1001 Albums Summary

The issue I have with this type of music (especially in the 80s) is that the falsetto, high pitch for some reason always sounds the same to me across the songs. So individual songs can be good (and many are!) but it doesn’t feel like stunning. And frankly, my easy listening budget is spent entirely on Clapton’s work from this era.

It’s Miles Davis. Of course this rules.

No idea what the David Bowie x The Smiths band does nothing for me - but they don’t!

Never having dug into their albums, it’s amazing how much good music is there underneath their massive hit singles.

It’s just the greatest. Maybe the best run to open an album ever.

This rules. Energy, writing and sound just off the charts good.

It’s funny this came on the day of Taylor’s newest album because it’s everything that Swift’s latest isn’t. This is innovative, inventive, fun and interesting. It’s well written, well scored and is actually rewarding to listen to. The ideal pop album. There’s a reason that 40 years on this feels fresh in a way that Taylor won’t in 6 months.

Too weird and then just boring. No reason to be that long

It’s maybe the greatest blues rock album of all time.

It is fine

The problem with a lot of this music is that by the time I came of age, they were jokes. But this is good! I get that's the point of a book and project like this, but this is much better music than reputation has done for gen-pop.

I imagine there's more Bowie on this list but it's so interesting this made it. It feels like he's older and has slowed down. The inventiveness and what made him so unique is there but there's a spark seemingly missing.

This is what a diner trying too hard to be retro sounds like.

IDK man. Who knows what this album wanted to be. Why did it have to start loud and then mostly become vibey instrumentals.

Some of the largest songs surround by other songs trying to be some of the other largest songs. Ain’t ever been my thing.

This is such a funny (and phenomenal) record when you know their whole discography. Alex stays within such a lane but the music is so brash and loud. As he got more confident, controlled and styled but bigger - so did the band but they got quieter. And one of the great rock singles of this century.

This might be the greatest rock album of all time. At least, the most notorious / impactful. It sounds cheesy because they built the model and were endlessly copied. But noone gets the distinct mix of pop style writing and catchy music that is LOUD. It is still stunning to this day that this was the first album after the death of Bon Scott.

Just at one point of a several minute, repetitive drone does anyone go "hey, maybe wrap this up?"

The riff that spawned 1000 dusty stratocasters. Mostly fine!

Just one of my favorite albums and one of the best ever.

I really like how this develops over the course of the album. The music was always solid but the vocals really came into their own as the album went on.

One of the greatest rap albums of all time with several best rap songs ever on it.

This set the path for 21st century rock and it's interesting that even today there are artists revisiting this era to re-find this type of sound. From British punk bands to Olivia Rodrigo, Green Day's sound is still influencing a lot. It's good!

There are times when this really pops and is exciting to listen to. There are times where the Talking Heads + Bowie mash up gets a bit tiring. And there are times where there sounds like an extended solo on empty coke bottles happening.

Absolutely not. You should have your guitar taken away for producing several 20 minute songs in a row.

There are times when I listen to Muddy Waters that I believe so deeply that he's the best musician that America has birthed and this is one of those times. So deeply from here but expansive in what music could do.

There was no one like him and this was his best.

Boring.

It's the Talking Heads! Take Me to the River!

This isn't my type of music but hard to argue against the bang on classics on this album.

Muse has some really solid highs but it's just not a sound or style that translates to a few albums. Always a band that I'll appreciate their bangers but that's it.

There's parts of this that is extremely my shit but dear god why are their 43 tracks. there's a solid 11 album in there but maybe this nonsense worked better in the 80s.

Every future part team music teacher's favorite band in high school

Banger after banger after banger.

Apparently the idea of the Pet Shop Boys has been better than the actuality of the Pet Shop Boys. It's not even that this is bad as much as this type of pop does nothing for me.

Better than anything the Beatles ever did.

Honestly, pretty cool? Very funky and vibey but I really grew into this album. One of the few I've put on cold to walk through NYC so that certainly helped.

Winwood, having partnered with Clapton at times in their careers, shares a lot of the same type of blues-inspired easy listening that sucked up (frankly, too much) of their 80s output. But, because he sounds so much like Clapton I have such a soft spot for it. It's good, it's become cheesy but there's masterful work underneath it all.

Stuff like this is so bad but I guess I'm impressed they managed to sound like an entirely different (also boring) band every song

Rating mostly based on how hard the album art goes.

Heroes itself is too good of a song. I don't love the experimental turn he takes at the back half but the front half is just an absolute master class.

THIS IS SO BAD. WOW.

Starts with such a classic song (and includes a few other) but it's tough to disconnect that for the whole album. It's good if so dated.

Always cooler in theory than in experience.

Some of the best rock music there is but jesus this album is too long. Like many 90s albums, absolutely tuned for the radio but impulses went too far. But it's impossible to not hear this music and not feel like the car window is down on a sunny summer day.

For the workday I'm having, the absolute weirdest album to come up

whenever something like this ends up on the 1001 best albums ever, i have to conclude that either: 1. the authors procrastinated and then had to rush to fill out the list 2. they have awful taste 3. there aren't 1001 good albums of music out there somewhere in the middle of the 17 minute 'song' of groaning i started to believe it's number 3.

no

thought this was just music played in movies

1. The best voice 2. The absolute, unbridled commitment to each song to be all gas, no brakes 3. top-5 singer's name 4. legend. What an album.