Jun 03 2025
Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
Instantly loved the intro Peace Go With You, Brother - so tranquil, sad and interestingly produced (listen in headphones). The rest was a bit more "your general jazzy sound" for me - pleasant, but unmemorable. Another gem is ballad Song for Bobby Smith.
Album as a whole is about dubious politics and hard life of black americans
3
Jun 04 2025
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
Emotional, raw and witty. Unique voice. Clear inspiration for Adele, but funkier. Not something I'd like to listen to often though, beside Back to Black, which is an old time favorite.
4
Jun 05 2025
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
Interesting to see cover album here. Some of the rock songs covered are my favorites, but I can admit, Cash did them justice.
Hurt sounds like a different tune (love both deeply).
Bridge Over Troubled Water is too good as it was, no one beats SaG at duets, but is was a nice take.
I Hung My Head've come home with this album.
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is just beautiful. With Hurt, two of my favorites here.
Personal Jesus by Cash sounds awkward to me, though piano is fun.
Desperado suddenly turned into grandpa's loving pep talk, which fits the lyrics perfectly.
Ironically, I've enjoyed Cash's own songs the least in the album. Apparently a different genre song covered by a country singer is as much country as I can take.
As a whole American IV gives you an impression of wise old man contemplating his life, love and what will come after.
5
Jun 06 2025
The Band
The Band
In most songs I found the vocals and the way it produced grating and hard to listen (Whispering Pines being the exception).
1
Jun 09 2025
Sea Change
Beck
I found Sea Change utterly unmemorable maudling and bleak, especially vocal-wise. The only exciting moment came at the end of Lonesome Tears.
However, the reviews made me check out previous Beck's works and I found them way more enjoyable. There is even some life to his voice and you can decipher words. Maybe if you follow his career in the right order, Sea Change gets a few points for being different?
2
Jun 10 2025
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
It is such an American album from the title track to baseball nostalgia, I just feel like I am out of context here to really connect with lyrics even after reading up on it. Musically it haven't grasped me either.
2
Jun 11 2025
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
Not my favorite of Bowie, but up there and a good introduction (I think HD is among the least wierd Bowie albums). Life on Mars is phenomenal, also, listening to early Bowie, I just noticed how well and clear Hunky Dory sounds (compared to, say, TMWSTW, which I still enjoy more bc mood).
5
Jun 12 2025
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Fun political fem punk. Listening to the whole album at once got me tired fast. They sound interesting, but songs are very alike and quite grating to the ear, which, yeah, fits the message alright. I think I'm going to enjoy Le Tigre way more one song at a time in a playlist (Deceptacon, Eau D'Bedroom Dancing and Hot Topic go in there for sure). Slideshow At Free University genuinely made me laugh.
Interestingly, they may be an inspiration for some modern groups I enjoy.
4
Jun 13 2025
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
The lyrics are cryptic and sad, the music is peaceful and 70s, no question about age here. I would probably say more about some songs, but got lulled to sleep in the middle.
3
Jun 14 2025
With The Beatles
Beatles
So cheezy, so adolenscent... "I'm kissing the lips that I'm missing", "I love you madly, you treat me badly" - all right, gents, that's early stuff, got it. Still strange that The Beatles of Yesterday, Come Together and Eleanor Rigdy had blown up with this. It was a fun way to shake the dust off the legends.
1
Jun 15 2025
Pink Flag
Wire
21 reason why I don't like punk, or variations of noise. The idea of short biting tracks is interesting, but in reality they sound the same bad to me.
2
Jun 16 2025
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
Now, this is a discovery, this is the music I want to dance on, despite the (probably? Couldn't find the lyrics) sombre message, or, likely, because of it. I think, I need to dig into desert blues now.
Loved Soubour, Al Hassidi Terei and Desert Melody.
5
Jun 17 2025
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
Beautiful vocals, very heartfelt performance and yet, this album is exactly the type of music that sounds great at dinner but on itself makes me want to nod off.
3
Jun 18 2025
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
It seems to be an album that you either love to pieces, or get a bad headache from, and I'm among the last category.
2
Jun 19 2025
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Am I going to ever see the appeal of pure electronic?
2
Jun 20 2025
Rings Around The World
Super Furry Animals
This album took me some time to rate, because it seemed interesting, but for whatever reason I couldn't get into it.
3
Jun 21 2025
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
Whenever I hear a snippet of any of the "sad" Cure songs, I think wow and check it out and then check out the album and then can't differentiate between that one song and any other in it. Somehow I like The Cure and don't. This album is just like that, it's full of songs I kind of enjoy, but can't memorize or really care about, which is tragic, because everything I know about the band and Mr Plant is awesome, and his voice is awesome, and they look like a perfect match to me.
