I dig Steve Winwood's voice, and the record is remarkably clear, probably a testament to Jimmy Miller as one of rock's great producers.
What an incredible record!!
Side 2 is a classic. Side 1 kind of grates on me and always has for some reason. Kind of a bouncy, pedantic offering, but it's a debut, and they clearly formed a sound and style shortly after this.
Surprised by how enjoyable this record was. Kind of a bit repetitive in style, but well-written
Monk! Not my favorite, but it's a great listen.
Dated. I’m sure it was fantastic in its day.
This album came out in ‘88? Could’ve come out in 1968, could’ve come out yesterday.
1st of an unparalleled 3-album run in rock history. Still holds up as fresh and exciting. Pales everything that tried to match it over the next 25 years.
Like Carole King, but seemingly less pop sensibility and a much more powerful voice. Not familiar with her work prior to this, but love it.
I keep thinking I’m going to go through a Joni Mitchell phase and I can never do it. I get the musicianship is unparalleled. No question the vocals, the structure and the atmosphere are singular as to who the artist is. It’s just a lot of that is fingernails on a chalkboard for me and I can go forever without ever listening to it again.
Is this great? This feels pretty even, with good melodies and some strong poetry. I guess that makes it better than most. Still, Morrissey.
Hate this record for being so big when I was a teenager. Still, the recording is impeccable. The sound, the tunes, the blending of genres and the timelessness of the title track only mesmerize as they age.
Powerhouse, soulful and sweet.
One of the most influential pieces of art in the 20th Century. Resonates nearly 60 years later.
I want it to be that I don't like hip-hop, but as great as the catchy pop tunes are, the misogyny, the lack of humanity and baloney sandwich rags-to-riches stuff is a bore. "aspirational" hip hop I've been told is the term, but yawn.
The inclusion of this record on this list is an abomination. I mean, 1-star for the crisp sound, but it's sterile butt-rock that AC/DC did 100x better a decade earlier.
Transformative, exciting, relevant almost 30 years later. One of the great listens of recorded music. Want to start a party? Put this record on. Want to get inspired to fight the power that corrupts your world? Put this record on.
Hands down, all-timer. Influential on so many levels.
Surprising on first listen. I knew the hits. They're catchy and all that, but the album has a sparse sound and vibe that - no shit - sounds like something Sinatra would've put out.
One of the best records ever, hands down, bar none. Each song is a classic - epic in pop song format. Story behind the record is fascinating. Story behind the band is fascinating. It all fell apart for reasons out of all their control. Jonathan Richman is a national treasure.
Fun listen. Kinda one-note, but upbeat and groove-centric. No real standout tunes, IMO.
Spread your good songs around an album. What's the point of leading off with your best tune, then getting worse and worse with each track? Especailly when you're already have a craptastic sounding outfit like DM. Not a fan. OK intro tune, rest is a drag. Mid at best.
A sonic experience. Total headphones record. It's so ubiquitous a sound that it wears a little repetitive after nearly 50 years. Can't imagine what a party one of these shows would have been back in the day.
I don't think I like hip hop the way the rest of the world does.
Repetitive. Atmospheric. Some flourish. Prefer other records of theirs.
Fun beats, and obviously her voice is important in the genre's ouevre, but not really my bag.
The production is great, but the songs aren't that interesting when it comes down to it.
Oh yeah, bong hit commence! 10 stars wouldn't be enough. I love listening to this record and focusing on just one part of what's playing - Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Coltrane - it doesn't matter which one, because everyone is operating on a level that transcends the whole. This record never sounds the same twice, equally thrilling and soothing.
Not a fan. Sounds like the 60s.
Listened with preconceptions, and surprised at this gem. Great sound, interesting songs. I think it was a full concept album about WW1 or something, but I enjoyed it.
Noisy. Don’t understand the appeal. Becomes diva-esque by the end with some lush sounds, but I don’t get this at all. A terrible sound, often-screeching.
Atmospheric, some brilliance and some half-assed notions. Hard to call it a great album, as it has one defining track and a couple other interesting listens. I can't imagine telling someone, "Hey! You got to listen to this record!".
Lots of classic pop soul stuff on this record, but some amazing gems. "Ain't No Way" is one of my favorite songs of this genre.
Kinda fun, kinda background music. Don't know how it was groundbreaking or considered such an achievement.
Stylistically all over the map, yet somehow repetitive. I think this was their debut, never really listened to them. Bet they're killer live. Not sure they're more interesting than, say, Tool or Rage Against the Machine, or whomever they're lumped in with timeline and genre-wise.
Yeah, it's a classic female supergroup, but what are we getting out of this? It's dated pop country at the end of the day.
Blahblahblahblahblah. Read the rest of the world's take on it.
Perfect sounding record. Side 2 is some of the best music ever recorded.
