1001 Albums Summary

Fantastic album with a few songs that didn't grab me as much. Elton John can write a hell of a hook. 3.5-4 stars

Absolute banger after banger! The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is so I can give In Utero a higher score.

The opening track of this album is perfect. From it's groovy bassline to the jazzy keyboard it sets the bar for the record enormously high. Unfortunately the rest of the album then fails to reach that bar. While the closing track is strong is well, most of the middle of the album felt like it was trying to put me to sleep. There were moments that stood out, but overall I found the repetitive vocals weak and most of the instrumentation just became background noise. Overall 3, maybe 3.5. There was enough there I may have to give it a relisten though.

Definitely one of those albums that I can imagine was absolutely mind-blowing at the time. Janis definitely has a unique and impressive voice. 3.5/5

I can see why this album made the list, I can really hear the influence it had on singer/songwriter and indie music, especially among the Jack Johnson's of the world. The most striking thing about the album was how modern it sounded, it wouldn't sound out of place if I stumbled upon it on a random Tiny Desk concert or heard it on modern college radio. I found the instrumentation on the album really pleasant. The way the piano, strings, flute, etc. play off the guitar is really cool, and Nick Drake is an impressive guitar player. Unfortunately, that vocal style is nails-on-a-chalkboard to me. It sounds like he invented the "indie accent" so many artists today copy, and those whispery soft-spoken vocals drive me insane (in a bad way). I also found the "cute" lyrics grating. I really wanted to like this album, but unfortunately the vocals bring it down to a 2-2.5/5 for me.

I thought the hits on this album were decent (Sunday, New Year's), but the rest were forgettable to downright bad. I must say, The Refugee was impressively bad, the worst song I've heard in a while. I busted out laughing when Bono starting doing his "Uh, HUAHs". I actually relistened to this song after I finished the album to see if it was as bad as my initial impression, and it was even more hilariously awful the second time. 1.5/5.

Aerosmith is just simply not for me. While I can recognize the talent of the bandmembers and see that this is a very competently made record, to my ears it's just vapid lyrics interspersed with impressive guitar solos. The album lacks any substance underneath the surface (that I can detect at least). It's not actively bad, so I can't give it a 1/5, but after the first couple songs it just became a chore to get through. 1.5/5 ->2/5.

While Moby may overuse his gimmick of finding old samples of soulful vocals, I do think this album holds up quite well. I really enjoy the classic hits from the album like Honey and South Side, while also finding joy in some of the softer passages. I thought most of the songs had a good amount of depth to them and liked the layered instrumentation throughout. That said, there were a number of forgettable tracks in the mix as well. I'm not big into the electronic music scene, but it does seem this album continues to have a large influence on this style of music. Also, I somehow didn't realize (or forgot) that South Side is a Moby track! 3.5 -> 4

Definitely my least favorite of the major Hendrix records. While still full of some great tracks and amazing guitar playing, I never felt it reaches the soring heights his first and last records do. 3.5 -> 3/5

I don't have a whole lot to say about this album, it is clearly very competently made and full of talent. That said, it's just not really my thing. I did like some of the more atmospheric instrumentals. 3.5 -> 3/5

I really wasn't excited to listen an out-of-context soundtrack to a movie I've never seen, especially given how underwhelming I found Moon Safari, but I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked this album. It creates a really nice, often disconcerting atmosophere, and I found that it went to some more interesting places than Moon Safari did. I especially liked the track Dirty Trip. Definitely one I'll be throwing on again while working or studying. I just listed in my car, so I'm excited to revisit it with a solid pair of headphones. 4/5.

Contemporary country definitely isn't my thing. I actually recognized one of the songs from the album though! It wasn't absolutely terrible, but definitely won't be revisiting. Did a couple of interesting things musically here and there. Lyrics were generic and god-awful throughout -> "I'm not wonder woman, I can't lasso the truth out of you". 2/5

When I was in high school, I had a few friends who were way into Ska. They would try and convert me, often playing records by bands like Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish. To me, these songs were always a bit too much, featuring constant aggressive use of horns over upbeat raggae-inspired rhythms that I would find exhuasting to listen to. It always just sounded like punk with a gimmick to me. Because of that, I wasn't at all excited when I looked this album up and saw it was classified as "ska". To make it worse, I couldn't find it on streaming so had to rely on a fairly low-quality Youtube playlist to listen to it. I quickly found myself pleasantly surprised. I found this record to be an interesting blend of many genres and influences, and I found the horns and other less conventional instrumentation was used in a way that complemented the music as opposed to overpowered it like on the previously mentioned ska albums. This made it so when they did take centerstage, like at the end of "Primrose Hill," it made for interesting and powerful moments. I didn't expect to recognize any tracks, so was surprised to hear "Our House," a track that I've heard probably thousands of times before but never knew the origin of. There were still a few misses on the album. I found Blue Skinned Beast kind of irritating, and New Delhi, while an interesting idea, felt a bit out of place. Overall, definitely an interesting and ambitious record that I'll likely return to. I'd say a 3.5 or 4/5.