There wasn't a song I didn't like in 17 seconds, nor particularly loved, but I've picked M and A Forest as favorites.
4
Jun 22 2025
Kimono My House
Sparks
Wild album. It feels like it should come with a Broadway show. Not very pleasing to the ear or profound, but a fun listen.
Thank God It's No Christmas goes to Christmas playlists
3
Jun 23 2025
Trio
Dolly Parton
If Johny Cash made me question the way I feel about country music for a moment, Dolly Parton set things stright back. I'm sorry, ladies, it sounds horrible.
1
Jun 24 2025
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
Every Bruce Springsteen album here reminds me that I'm too young and non-American for a solid part of this list.
3
Jun 25 2025
Blur
Blur
This is the fun one. Fits perfectly for a specific mood, while hardly being groundbreaking and having a bunch of really hideous tracks. The treak, I guess, is to not take Blur too seriously, but than, even Blur didn't take this album serious, why people try?
On Your Own, You are So Great and Look inside America hurt my ears and Song 2 is ruined by all the commercials it was in. But Beetlebum, Country Sad Ballad Man, Death Of the Party and Strange News from Another Star are the highlights.
4
Jun 26 2025
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
This album desperately needs weeding. Most of the songs are just weak. Others feel undercooked and would gain from having more time and effort spent on each of them. Music is repetitive, vocals go from bad to nice but as a whole this is unlistenable.
1
Jun 27 2025
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
Listening to a rap album start to end is a big step out of my comfort zone. And in this case it was rewarded. Do I now like rap? No. But I can appreciate the idea behind this work (with the help of lyrics explanations, cause it requires deciphering), the choice of instrumentals, the production and musicality in "To Pimp A Butterfly". It also gives you something to think about beyond the sound.
The biggest discovery on 1001 journey so far, because never ever would I just listen to it on my own.
4
Jun 28 2025
xx
The xx
This is an album of perfect OSTs that never were. There's so much space for something else in this album: be it a complimenting video, prominent instrumental solo or vocals from people actually opening their mouths for singing. What is on it is beautiful and stylish, but for most tracks it is not enough to grasp me emotionally or intellectually. Highlights: intro, Crystalised, Night Time.
4
Jun 29 2025
Bad
Michael Jackson
I could never understand why that guy is so loved beyond doing big stages, this album changed nothing. Corny, gllib, squeaky, overproduced - truly Bad (excl. Smooth Criminal).
1
Jun 30 2025
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
With all love to classic rock, The Rolling Stones were never among my favorites. They have great songs, but most of them aren't that interesting to me and kind of repetetive.
Sticky Fingers is great as it has two songs I actually enjoy (Can't you hear me knocking and I Got the Blues) and one I love (Sister Morphine). As an album experience, I would gladly relisten to it second half, but the start was shaky.
4
Jul 01 2025
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
I do appreciate the irony, but not so much the music here.
3
Jul 02 2025
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
"the Beatles meets Simon and Garfunkel" it is. It's a very nice, chill album of guitars and vocal harmonies.
4
Jul 03 2025
In Rainbows
Radiohead
One of my favorites here, so, no discoveries, loads of love. Radiohead started with the music I loved as a teen (Street Spirit in my heart still) and moved to the music I do love now: complex and daring, but full of personality, musicality and feelings.
5
Jul 04 2025
Document
R.E.M.
Everything by REM sounds alright to me, but this is far from their best. Document sounds really clear and well done, but no songs really stood out to me. Personally, I find murky sound of Murmurs and 90s R.E.M. more interesting.
4
Jul 05 2025
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
Guitars played like balalaikas make me sad
2
Jul 06 2025
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
This album has a bombastic start, Starman for a cherry on top in the middle, and good, but not great finish. I love that album, couldn't give it less than 5.
5
Jul 07 2025
Different Class
Pulp
How did I miss Pulp? They sound like something that should have been on my radar for a long time now.
Love the ridiculousness of the lyrics, the raw charisma of vocals, the social commentary hidden in between of all that drama, and the sound. No bad track on the album.
5
Jul 08 2025
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
Main vocals are too torchuring to comprehend anything else about this.
1
Jul 09 2025
Liquid Swords
GZA
I feel bad to automatically rate (almost!) every rap album low, but to me that sounds like an audiobook with bad background music.
