1001 Albums Summary

Pure Psycheldelic blues-based drip. Pleasing to the ear, but very "of an era". White Rabbit is peak Jefferson Airplane. Embryonic Journey is a legendary Jorma jam. The rest is okay but a little too dated. They were "it" for a time and this album is their signature and it's debatable how fame and the 60s, hippie, San Fran scene affected them going forward.

Peak RUSH - a trio of Canadian legends as ingrained in Rock Culture as any band of the last 50 years. Ultimate Bro Band - probably 80-20 man/woman fan base ratio and this is arguably their apex album. Just to open an album with Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ and Limelight leaves the listener gasping for breath. An in your face, unapologetic, 80s prog masterpiece. No notes and if you don't know this album already, you were born after 1990 or just out of touch with society.

A strange, but important album, what else can be said about it? In light of Brian Wilson's death this week, I will paraphrase things I heard him say about this album: - It was to be his crazy experimental album in response to what the Beatles had been doing, and when he heard Sgt. Pepper's come out a few months later, he felt his attempt had been a massive failure that didn't compare. The Beatles later said that they basically felt the same sense of failure for Sgt. Peppers when they heard Pet Sounds. - Insane recording experience with Brian that basically broke him mentally (along with the drugs and whatever else) - God Only Knows - one of the greatest songs EVER written......change my mind - Wouldn't it be nice - one of the few rock songs that talks about how great it would be to be older and married with a family instead of how great it is/would be to be young and crazy Maybe the best album from one of the most American bands in history. 'nuff said

I mean join Afrobeat Icon Fela Kuti with insane rock drummer ICON Ginger Baker and it has to be good, right? Answer: YES, but not for everyone. Lots of cool tunes and love the live recording, but kind of ended up as more background music than active listening due to the length and long improvisational nature of the experience. This is one of those IYKYK albums.

A mellow, perfect segway in his first few albums between the rock-heavy Everyone Knows This is Nowhere and the masterpiece that is Harvest. Couple of legendary songs, but more a glimpse into what was coming next with Harvest. Neil was such a prodigy at this age, having already made a name for himself with Buffalo Springfield, CSNY and not too many other artists can boast the string of about his first five or six records in a row out of the gate. What else is there to say about this ICON who is still writing chapters of his own book, today?

A chill, ambient Miles album - kinda fusiony, I guess. I'm no jazz expert. Here is the personnel on this album and I'll just let them speak for themselves: Miles Davis – trumpet Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone John McLaughlin – electric guitar Chick Corea – electric piano Herbie Hancock – electric piano Joe Zawinul – electric piano, organ Dave Holland – double bass Tony Williams – drums A bunch of legends.

Lovely voice, lovely rhythms from South Africa

I really didn't think this album was that strong. I liked the general vibe and some of the synth "riffs" were definitely catchy. Not unpleasant to listen to, but nothing groundbreaking here from Frank, at least to me.

This is definitely a Depeche Mode album from the mid-80s. Like/remember opening track Never Let Me Down Again. Seems like a transitional album between their early electro-pop stuff and the next album Violator, which made them international sensations.

Verve - best know for their next album and its smash and Rolling Stones ripoff - Bitter Sweet Symphony. This album sounds great, but it's another case of reviewing the 'precursor to greatness album'. Definitely establishes the band's 'sound'. Lots of reverb and delay - kind of U2 sounding, although I'm not sure neither band would like that comparison - it's undeniable, though. Not bad, not that memorable of an album either, it was the 90s

Released in 1967 as the Byrds were among the California bands leading the march to psychedelia and folk/country rock, this had to be a weird album at the time. I could listen to David Crosby sing all day and, while I'm not a huge Byrds fan, there is no disputing the talent in the band and influence on "60s" rock especially in the time of this album. Like this album a lot and there is a LOT of cool, new (at the time) studio effects showcased on this album - weird noises, reverse tape effect, sitar-like stuff. I love this era of rock experimentation - so much creativity at the time - it's incredible to look back at the top studio albums at the time from the Beatles, Byrds and many other geniuses of the time and what they were doing in the analog days. Highlights for me were hits So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star and My Back Pages, loved Everybody's Been Burned and Why and Have you Seen Her Face.

WTF else can I writer about this second in the long list of Zepp masterpieces?? Ummmm Led Zeppelin II - Heard of it? II continues and just levels up the diversity of songs that they spin. More driving hard rockers, more beautiful, complex acoustic journeys, road songs, Hobbit references, strings, screaming blues jams, crushing drum solos - complete masters of all genres. At 42 minutes long, it's perfect, I needed a rest after that run of absolute bangers - personally, Ramble On and What is and What Should Never Be always float to the top of my favorite Zepp songs, but the entire album is at this point - I'll say it again - iconic.

