1001 Albums Summary

From the very beginning of GI, I was barraged by the grating voice of Darby Crash. I hadn't gotten a couple seconds into the first song before I felt the urge to throw this whole musical experiment out of the window and listen to something less "assaulty." I felt very much like an old person trying to enjoy a quiet day at the park, only to be accosted by the musical equivalent of a thrown water balloon filled with piss. However, I really wanted to listen to the whole album (grating as it was) before writing down my thoughts. And after a song or two, Crash started to win me over. The discordant jumble became more comprehensible as my ears and senses adapted, and I felt like the music was no longer "against" me, but rather I was "with" it. After I listened to the whole album (altogether not very long), I found that I wanted to listen through a second time. And then a third. The Germs' music had started off antagonistic, but now I felt a camaraderie with it, like I was being offered an invitation to join in their maelstrom of rage and energy. Overall, I was really surprised that I liked this album. Especially since I started off hating it. My mind was definitely changed and I think I'll never forget this album or it's intro. RIP Darby Crash 🙏🏻 may your legend live on.

Elliott Smith's "Either Or" is a good album, and it's even more interesting when you consider his personal history. Dancing through the early tracks to the solo acoustic performance soon transitions to power chords as Smith ascends to his heralded future as a rock star. Overall, I found some of the songs to be big standouts like "Between the Bars" and "Say Yes," but found that the space in between was less gripping for me. The style was wispy and dreamlike, and certainly ahead of its time. Elliott probably could've been even bigger if he hadn't left this world early, and that is something I am truly sad about.

This album stunned me back in 2011, and it still has that unique sound all the way in 2025. From the very beginning, Rolling in the Deep grabs the listener by the throat and by the time you've realized whats happening, you're being held hostage for the entire track list. Adele's music feels timeless and powerful, impervious to time. Her voice is robust and full-bodied, and her music enraptures.