1
Jul 10 2025
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
This one hurt me. Tina Turner has got one of the most memorable, recognizable and emotionally charged voices of the time. I love her singing. Yet, I hate your typical 80s sound. Private dancer combines those two, and even has a cute cat on the cover, yet the good doesn't win here. I'm sorry, Tina.
2
Jul 11 2025
Black Monk Time
The Monks
The release date for this is sure respectable, but I found no joy in this outside of historical perspective.
2
Jul 12 2025
The ArchAndroid
Janelle MonΓ‘e
I do appreciate how stylish, imaginative and well produced it is. Yet, I can't name a song on Archaandroid that grabbed my attention, or made me feel anything beyond intellectual approval. Another album that would be great as soundtrack or background music on a venue, but not as charged and encompassing as I prefer it to be.
3
Jul 13 2025
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
I thought the generator is bugged, when I heard Teach Your Children again, but no, it is just same guys +1 giving me a Deja Vu.
Contrary to common opinion, I actually prefer their earlier sound as just CSN.
2
Jul 14 2025
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
The great randomize decided to feed me all Neil Young in the list this week. Maybe that why every new album sees me less enthusiastic.
There are really bad songs on this one. Most are ok songs. I thought I'm going to love Broken Arrow for about half of the song. But overall it's not my cup of tea.
2
Jul 15 2025
Garbage
Garbage
How did I only know one song from this album? I love it.
Garbage provides charismatic vocal delivery layered over dark, hazy atmosphere. And the blending of genres stops it from being repetetive. The first half flies by effortlessly, and though the second does drag a bit, I'm willing to ignore it. Also, having Only Happy When It Rains in such a gloomy album is an ironic statement of respectable proportions.
5
Jul 16 2025
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
I've had lots of fun reading this album's lyrics with commentaries. It was a blast.
But as it is not just poetry, but a music album, I can't ignore how horrendous it sounds. Take the worst of the worst - 80s mess of generic synth music - and layer above a distinguished gentleman monotonous reading. It can't work and I'm shocked, that, apparently, at some point in time in Canada it did.
Anyway, there are a whole bunch of covers that give lyrics justice, and that's the best thing about 'I'm your man' to me.
2
Jul 17 2025
Doolittle
Pixies
I found Doolittle to have lots of noise, hardly exemplary vocals, and cryptic lyrics saying everything and nothing in songs that sometimes end before they begin. And yet, it has its charm.
By the middle, the Pixies had won me over with their energyβnot unlike Nirvana in my school years, but minus Cobainβs voice and plus better music. It must be a rare album where Iβd prefer to remove vocals on some tracks and just enjoy the wall of sound undisturbed (Dead, Iβm looking at you). Thereβs just enough versatility here to keep things interesting, but not so much that the album starts to sound all over the place. Thatβs something Iβve started to appreciate more and more while going through the 1001 Albums list.
Best: Monkey Gone to Heaven, Hey, Tame, Wave Of Mutilation
Worst: Dead, Here Comes Your Man, Crackity Jones, La La Love You
4
Jul 18 2025
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
We're Only in It for the Money is a sad example of an album, that should have been a stand up show. There are lots of very thick satire, noise and talking, and not nearly enough good music in it. As soon as I start liking a song, it gets ruined by the band's wish to be annoying. I take this album being included in the list as its authors' personal statement.
Leave my psychedelic dungeons alone, Frank Zappa.
1
Jul 19 2025
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
My soul is so dark, this type of feel good groovy funky music leaves me cold and uninterested. It is probably objectively good, but I can't recall a song from it, or a motive, or anything of note on the next day after listening to it.
2
Jul 20 2025
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
Half of this album is sang better by someone else, originaly or as a cover. Another half failed to blow my mind either. I don't much appreciate this manner of singing, so, no surprises.
2
Jul 21 2025
The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk
The Colour of Spring is an album that requires context. I'd listened to it mostly unaware of the band's history, and was confused. Checking out Talk Talk before and after 1986 explained things alright. Going from It's My Life to this is wild, yet, TCoS clearly takes a lot from their roots and steeps in a direction unknown at the time. The wind of change is strong in this one, and i love it.
Percussion was surprisingly vivid, but the mixing gives shine to every instrument here. Even Harmonica didn't bother me too much. The Colour of Spring just sounds good. That Rolling Stone critic, who dropped the album rating, ruined his karma.
What I didn't like as much is pounding one-liner choruses to infinity and beyond, yes, despite Life's What You Make It being an overall cool track. Mark Hollis has an awesome voice, I wouldn't mind hearing more of him here and there with some variety in lyrics and musical phrasing.
I liked The Colour of Spring more on a second listen and that's telling.
