1001 Albums Summary

A great album, even if there could be a bit more variety in places, the track listing separates most of the similar songs and the album’s short length keeps it from becoming stale. The title track is one of the greatest pieces of rock ‘n’ roll ever and there are a good few great songs elsewhere on the record. “The Grave” is an amazing track and really shows the horrors of being faced with death in war. The softness of Don McLean’s voice is lovely and lends great emotions to the songs throughout the album. 4/5

Amazing album, especially from track 3 onwards. The playing is great throughout, my only complaint is that some of the bass solos sound more like scales being played really fast rather than a solo, but then again, I haven’t listened to too much jazz before, so maybe it’s normal. The music keeps you engaged throughout the album with all that’s going on. The piano playing is flawless. 4/5

This album was great, nonstop punk for 39 minutes. It’s an amazing debut album, even just the title gets across the essence of the band and their music. The whole album is a shot of adrenaline, and much of that comes from the great guitar playing. Johnny Rotten has a perfect voice and delivery for the music. Every song is great, but an issue I have is that you could put the tracks in any order and it wouldn’t really make much of a difference as many of the songs are very similar, but after a second listen, this didn’t feel as big a deal. Even so, the album delivers everything it promises. 4/5

Amazing from start to end, not a weak track. Every band member adds so much, Tony Iommi has an incredible talent for writing great riffs and licks, nearly every series of notes played on the guitar is genius, Bill Ward’s drumming lends so much energy and power to the music, Geezer Butler’s bass adds a lot of depth and heaviness, and Ozzy Osbourne’s amazing vocals are so powerful and really sell the messages the songs are sending. Incredible songwriting and the long songs are very much worthy of their length. 5/5

Incredible album, I was not expecting to love it as much as I ended up. The production and songwriting was amazing and it still holds up today. I loved the instrumentation, it felt very deliberate in the way all these different sounds came together to convey the music in a unique way. This album is pretty much perfect, no weak tracks. 5/5

This album is great. Dylan’s lyrics tell very compelling stories and the music is all great, both electric and acoustic. Even though I have no clue what Subterranean Homesick Blues is about, it works as a great opener. The album also balances faster and slower songs really well. Dylan’s guitar work on the acoustic side is very strong. His voice may not be the greatest, but it works very well for this album, I’d say. 4/5

This album was…certainly something. The opening moments are pretty good, but like most songs on this album, it goes on too long. The only songs that I feel don’t go on too long are In Heaven and Praise You, which are also my favorites on the record. There was a section of this album in the middle where I wanted nothing more than for it to end. This lasted about 15 minutes, but Praise You swooped in to save the day. This album was meant to have individual songs played at parties and in clubs, not a full listen through. I honestly have no clue why it’s on this list. That being said, there are a few interesting moments. 2/5

Pure genius, pure magic. The arrangements on this album are fantastic, and the vocals are nothing short of amazing. All 4 tracks are incredible pieces of music and the first and last tracks are some of the greatest covers ever performed. I know some don’t like it, but the monologue on By the Time I Get To Phoenix adds so much more emotional impact than you would get from just the song, and it provides an amazing end to an amazing album. 5/5

This album is lovely. It’s a great selection of songs that range from haunting and melancholy to warm and hopeful. Joan Baez’s voice and guitar work is are wonderful and her arrangements all work very well. The album never feels boring because Baez’s voice tells the stories in very compelling ways. 4/5

A perfect album of funk and soul. It’s concise and it gets across its messages successfully. Every song on the album is a work of musical genius. The lyrics provide a look at the struggles of the poor and drug addiction and selling. The album is tied together with recurring lyrical themes such as the title character, the “Pusherman”, “junkies”, and “The Man”. The last 3 tracks do so much to tie everything up, with No Thing on Me functioning as a sort of thesis statement, followed by Think, an instrumental that allows you do what the title tells you to, think. Finally, the title track lends a nice wrap-up to the album. 5/5

Very boring. I was extremely bored for most of this album. There’s very little interesting stuff going on, and the little bits of interesting musical moments rarely last and are often overshadowed by the mediocrity surrounding it. I felt nothing most of the time, as I spaced out from sheer boredom and didn’t feel any emotions that should have been invoked. It’s hard to call it a bad album, it’s just really bland. 2/5

This album has a lot of atmosphere and pretty great compositions. The instrumentation creates much of this atmosphere, the guitar riffs and bass lines are great throughout, with the synths working to complement them and the drums, though simple, work really well. Many of the instrumental tracks are piano-led, but they still maintain the same atmosphere. 4/5

Very ahead of its time. The lyrics aren’t great in places, but the music and arrangements are all fantastic and have aged very well. I love the very obvious influence that David Bowie had on this album. The album’s energy is infectious on most tracks, and the slower moments are all effective. 4/5

An example of great songwriting and production. Bono’s voice is incredible throughout, very powerful. These songs all have great soundscapes. The album does feel a bit long, but I don’t know what I’d cut because every track is strong. 4/5

A genius album. Extremely creative compositions all throughout with great variety. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going in, but I ended up loving this album. Though one issue is the fake Indian accent at the end of New Delhi and the brownface on the album cover have aged very poorly. Even so, I’m not sure if that overall minor aspect fully knocks down to a 4, so it remains a 5. 5/5

This album is decent. It’s not bad, but I don’t see why it’s on this list. It has some great moments, the first track especially, but I don’t think this album really has much going for it, there are probably much better disco albums that could have been on this list. However, I do understand why this album is important, I just don’t think it’s for me. 3/5

