i rate this a 1; it not a genre i listen to much of and the album just did not resonate with me
utter crap! don't waste one precious second on this.
Listening plain irritated me and then progressed to full on anger and resentment towards this unsyncopated, unharmonious, cacophonous noise. i didn't complete the album, i simply had to make it stop.
if i could rate less than a full star then i would. zero would be a fitting score.
where to begin ?
i initially thought i was going to enjoy this immensely; it should be just my kind of album.
a concept album when done properly can be an engaging and enjoyable listen. two such albums which come to mind being:
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Jeff Wayne's War of The Worlds
but when not so well executed, it can seem disjointed and with 22 tracks covering a sprawling 74 mins, this album felt more like a slog and a chore to get through than the delight i hoped it would be.
so what's the problem here ? do i have to be an American or better still an Illinoisan to get this album ?
the album comprises 22 tracks, with plenty of short interlude tracks and the lengthy runtime of 74 mins giving it a lack of cohesion and a serious commitment to listen through. Essentially, there is a lot of cruft and padding. Too many of the complete songs mind me of ones you might hear in poorly-received musicale, whose critics' scathing reviews would have closed down within the week.
where are the positives ? well in all honesty, there are few tracks that i'd seek to replay and i'd happily skip the majority (plenty of filler and little killer). I would shorten the album to 5 or 6 tracks at most.
on to my listening experience. the first three tracks would have passed me by registering only a vague interest, were it not for an annoying phrasing in Come on Feel the Illinoise that bears a strong resemblance to Close to Me by The Cure. Is anyone else hearing that? Already three tracks down and I'm not feeling any attachment or connection yet.
Next up is John Wayne Gacy Jr. and was the first track to fully capture my attention, a song about a psycho serial killer who buried people under his house so the crimes would go undetected. this gentler, folkier version of Sufjan Stevens is the one i enjoy listening to most and this track is one of the highlights of the album.
followed which we have several meh tracks, which again revisit the musicale theme and for me fall quite flat. all are them are easy skippers.
And then 24 minutes in, we have the rousing Chicago, which without a doubt is the track of the album. It is a celebratory and unashamedly euphoric and it juxtaposes a beautiful folk vocal from Sufjan opining on his love for Chicago, rejoined by the uplifting swell of a joyful choir who are accompanied by a bright, happy brass section.
for all that had preceeded Chicago, i was in no doubt that what followed would also fall a long way short of the album's centerpoint and I sensed that making it to the end would most likely be a somewhat less joyful affair.
The next tracks on from Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day and To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region are pleasant enough and are certainly not skippers, but the euphoric effect left on me by Chicago meant that anything following would have a tough job indeed.
And why wasn't one of the instrumental interludes selected as the next track on from Chicago? to provide some breathing space and to cool our euphoria before the next song proper? this would have made for a better sequencing in my view.
I then felt little enthusiasm for the next three tracks and only again felt a connection and a desire to check the track name when I was on The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! A pleasant enough song and one which would make the grade for my short form EP.
Following on from that They Are Night Zombies!! was equally enjoyable, if also not amazing.
I am looking now impatiently at the track lengths of the remaining 6 tracks; we have 3 complete songs and three instrumentals to get through.
i don't really see the purpose of all of these short interludes; they could easily have been the outros or the intros of the tracks which they are placed between. they contribute little to the overall flow or listening experience. my score is not going to take account of these short mostly instrumental segments.
so with 3 tracks to go i can only honestly say that 2 of them were underwhelming, with only the final track, an instrumental, being one of the few to fully capture my attention. Is my attention span to blame or is it the curse of the double LP ?
how do i rate this overall? as an complete album, it don't feel it lends itself to repeated full listenings; i would just cherry pick the few songs which really resonate with me. five or six at most, and release as an EP which would have made for a far more engaging and enjoyable listening experience.
whilst not a terrible listen, it was most definitely underwhelming and certainly fell far short of my expectations of one of the 1001 albums you must listen to.
i score this a 2.50 at best. if i have to rate either 2 or 3 stars then i am downrating it to 2 stars
it's been a while ... Don't Panic was nice to hear again, but i'd hardly call this album an amazing listen. it was inoffensive and pleasant without stirring any real emotion or setting my heart racing. it'd be another 2.5 therefore i am down-voting to 2 stars
sprawling and with sufficient variety to just about hold my interest but its sounds are rooted in the decade of its creation and the whole sounds like all the other art rock, prog rock, rock opera cruft from that time. it doesn't generate any buzz or excitement, my steady heart hasn't skipped a beat. it's a 2.0 at best for me
to think that this is JH's debut album, and that this was recorded in 1967. it holds up very well in 2025. I would hope that Electric Ladyland is also present in the list, otherwise i'll have no belief in those who compiled this list. There is plenty to like here for fans of Hard Rock, Blues Rock and Psychedelic Rock. a strong 4 to 4.5
now this was such a fun listen, i played the album through three times without being bored by any of the tracks (no skippers) and i can confidently state that i will keep returning to this album.