Best: I Don't Believe In You, Life's What You Make It, Chameleon Day.
4
Jul 22 2025
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
As far as hip-hop goes, this is a fun album. Tough to the ears with so much shouting and longer than I'd prefer, but diverse and tasteful in motives and samples (espetially in the second half) enough to provide a good experience for a non hip hop fan.
Best tracks: instrumental ones.
2
Jul 23 2025
L.A. Woman
The Doors
"I'll tell you this, no eternal reward will forgive us now / For wasting the dawn."
I love Morrison as the lyricist and frontman. Even if much of this album doesnβt connect with me, when it does land - it lands.
"I had money, yeah, I had none / But I never been so broke that I couldn't leave town."
The first half of L.A. Woman is bluesier, more rockβnβroll Doors. While I adore The Changeling (and The WASP) lyrically, I generally prefer their heavier sound. But from LβAmerica onward they deliver - apparently an unpopular opinion.
Hyacinth House is as beautiful and tragic as the Greek myth it echoes, with instrumentation to match.
And Riders on the Storm, despite overuse, remains iconic. That melody, the rainstorm backdrop, Morrisonβs nonchalant delivery: a perfect fatalistic ode. Itβs so monumental that the rest of the album pales in comparison.
For me, this is an uneven record that builds toward the bandβs peak artistry (Riders). A strong finale is great, but it also turnes L.A. Woman into a sort of waiting game.
Favourites: Riders On the Storm, The Changeling, Hyacinth House
5
Jul 24 2025
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
I'd known a handful of songs from Paranoid before, of course, but I'd never listened to it straight through - and what a mistake that was.
The opening trio alone - War Pigs into Paranoid into Planet Caravan - is sick. A hard-hitting anti-war protest slams into a song about losing your mind, then drifts into mellow cosmic bliss. Even if the connection exists only in my head, I love the emotional whiplash - it shows the album's incredible range. And don't sleep on Planet Caravan - it is essential here.
Then Iron Man kicks off the "tech horror" suite - all wicked riffs and apocalyptic imagery. Electric Funeral might be my favorite track, with its killer guitar run and nuclear dread hammering home War Pigs' message. Meanwhile, Hand of Doom and Fairies Wear Boots dissect other society's sicknesses.
Paranoid might be the first perfect album I've encountered. It's dynamic yet concise, packed with bangers (zero filler), and balances raw energy with deep social commentary. Every melody sticks, every message lands. Truly music for both the mind and the heart.
5
Jul 25 2025
Slayed?
Slade
This album starts with its worst, but gets better on the B-side, especially with the slower songs. I feel like energetic old-school hard rock about the pleasures of rockstar life didnβt age well in general.
Canβt say Iβm the biggest fan of the vocals here. Basically, nothing exciting happens vocal-wise through the album, though in some songs he sounds better than in others (Look At Last Nite). The instrumentals in Gudbuy Gudbuy shine (but repetitive one-word chorus grates fast).
When you realize Ziggy and The Slider happened in the same year, Slayed? starts to sound dated and unimaginative too.
Best: Look At Last Nite, Gudbuy Gudbuy, I Don't Mind
2
Jul 26 2025
Nevermind
Nirvana
Somehow the things you know best are the hardest to rate. I've never aspired to be an objective judge of good taste (as art perception is inherently a subjective matter), but songs that I grew up with and know by heart from listening to the same 10 CDs over and over occupy a different space in my brain than any of the more recent findings.
Say, Nirvana. I've heard Smells Like Teen Spirit so many times I kind of hate the song, but automatically want to start ugly dancing to it. I adored Come As You Are, Lithium, and Something In The Way before I could fathom what the hell they were even about. Kurt Cobain and Amy Lee were my first (and only truly star) crushes.
That all being said, I haven't willingly listened to Nirvana in years.
Nevermind is a crazily energetic album. You start jumping on SLTS, you don't exactly have time (and reason) to stop. Those messy 4 chords on repeat, a good rhythmic section and loud-quiet sequences work well. Kurt's voice is not for everyone, but I always found him very memorable and full of personality, which can be more important than technical perfection. Meanwhile, the lyrics can be pretty disturbing. Nevermind is filled with rage over a lot of things apparently, and a wish to be different, that managed to capture rebellious and secretly fragile teen spirit.
"I'd rather be dead than cool" - said the author of the biggest party hymn of troubled youth on the same album that has Polly. It's hard for me nowadays to take Nirvana's protest as serious as they wanted it to be taken. Yet, it's a powerful album, that radically changed the musical landscape in the 90s for a reason, and provides a good listening experience (if you're in the right mood).
5