A great psychedelic blues album. One of the most stacked bands in history, where every member is considered an all-time great. Something I did notice though, is that it sounds like Clapton is restraining himself in a few songs, but it still sounds great. Though much of the material on the record is great, both sides end on very weak songs, side 1 with Blue Condition and side 2 with Mother’s Lament. 4/5

An excellent composition played with excellent musicianship. I find it funny the difference in opinions on this album, as some people would dread a live album of a prog rock adaptation of a classical piano suite, but I, as a massive nerd, was actually excited. I was not disappointed. All the playing was spectacular and the material was strong. The synths sound cheesy and dated, just the way I like them. It is amazing hearing the audience going wild for Nut Rocker of all things. 4/5

Incredible album. Some of the best instrumental work I’ve heard on a punk album. Not a weak track, and many of their best parts are instrumental sections. Captain Sensible’s guitar work really shines throughout. Smash It Up is one of the best punk songs I’ve ever heard. 5/5

Thoroughly great double album. It manages to maintain a wide variety while also still feeling like a cohesive work. I’d say that everything included is deserving of being on the album. The compositions are fantastic and the lyrics are pretty good with a few exceptions. The singing could be better in places, but the main draw is the amazing music. 4/5

An example of a great album with bad production. All the music is great, powerful punk rock with no weak tracks. However, David Bowie’s mixing holds it back. This wasn’t his fault, as he was working on a low budget with extremely outdated technology and had to get the whole album mixed in a day. This knocks it down a bit, but it’s still a very strong record. 3/5

Amazing lyrics with amazing music. The songs are very narrative and packed with imagery, it really accomplishes Springsteen’s goal of making an album where all the songs take place over a long summer day. Impeccable songwriting and arrangements, played by great musicians.

Excellent and energetic hard rock played by very talented musicians. The whole album is very strong and one of the best debut albums, the band’s sound was already defined very well. Eddie Van Halen’s playing is spectacular as it always is and the energy is infectious. 4/5

A great variety of very interesting music. David Byrne is a fantastic songwriter and the album shows these talents very well. The experimentation on the album can be quirky but also be taken seriously, as it shows a lot of creativity. Byrne’s vocals are full of personality and Tina Weymouth supplies great bass playing throughout. 4/5

An all-time great. Packed with great songs from beginning to end. The album has two main types of songs, hard rockers and slower, beautiful songs. They surprisingly don’t clash too much, and Stairway to Heaven combines both styles masterfully. Even though Stairway is overplayed and overrated, that doesn’t stop it from being amazing. My only complaint about Stairway is the penultimate line, “to be a rock and not to roll”, apparently it’s an ancient proverb, but it’s obviously because Zeppelin is a rock and roll band and they were trying to make it sound profound, but to me it just sounds stupid. Robert Plant’s delivery saves it, however. All 4 members play incredibly and the songwriting is consistently strong throughout. 5/5

I was not expecting to love this album as much as I did. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but I didn’t think it would be one of the most creative albums I’ve ever heard. The music is amazing and the lyrics pull off both humor and vulnerability extremely well, with all the features being great. My only complaint is that some songs can blend together a bit, but this was right on the border of being a 5. 4/5

Even if you don’t like AC/DC, you have to admit they do what they do well. It’s a great album full of dirty hard rock songs played by great musicians, what more could you ask from AC/DC? It’s not anything life changing, but it’s a good time.

A great album. The band pulls off the folkier tracks and the psychedelic tracks both equally great. The harmonies sound beautiful throughout, and though Grace Slick is definitely the best singer in the band, the others are still very good. I do wish that Plastic Fantastic Lover was earlier in the album to allow White Rabbit to be the closer, as it feels so climactic. 4/5

An album with some great moments, but it does get bogged down by a few recurring issues. Many of the tracks on the record are around 6-8 minutes, and I feel that many of them aren’t musically interesting enough to warrant that length. I will say though, tracks 7-9 are amazing, but the rest is just okay. 3/5

A delightful album. The reviews of this on this website really made me lower my expectations, but I ended up really loving the record. It’s full of very warm sounding songs, country and folk with a few experimental elements. Some of the songs can get a little too repetitive for my liking, but it isn’t annoying. It’s definitely something I’ll be coming back to.

Full of genius compositions and unique sounds. It’s a very cohesive work, it’s very much sonically unified, but the tracks remain mostly unique to each other. This is the first Radiohead album I’ve heard in full, and I’m definitely looking forward to the others featured on this list. 4/5

All I knew about The Smiths beforehand was that Morrissey is a terrible person. I ended up loving this album, it’s just too good in my opinion to disregard it. Andy Rourke’s bass playing is amazing throughout and the songwriting is extremely strong. I’ve thought about the nature of consuming art made by bad people, and what I currently think is this, though it may change: You know your own morals and enjoying art by problematic artists doesn’t mean anything about you as long as you can acknowledge the artist did wrong. Some art is too good for me to not enjoy, and this album is an example of that. 4/5

This album is weird and I love it. The songs are all so great and the sampling is extremely creative. All four songs on the record are very unique pieces of music. 4/5

It’s very long and I don’t think it really earns that length. Party albums typically are long and don’t make great listening experiences when listened to from front to back and are full of very long songs to dance to for a long amount of time. There are a few great moments, but the album’s length knocks it down from a 3 to a 2 for me. I have heard great things about later Daft Punk albums, so maybe I’ll check those out. 2/5

Led Zeppelin was a unit. They sound extremely tight on this album, as if they were all made to play with each other. The songs on the album are all great, especially on side 2. What’s insane to me is that this isn’t even their best album, at least in my opinion. I hadn’t listened to the album in a bit, and had forgotten how beautiful a song Thank You is, it’s one of my favorites now. I could be mistaken, but I believe that Ramble On includes Zeppelin’s first Lord of the Rings references, with it mentioning Mordor and Gollum. 4/5