Classic 50s/early 60s cover art in Kodachrome or Colorvision or Technicolor. Young bucks discovered a kind of harmony that just hit different. Made the girls swoon, made the guys jealous, and is cited by countless next generation of Rock including, among many others, The Beatles. This is a 27-minute album, so no skips. Highlights: Always It's You, TIL that Love Hurts by Nazareth is a cover of an Everly Brothers song, of course Cathy's Clown was a defining song for them, and Lucille is great. Game changing sound in simpler times.

Another British band that was part of a scene I was not familiar with at the time, but now see in retrospective. Still don't even remotely identify with that scene, other than there were several cool, new sounding, bands that had some personality. Completely guessing here, but the Stone Roses were probably the coolest of these bands (like, Blur? Verve? Oasis? dunno) but never had the mainstream success of the others and broke up and did other projects. They were either loved or hated at the time and now people think the opposite of what they thought then. I wonder if these guys ever heard of The Beatles /s Not that there's anything wrong with emulating the Beatles - everyone does/did it. Not bad - if you don't like the "sound" of Stone Roses, there are a few songs near the end of the album with a cleaner, rock tone. Kind of a Herman's Hermits vibe to some of these tunes.

Timely pick, having recently watched A Complete Unknown, which focuses a lot on this time in Robert's life. We're listening to rarified folk music air. This album has almost mystical properties to folk and Dylan devotees, as it should. Even someone with only enough folk music knowledge to be dangerous, I recognize the importance of this album in the thread of 60s culture and music. Other than the obvious smashes, I've always loved 'Girl from the North Country' - just a beauty. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall still seems incredibly relevant. Don't Think Twice is an incredible break-up song. I Shall Be Free is fun. Great chill folk album - captures a certain time and place as all good music does.

Not really sure what to say about this. Some catchy tunes, reminds me of a folk album from the early sixties and sounds like it was recorded in someone's basement. Maybe this place on Mermaid Ave. Definitely a roots rock, vibe a la The Band. I guess a cool side project collab with these two bands. Never really understood the Wilco fascination, myself, but that's neither here nor there.

Are you experienced? Or have you every been experienced? Well I have. Debut album from Jimi Hendrix (formerly of The Isley Brothers, Little Richard and others as a bandmate) and what else can be said about this album except - WOW. Imagine this coming out along side Sgt. Pepper, Pet Sounds, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, etc. Nothing like it before or since. Let's not overlook the fact that this is a power trio!!! Jimi can make his guitar sound like about 2 or three guitarists are playing, but it's just him, Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on Bass. Incredible!!! I guess Cream might be a comparable contemporary situation, but it is well known that Jimi and Eric Clapton didn't exactly care for each other, and I think anyone can see that Jimi was much more unique and experimental than the blues covers that Cream was electrifying. Particularly fond of Third Stone From the Sun, May This Be Love, I Don't Live Today and Stone Free among the massive Jimi staples on this album. Fire may be my fave Jimi song - certainly top five along with Manic Depression. A pivotal, important, beautiful, daring, weird album that EVERYONE should have heard by now or you must get Experienced!!!

First off - top contender for iconic album covers. Don't know much about King Crimson other than it is an early progressive rock band whose members have expanded and left incredible marks on modern music through the musical prowess and creativity of its various members. As with many other prog artists, I have no idea what the heck they are talking about - it is more about the music and vibe. The first few songs are beautiful, of ourse The Court of the Crimson King is familiar and an epic listen. Really like the voice of the singer, although I know he didn't last long in the group with John Wetton (another great prog singer/bassist), but the vocals really hit on this one. Enjoyed the album much more than I anticipated and support weird, good music when I can.

The great, mysterious, Fiona Apple - waify, alternative, seductress of the 90s that burst on the scene and then seemingly disappeared as fast as she appeared. Tiny girl, deep voice!! She was like the little weird girl from school that suddenly opened up and everyone was like - wow, where did she come from? Sleep to Dream and Criminal were the breakouts from this album and defined the sound of the album pretty well. The rest are mostly slower, sullen songs. Not really my bag, but this album definitely left an impression on 90s kids.

