record is, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. An exception is "Blue Moon" which remains one of my favorite songs ever.

This remains one of my least-favorite Beatles albums. It feels disjointed, unfinished, almost rushed to release. A lot of good ideas not fleshed out. Throughout listening I am constantly reminded of the rift between Lennon and McCartney during this time, and all the signals towards pointing to the band's breakup, and it bums me out. It's still The Beatles, so the song-writing is phenomenal, but overall the double album is bloated and unrefined. It is iconic and important in the history of music, so I cannot dock it too much. The low rating is due to my enjoyment of the album, not necessarily the general quality. I can understand folks loving this album, but I've never been a big fan in comparison to so many other Beatles masterpieces.

It was probably about 10 years ago that I last listened to this album. When it came out in spring 2007, I was a senior in high school and in a production of "Into the Woods". The day the album was released, I booked it from school to Best Buy to purchase the CD, tear it open, pop it into my Walkman which was connected to a wired cassette adaptor in my car, and narrowly make it on time to rehearsal. It was a formative album for me. Arcade Fire was one of my favorite bands in the time period from Funeral to Reflektor. It was tough to go back to Neon Bible in particular because the time that I associate this with was very tough-- leaving high school, saying goodbye to friends, the uncertainty of where I was going next, the angst I had about everything. Even listening now this album is very dark and has a lot of emotional weight, probably dragged down even deeper by my emotional baggage. It still holds up. I thought it might end up feeling cheesy (for being overly serious or overproduced, which it is in some places) or even hypocritical (re: Win Butler sexual abuse allegations). Obviously it is hard to appreciate Arcade Fire in the same way as before 2022. "Keep the Car Running" is one of their catchiest songs. "Intervention" still stirs some inner demons in me about being raising Catholic and hating it. "(Antichrist Television Blues)" actually stuck out to me the most on this re-listen-- I don't think I'd ever really listened closely to the lyrics or meaning of this song (written about the manager-father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson) and it's better than I remembered. I'll always remember that video of them playing "Neon Bible" in an elevator, and part of the percussion is tearing pages from a phone book. And another personal memory of my friend being way too drunk and needing to hear "No Cars Go" and insisting that the "best part is at the end".

This was my listen the day after Brian Wilson passed. As far as I can tell, he was 99% of The Beach Boys, and their lasting influence would be little to nothing without him at the helm. I listened to the mono cut of this record for him. I don't know much Beach Boys beyond Pet Sounds, Smile Sessions, and their early singles. This album seems to sit somewhere in a transition from the surfy hits to the lush arrangements of Pet Sounds. Almost like an appetizer to Brian Wilson's masterpiece. For that, it was more of a historical intrigue rather than an inspiring listen for me. It was good, but not something I'd probably seek out again. The stand out track is definitely "She Knows Me Too Well" which feels like it could've been on Pet Sounds. The final track "Bull Session With 'Big Daddy' #1" seems to serve no purpose except maybe to hit a time quota. Even then, the album is under 30 minutes. It is also one of the ugliest album covers I've seen. Nothing like a solid brown block taking up a third of the art to really draw the eye in.

This album is an old favorite of mine, an entry-point into jazz. It is obviously interesting for its non-standard time signatures (the title Time Out even indicating that time is a major motif throughout), most notably its two major songs, "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Take Five", in 9/8 and 5/4 respectively. In comparison to other jazz this is not that wild, but from a general audience perspective this is novel. After listening to a lot of jazz over the years, these songs feel "safe" to my ear, but mass appeal is not necessarily a bad thing. And I may be overestimating a general audience's interest and attention span for an album like this. But I shouldn't worry about what others think. This is a gem in jazz and in music in general. It has that especially "cool" feel between the drums and Paul Desmond's sax. Desmond's distinct sax tone remains my favorite across all artists-- I once heard it described as being like black oil spilling through the reed. The time signatures and Brubeck's piano add just enough spice to give a little edge. Ultimately it feels a little like a distillation of complex ideas and theory into something digestible for wide audiences. Three of four men in the Dave Brubeck Quartet were white (notable to have an integrated band in 1959), including Brubeck himself. So some may interpret this album as appropriating jazz (and even Balkan music with "Blue Rondo a la Turk"), but it seems to be done with reverence and still adding something novel to the discourse, i.e. not just copying it for profit. I don't doubt that "Take Five" and the album welcomed quite a few people into a world that is often gate-kept. Ultimately, this is a triumph in taking complex ideas and making them presentable and understandable. This translation is often the most difficult task in the academic/scientific world and is just as difficult in music. The album is, ahem, *timeless*.

This was a new listen for me, an album and artist I had not heard before. I was really torn on it. Vega is a gifted singer, but I mostly found myself either annoyed by her inflections (like a knock-off Patti Smith) or just bored as her voice did not feel unique to my ear. Her lyrics did not stick with me, and her melodies felt too similar from song to song. The second track, "Freeze Tag" is especially emblematic of her trying to be Hejira-era Joni Mitchell with Pat Metheny but without the interesting jazz motifs and impeccable melodic singing. I think much could have been saved with different production. Much of the overly-compressed guitar, chorus pedal, and synth felt very dated and cheesy. Mixed with the serious and often-pretentious lyrics, there were times the album felt like parody. I don't think this album aged well, and may have been more enjoyable 40 years ago. I would compare some of the feel to a modern band like Men I Trust, which have very different lo-fi production underneath, and I could see much of the same ideas working in that way (though I concede that Men I Trust may also sound cheesy in 40 years). I am trying to appreciate this album in the context of its contemporaries, but I just feel very apathetic to it-- didn't love or hate it, and I will probably forget it. After the album finished, "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac auto-played and I was reminded of how interesting the instrumental side can be to back Stevie Nicks' unique and provocative voice. Of course, it may be unfair to compare an album to a masterpiece like Rumours, but that's what this generator is all about, right?

This was my first time listening to a full Kate Bush album. I had only ever heard a few of her singles and never thought it was my jam, putting her as something akin to Peter Gabriel. I was surprised to find I really enjoyed this album, not even from just a technical standpoint. I better understand why so many people, even her peers, are so amazed by her. The range on her voice is absolutely breathtaking. Paired with her meaningful songwriting (I didn't realize she wrote all her own songs) and the eclectic instrumentation, this album is nearly a masterpiece. Sometimes the production is dated but mostly it just seems ahead of its time-- I hear a lot of Bjork and Alanis Morrissette in there. My favorite song was "Heads We're Dancing" which seems to be about a love affair with Hitler. The title track is based on Molly Bloom's soliloquy which ends Ulysses, absolutely wild that it doesn't feel pretentious but just very honest. Bush is really an amazing artist I've overlooked, and I'll be looking more into her music.

I hate how much I still love The Smiths, because I dislike Morrissey so much. But now is not the time to talk about him. There is a lot of personal baggage for me listening to this album. I think of my angsty younger self, and I haven't listened to The Smiths much since a long relationship with someone who loved them. So, I wanted to find issues with this album. But I can't. It really is a perfect album, never a dull moment. It plays like a greatest hits album. I am partial to Marr's guitar and the production, but Morrissey's singing and lyrics do shine throughout. All the macabre, tongue-in-cheek, pretentious, sulking, playful words that they are. There's nothing more I can add that hasn't already been said.