A very atmospheric album. Every song does a great job at portraying its vibe with its instrumentation and melodies. I really love the vocals, they work really well with the music. It has a sort of quality to it I really like. 4/5

This album definitely accomplished what it wanted to, but I just didn’t enjoy it. I love weird stuff in music, and this album was very weird and definitely very creative, I just don’t like the sound of clanging metal underneath a German guy screaming into an extremely low quality mic. I would have loved to love this album, my goal with starting this project was to broaden my music taste, but all I got out of this was a headache. 1/5

One of the best early heavy metal records. Even though Deep Purple had moved on to more “standard” hard rock, their prog rock roots are still very clear with their musicianship. Ian Gillan may just be my favorite rock singer ever, he can do amazing things with his voice. The material is very strong and is full of energetic hard rockers. 5/5

This album was a bore. There were interesting moments here and there, but the beginning is just such a slog that it’s hard for me to recover from it. Also the vocals are almost exclusively whispered. Why? There are two different singers, why do both of them do this? I will admit that there were some very unique and creative ideas in the second half, I would have loved to hear that throughout. However, they didn’t stop this album from feeling like a chore to listen to. 2/5

I should clarify that Kanye’s a horrible person, and I think we all know that. This was the first Kanye album I’ve ever heard, and I’m pretty surprised by how much I like it. In fact, if the quality of the lyrics were more consistently good, it would probably have gotten a 5. I love the creativity present throughout the album, the samples and instrumentation create such unique sounds throughout the album, and I really like Kanye’s passionate delivery, even if some of the lyrics aren’t great in places. I do have to wonder how much of those lyrics were written with the intention of being funny or were meant to be taken seriously. 4/5

I was surprised by this album. Two days ago, I got my bloody valentine’s m b v, and I did not like that record very much, so when I got this album, I was kind of dreading listening to it. I ended up really liking it. I think the noise elements are pretty interesting sonically. Some of the songs feel like they drag a bit, but that doesn’t come up too much. I still don’t like the fact that so much of the vocals are whispered and they’re still mixed very quietly when they aren’t, but on the whole it felt like there was more to sink my teeth into on this album than on m b v. 4/5

One of the best written albums I’ve heard. The songwriting is extremely strong throughout and I’m now looking forward to the other Neil Young albums on this list. The different styles on the album, country, blues, and folk, all work very well together. The record has an aesthetic or vibe that I’m not quite sure how to describe but I really like whenever I hear in music. 4/5

Many of the reviews for this album are way too harsh. This album is actually pretty good. The songwriting is very good, the “stars and stripes and swastikas” line really surprised me, it reminded me that many of the problems people have today have been around for decades. The album does sound pretty 90s in a few places, but sounding of its time isn’t always a bad thing. 4/5

A genius album that manages to be great pop music of its day while simultaneously aging perfectly. Much of the music is played on synth, but very little feels dated like some other music of the 80s. Tony Levin’s bass playing on is some of the best. Though Peter Gabriel no longer wrote prog rock, the creativity and uniqueness from his time in Genesis is still present. 5/5

It’s a solid punk album. Maybe I just need to listen to the album a bit more, but it just sounds like Diet Sex Pistols to me. This record was made well before The Clash would develop their signature sound, or at least the sound I know from the hits, as I will admit that those are really all I know. The album isn’t bad, it just doesn’t feel all that special to me. 3/5

A pretty solid album, some good parts, some more mediocre parts, but nothing I’d call bad. It’s got some really great moments, I would probably rate it higher if it was a bit more streamlined. 3/5

This album was a pleasant surprise. I’d previously gotten Chic’s Risqué from this website and didn’t care for it too much, so I expected something similar from this album, but I feel like the songwriting is much better here, and the musicianship, which was an aspect I really liked from Risqué, was also great. The album doesn’t get too repetitive and it doesn’t fall too far into the disco trap of making any otherwise good songs go on for way too long. 4/5

There’s definitely a good amount of creativity and uniqueness in the sounds on this album, but for some reason it just feels kinda so-so for me. I can’t quite tell what it is, but much of the material doesn’t interest me very much. It definitely does have some great stuff going on, though.

One of the greatest debut albums of all time. Some of the greatest music of the 60’s played by the greatest guitarist of all time. The stereo panning is pretty extreme, but the playing shines through. I’d also like to shout out Mitch Mitchell on this album, he is often considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, and that’s pretty impressive when you’re in a band with Jimi Hendrix. Noel Redding does a great job too, though I admittedly didn’t listen very close to the bass parts, it is a Jimi Hendrix album after all. To anyone who hasn’t heard them, I’d highly recommend watching and listening to the Experience’s live shows, Jimi’s playing is insane and the songs sound way better live than on the album. 5/5

I don’t care what anybody on this website says, Rod Stewart is great. His voice was made for singing soul. I really like the combination of styles on this album, especially the folky bits, it lends a lot of warmth. The bass playing is really good, and I don’t think I’ve seen anybody mention that. Maggie May is one of my favorite songs ever, and I think it’s really funny how many people don’t understand that the relationship described in the song is completely unhealthy. Go in the comments of any upload of the song on YouTube, you’ll see comments from people saying their wife’s like Maggie, I even saw one comment saying they named their daughter Maggie May. 4/5

It’s a very fun album. It’s really obvious that the boys had a lot of fun writing and recording these songs, and I had a lot of fun listening. I was pretty surprised by the Led Zeppelin samples in multiple songs, and the line about Jimmy Page caught me extremely off guard. 4/5

