1001 Albums Summary

Better than I remembered. Not my favorite album of hers.

Somewhat overrated. Well executed but the music very much lacks feeling. It’s just “insert jazzy chord here” over and over again.

Hard to say whether this is among Bowie’s best, because he made so many great albums. But this is excellent.

The hits far outshine the fillers on this album, but the filler songs are pretty decent too.

A lot of great songs. Not as consistently great as some of Bowie’s albums.

I don’t think I’ve listened to the UK version of this before, which is missing Paint It Black but has several songs not on the US version. Both are very good but I prefer Paint It Black as the opener.

Great musicians, interesting music, but not a style of jazz that I will go back and listen to often.

Pretty interesting. I’d never heard of this album (or group) before. I like the funk-rock influences. If I could give half stars it would be 3 1/2.

A great listen if you’re in the right mood. Peaceful but lots of creative sounds to focus on. I especially love the horns on some songs, and the droning guitars.

Some great covers including nice duets with Nick Cave and others. Highlights for me are the title track, Hurt, and I Hung My Head. Some of the songs chosen I think are a little bland but they obviously meant something to Mr. Cash.

I’d only heard about half of these songs before. I’ve missed out! This is great all the way through and may become one of my favorite prog rock albums.

Some great songs, but could have easily been cut down to make a better single-disc album.

Probably one of the most consistently good double albums ever.

Really good. Upbeat, funky vibes. I especially liked the horn sections.

Classic Dylan. One of his best.

One of my favorite albums.

My favorite Beatles album since I was a kid. Lyrically, maybe it’s a little heavy on the whimsy but the music and production is excellent. Too bad it was the last album they recorded together, but they went out on a high note.

This is “easy listening” country-pop. It’s neither good pop, nor good country. It’s just inoffensive, forgettable schlock. I don’t understand its appearance on this list, or the accolades this album earned. Was pop music in 1989 that bleak? How did this win album of the year when it had to compete with Full Moon Fever and The Raw & the Cooked (also - Disintegration and Doolittle weren’t even nominated??)

Good overall sound, but nothing stood out to me as particularly memorable. May listen again.

There are some songs on this that stand out immediately as great (if a little weird, especially lyrically), and some that don’t catch your attention on a first listen. But there is so much layering, and so many things going on sonically, that I pick up new details every time I listen. Great album.

I could do without the skits, which I don’t think add much here, and maybe I’d leave a song or two off but most of it is great. They bring a lot of disparate influences together very well. Ms. Jackson is an all-time classic. Easily a contender for best hip hop album ever.

Classic, feel-good 70s rock. Half of these are still, deservedly, radio staples and the rest are pretty good too.

Not sure how this album made the list. It’s decent I guess, even pretty nice sounding at times, but I get the feeling I could listen to it five or ten times and nothing would stick in my head. There’s just nothing particularly interesting or memorable going on.

Like all RHCP albums, I find this has a few standout songs and the rest range from pretty good to boring, averaging out as somewhat decent filler. The highs points on this one are great though.

Has some good to great songs, but many of them are not at all memorable.

A handful of hard-rocking classics and some nice softer folk tunes, but the title song is my personal favorite. To me this is one of Neil’s best albums, including his work with CSNY. The lead guitar playing feels a bit sloppy and out of rhythm at times, but I think that contributes to the loose feel he was after.

Much more creative than a lot of the grunge/alt rock of the time.

Most of the songs range from mediocre to pretty decent, though there were two songs near the end that were so annoying I had to skip. Not a stand-out in terms of quality or writing, and doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Hardly a must-listen.

Does what it does very well. Although I’m not a fan of big band, or most jazz with vocals, everyone on the record seems to be having a good time and it’s a decently uplifting listen. I’m not likely to revisit it, but I understand the appeal.

He’s got a good voice, but to me there’s nothing interesting going on musically. The songs mostly sound very similar and it’s not a style I dig. It also feels inauthentic, like he’s doing a schtick singing about being a cowboy. I know some(or all?) of these are traditional songs, but if he can’t sound genuine then how is the listener supposed to connect with the words?

Classic, one of the defining albums of psychedelic rock. A great listen all the way through.

Some of the arrangements are pretty well done, but the songwriting is bland and unmemorable.

Not close to the same level as Can, but has some really good moments.

Doesn’t match the highs of Homogenic, but it’s a consistently good listen and demonstrates Bjork as one of the most creative musicians of her time in the genre.

Sure, there are some good songs by The Cars that are not on this album. But this may as well be a greatest hits album - most of their best ones are here. A pop/rock masterpiece.

Interesting at times, but a large part of the appeal to me is the historical significance of Kraftwerk to electronic music.most of the songs don’t grab me at all.

I’m not sure what to make of this. A few interesting moments. The lyrics are interesting (no surprise, having been written by Bertolt Brecht). I might appreciate the music more if I were better versed in 20th century opera, but I didn’t find it that enjoyable.