Help me Rhonda gets this 2 stars.
Not my bag.
Powerful blend of rock, hip hop and the punk rock ethos. Somehow every song ultimately sounds the same – a good sound of course, but their musical depth always feels pretty surface.
Psychedelic rock at it's finest. 1967 was a wild year. Not quite as impactful as AYE? or EL that followed, but as a tryptich, there isn't anyone who did what Jimi did. Took everything that happened before, crushed it up and blasted it out of an amp with explosive gusto, and re-made everything that came after.
Great record. One of the best of the 80s.
I dig the concept of what Zappa's doing, but it can be repetitive and kind of go nowhere for me.
Not my bag, to be fair. A little groovy.
A great record. Turned into a cartoon character, but the initial band was a really good one that had as much impact on 80s hair metal as anyone else.
Surprisingly doesn't hold up as well as the esteem I've always held it in after not listening to it for a while. I don't know, Neil has 15 great songs and then his self-righteousness comes through on the rest.
Nothing really will ever top this record. One of the best ever.
Good early American hardcore stuff, but not that interesting.
Improv. Think about that. Improv.
Meh. It was a hit when it came out, but it isn't Metallica.
Nothing ever really tops this. Way ahead of its time. Sounds 40 years younger than it is.
A great record start-to-finish. Better than the Greatest Hits.
Yeah, I don't know. It's like Ska is kind of a dumb idea to begin with, but we can all handle 3 minute hits of dumb. Two great songs and some attitude that carry the record.
There's the hits on this record, and then there's the rest of the tunes that are as beautiful and impactful as anything of the era. A triumph of R&B and pop music.
Hey man, the early aughts were weird. Turns out it was more or less the dying embers of rock as the last great period of good albums coming out. This one has hooks, riffs and solid storylines. I'm a fan and think it holds up really well.
Historically, it mixed the pop with the politics of the time. Groovily, it just soars musically above everything else from the time period besides Coltrane.
Hasn't aged well. 3 stars for the two great pop tunes. Haven't listened to it for awhile, surprised how dull it is.
Would love ot know the backstory of this band. Sounds like the singer might have been a dick. The one song shoula coulda propelled them to megastardom and it didn't. Album has some highlights other than the hit.
This is a good record, executed well. It's interesting, but he'll go on to do much better stuff. Waits records are best when they mix things up a bit. This one drones on too long like the stranger you pony up next to at a bar that has an interesting personality and a tall tale or two for a couple of drinks then gets annoying by the third.
Great ambiance of a record. The Cure always has great songs on their albums, but they also are so aggrandizing that they start to get repetitive.
I recognize that there's some amazing musicianship and the songwriting and style is unique. I'm not a Joni Mitchell guy.
I'm not a boss guy. There's like 2 songs on here that could probably rip live if it was a bar band and the singer wasn't so polished, but I don't live in Jersey and I'm not into cars.
Well, one killer track that undoubtedly was a template for dance music of a generation, but the rest kind of pales in comparison.
Only because it's not as consistent as Zep 1, but it came out a year ahead of it and Beck's Bolero is as hard as anything that came out of the Clapton/Page/Beck era.
For 1998, it feels both derivative and cutting edge at the same time. Lots of 70s and 80s art rock/Kim Gordon influences, but also forbears the sounds of Sleater-Kinney and the like. A couple of cool tunes to throw on the DJ sets once in awhile.
I'll give it a 2, but that's because I know people loved this record. I don't get it now. I didn't get it then. I got to see a few bands in clubs, in theaters and then arenas – and Radiohead is one of them. Amazing live band, but there's not a single track on this album that does a thing for me except want to skip over it.
I've never listened to a Coldplay album, only a couple of snippets of hits I'd immediately judge as sounding like the 20 yr old child of U2. I was a little surprised that A) the band is 4 guys and it's always been the same 4 guys. Thought it was just that Paltrow fellow. B) This record wasn't the worst thing I'd ever heard. Almost an easy listening Arctic Monkeys.
It's got Waterloo Sunset, one of the 5 best songs of the 60s. Ray Davies is one of the best to ever do it.
Powerhouse record of one of the hardest rocking bands ever. Yeah, they peaked in 1970, but it was a helluva peak. Pretty much every hard rock band from Sabbath to Maiden to Metallica are direct descendants of this version of the Who - not the bloated version of the 1970s.
I'm always a little iffy on Radiohead because they were The Best Rock Band On The Planet after OK Computer, and then crapped it all away with Kid A and Amnesiac. This is post-traumatic listening with this record. It's 20 years old, but I've never really listened to it until today. Back to what made them a creative force and a sonic army few could match in their prime. A little of the electronic hangover exists, but pretty good for mid-00s.