I have played a scratched-up vinyl record of this album on blown out speakers at home and it sounds better then 99% of all other music since released in 1965. Rubber Soul (ever heard of it?) is, imho, the first record of the Beatles post "Fab Four" stage. Longer hair, unshaven, no more suits, and of course, the songwriting. Clearly these guys had "opened their minds" at this point. The songs are still about sex and drugs, but also very introspective and almost metaphysical. Who am I to suggest any of the songs on this sacred scripture are better or worse than others, but Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, In My Life and Drive My Car are incredible musical and lyrical works of art. Michelle, Girl, I'm Looking Through You and The Word are other standouts. As I was not around then, I can't say, but I don't think many other mainstream, world dominating, pop bands were telling fans to think for themselves and do what you want to do in 1965. We'll even murder you if I catch you with another dude!!! (not a great look on Run For Your Life, but it's a damn song not an actual event) It sounds like it was the first album where the Beatles basically realized they can write and do whatever they want because they are the Goddamn Beatles. If you don't like it (which you will), then fuck off, sorry kiddos. We'll even murder you if I catch you with another dude!!! (not a great look, but it's a song not a literal threat) 10 out of 5 stars, no notes.

Dylan being Dylan in the mid-70s. He is undoubtedly one of the great American songwriters. His singing takes some getting used to and is sometimes more like spoken word poetry slams or something. A great sounding Dylan album - I do like his lyrics and storytelling, but not a fanatic myself.

Oh, boy - the ultimate Canadien, prog, themed album from the great RUSH - 2112. What does it all mean? Per Wiki - "2112" tells a story set in the city of Megadon in the year 2112, after an intergalactic war in 2062 forces many of the planets to be ruled by the Solar Federation (symbolized by the Red Star on the cover artwork), where individualism and creativity are outlawed. The population is controlled by a cabal of priests living in the temples of Syrinx, who take orders from giant banks of computers that control all aspects of life ("The Temples of Syrinx"). An unnamed protagonist finds a guitar inside a cave and rediscovers the lost art of music ("Discovery"). Upon playing the guitar to the priests, they destroy it and declare music a waste of time and against the computers' plan ("Presentation"). In a dream, an oracle shows him a planet established simultaneously with the Solar Federation, where an elder race flourish in creativity and individuality ("Oracle: The Dream"). He awakens, depressed that music is part of such a society that he can never be part of and kills himself ("Soliloquy"). Another planetary war begins and the elder race successfully take down the Solar Federation, but the song ends with an ambiguous spoken ending: "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation: We have assumed control" ("Grand Finale"). Peart described the ending as a "double surprise ... a real Hitchcock killer". Clear as mud - side 2 - is just prog rock jams, a little much for me on most of these tunes, but it is 2112 that serves as the epic savior of RUSH that propelled them to legendary status. Love it, love it, love it in all it's weird greatness - "We are the priests, of the Temples of Syrinx" - Great line

Only really knew lore about Biggie and listened to the singles that made it to a broader audience, so I thought I owed it to the man to listen to this one. Like the intro - hints at the tone and time period and background of the music. The whole album is definitely a vibe - recognized a lot of lyrics from being called out by other rappers. Testament to Biggie, fo sho. Didn't know much about this album before and glad I listened. Still don't feel knowledgable to rate this against the world of rap catalog, but two thumbs up, would recommend.

Just a great "of the moment" record. Disco, funky, NYC, 70s, dirty, coked-out, Halston/Warhol, dance music. Who but Chic knew the depth of talent assembled to create this zeitgeist of an album. Nile Rodgers created a guitar vibe so catchy and funky that he charted Top Hits with versions of it for 40 something years, now. Le Freak is iconic, Savoir Faire is a nice elevator music jam, I Want Your Love is lovely and sexy. Good clean funky fun in the wild 70s. How quaint a time that was, huh?

RIP Ozzy Osbourne so it seems appropriate to throw us a Black Sabbath album one day after it was announced that the Prince of Darkness had passed on. Some would assume he is headed straight to hell to sit next to Lucifer himself and rock the place out. Nay - this Prince was a troubled, addicted, hell-raiser, but ultimately stood for good and openly asked for and exuded love to all of his fans and his musician peers. A kind soul, John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is going upstairs to add to some depth to the party in Heaven. Amen. Another surprisingly iconic album cover - a blurry after-image of a guy in a motorcycle helmet, some kind of sheild and sash brandishing a sword in the woods in someone's backyard, apparently. I didn't know what I was looking at for the longest time and still don't really know what is happening here except - either this guy is paranoid or we are supposed to feel paranoid? It's best just looked at briefly and not analyzed too deep. Let's just say it is a memorable album cover. On to the music... War Pigs/Paranoid/Iron Man/Fairies Wear Boots - classic Sabbath. 2nd of the founding Sabbaths incredible run of albums. Listen to it!!

Great 90s hip hop album. Sooooo 90s!!!