This album is really fun. There are some misogynistic lyrics and the album can go on a bit long, but it’s always very enjoyable. The songs are all strong and Snoop Dog is a pretty great rapper. I really liked the samples from Super Fly, one of my favorite albums that I’ve gotten from this website. 4/5

A lovely album. The songwriting is very strong, and really my only complaint is Suzanne Vega’s voice isn’t very strong. This list has definitely helped me realize how much I love folk music. 4/5

Completely unbridled creativity. I love insane and weird music because that’s where you always find the musicians with the biggest imaginations. I see the left-wing lyrics often get praised, but one of the most evocative political statements on the album is wordless. The record opens with traditional patriotic American songs playing over each other, creating a hellish soundscape. 4/5

Some of the best pop of the 80s. All great tracks with some unique experimentation that keeps things fresh. The bass lines on the album are terrific and funky. 4/5

One of the most 60s albums ever. Everything from the melodies, to the arrangements, to the production, to the lyrics are all firmly planted in 1966. Some don’t like that, but I definitely do. The vocal harmonies are all amazing and the arrangements are great. The songwriting is very strong, even if it is very much of its time. 4/5

Amazing funk. Whenever I got up to do something while listening to the album, I had to suppress the urge to dance. The groove is irresistible. Bobby Womack has an incredible voice, if I hadn’t read the reviews beforehand, I likely wouldn’t have noticed some of the bad lyrics because of his great delivery. 4/5

Extremely creative all around. The sampling work is genius and really shows that sampling is a transformative art form. This album would probably have been perfect if some of the fat had been trimmed off of some of the songs. I haven’t heard too much music like this, and the music like this I have heard came after. I can’t imagine how revolutionary this must’ve been at the time. 4/5

On my first listen, the first few songs sounded pretty boring to my ears, but on my second listening, I enjoyed those first few songs much more. Parts of the album do sound kind of thin because of how quiet the bass is. Muddy Waters’s vocals are powerful and legendary. You can hear the influence that Waters’s music would have on popular music throughout the record. 4/5

One of the best live albums ever. The band is great and Cash’s voice is iconic. The prisoners’ cheering and reactions are some of the best parts, it’s one of the few live albums of the time to give focus to the audience. Even though it’s not a perfect performance, Cash’s comments and chuckles as well as the crowd reactions make the album sound so alive. 5/5

I hadn’t heard much Bowie outside of the radio until now, and I already knew he had a lot of variety, but now it feels like the man could do anything and do it well. I read that this album was inspired by the chaos and hedonism of touring in the US. You can definitely hear that all over this album. The album nails both the more commercial classic rock and the weird, experimental bits. 4/5

I love rock operas and this is one of the best. The album characterizes the main character (who is creatively named Pink Floyd) very well by following his life, the world he was raised in, and the inner workings of his mind. It’s a story about trauma and how it can cut someone off from the world, and the way the world around you can reinforce that trauma. It also comments on many other things, but the concept, The Wall itself, is trauma, and how you need to let others in to help you when it feels like you’re all alone. For the music, it’s expertly crafted and played, with great production, usage of sound effects, and spoken elements. Even though Roger Waters’s vocals may not be perfect, they express so much emotion. The instrumentals are some of the best in Pink Floyd’s career and music in general. 5/5

An extremely solid debut album. It’s full of great riffs and hooks throughout. Shirley Manson is such a perfect singer for this music that it’s hard to believe that many of these songs were written before she joined the band. Before this album, I only knew Only Happy When It Rains, and I’d say that this album sounded how I expected it to, but I’m definitely not complaining about that. 4/5

You’d think this was a greatest hits record if you didn’t know better. Some of Creedence’s best work from start to finish, my only complaint with the track listing is that there are three 12-bar blues songs in a row, and even though they are unique from each other, it feels a bit much as 2 of those three are the weakest on the album, but the rest of it is so incredible and those 2 tracks still have great stuff going on. Tracks like Who’ll Stop the Rain and I Heard It Through The Grapevine make me wish that the band sang with each other more often instead of just John harmonizing with himself, even though that works well, the different voices sound great together. John’s voice is amazing and the band plays tightly as always, and I really like the introduction of keys and sax to their sound, which would continue to be utilized on the follow up. I find it surprising how you don’t hear music nerds and critics talk about CCR too much now as they were the biggest band in America at one point and their music is great and still gets regular classic rock radio play. 4/5

An odd listen. It’s disorienting and I honestly have no clue what I listened to. Every song sounds pretty much the same to me, and there are more tracks than a lot of triple albums, despite the record only being 33 minutes. There is some cool heavy stuff happening here and there and there is some clear talent present, I just don’t quite get the appeal. It wasn’t ear splitting, though, which is nice. 2/5

Theatrical rock at its finest. The long songs are some of the best examples of what you can do with that extended length. The most well known tracks are the big bombastic ones, but the ballads add a good amount of emotion to the album. Meat Loaf’s performance is incredible, delivering everything with great passion and emotion, but even though Meat Loaf is the star, the musicianship from the instrumentalists is amazing. 5/5

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. It’s very lovely. It took a little to get used to this style of vocals, but I think that it really suits the music. It has a very lovely sound, even when the lyrics are on the darker side. It has a pretty unique style and enough variety that even though much of the record is slower, it doesn’t ever get boring. 4/5

A great pop album, as to be expected from the “King of Pop”. Good hooks and melodies with great production. Michael Jackson’s performance throughout the album is very strong, I also really like the sound of him harmonizing with himself. The songwriting is great throughout and I love all the funky parts. It’s a very 80s album, but I feel like that’s because everyone in the 80s was trying to copy what Michael Jackson was doing because of how well he did it. 4/5

