Album is decent overall though it's one of those albums where I hear songs and think "oh fuck that's who sang that song?".
Favorite tracks: Somebody to Love, White Rabbit
I never really listened to Muse back when this dropped but I do remember how huge it was back then. Muse definitely has a distinct sound and sometimes, it doesn't really land well for me (like Invincible). But when it hits, it's -chef kiss-. Solid album overall but I'm a much bigger fan of The Resistance.
Favorite tracks: Kinghts of Cydonia
First time I think I'm listening to Boston and it's pretty solid. I think my first reaction was muted because a lot of what I've listened to seems to have been influenced by Boston so listening to this, I wasn't feeling wowed. But reading the history of how this album was created, it's nuts what they were able to create.
Favorite track: More Than a Feeling
I just don't think I'm a fan of the Eagles lmao. Not quite to the level of that one quote from the Big Lebowski, but yeah nothing really caught my ear. And speaking of The Big Lebowski, I much prefer the Gipsy Kings' cover of "Hotel California" (and how it was used in the movie) than the original.
Absolutely solid album from Stan Getz. Loved his stuff for a long time but somehow never seemed to have gotten around to this album til now.
Favorite tracks: Desafinado (both version)
Something about this album didn't really hit for me as a whole but I can't put my finger on it. That said, I never knew Tiny Dancer was an album opener. For some reason it seemed like it'd be an album closer.
Favorite Tracks: Tiny Dancer, Levon, Rotten Peaches
The singles from this absolute are peak pre-9/11 music.
Favorite tracks: Beautiful Day, Elevate, Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
Solid album but no particular standouts for me. Might revisit this one later.
Really dug this one. I can definitely see why it influenced bands like The Beatles in the 60’s on incorporating Indian instruments.
Classic Bowie album. Half the album are tracks I’ve listened to so many times since I first heard this album like 15 years ago. The other half never really stuck with me on the same level.
Favorite tracks: “Five Years”, “Moonage Daydream”, “Rock and Roll Suicide”
I don't think it's possible for a person to have lived in California and not have heard "Nothin' But a 'G' Thang" at some point. You might not know what that song exactly is, but there's no way you can't recognize the iconic high synths blasting at a public gathering or playing before a TV ad break for a California-based sports game. But I've not heard the rest of the album until today and honestly, it merits its iconic status. The production on this is so clean; the bass lines on some of these tracks are dope.
Favorite tracks: Nothin’ But A “G” Thang, Lil Ghetto Boy
Kind of a surreal album to listen to, because the music sounds so familiar yet I've never heard of this band before. For better or for worse, the album seems very self-assured in what kind of music they're playing. I think in the back half of it, the tracks seemed to blend with each other. I wish they had more like 'Splash 1' to kind of break up the album a bit. Also, the electric jug was interesting the first time around but then it felt really repetitive later in a slightly grating way.
Favorite tracks: Splash 1
It’s a good album but I think I’ve just listened to too many similar artists that were stylistically similar for it to really pop out for me.
Not a big post punk fan but I did enjoy some of the songs on this. Feels like a less-artsy Talking Heads at points.
Favorite tracks: “Damaged Goods”
I mean come on it’s the White Album. There’s 30 tracks on here and too many of them could be claimed by someone as their favorite Beatles’ song. The sheer variety of genres they explore on this is absolutely insane. I mean what kind of band at the height of their popularity put a musique concrète in a double album (Revolution 9)? Not only that, you’ve got George Harrison dropping bangers like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”? Insane album. That said, there are songs that I’m less fond of like “Wild Honey Pie” and for that, it’s not my favorite Beatles record. If a 4.5 star is possible, that’d be my rank.
Favorite songs: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Helter Skelter”, “Blackbird”, “Happiness is a Warm Gun”, “Julia”.
This was an album I couldn’t have predicted. I only knew of Harry Nilsson for his cover of “Everybody’s Talkin’” from Midnight Cowboy so I was expecting something similar. And in some aspect it was, but other parts of it were goofy in a way that was really enjoyable.
And stfu, he’s the guy who wrote “You put the like in the coconut and shake it all up”?? Fucking GOAT right there.
Favorite tracks: Early in the Morning, Without You, Coconut
I don’t think I’ve really listened to the Kinks before and based on the name, this is not the music I expected. I feel like I need to listen to more of the Kinks to better rank this.
Favorite track: People Take Pictures of Each Other.
Really solid album. I can definitely see why singers have been described Janis Joplin-esque.
For an album that seemed like it was everywhere back in middle school, this doesn’t feel as dated. I’ve never listened to the album asides from the two singles and the album is solid throughout.
Favorite tracks: Kids, 4th Dimensional Transition
I really dug this one. Kinda reminiscent of The Avalanches' 'Since I Left You' in parts.
Favorite tracks: A Day at the Races, Thin Line, Acetate Prophets.
It's funny that they titled the album "Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs". It's practically a more honest album title to what's happening to albums these days, where it feels like an album is just a collection of random filler songs plus that one song that really popped off on TikTok. To be fair, Layla is that good of a song that it's worth singling it out in the album title.