GREEN - another great REM catalog album. It's hard from one decade to anther to convey the status of a band when any particular album came out, but REM was pretty much at the top of rock groups in the 80s and 90s and this was a monster. Pop Song 89, Orange Crush and even the sickeningly sweet Stand are great examples of the jangly guitar forward songs and catch vocals of Stipe and Mike Mills harmonies that we all love about REM.

Only tangentially familiar with Portishead so was excited to review this one. Just another 90s Alt Masterpiece, no big deal!!! Sour Times - instantly recognizable moody vibe, Roads, Glory Box. The whole album is a vibe. Kind of a mellower Tool vibe to this band. V Good

If you are fan of bleeps, boops, clangs, indecipherable background dialogue and ambient noises, this is your album!!!!

Thriller - ever heard of it? Five Stars - iconic album cover, iconic songs, Album of the Decade, Michael Jackson's absolute peak imo (and he had a 40 something year career). Just incredible. Dudes from Toto and other incredible session musicians on this one - Quincy Jones - and on and on.

Elvis Presley - ever heard of him? Great cover... and now in a New Orthophonic High Fidelity Recording!!! Astonishing that this record came out in 1956. Needless to say, it caused a ruckus in society. The thing I've always liked the most about Elvis is the variety of songs he sings. He loves slow ballads, loves blues classic, rock-a-billy, rock and roll, dramatic songs, inspirational, gospel, etc. Guy could sing anything and just own it.

A nice group of British themed (I guess) songs from DAmon Albarn and his crew. Love themed albums - cover art is incredible - also a bit of an anglophile, so this album fit the bill.

Another total "sound" of British post punk scene. Lips like Sugar is a banger, but again, this is the "album before the album" that lays our the vibe and sound of Bunny and the Echoman. Not bad, they improved from this, imo

T.Rex is a bit of an aquired taste. Brilliant, innovative and flashy, for sure, but not for everyone. The early 70s had a whole genre, of which T.Rex is in, of "big sounding" guitar heavy, melodic, but strange lyrics and a shift from just music to showmanship and performance. This is that - great album, nothing particularly memorable from my outsiders point of view, but clear talent and songwriting ability and fun to listen to.

Stevie Wonder is maybe on the Mount Rushmore of modern musicians. Miles Davis, Lennon/McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Herbie Hancock, Brian Wilson...whomever else you want to put on there, he is a GIANT. In other words, you don't have to ask me twice to listen to a Stevie Wonder album. This one contains the seminal track, Boogie On Reggae Woman...one of the most covered, most interesting songs from this era, imo. Talk amongst yourselves - I'll give you a topic: Boogie On Reggae Woman is neither Boogie or Reggae...Discuss! It is a favorite of organ trios and jazz covers of all time. The chord changes and the vibe Stevie creates with this anomaly of a song are incredible. I'm not smart enough to explain why this song is so great, other than - it just is. You Haven't Done Nothin' is another clav-heavy, horn backed funky jam that you should be familiar with. The rest is a variety of heart-felt Stevie jams.

The Chronic = Iconic Gs up Hoes down Iconic album - this "gangster rap" was so good, so "of the moment" and so identifiable to the West Coast and LA particularly. No way this could be made now, it would be banned and Dre would probably be arrested for some "unamerican" BS or hate speech. That's how it was in the late 80s and 90s though. These dudes were real. Does it age well? It still sounds great, Snoop and Dre are still around, but like benevolent Grandpas now. Doesn't matter, it is unforgettable and changed popular music forever.

In the world of iconic rock albums, this is certainly near the top. While you know this album as AC/DCs explosive big release, don't forget, this was the 1st release after the loss of their legendary lead singer, Bon Scott. To have this album be the 1st with a brand new singer is incredible. The tolling of the bell at the beginning of the album is the perfect start to this classic rock ball-breaker of an album. Rather than focus on the songs everyone (should) knows by heart (almost 2 BILLION listens on Spotify for Back and Black and You Shook Me), try Shoot to Thrill, Have a Drink on Me and Shake a Leg for incredible guitar licks and epic arrangements that you won't forget. Long live ACDC and Angus Young. Nobody did what they do better than them.

Album cover review - better than average, she looks great, chains and a lock, a key in her mouth. Love it. Love her or not, Kate Bush is an ARTIST and Electronic Music innovator.