This album is a bit too noisy and busy for my taste. I can’t tell what it is exactly, maybe it’s muddy production, maybe it’s the songwriting itself, but it feels very messy. I’m sure that was the intention, but it does kind of become just noise to me at points. I also think that many of the songs go on a bit longer than they need to. I might be able to appreciate it more if I listened to the album a few more times. I don’t think that the unconventional vocal style is as bad as some say it is, it’s post-punk, not exactly known for being typical. That is one thing I’ll hand the album, though, it is pretty creative. 3/5

Some of the best constructed pop music ever. Some say it’s overproduced, but I think it’s only overproduction when the production’s too big for the music, but these songs were written for this sound. Despite many of these songs having a very grand nature, it doesn’t get tiring, and the big moments are still impactful. The whole Concerto For A Rainy Day section of the album is amazing, and Mr. Blue Sky is one of the best examples of the “construction” I mentioned, I’m not quite sure how to describe it other than that. 5/5

Why is this on the list? Almost all of this music is completely disposable. I will say, the production’s pretty good and I do like Rock Your Body, but most of this is subpar songwriting with a singing voice that constantly teeters between decent and insufferable. All the spoken bits make me want to slam Justin Timberlake’s face into a table, I can’t stand his speaking voice. I could feel my brain turning into mush towards the end of the album. The record isn’t entirely unenjoyable, but the parts I like are few and far between. 2/5

It’s not anything revolutionary or life-changing, but it’s definitely enjoyable. I can’t really think of much else to say about it. 3/5

I love folk rock and I love harmony, and this album has both. The harmonies are absolutely gorgeous, definitely the highlight of their sound. I think that the song instrumentals can be a bit too quiet, though. The songwriting is all great. I never really listened to very much CSN before, but this album definitely has got me interested, which means that it also works really well as a debut. 4/5

Very uninteresting. Pretty much everything sounded the same to me and could not keep my attention at all. I feel like if I hadn’t distracted myself and tuned out the sound, I probably would’ve been bored out of my mind. 2/5

A great synth-pop album. It uses interesting sonic palettes and incorporates elements of avant-garde soundscapes. The songwriting is consistently strong throughout the album. Even though it sounds similar to a lot of other 80s synth-pop, this came out very early in the decade. Maybe I need to dive more into the history of the genre, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a good amount of the aspects that create that 80s synth-pop sound come from this album. 4/5

Wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I do like it. I didn’t quite know what “Britpop” sounded like, but it sounds like Oasis and I like Oasis. I also like the throwback element in this, it reminds me of British rock from the 60s and 70s, and I love that kind of music. I can understand that some may find the vocals annoying, but I think they work. The riffs and hooks are really good. 4/5

Really gets the blood pumping. Pure energy. I also like the recurring bit of the guy introducing the songs, in a sense making this an album within an album. 4/5

Albums like this are why I like this website, I probably wouldn’t have ever have heard this lovely album if it hadn’t been for this list. The music is really great and the arrangements are very nice. The vocals are very good throughout, but I especially love Milton Nascimento’s voice, it’s so pure and expressive. 4/5

Man, I love The Beatles. Though I prefer their later, more experimental material, this music changed pop music forever. There’s something irresistible about early Beatles, it’s the perfect storm of charm, talent, catchy tunes, and just fun. A bit of a personal thing here, but part of what introduced me to The Beatles was hearing their studio outtakes and I hadn’t realized how many of the ones that live rent-free in my head come from the sessions for this album. Just hearing these four guy messing up and goofing off together eventually lead me to having my current near-encyclopedic knowledge of this band. Also listen in mono, it’s what The Beatles wanted. 4/5

One of the best examples of a singer-songwriter. The songs are great and sung with so much emotion, it really feels like these songs are her own experiences. It’s pretty surprising that this is one of the best-selling albums of all time given it was released in the 80s and doesn’t sound much like the popular music of the era. However, there are moments of very dated sounding production, usually with the drums, that take me out of the moment every time. I don’t hate 80s production, but it doesn’t fit this music and this album would likely be a 5 if it wasn’t for that. 4/5

Some of Queen’s best work. I love theatrics and Queen was one of the most theatrical bands of their time. I would say it goes without saying that Freddie’s vocals are magnificent, but I would like to give some appreciation to the harmonies, whether they be from multiple members or just Freddie’s overdubbed vocals, as they have this grand quality that I haven’t heard replicated much. I will say, despite the incredible quality that these songs can reach, some of the songs that don’t quite reach that height feel sort of overshadowed by the rest of the album. In particular, I don’t care much for Sweet Lady and Good Company. I can’t really say why for Sweet Lady, but it just doesn’t click, maybe it will on relistens. For Good Company, it feels a bit out of place on side 2 when side 1 had all the whimsical British stuff, and it also comes right Bohemian Rhapsody. Speaking of which, I feel that songs impact diminished for me a bit because I’ve heard it so many times, but it’s still great. It also helped me find one of my favorite genres, prog rock. What did surprise me was The Prophet’s Song because I had assumed BR would be the most far out song on the album, but this song was amazing. 4/5

Music from a deathbed. Cohen’s delivery on this album works really well, dark and intimate. Part of that deathbed feel comes from the album starting with an acceptance of death, which makes the rest of the songs feel like a final message or a confession. The string arrangements are beautiful and I was surprised by the more modern moments on the album. 4/5

The beats on this album are very fun and funky. The rapping is really strong and even though I admit that I ended up paying more attention to the music than the lyrics, there were no really bad lyrics that jumped out to me. 4/5