Fairly average 90s folkish-rock. A few standout songs and makes me want to hear the band’s later albums, but I wouldn’t call it essential.

Could this have been cut down to a great single-disc album? Of course. But I think it works better as a double album, and there aren’t any songs I’d be eager to cut, even though I think some are weaker than others (Behind that locked door and Apple Scruffs, for example). The third disc of jams I think of as bonus tracks rather than a proper part of the album. Many of the songs are near or equal to the quality of George’s contributions to late Beatles albums, and given some (possibly many?) were written while the Beatles were still together, I’m curious what they would have sounded like with the band and, just as importantly, with George Martin producing. Judging as a solo work, I think it’s easily the best thing ever released by an ex-Beatle, and even outside of that context it’s a classic of 70s rock.

I love Cyndi’s cover of When You Were Mine. Most of the songs on this album are great; the few “lows” are also pretty good. This is close to peak 80s pop.

I din’t think this holds up very well (maybe that’s true of most disco…) Many of the grooves are good, and the overall sound is pleasant as well, but the vocal melodies (and lyrics) are uninteresting, and most of the songs are too long to hold my interest given their relative simplicity.

Rough around the edges, funky, soulful, full of grooves that stick in your head. This holds up against and maybe even tops any album by P-Funk or most 70s soul/funk albums.

Better than your typical swing jazz. I liked the bop influences. Basie shows why he’s a legend and a pioneer. Not my preferred flavor of jazz but it’s very well executed.

One of my favorite albums of all time. Undoubtedly works better as a whole, most of these are 10/10. My personal favorite is ‘Soul Love.’

This album is a 5/5 on the strength of Chameleon alone. One of the best jazz/funk pieces of all time. The rest of the album can’t quite match it but is still very good.

Between Ziggy Stardust, the Berlin Trilogy, Station to Station, and Hunky Dory, I kind of forgot this album exists. The first half is I think on par with some of his best 70s records. The second half, though, is somewhat hit-or-miss. Favorite song: Panic in Detroit.

This is a strong contender for inclusion as one of the best pop albums of the 80s. 4 catchy meg-hit songs that still get radio play, and the balance of the songs are excellent as well. Personally there are songs on Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt) and Peter Gabriel 4 (Security) that I prefer to anything here, but this is an undeniable classic and arguably his most consistently high-quality album.

The first couple songs are kinda catchy, if not particularly interesting, but it quickly fizzles out and the rest of the album could hardly be more generic. How are people seeing Bowie, The Cure, The Smiths etc. in these bland songs? It’s not that it’s bad, it’s perfectly well-made, it’s just got nothing going for it in terms of being original or memorable. 2.5/5

I’m no fan of punk/hardcore so I feel I can’t really judge this in an informed way, but I expected it to be unpleasant and grating and didn’t find that to be the case. It’s alright, not something I would seek out again but for fans of the genre I can understand this EP being highly rated.

The Talking Heads at their weirdest, full of great grooves and a lot of understated tracks that reward multiple listens, plus of course the masterpiece Once in A Lifetime. This starts very high energy and stays that way for the first several songs, and then mellows out dramatically for the last three songs, which are almost ambient. I could argue that the album might be better with the songs ordered differently, but it’s a great album either way.

This is a real mixed bag. Some of these songs are really good and/or have some pretty interesting moments in them, but others are middling, generic blues-rock. Overall I’d say it’s of slightly lower quality than most White Stripes albums and some of the songs are definite skips on a future listen. I bet if he’d held on to these songs and picked the best ones from this and his next album two years later, it would have added up to one great album instead of two pretty average ones. 3.5/5 but rounding down.

I appreciate and enjoy quite a few of the Kinks’ songs, but I don’t think they deserve a place alongside The Beatles, Stones, and The Who as giants of the British Invasion. They sound a lot more dated when they recorded this, in 1968, than those bands were sounding by that time. I admit I’m less familiar with The Kinks than most major acts of the era, but every album of theirs I’ve heard has been a mixed bag. This is no exception; there are a few songs that are pretty good and some that might grow on me after a few listens, and it’s never boring, but it also doesn’t seem particularly inspired and is at times a bit hokey. However, I love the bass playing on several of the songs, and a few have great instrumentation, such as Wicked Annabella.

This is possibly the least “essential” album I’ve encountered on this list. Schlocky, dull, generic, inauthentic, and almost sounds like a caricature of pop-reggae.

I’m not familiar with grime so it’s hard for me to judge, but I did not enjoy this. Many of the beats sound like someone played random sounds on a drum machine and cheap keyboard and just went with it. The vocals are sometimes hard to understand and I’m not a big fan of his delivery - it’s often overly shouty. The rhythms are decent, but everything is secondary to the lyrics, which are alternately too difficult to understand or not that interesting to me. Not an essential album at all, except maybe to those into this particular style. This may have been pioneering in its own way, but that doesn’t make it good.

This feels like a significant step down from the quality of his first few albums. Some decent songs but some pretty monotonous ones as well. Not an essential entry in his discography, or on this list.