Never really done a deep dive into Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, because I have preconceptions, and this doesn't change those notions. It's purportedly a concept album, but I didn't really notice the link via lyics other than it flows well. There's a handful of cool songs, and its a great sounding record. A little bloated, but that's the 70s.
Is it fair to criticize any Neil Young record for being boring? The through-line from him to alt-country, alt-rock and anything folk-related is impossible to ignore. The only complaint is the one-note sound of this album never feels like something to listen to on its own. I'd give this 4 1/2 stars if I could. 5 seems too generous, 4 seems too light. I wish I could be moved by Joni Mitchell the way this record moves me.
A couple of bangers on this one. Funkier than it gets credit for from anti-Southern rock folks.
Wasn’t expecting the jazzy, neo-soul elements. At its best when it’s not trying to be conventional 80s new wave pop.
Sounds like the Buzzcocks....because apparently it's the original guy that isn't Pete Shelley. Also included a future Banshee. It's ok for the early wave of British punk, but echoes that signature Buzzcocks sound. One cool tune, but that's about it. Otherwise, probably a staple of the genre/era, but dang near 50 years later, it's somewhat unremarkable.
Three-part harmonies as distinct and beautiful as anything Brian Wilson could conceive. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is one of the greatest songs ever written. Beautiful concept coming from some pretty wildly different musical directions coalescing into a feeling that transcends the moment.
Not a huge Nick Cave guy, but this is an epic, sprawling, engaging double album with a handful of great songs.
I've already forgotten it.
Not that interesting, but a couple of bangers.
What's funny about classic rockers getting older is their attempts to sound "fresh" through modern sounds, which end up sounding nothing like what they used to sound like, or, really, the style they were trying to emulate in the first place. This is one of those records that probably isn't going to be on the list of great Bowie records, but it sounds interesting, and that's better than a lot of things.
A little T Rex, a little Who, a little Beach Boys, a little Sabbath. Too bad that terrible Freddie Mercury movie got made. This was an incredible talented and inventive band who had a style all their own and had to have an amazing creative collaborative approach that should've been documented better.
I used to think REM was a great album band, but as I've become wiser, at some point - probably around this record - they became a singles band. 3 outstanding tunes on this album, maybe 1 or 2 other really cool jams, and then the rest is mediocre ho hum claptrap. I wanted to give this album 3 stars, but the fact of the matter is that "It's the End..." is a great tune. Fantastic. "The One I Love" is a pretty rad hit song if we're talking about the 1980s. "Oddfellows Local 151" is among the best tunes the band ever did. Got to be fair about it and give the 4th star for effort.
Very one-note and experimental in a Bowie/Eno through-line. The more I think about it, maybe the best American band of the 70s/80s.
Something about this record, the barebones production, the rhymes and rhythms, I love it. PE4Eva
Unsure why this is included. It's not catchy or anything else. It's not classically classical, and the pop elements are a drag. Dumb record.
The 4th best SY record. There's some amazing work here, and some unfulfilled stuff. They are a meticulous constructor of song and sound.
Radiohead for people with no attention span.
Outstanding headphones record. Noises bounce everywhere. Soothes and relieves.
Dear god, no wonder punk rock happened. What a steaming pile of doo. Why anyone had any inkling of digging this material is beyond me. Bloated, catchy only in transition pieces. I guess it can have a star because it remarkably has a'stylitic' relationship to better sounding Genesis material that came later.
Obviously stellar playing, such an over the top horn party! I'd actually categorize this double album as a 1-star side 1 (maudlin 60s easy listening holdover claptrap), 2-star side 2 (horn and early prog-jazz), 3-star side 3, and 5-star side 4 (actually, the last tune is a complete ripper).
Feels like it straddles the line between Bowie/Eno and new wave techno stuff. Holds up as a weird relic of steadfast production in the post-punk/proto-new wave/techno realm.
I do not like the overproduction. I don't like the doowop/Macca/BWilson roller skater ripoffs. "The Whale" is a pretty dope instrumental though.
The composition of some of these tunes, along with the masterful production and signature McCartney turns equate to an exciting, epic masterclass of pop rock craftsmanship invented and perfected by the one guy who could do it.
I bet there are 50 records on this list of 1001 that you can draw a straight thru-line directly from this record. Certainly influenced by what was happening in New York more than what was happening in London or Manchester in 1977. What the blues and early rock was for the Beatles and the Stones, this record was for the Amercian punk movement of Black Flag, Sonic Youth and Minutemen. Landmark album with a half-dozen certified bangers on it.
A little too new wave dancy for me, but the reality is that this is much more interesting than their contemporaries. Plus, there's a couple of dope rockers on it.
Enjoyable. First brand new (to me) hip hop record I've listened to in awhile that I found engaging.
Any album with a handful of instantly recognizable tracks is a noteworthy accomplishment, and after 30+ years, this album sounds impeccable. It’s just so one-dimensionally “angry” or growl-filled or whatever. It gets boring fast.