I had known the name Pretenders but I couldn’t tell you any of their songs. I didn’t think I’d know any tracks but shortly after Brass in Pocket started, I went, “Wait is this the ‘I’m special’ song I can never remember the name of?” I was surprised by the range on this album, as there was a good bit of punky stuff but also some more jangly bits. I really like Chrissie Hynde’s vocals they’re unique and have a lot of personality. 4/5

I think that the Nirvana songs working so well acoustically shows how strong Kurt’s songwriting is, proving that grunge is way more than just noise. The covers being show off Nirvana’s ability to adapt songs, as they all fit well with the rest of the music. It highlights the band’s musicianship and Kurt’s singing ability, even if it isn’t a traditionally pleasant voice. 4/5

I liked it more than I was expecting. Mariah’s voice is obviously great, but many reviews said the songwriting wasn’t that good, and sure it isn’t world class, but it works. An hour is a bit longer than this album needs to be, it feels like a lot of these songs could and probably should have been shortened, but this was enjoyable. I was worried that this would be a repeat of my experience with Justin Timberlake’s Justified where I could feel my brain slowly turning to mush, but this was way better. However, I’m not entirely sure why I needed to hear this before I die. 3/5

Black Sabbath was the first full-on metal band, and this album made me start wondering if they were the best metal band. I previously got Paranoid from this generator, which was an easy 5, and though I think Paranoid is better, this album had a lot of what I loved about it, like the incredible musicianship an the strong songwriting. Though this album had great performances from every member, it felt like the bass was mixed way too quiet. The extra power that louder bass could have supplied may have pushed this to a 5, but I think a 4 is slightly more fitting. 4/5

Long, repetitive, and boring. 2/5

You know, the first britpop album I got, I thought, “Wow, this genre’s not too bad, it sounds like Oasis! Why does everyone seem to hate it so much?” I’m starting to understand why: most of it sounds like knockoff Oasis. This album does have a lot of tropes that I like whenever I hear them, so it’s not terrible or unenjoyable, it just doesn’t feel very special, not even from song to song really. There were so many better albums that could’ve been here instead. 3/5

I wasn’t expecting to like this album much, but I enjoyed it a lot. I really like the groove that’s on the record, and I will say that I heavily respect Justice for making a song that features a children’s choir that doesn’t make me want to stick needles in my eardrums. I also appreciate that despite being a dance album, none of the songs fall into the trap of including excessively long songs. 4/5

I’m sure this music is great when played at a party, but it just doesn’t do it for me when I listen to it. It’s just a bit uninteresting to me.

Genius all around. The sampling, the beats, the lyrics, the delivery, it’s all amazing. I love the way the album uses samples of interviews and radio shows talking about Public Enemy, it creates a time capsule of how the general public and the media felt about them, but it doesn’t date the album as much as you’d think it would because it furthers the album’s themes of oppression and racism. The beats are all so satisfyingly layered, and the lyrics are direct and punchy, but they are packed with so many great rhymes. All the rapping is great, Flavor Flav has so much charm and charisma and Chuck D’s voice is so commanding and powerful. 5/5

I don’t know why, but this album just doesn’t connect with me. Maybe I just don’t get it, but it doesn’t feel very interesting to me. There are some great moments though. I especially like Beth Gibbons’s singing. 3/5

All the Oasis knockoffs on this list made me wonder if Oasis was all that good in the first place. This made me remember how good they are. They aren’t great musicians, the singing is grating, and the guitar sound is very muddy, but the songwriting, as derivative as it can be, is exceptional. 4/5

Andy Rourke’s bass playing is probably the standout for me. The album didn’t make me feel much for most of it. I feel like I’d like it more if I was in the mood for it. I like Morrissey randomly barking for no reason. 3/5

A great, blood-pumping hour of metal. Obviously, the star of the show is Dimebag Darrell’s guitar playing, great riffs and solos are all over this album. Phil Anselmo’s voice is incredibly powerful in every song. 4/5

Great riffs and melodies. I thought the lyrics were pretty good. John Maher’s drumming is really good throughout the album. I did think it’s a bit odd how there are these more avant-garde moments but there are so few of them, it feels like they didn’t fully commit. 4/5

Fantastically funky. This album has one of the greatest openers I’ve ever heard, it got me so pumped the first time I heard it. The singers are all incredible. The arrangements are very good throughout. I feel like Papa Was a Rolling Stone should have been cut down a little bit, I love long songs, but only if they deserve the length and I feel like this song would be better around 7 minutes. I also feel like the sequencing could be better because pretty much every slow song is right next to each other. 4/5

To write a Belle & Sebastian song, your lyrics need to qualify be at least two of the following: - about a girl - about childhood - about school - about church - about depression Mix and match these traits about 10 times over, and you get a really good album. 4/5

I like the ethereal, keyboard-driven sound, but it feels like there isn’t much musical range on display. The first track was really promising though, I really like Victoria Legrand’s vocals on this album. 3/5

I wish it was longer. The arrangements are incredible on every single song and the musicianship is great, but the star is definitely Marvin Gaye’s voice. It’s so passionate, but it can be so gentle when he needs it to be. It’s a shame this album is only 30 minutes. 4/5

This album is decently well-made, but that doesn’t mean it deserves 2 and a half hours. 2/5

A delightful little folk album. It has some very good songs on it and I love the warm sound of folk instrumentation. 4/5

This has officially won me over to Radiohead. I’d only heard Amnesiac before this and I definitely enjoyed it and admired the creativity, but this clicked with me way more. I love the melding of electronica with rock, it feels pretty unique. The harmonies sound lovely every time they show up. Thom Yorke’s vocals work really well. 4/5