Each time Go Your Own Way Came on, i was movin' and shakin' like i had ants in my pants. of course i already know the song, you'd have to have been living under a rock most of your life to have not encountered one or another of the songs off this album at some point. I imagine many of them are radio staples. Back to GYOW and relistening reminded just what an absolute banger this song is, it's upbeat, urgent tempo belies the torment, the arguments, the heartache which band members were going through in their relationship meltdowns.
The Chain has always been synonymous with Top Gear and i've never really listened to the album track in full; not before the 1001 albums assignment. it's hard to disassociate the two, but i think i can shake the shackles,throw off the chains. The prelude to that bass intro, the anticipation of the riff, and the way in which the track just takes off from this point on; it is such a delectable moment when it hits, racing cars or no racing cars. I'm considering The Chain to be another highpoint on an album which already has no lows. If it because i am already familiar with the tune ? I don't know and i don't care.
There are some nice changes of tempo and of mood and Songbird, a beautiful ballad, is a fine example of a change of pace which keeps things fresh and allowed the 39 minutes runtime to pass by with me barely noticing, until the album was over
Soft Rock/Pop Rock isn't particularly my thing, but right now i'd unreservedly include Go Your Own Way in my desert island discs selection; i might even consider bringing the full album.
Overall, this is such a great Pop Rock album and it's apparent to see why it has such mass appeal; and why after 49 years it is still revered and has such a popular following. there's not a single song i wanted to skip and whilst it'll take more than one day of listening for some of the tracks to work they way into my head, i've already found myself returning to Oh Daddy a couple more times since my focused listen (3 of them) earlier today. And now whilst listening to Dreams i envision it playing as background music in the all-american diner in Nowheresville USA, as we sit drinking our refills of coffee and idly gazing out at the occasional vehicle passing by on the main drag on their way to somewhere more interesting than here.
i'm feeling a solid 4 - 4.5 on this one. as you won't let me vote half stars i'm giving it 4 stars and saving my 5th star for albums that cause my heart to race and have have me proclaiming my undying love for them, each and every listen.
mostly a funk overload. this isn't my thing and as I felt a sense irritation I couldn't wait for it to be over. one star is extremely generous
i enjoyed this a whole lot more than i expected to. i only took a downturn when the Celtic pub tunes started (and i think they're bonus track on the extended release). This would get a solid 3.5 from me
i'd rate a 3.5 - 3.75
Vicky's Box would be a 4.5-4.75
What a goddamm blast this has been. This is the first album off the list that gives me a little confidence the list curator hasn't got cloth ears. I'm rating this upwards from 4.5 to a full 5 stars just for Brainstorm and Orgone Accumulator, but really the entire album is such an enjoyable jam.Actually it's Psycherock bliss. Take me to your leader.
oh golly-gosh ... how to go from "Hawkwind - Space Ritual" to "Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes"
it's hard to evaluate this when the mood of the album just does not jive right now. I think Helplessness Blues would have been a better choice for 1001 albums; maybe it's in there too ?
So whilst it's hard to score this right now, i'll award 2.5 stars ... downgraded to 2 as no half-stars permitted
i hear another way too over-hyped album, in the same vein as Jeff Mangum's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea .... life's way too short for Pitchfork-promoted hipster rubbish. maybe it's me and i just don't get it, but all i hear is a dull, uninteresting, badly performed, atonal cacophony fronted by a singer who cannot sing. if i'm in the mood for Slacker Rock (not so often), then i'd much rather be listening to Will Toledo.
i'm not the slightest convinced that if i persevere, there will be a eureka moment where everything suddenly clicks, i don't feel any time spent getting to know the songs is time well-invested. There isn't a rush of excitement, no elevated pulse, no rush of dopamine; just the tedium of wondering how soon it'll be over and i can put on something enjoyable.
There's an abundance of fantastic music out there, so why waste time on this ?
it's a 1.5 star rating which i will downgrade to a 1 (no half stars possible).
just who the fck compiled this 'revered' 1001 albums list ? most of my assignments/recommendations thus far have been average at best.
what a brilliant jangle pop record. the highest quality is sustained from start to finish with barely any track you'd want to skip. Rattlesnakes hasn't aged and is still a delightful engaging listen. unequivocally worthy of five stars
a decent listen but i prefer Jehovahkill
3.5 stars
