1001 Albums Summary

Groundbreaking early psychedelic record. Sheds the Dylan covers of the early records although the songwriting is lacking on a couple of filler tracks.

Impressive combination of emo vulnerable lyrics with metal and hiphop inspired music.

Great songwriting. Solid 90s grunge/glam sound. Vocals a bit grating throughout.

Interesting synth pop/post punk.

Solid metal album with hints of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple

Solid synth-pop songs.

Perfect album. Great songs and performances. Themes of fear and existential dread. Timeless.

Pleasant singer-songwriter album with some interesting production touches.

Interesting and evocative hybrid of African desert blues and American blues.

Increasingly sophisticated production and songwriting. Early hints of where Brian Wilson was heading as a composer. Still retains the exuberance of the early recordings. Transitional.

Solid indie rock album. A couple of great singles. Lacks variation in sound and tempo as an album.

Pleasant folk rock with minimal production. Decent songs.

Meandering musical and vocal arrangements. Vague and impressionistic lyrics. Not particularly compelling.

Genre defining early heavy metal. The dark side of the psychedelic dream. Filled with bleak lyrics, great songs and a heavy vibe.

Uninspired nu metal. Gimmicky shouting vocals and monotonous grinding music.

Timeless collection of some of the finest tracks the Stones recorded. Spans country, blues and their own unique brand of rock. Great performances by the band.

Catchy yet inconsequential Brit pop

Genre defining album. Very cool and atmospheric.

Auto tuned pop confection.

Nuggets style garage psych rock.

Musically reminiscent of Parliament/Funkadelic. Lyrics have not aged well.

Complex vocal arrangements. Low key shoegaze type musical arrangements.

Ambient noises and samples. Not compelling.

The blueprint for rock and roll. Raw and energetic, before Elvis got sanitised.

Stunning final statement. Shows the best elements of the band working together. Timeless songs and performances. Perfect Album.

Blues rock reduced to the fundamental elements.

Haunting minimalist arrangements and powerful vocals.

Derivative electronic sounds. Reminiscent of Bowie’s Berlin years.

Indie synth.

Vintage songs and orchestration.

An abundance of ideas, a lack of editing or self control. Sonically ambitious but chaotic and scattered.

Uneven album with a couple of standout tracks.

Decent indie post punk.

Haunting meditations on death. Musically minimal arrangements that support the voice and mood.

Ambitious yet quirky indie album.

Chaotic collection of tracks seemingly without narrative or thematic thread. Impressive range of sounds and emotions.

Raw blues rock. Exceptional vocals.

Powerful songs and performances.

Quirky new wave.

Great album. Amazing guest stars that somehow don’t take over the album. Prolific few years for Stills.

Huge leap forward. Revolutionary songs and productions. Perhaps the best example of what each member contributed to the overall band. Each song seems to define a genre in the future.

Classic big band sounds.

Great hybrid of punk and traditional instrumentation.

Eschewing the psychedelic experiments, the Stones get back to the blues and start the classic run of albums of the era.

Indie synth rock

Epic in scale, sound and ambition. A sweeping outsider’s perspective of America.

Great songs. Sterile 80s production.

Disco. Decent songs and great vocals. But still disco.

Solid songs with typical 80s sheen.

Peak sludge metal with some surprising variations.

Piano improvisation.

Catchy indie pop earworms.

Solid Bowie inspired songs.

Theatrical cabaret.

Musically interesting, lyrically puerile.

Inessential world music.

Soul and rap influences on typical 80s production. Socially conscious content.

Scrappy garage rock. Sounds a bit thin, vocals grating.

Peak Clapton, aided by Duane Allman and a sympathetic band. Clapton never sounded so authentic or engaged with the blues.

Raw metal. Great intense atmospheric live recording.

Excellent 80’s pop.

Catchy Floyd-lite.

Epic, poetic and mischievous. Fantastic transitional record from folk hero to rock star.

Gentle country rock. Beautiful songs and spare arrangements.

Sparse country arrangements in concept narrative.

Genre defining punk record.

Beat heavy 90s jams.

Intense. Musically varied, lyrically heavy.

Pleasant indie folk rock.

Great record. Full of punk energy. The Passenger is an all time classic.

Atmospheric synth heavy studio creations.

Impressive 60s psychedelic pastiche.

Entertaining mix of rap, funk and hip hop.

Disco and funk influenced pop.

Great combination of traditional instruments and folk/rock songs. Van Morrison is a clear influence.

Glossy pop.

Raw, visceral and poetic. Punk in attitude, literary in scope.

Perfect combination of stadium ambition and artistic integrity. Despair has never sounded so good.

Pleasant country/folk

Cool, accessible hip-hop

So much percussion.

Perfect amalgamation of punk and grunge.

Synth pop. So what.

Fun garage influenced britpop.

Snarling hardcore. All attitude, lacking proficiency.

Modern dub reggae sounds. Interesting but uneven album.

World music funk. Kind of fun.

Low key indie. Pleasant.

Eclectic hiphop. Needs editing.

Just plain weird.

I don’t get it. Shrug.

Brilliant concept album. Maintains a narrative thread. Excellent collection of songs.

Surprisingly good songs and arrangements. Expectations were low after the first track.

Raw, elemental and earthy. Tight songs and performances. No psychedelic excess.

Pleasant. Faint praise.

Great energy and unique sound. Great horns.

Pleasant inoffensive pop.

Perfect punk primitivism.

Beat heavy adaptations of traditional styles.

Electronic sample heavy jams. Meandering.

Excellent psychedelic blues crossover. Clapton before he started playing safe.

Perfect blend of grunge, psychedelia and metal.

Pleasant. Faint praise.

Reverent collaboration between contemporary musicians and Nashville legends.

Great collection of songs and slightly bonkers concept.

Excellent early psychedelic record. Side 2 doesn’t add much.

Pretentious synth.

Some stunning moments but uneven overall.

Catchy mix of 90s styles.

Pop confection.

Noisy punk grunge hybrid.

Pop and R&B collide into something unique.

Delicate and tuneful.

Smooth.

Indie jangle with rock edge.

Noisy post punk.

Strangely compelling icy soundscapes.

Primal proto-punk.

Tuneful primitivism. Another great collection of originals and covers. Last in an amazing run of albums.

Polished prof. Mildly pretentious.

Low-fi indie. Interesting but not compelling.

Very smooth hip hop

Iconic soul and funk.

Bonkers but interesting.

Blues and psychedelia. So many ideas. Great guitar by Jeff Beck.

Cool soul genre exercise

Great collection of songs. So much talent in one group. Shame they didn’t record more.

Raucous garage punk.

80s cheese. Catchy

Sublime album. Perfect songwriting and harmony vocals. Dreamy.

Classic soul.

Ethereal

Musically powerful. Profound and sensitive response to tragedy. Both specific and timeless.