It’s pretty rare that an album gets made where you can hear the next decade of popular music when you listen to it. I definitely would have thought that this came out in the 90s, I can’t imagine what young, future musicians thought when they heard this for the first time. 4/5

Most of the album is made up of piano ballads that build into big, passionate songs, so it can feel a bit repetitive. Thankfully, the album doesn’t have too many songs so you never get fully bored of it. All the playing is good, Elton John is a great singer, and the songwriting is really strong, the only exception being all the inaccuracies in Indian Sunset, though the song is still very good despite that. 4/5

I didn’t know X (formerly Twitter) made an album! It’s pretty good, the riffs are great and I really like the way the two vocalists sound together. The production can be a bit hit or miss, I guess that the low quality in places is meant to be intentional, similar to The Velvet Underground and Nico, but it doesn’t work for me here like it does there. Also, the production is done by Ray Manzarek of The Doors! 4/5

Pretty good. I liked the arrangements and the playing on the album. All the songs are good, even something with as stupid a title as “Any Major Dude Will Tell You”. I love the grooviness. The vocal harmonies have this unique sound to them that I really like. 4/5

Way better than the reviews on this website made me expect. I really enjoy the beats and the rapping is very good, even if she won’t shut up about how good of a rapper she is. I do think it fizzles out a bit towards the end and Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children is extremely annoying. This album definitely isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely very enjoyable. 4/5

Great songs played by great musicians, what more could you ask for? A singer that doesn’t sound constipated? You’re asking way too much. 4/5

Speaking as one myself, this is what happens when theater kids aren’t told “no” enough. There are words in music criticism that I usually hate, but this album embodies so many of these words, such as “pretentious” or “saccharine”. I won’t give it a 1 because I admittedly didn’t make it through the whole thing, just half way, but this is so boring and it’s 57 minutes long. 2/5

I was expecting this to be another boring, spacey 2010s indie album that thinks itself much deeper than it really is, but this is that spacey indie rock sound done right. I really like the mixture of traditional strings with techno-sounding synthesizers. Towards the end of the album, it does feel a bit long, however. 4/5

A lot of it feels uninteresting to me. There isn’t much going on and it’s like that for over an hour. It’s not bad, a good amount of the rapping is pretty good, and that final track is incredible, I wish everything on this album was of that quality. The build-up, the passionate delivery, the vivid language makes it feel like the closer to a much better album. 3/5

It’s 80s cheese and positivity with a good few ballads thrown in. It’s great, irresistible pop music with a lot of charm, much of which comes from Cyndi Lauper’s ever present personality. Her voice is very unique and manages to never get irritating. 4/5

Tommy, oh Tommy. I love this album and was obsessed with it for a while. It is far from perfect and even farther away from being The Who’s best album, but I love the Who and I have a soft spot for insane and stupid crap in art. Tommy’s main sin is that it bites off so much more than it can chew with its constraints that many of the attempted themes and concepts can go completely over your head and often do. This album might have even faired better as a triple so that it could flesh its themes out more. The main idea of the story is trauma, but hippie and celebrity culture, spiritual awakening, post-war England, religion, and exploitation are all incorporated to varying degrees of success and obscured by so much absurd metaphors and allegories, like a pinball cult. There are also a few weird sequencing issues, like Christmas and Cousin Kevin interrupting Eyesight to the Blind and The Acid Queen, leading many people to being confused as to what the point of The Hawker is as they don’t put together that the woman he’s singing about is meant to be The Acid Queen. Later versions would correct this, like the Broadway version and the Royal Albert Hall concert. Speaking of other versions, the studio version of Tommy is pretty lackluster when comparing it to the live versions available from the original Tommy tour. There’s the Leeds version, the Hull version, the Tanglewood version, the Woodstock version, and the Isle of Wight version off the top of my head, and I recommend all of them. However, none of these are complete performances of the album, as The Who never performed the entire album live until 1989 to my knowledge, which makes the story even harder to follow than the original. These live versions have the incredible energy that made The Who the greatest live band of all time, but the studio never captured that power until Who’s Next, the group’s following album. The tour for this album was where Roger Daltrey developed his raspy rock voice, which you can hear in snippets on the record, but most of it still sounds pretty tame. I realize I’ve spent much of this review criticizing, which makes my proclaimed love of this album seem odd, but rest assured, this album holds a special place in my heart. The music is great and has a deeply human, triumphant message (which is NOT ableist, Tommy’s deafness, dumbness, and blindness is a metaphor for trauma and how it cuts you off from the other people in your life and is explicitly a mental block as opposed to an actual disability). Also the actual double LP is absolutely sick, I got it from a friend’s grandfather and it comes with a book of these illustrations based on the lyrics. The gatefold is actually a trifold and has continuous 3-page design on both sides, it’s great. I don’t mean to be a vinyl purist, but I feel this album sounds much better on vinyl, the production is way cleaner than what I remember from listening on digital, but it’s been a bit since I listened to the album on streaming. 4/5

This is what happens when a creative musical genius and a group of great musicians get in a studio with a producer that’s tripping on acid and doesn’t turn down any suggestions. Most artists would never even have the idea to include half of what Frank Zappa pulled off. This kind of creativity can’t come from taking yourself seriously. I feel like the Mothers and Zappa in general is a bit underrepresented in this list, I’d recommend Absolutely Free, The Mothers of Invention’s following album, if you liked this. I believe Absolutely Free is better than Freak Out! and is also the first prog rock album, but that’s another story. 5/5