I'm not sure still how I feel about Clapton writing 'Bell Bottom Blues' and 'Layla' about his best friend's wife, then marrying her, then abusing her.
Favorite tracks: Bell Bottom Blues, Layla.
Not a genre I’m familiar with nor really listen to, but this was nice. Kinda trance-y and vibe-y.
Favorite track: Pearl’s Girl
Meh, asides from what’s known about Ryan Adams over the last several years, this was very meh.
Didn't really land with me. Even for a song that I kinda dug, the vocals seem a little soft and felt inert?
Favorite track: Ride the Wind
Listening to this was playing another round of “Recognize this popular song?” Because what the actual fuck? I’d never have guessed ‘Jump’ to be from Van Halen because I only knew they were a guitar-centric band. The back half of the album is more inline with what I expected Van Halen to sound like than the song I most associate with to the pets show in Sea World lmao.
Favorite tracks: Hot for Teacher, Girl Gone Bad
What a banger of an album. First time listening to Al album from Billy Joel and it’s just so good. So varied from track to track. This one will definitely be in the rotation.
That said, that’s an album cover that probably would have spooked me when I was five.
Favorite tracks: The Stranger, Vienna, Only the Good Die Young
Kinda dig this one. I'm a sucker for symphonic rock sometimes and they definitely lean into the vibes of a spaghetti-western orchestration.
Favorite tracks: The Age of the Understatement, I Don't Like You Anymore
Okay, I like Brian Eno. I like David Byrne too. And together they've made some incredible music. But this? I'm really not sure what to make of it. It's like an ambient instrumental album, which is the best way I could put it.
Favorite track: Solo Guitar with Tin Foil
I thought it was just okay the first time listening to it, but began to dig the vibe more on the second listen.
Favorite tracks: Smooth Operator
Solid jazz album. Can't go wrong with the guy who voiced Louie from the Jungle Book.
Favorite tracks: Body and Soul, Buona Sera
First Fela Kuti album I've listened to and honestly dig the grooves in this. Though I feel like the consequences and history of this album release was more interesting.
Just not a big fan of this album. I can understand why it might be included but didn't really land with me.
Really dug this one with the orchestrations.
Favorite tracks: Your Dictionary, River of Orchids
I think it's pretty decent but it's a lot compared to the stuff I typically listen to. Just way too much energy, which in some cases I'd probably gravitate to but wouldn't be called upon too much by me.
Just didn't land for me in any direction. I don't even know if I can just spam "Seinfeld effect" for why I don't really find it noteworthy.
This is one of those stone-cold dad albums that's on the radios, athletic events, movies/tv. So for some of the biggest tracks on this album, I immediately associate those tracks with whatever venue/media has used those songs. But I think I like the riffs more so than the songs themselves.
Favorite tracks: Shoot to Thrill
Solid album but the one that stood out to me was Everybody Talkin'. I thought it was a Harry Nilsson song but nope, turns out it was a cover. Fred Neil's version has a different vibe that while it won't be the version I think of, it's a nice contrast to switch things up. Hell of a song to write in a short moment and record in one take though.
Favorite track: Everybody Talkin'
I really didn't jive with this one. More abrasive than what I'd enjoy and yeesh some of these lyrics. Reading the Wikipedia page about it, sure I don't disagree with the themes but did they really have to write it like that? Also jfc, the whole concept of the album and how it fits in the trilogy of albums sounds exhausting.
Kinda odd seeing an album pop up that you've listened to back in college. This album is still great a decade later and really sets the tone for pop/RB that's come out since then.
Incredibly solid record by the band. The guitar work here is crisp.
Favorite tracks: No Woman, No Cry; Natty Dread
Loved it. Feels of its era but also timeless in a way? Production and the backing band is immaculate.
Favorite tracks: Just A Little Lovin;. Son of a Preacher Man, The Windmills of Your Mind, Goodbye,
Love the vocals and instrumentals on this. It's got the late 80's pop sound that feels tasteful compared to other contemporaries or 80's nostalgia-bait tracks.
Favorite tracks: I Don't Want to Talk About it, These Early Days, Oxford Street, Apron Strings
I thought this was a fun listen. Very interesting they covered Iron Man, because man the vibes are so different between Ozzie and Nina.
Favorite tracks: Lovefool, Iron Man
The energy in the recording is undeniable. Definitely a recording that I think emulates the energy of a live performance the best in a studio environment. But the music itself is not my cup of tea.
An incredibly solid album in their discography that I feel like isn't brought up as much as like Help! (though I guess With the Beatles and Beatles for Sale doesn't have the edge that A Hard Day's Night in that there's a movie with the same title + tracks from the album that's in the Criterion Collection).
If you look up the definition of "stone cold classic", you'd find this album cover there as an example.
Kinda adds kindle to me wondering what the criteria is for an albums’s inclusion of the book. Already a bad take when they don’t include classical music and movie scores but then this is included? Just a baffling inclusion and makes me question who the 1001 albums is meant for, especially after the last few albums.