While I can see how this album could have been absolutely life-changing hearing it for the first time in the 60s, to my modern ears I found it to be a small handful of amazing tracks interspersed between a lot of very forgettable ones. I find Venus in Furs and Heroin brilliant tracks that still hold up very well. I thought European Son was a unique and ambitious closing track as well. I otherwise found the album to be fairly dull and forgettable, and I've never really been able to get too into Lou Reed or Nico's vocals. 3/5.

I understand it's unfair to judge artists from the 50s with modern sensitivities, but to me this album sounds like shallow hits about love all just engineered to be commercial hit with very little under the surface. While I realize Buddy Holly had a massive influence on rock music, I feel like other artists were doing much more interesting things during this time period. 2/5

It's actually a pretty bold move to essentially open the album with a 13-minute, genre-spanning Opus like "Welcome to the Pleasuredome," and I think they mostly pulled it off with that song. I was then surprised to hear a number of familiar tracks on the record such as "Relax" and "War." Unfortunately, the remainder of the album threw away the good will it had earned as it slowly descended into mediocrity. Songs like "San Jose" sounded lackluster and out-of-place, and I found the random Springsteen cover completely pointless and inferior to the original. The rest of the tracks were completely forgettable as well. After the first quarter of the album I wanted to like it, but unfortunately the remainder fell flat. 2.5->2/5.

Decent enough parody of the music at the time, but far from Zappa's best in my opinion. Still some decent tracks though.

I've never been able to get into the Beastie Boys. I find their voices annoying, and they always seem to use the same basic rhyme scheme with the exact same flow in every song. I definitely feel there is much better early hip hop out there. 2/5

Very good album full of beautiful soundscapes and soaring heights. My only complaint is the last two songs are the weakest in my opinion, so it doesn't quite stick the landing. Still breathtaking though. 4.5 -> 5

A solid album with a few stand-out tracks.

Growing up, my parents would regularly play this album as we took long rides. I probably heard every song on it a hundred times by the time I turned 10, so notalgia undeniably plays a role in my love for this album. That said, I believe it still completely holds up. The only low point on the album is Electioneering, and that that is far from a bad song. It just happens to be the only song that isn't nearly perfect (not counting Fitter Happier). Even after all these years, I never tire of playing it all the way through. Easy 5/5.

A very listenable album that didn't have a lot of stand-out tracks, but also didn't have any bad tracks. I did like the dense instrumentation throughout. 3.5/5

I liked the first instrumental song on the album, but found the rest of the album disappointing. I couldn't stand the vocals, and found even the other instrumental tracks grating. Not a great introduction to Kraut Rock.

I'm not a big Simon and Garfunkel fan, I can only take so much whisper-singing over soft guitar. This is probably my least-favorite of their albums I've heard as well. That said, I realize they are undeniably influencial. 2.5 -> 2

Southern rock isn't my favorite subgenre, but I can't deny "Tuesday's Gone," "Simple Man," and "Free Bird" are classics. I generally found the rest to be failry forgettable though, and don't care for the ever-present southern twang. 3/5

I was nervous when I saw the label "Celtic," because I'm really not a fan of modern "Celtic rock." This ended up being an interesting enough blending of genres though. Also anyone who's not moving at least a little to "Come on Eileen" is made of stone.

It's amazing how an album with such a spectrum of impressive contributors can somehow sound so stale and lacking in variety. About two songs in I was already counting down the tracks waiting for it end. 1.5 -> 2/5

Jeff Beck is undeniably a talented guitarist, but the songs on this record just felt like they were full of uninspired blues riffs and incredibly generic lyrics and vocals.

Every soft song on this album sounded the same to me, granted it was a pretty good song. "The Way Young Lovers Do" was solid, I wish there were more like that on here.

Not my favorite jazz album, was a little soft for my tastes. Still not bad though. And Abdullah definitely has an interesting story!

To me this just feels like a horny 90lb man with emphysema rasping out vocals about how badass he is over power chords.

One of the better 60s rock albums I've heard on here so far, but definitely prefer later The Who records.

A decent enough chill modern hip-hop record, but didn't feel like anything groundbreaking to me. I generally enjoyed the lyrics and vocals, felt very personal. 3.5/5

This is a really haunting and atmospheric album. I read up on the backstory while listening, then was having a really hard time holding tears back while I was trying to lift weights. These songs just ooze with loss and mourning, while also remaining hopeful. That said, the songs do kind of run together and the album really lacks variety. Even still I feel it deserves a 4 with how much it affected me.