Dad, What is Jazz Music? Well dear, listen to this album - this is jazz. <puts on Birth of Cool> Ohhhhh, that's Jazz Music....cool Yes, dear, cool indeed! - END SCENE -

Album Art Review - looks like a children's book cover - tracks for Yusuf/Cat Yusuf/Cat Stevens - great singer songwriter. Kind of a right of passage to get into Cat Stevens at some point early in one's musical journey. This album has a couple of classics Hard Headed Woman and Wild World. I don't think Cat knew what a wild world it really would become. Father and Son is another. I'm pretty much over Cat Stevens, been there, stuck in a time in my life that is long gone. Thanks though

Album Art review - 10/10. Crosses great logo, red sky, puppet strings - no notes! Released in the middle of an incredible run of metal albums released by Metallica. Their initial body of work through the black album absolutely changed heavy metal music forever. Master of Puppets is a metal masterpiece. Chugging, ripping solos, speed, husky vocals, dystopic and miserable lyrics and melodies. Highlights, Battery, MOP, Welcome Home, Leper Messiah

Album Art Review - another iconic cover for an iconic album. Literally a demonic motorcycle launching out of a graveyard hellscape with a giant demonic bat cackling over the whole scene. Great cover that both teases the music on the album, without really preparing the listener for what they are about to experience.

Album Cover Art Review - meh - great picture, but the group was on fumes at this point so probably didn't get time to think about album cover much. - I do like the font Album - I like their sound actually, kind of evolving to more soulful, "bigger" sound. Love a few of the songs - don't know if this holds up very well. Kind of a drugged out feel to the whole thing.

Album Cover Art Review - 8-10 - the guys in classic rocker poses, well lit, different colors, great logo in the middle. Nothing else needed for debut album. Van Halen - burst onto the scene, rock never the same, insane album, can't even imagine how it landed in real time. No one could prepare for what was unleashed on them. Magic in a bottle for sure

Cover Art Review - great! surreal Americana scene broken up by NIXON whatever that means to you. 8/10 Musically, can't figure out what is going on here. Not for me, but to each his own.

Cover art review - great looking Brit/punk band - very 1979 vibe. Interesting punk title to the album and the band's logo/font is somewhat iconic. Solid rock/punk rock late 70s album. Didn't really recognize any of the songs, but dug the vibe and made it all the way through. Kind of an early alternative sound to it as well.

Cover Art Review - 8/10 -A great photo of David Bowie - this was not my favorite look for him - almost skeleton thin with a strange affect to his personality, but iconic with the hair, cig and bracelets. Musically - in the zone. Title track is a top five Bowie song imo - so much going on in this song musically, I can't even begin. Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Earl Slick, John Lennon, Carlos Alomar....Ridiculous lineup of musicians on this album.

Album Cover Art review - abstract painting, hues of red, kinda works for me 7/10 Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd - has to be good. and it is. In fact, it's a goddamn delightful bossa chill backdrop.

Album Art review - Wow!! impressive imagery, love this really. 8/10 Album - don't remember this one, but it is certainly an Elvis Costello album.

Album Art Review - pretty cool, pretty cool. Don't know Elliott Smith, but nice graphic art - simple, literal, good use of color highlight - 7.9/10 Album - kind singer/songwriter vibe - melodic, a little spacey, a little symphonic, a little Beatlesque to me, a little maybe 80s/90s retro sounding too.

Cover Art Review - If 50s/60s hip jazz was a genre of painting, this would be a great example. Mid-Century Modern Jazz. 8.5/10. Let's be honest, we're here to talk about Take Five. Few jazz songs reach the level of cool and recognition as Take Five. An earworm above other earworms. The meter, the melody, the rhythm, the performers. Lightning in a bottle.

Cover Art Review - Minimalist - two colors, purple and gold - regal choice. Art Deco-ish with a naturalist vibe. Some weird runes to make you wonder. 7.2/10 Musically - pretty out there. Love the electronica. not personally a big fan of the chanting/singing when occurring. Nice background music - maybe it is innovative for being fairly early electronica experimental, but didn't grab me.

Cover Art Review - Literal, minimal, classic 7/10 This simple cover belies one of the seminal albums of American Standards covered by one of the seminal musicians. Willie puts his stamp on these classics and to say that it went over well is putting mildly - the album is QUINTUPLE PLATINUM. Grammys, CMA awards, it was on the Billboard charts for TEN YEARS. American Treasure singing American Treasures - no skips....rarified air. Interesting fact, Booker T. Jones produced, arranged and performed on the album.

Album Art Review - The Man - Marvin looking peak. Cool font for the album title and artist's name. 6.5/10 Marvin is on the Mount Rushmore of soul singers and mayby my favorite. This album cements his transition from Motown crooner and collaborator to a political Voice of protest and the oppressed. We need him now!! Absolutely iconic Songs like What's Going On, Save the Children, Mercy Mercy Me and Inner City Blues are just as relevant today as they were 50 years ago and still sound great.