Interesting to get this album back-to-back with Metallica’s Black Album. Rick Rubin had impeccable and perfect sound with Metallica, though seemed to use tempo to suggest any kind of emotional element. Butch Vig creates soundscapes and emotional depth in otherwise whiny melancholy crybaby rock tunes with heavy riffs. It’s an interesting record to be sure and maybe one of the better albums of the early 90s.
Wonderful soundscape. Which means great production. No real standout tunes though. Solid background music, hard to get excited about listening to it again anytime soon.
I'm sure it was a wonderful event to have Johnny Winter produce a record for the dude that made the thing that everyone did later on, but it gets a little repetitive.
There's a lot of buttrock elements with this collection of songs, but also some melody and hard rock riffs that stand up with anyone from the era.
Enjoyable blend of chippy early 90s hip hop.
Good ol' American kickass rock and roll. The 70s were the best for a reason. This is one of them.
Fun power pop, cleaned up with a mid-90s sound, but not sure it's new or different than wasn't being played to death by dozens of American bands a half-decade-plus earlier.
A sonic treat, and a pop masterpiece. Michael Stipe’s crowning achievement and probably an excellent showcase of what Mike Mills quietly did for the musicianship of this band.
Opening 60 seconds or so are among the best angular math rock I've ever heard. The last 60 seconds or so are heady, jammy, super dope prog firing on all cylinders. The other 36 minutes are somewhat garbage and bloated and I can't for the life of me find it interesting.
I would give this 4.5 stars, the second "side" of the album is fantastic, the first "side" has a lot of chaotic pop tricks that overwhelm, but the songwriting and delivery is top notch. Really great rock n' roll record.
Four pretty cool songs, but it really is boiler-plate stuff. Every song more or less sounds the same, has the same innuendo and might as well have a drum machine going. Still, a handful of great tunes helps.
Some outstanding tracks, some great trad music, it's a little uneven in the tone and pacing of the album, but Shane MacGowen's lyrics are great works of poetry.
It's not terrible for what it is, but it's hardly memorable or noteworthy. Early 80s synth pop that has clear derivations from Jarré or Eno, but unremarkable tunes that sound more like pharmaceutical commercials than anything else.
This is totally Bowie-inspired Brit Pop, but Jarvis Cocker's lyrics put him up there with the best wordsmiths of his generation. A handful of great tunes on the record, with the infectious longing and melody of Disco 2000 and the immortal Common People being the most famous.
David Bowie in his most creative era wrote most of the songs, and Iggy Pop delivers it in a signature way that in retrospect probably wasn't his idea, but it's a fun and action-packed ride nevertheless.
The greatest album ever made. Fight me.
Influential across every genre of rock that came after it. From thrash to punk to metal to anything with a hard backbeat.
Trip hop at its best. Fun, chill, cool record. Holds up real well.
In retrospect, maybe the only really-good-to-great Smiths record.
Expansive stereo sound that must’ve been incredible on first listen in 1968. Some items that can be considered relics of the time, but the half-dozen tracks that are bona fide classic rock staples override any criticisms.
Kinda regular, somewhat dispassionate offering relative to earlier records.
A couple of absolute bangers, and a lot of songs that sound alike. 5 stars for the aesthetics, -1 star for the repetition.
Sounds like the 80s sounded like before Purple Rain.
I'll give it up to Elvis for the fact that in the mid-90s he didn't try to adapt to the changing tastes of the musical landscape by throwing in a bunch of feedback and crunchy guitar (I think he did this later). It's almost like he took a step backward – his voice starts sounding like a crooner, the songs get more dynamic and there's orchestration. Not sure I really like it that much, but the effort is there.
Fun bluegrassy sound with a great band backing her up. Not really too much standout stuff here, but not unlistenable by any stretch. Classic 80s Americana.
Awesome southern B3 RnB and soul jazz.
A breakthrough I think, and indicative of the 90s Britpop thing, but not quite the heights they'd achieve in the future.
Fun, upbeat danceable pop club stuff. Heard of them, had a different preconception of what they sounded like. and totally caught off guard by the George Michael-esque grooves and songcraft.
What a pile of 80s turd.
Nice album of old man singing and talking his way through some classics. Haunting to say the least.
Some atmospheric accomplishments. Fantastic production, a couple of outstanding songs that lilt through the air.
Is there anyone who says shitty things about this record?
Absolute gem of a record that has incredible songs, impeccable production. This was always on the list of "influential" records, but its taken me a long time to realize that everyone from the Bangles, Husker Du, REM, etc. more or less extended the take on Beatlesque pop, even though it's not like anyone else could come up with something like 'Ballad of El Goodo' and make it sound like themselves. At least three perfect songs on this album, likely more.