A solid jammy rock album, but I think I prefer Joplin's solo albums. 3.5 ->3

Not sure we need multiple live Johnny Cash recordings on the list, but it's a solid album none-the-less. The banter on it is fun as well. 3/5

Not really my type of music, but this album is undeniably fun and well-crafted with a few stand-out moments. 3.5 -> 3

The very definition of mid in my opinion. A few stand out moments, but mostly average tracks, most of which I found pretty forgettable. Was ready for it to be over by the end. 2.5 ->2

I somehow ended up with two Blur albums in a row (the nature of randomness). I wasn't a big fan of Parklife, but this was a step down in every way. Just generally bland and forgettable, I genuinely don't understand why this album would be considered an all-time top 1000. It's also crazy to me that Damon would go on to write such interesting music with the Gorillaz!

Wasn't my favorite Tom Waits album, but not bad by any means. Had a few stand-out tracks like Jersey Girl, but also a handful of forgettable ones.

This album makes me want to change my other 1-star reviews, because this is so much worse. Just full of gross lyrics and uninteresting music. The only good thing I have to say about it is it's fairly short.

There are some songs I really enjoy on here, mostly the well known ones like Lust for Life and The Passenger. Also the influence that this record continues to have on modern music is absolutely undeniable. That said, I found probably half the tracks to be pretty forgettable with uninspired lyrics. 3/5

Although it does have a pretty big handful of forgettable tracks, The White Album also has the highest concentration of great Beatles' songs in my opinion. More than any other, it seems to really explore a wide range of sounds and genres with each song being unique. It's really close between this and Sgt. Pepper for my favorite Beatles' records, although I'm definitely not the biggest fan.

Not a bad kind of spacy, psychedelic record, but most of the songs ultimately didn't really go anywhere except Revolution that I thought had a good build-up. I've heard Spiritualized before, so was kind of cool to hear their origin.

Solid album, but a little rough around the edges. You can really hear MBV laying the foundation for future albums like Loveless, which I consider to be an easy 5/5.

Bruce definitely has his formula that he sticks to to make hits, but it undeniably works. I appreciate the working-class themes present on the album, and still get a thrill whenever his songs are used in "patriotic" rallies. The lyrics aren't exactly subtle. Still, I find this album sounds a bit repetitive and gets pretty stale near the end. On an unrelated note, artists need to stop using ass-in-jeans album covers, it's very overplayed at this point.

Probably my all-time favorite live recording. There's not a song on here that I could listen to daily and get sick of. Kurt delivers his best vocal performance during the tracks, ending with his all-time great cover of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night". Between songs, his personality really shines through as he banters and cracks jokes with the audience. Overall just an incredible performance that has stood the test of time.

Joy Division is one of those bands that countless of my favorite artists have cited as an influence. Listening to this album I can tell why, it's very interesting and unique, I imagine that was especially true when it came out. At the end of the day, however, it just really isn't my thing, not one I'll be revisiting much. Gets points for originality though! 3.5 -> 3/5

Wilco was the first band I ever saw live when they opened for REM when I was around 10 years old. Unfortunately they still sound as boring as I remember. Some decent lyrics though! 2.5 -> 2/5

Not normally my thing, but a pretty solid and fun album overall. Also Waterfalls is an unqualified banger. 3/5

Overall a pretty solid album, but I think it suffers a bit from being released after the more ambitious Sgt. Pepper and the White Album, as I feel it's a pretty big step back. The songs are generally more straightforward in my opinion, and it seems to have less variation overall, playing it more safe and familiar instead of exploring different genres. Still, a well put-together record though. 3/5.

I liked this one! It really stood out among the neverending sea of Classic Rock and Britpop as something unique. It wasn't perfect, the vocals were a bit underwhelming and some of the songs didn't really go anywhere, but there were a lot of interesting soundscapes on this one.

Just an all-around really solid album from start to finish, really not a bad song in here. Carole King has an incredible voice.

Although not as groundbreaking as the top-tier Radiohead albums, this is still a very solid record with some amazing songs on it (2+2=5, There, There, etc). That said, it does also have a couple uncharacteristic duds IMO like We Suck Young Blood and The Gloaming.

Given all the mediocre British alt-rock bands the author likes to throw on here, I expected this album to be the same. I only know The Verve for Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. This album actually surprised me though, as I found the more psychedelic elements to be really interesting and enjoyable. Still, there were a handful of forgettable tracks on here, and they largely started to sound the same by the end. 3.5 -> 3/5