I love all the creativity and variety in this album. There is a lot of songwriting talent here and great hooks. Damon Albarn’s vocals are very good. 4/5

It feels like the 80s production holds this album back a bit. Tina Turner is obviously a powerhouse and there are some very good songs on here, but it feels like the production and instrumentation can betray the songs. The first three tracks do pretty much nothing for me, but the 4th track, I Can’t Stand the Rain, is probably my favorite song off the album. The Beatles cover isn’t half bad. 3/5

I hadn’t listened to much rap before doing this challenge, but I have now and I enjoy it quite a bit. The beats and rapping are very good on here. I do think that N.W.A. presenting themselves as criminals and gangsters when on only Eazy-E was the only one with a criminal record kind of undercuts their criticism of the police. I’m not saying what they say about the police isn’t true, because it definitely is, I just think that them criticizing the police for racially profiling them for crimes they didn’t commit but elsewhere on the record they claim they commit those crimes feels a bit contradictory. As many have mentioned already, a good amount of lyrical content hasn’t aged great. It does feel a bit long at times, but it’s a great record anyway. 4/5

Sometimes I feel like a weirdo for genuinely liking a lot of Christmas music. I don’t actively seek it out for my own personal listening, but I enjoy it when I hear it. Having heard people say this was the best Christmas album ever and knowing how much Brian Wilson admired Phil Spector, I expected to love this album, but I don’t really hear it. The vocal performances are great and The Wrecking Crew are obviously amazing musicians, but I agree with Spector’s mentors Leiber and Stoller that his production is mush. I know how important he was for pop music, but Brian Wilson did the “Wall of Sound” way better. Usually I can separate art from the artist, but hearing Phil Spector’s voice at the end and thanking me for listening made it feel like I was complicit a crime and feel disgusting for listening to this monster’s “feelings of Christmas”. Anyway, there are some pretty decent renditions of classic Christmas songs on here, so it’s definitely a good album, just severely overrated. 3/5

Nothing but raw, heavy metal. Great songwriting and musicianship. I was very shocked to learn most of this album was played by one guy, it feels like a real band just jamming out. I think the “weaker” vocals work very well, it creates an interesting, contrasting sound. Very nice lead guitar work. Pretty great production, too. 4/5

I feel a bit underwhelmed. I had really high expectations because of how good the Folsom Prison album is, but I just feel like that was much better. There is some great stuff here, the songs are all great and Cash’s performance is strong, but I feel like it lacks that Folsom energy. It’s still a pretty good live album, though. 3/5

Boring. At least it has the decency to be short. 2/5

I liked it more than I expected to. The musicians are very skilled and have great musical range. I feel like the quality of the individual songs is a bit hit or miss. I don’t think I could have guessed that this was made in the 70s, but according to Wikipedia, “ska revival” was popular in England around that time, so maybe I’m just uneducated. 3/5

Genius stuff. The sound of this record is fascinating, I love it. David Bowie’s production and compositions are great, the man could do any genre he wanted. I was pretty surprised when I learned that Iggy Pop improvised a significant portion of the lyrics, but it does make sense and contributes heavily to the vibe of the music. I wasn’t expecting Iggy’s version of China Girl to completely blow Bowie’s version out of the water. 4/5

I love folk music from the 60s and 70s, but this felt pretty basic. It’s not bad, I can imagine it being a good entry point for people who want to get into this era of folk, but there are much better albums out there. The songwriting is pretty good, but then it includes a Dylan song towards the end, basically just reminding you that you could be listening to Bob Dylan instead. 3/5

Not being able to understand the lyrics, and chansons are lyric-driven, gives this music a unique feel. It drives your attention away from the lyrics and more towards the sound of the voice and what choices are made in the music. I have been learning French for a while, but can only pick out a few words here and there. Despite being mostly unable to understand, the voice of Jacques Brel is beautiful and very expressive. 4/5

Janis was a legend. She had such raw emotion, passion, and power in her voice. The material on this album is great and elevated highly by not just Joplin, but also her backing band, The Full Tilt Boogie Band. Imagine being a band so good, that you get an instrumental in the middle of a Janis Joplin album. Apparently, Buried Alive In the Blues was originally meant to have vocals, but Janis died before they could be added. Her death was tragic, taking her away when she had so much more amazing music to give to the world, but what she gave us was still amazing. 5/5

Despite The Beatles’ Help! not being on this list, I have already listened to 2 albums in which the title track is covered, and I wouldn’t say it’s impossible I will hear another cover somewhere in the next 900 albums. This album is extremely 70s, schmaltzy, corny, and sickeningly sweet. However, that’s not an inherently bad thing in my book. Karen Carpenter has such a sweet voice and the harmonies throughout the album are beautiful. 3/5

A lot of the songs feel pretty similar to each other. I probably could not identify any of them by their instrumental. There’s no song I could really call bad, but a lot of them feel pretty mediocre. However, the best part is absolutely Ray Price’s singing, it’s amazing. 3/5

Do my ears deceive me? A britpop album on this list that doesn’t sound like an Oasis knockoff? Oh, glorious day! I like the unique sound and creativity present in the songwriting. Though, the lyrics can feel a bit uncomfortable at times. Personally, I don’t think that Pencil Skirt would be much different without “I really love it when you tell me to stop.” The rest of it is normal, backdoor man type lyrics and that’s just thrown in the chorus. Also, the entirety of I Spy. Was that really necessary? Still, this album is good, I’d even call it great. 4/5

I love weird music, and I would probably never have heard this without this website. The first 4 songs don’t really do anything for me, not quite sure why, but the rest was great. I love the weird sounds and general insanity. 3/5