1001 Albums Summary

No better or worse than my (low) expectations

It was never going to be GOOD...but I did at least hope for it to be more fun. Title track aside, it seems like glam rock by numbers to me.

It irks me that this is in the list, because there are 3 better white stripes albums. Are there going to be 4 white stripes albums in the whole list? Seems unlikely. So, although this is still good, my irritation prevents me from scoring more than a 3

I think this will be my first 1 star. Pretty hard to look beyond the terrible vocals. Hoobastank for the 90s.

Easy 5. Sounds incredible and can see how it's influenced so many other artists that I like, such as Flying Lotus. Particularly enjoyed the bits that sound like Boards of Canada...by which I mean all the 60s/70s style "Dr Who" synths.

I really should've picked this up sooner. I mean at first I thought it was a definite 5...but by the end a few things had grated on me slightly (mainly the same beat on each track being tsh tsh tsh tsh). Songs like Johnny and Girl sound like Carnival Elvis (I mean that in a positive way).

She's so Heeeeeeavvvveeeee

The problem with Abba...is that their "signature sound" is having solid hits that are genuine earworms. So, 3 songs should be good in theory (more on that in a bit), however the rest are incredibly bland filler that don't deserve more than 1 star. The additional problem with the recognisable hits is over-saturation - I've heard Dancing Queen too many times for it to be enjoyable anymore, so it feels cloying. 2 stars feels generous, so maybe it's a 1.

Just really fun and enjoyable, led to me putting on all five of their albums yesterday, with only one dud (Mosquito).

Generally I struggle to separate The Doors from the cult of Jim Morrison, but this was fairly decent. Quite bluesy whereas I was expecting some laid back psych-rock. That said, I doubt I'll ever listen to it again.

Eventually put it on in the evening...and it's basically crap. I think it might be worse than that though...the most charitable reading is that one of the list's curators is just a personal fan of this mediocre Afro pop album. Unfortunately, what is more likely is that it's a misdirected attempt to make the list a bit more exotic. However, when you could pick other, far superior, Algerian acts such as Tinariwen or Imarhan but pick this trash instead, your tokenism is laid bare. It's a bit like wanting to include a Welsh album but picking Stereophonics over SFA, Manics or Mclusky.

First listen of this and it's pretty great. Very melodramatic and lyrical. Could be a five with repeat listens, just some of the later tracks passed me by somewhat.

Bono! That overly reverbed, anodyne guitar sound that's synonymous with U2 is all over this album. It's boring

Had it on in the background, can't say I really remember much of it. Not up there with Sound of Silver or This is Happening

Beck's interesting, came in as the ultimate slacker with no musical education...ends up writing some of the best pop collage albums of all time. Sounds both very 90s and also very prescient for trends to come. Gets 5 stars as there isn't a weak track.

Classic songs, sung well. Nothing more than that but it's very nice

I am now basing my scores entirely on how much I enjoy that first (or first few) listens. As such, this gets an easy 5. Great, immediate, catchy rock - pop songs. Starts off with a bang and Alison is beautiful

Enjoyable and solid blues tunes, with the title track, Jersey Girl and Ruby's Arms standing out. Not as groundbreaking as some of the other Tom Waits albums, so gets a 3.

Yes there is some filler, but the majority of these tracks are complete bangers. I'd be hard pushed to name an artist with greater depth of quality pop singles (outside of the Beatles) than MJ.

I'm no Jazz-head but I sure as hell know this album is a classic. I probably don't understand it on a "deep" level but the payoffs are so good that they repurpose all the build up. Usually when I've done listening to it I just want to put it on again.

I mean...it's good to know that performative quirkiness wasn't invented by us millennials and has been around since the 60s, when these guys did it. Nothing feels inventive here, just whimsical...the few listenable songs are ultimately dull and forgettable. Michael Gira allegedly formed Swans soon after seeing Zappa live...as he wanted to create music which was "exact opposite" of whatever noodling Frank was doing that day.

Not heard before, really immediate lyrical hip hop with some jazz-y beats. Starts off strong and lags a little, feels very 2000s but I still enjoyed a lot.

Half the tracks are timeless classics, the other half are just really nice folk/pop songs...but the whole thing just sounds so warm and breezy. I think it's a bit underappreciated within the Beatles' catalogue, easy 5

Away from the Smiths, I find his voice grating and the music uninteresting. And, in 2025, nobody needs to be giving Morrissey a free pass

Instant classic.

Enjoyable Sunday album. Preferred the less well-known songs because they haven't been tainted by SCS adverts.

Objectively great, I just wasn't really feeling it on a Monday morning. The sampling on here is something else, I didn't realise they were quite so pioneering

A bit of a classic from my 20s...long, drawn out ambient pop songs that owe a lot to Eno and David Sylvian. A bit sanitised and edgeless now...but still pretty and full of good memories.