I din’t really like the fast “jump blues” style of a lot of these songs, but when he slows things down (such as on How Blue Can You Get and Worry, Worry) it’s great.3.5/5

A couple decent songs but mostly pretty forgettable. A significant step down from his work it the Smiths.

He’s no Guthrie, and he’s no Dylan. Not everyone can live up to those legends, but Jack Elliott seems to have made his career off the back of Woody Guthrie’s work, so the comparison is fair. I’m not sure he wrote any of the songs on this album, but they are all pretty boring and trite. The only thing Jack has going for them are his voice, and given his dispassionate delivery, that isnMt much of an asset on these songs.

It does what it does pretty well, which is supply danceable, mindless beats. This is much more suitable for a 90-themed dance club than active listening. While some of the songs are catchy they are lacking in substance (both lyrically and musically), and the production style, background sound effects and synths, and rapping make it very dated. I feel like they were trying very hard to be cool and trendy, rather than trying to break ground. And that’s ok, but it doesn’t make for essential listening. I assume its inclusion on the list reflects the author’s bias toward pop from the UK. 2.5 stars, rounding down.

Probably my favorite Miles Davis album. Several of the greatest jazz musicians of all time playing off each other and pioneering a new sub-genre as they go. Credit is also due to Teo Macero for editing several takes together into a cohesive whole. The “Compete Sessions” box set is worth a listen to hear the alternate takes and unused pieces.

It’s hard to digest this as the protest music that it was, because to my ears the music is so upbeat, groovy and joyful, which is often in contrast with the lyrics. I don’t know if there are other artists like Fela who made similar great music but just didn’t break through the way he did, but he certainly feels unique in his style and his impact on other genres. I’ve seen complaints about the song lengths, but I think the two album tracks are more than engaging enough to earn their runtime. The first bonus track on the reissue plods on a little too long though.

I’ll need to listen to this a few times to see if any songs stand out, but on first listen, the sound is pretty good. Reminds me a bit of The Cure/Pixies and other 80s alt-rock. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of this group. 3.5/5

Some great songs, but also some that strike me as filler, as with most R.E.M. albums. My personal enjoyment: 3.5/5, but taking into account its huge impact on alt/indie rock, 4/5.

There’s some great stuff here, which I think most fans of bands like Radiohead, TV on the Radio, Blur etc. would enjoy. I’m not sure why this band hasn’t had more success in the U.S. i especially like their sonic textures. The songwriting could be a little stronger. This is the kind of music that reveals new details after a few listens.

Classic Chicago blues. ‘Nuff said.

This is sort of a mix of lounge jazz and soft pop, with most of the songs leaning more toward soft pop than jazz. Whatever category you put this into, it’s very bland, easy-listening music. I’m a little baffled by its popularity. She’s a great singer, but that’s honestly the only thing going for it. The songs don’t go anywhere, perhaps by design. This is music that feels meant to serve as atmosphere for an office cocktail party or a fancy but un-hip hotel lobby, not for active listening.

Pretty interesting mix of blues, psychedelia and early roots of metal. It doesn’t match the quality of some of its peers like Zeppelin/Hendrix/Sabbath/Cream, etc., so it’s easy to see why it’s not as well known, but it’s still a pretty good listen. Hard to say it belongs on a list of “essential” albums.

Starts off great with the title track, which I think is one of his best songs, followed by another strong song. But then Housequake comes on and wrecks the momentum. I appreciate the James Brown samples but the rapping that sounds like he inhaled helium? I don’t know what he was going for but it’s kind of obnoxious. The rest of disc 1 ranges from pretty good to excellent (Starfish and Coffee). Disc 2 starts with more of the helium vocals on “U Got the Look,” but they’re a little less annoying this time since there’s a lot more going on in this song. More helium on If I was Your Girl Friend, which has an ok groove but is a little schlocky. Strange Relationship is pretty good, and it’s followed by another of Prince’s best - I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, and Disc 2 continues with several good songs. Arguably this could’ve made a great single album, if Housequake and a few other songs were cut, but I think it mostly works as is - not every song is my cup of tea, but it’s interesting to hear his experimentation with lots of different ideas.

What’s Love Got To Do With It is of course iconic and a great song (though I think it would have probably sounded better with a sax solo instead of the harmonica synth). The rest of the album is pretty solid, though there’s nothing close to as catchy as the lead single, and some of it’s a bit cheesy and dated, especially all of the synths and drum machines. But she’s a good enough singer to breathe life into the most mediocre sings, so the album is still worth a listen the whole way through. 3.5/5, rounding up.

It may not be their absolute best album, but it’s got several of their best songs (Kashmir, Ten Years Gone, Down by the Seaside, etc.) and showcases their versatility maybe better than any other album. In addition to the hard rock and blues rock they’re known for, there are some hints of funk, psychedelia, and folk. Unlike many double albums, I feel there’s no song out of place.

Some very good performances, but also a few duds. Of the songs I’m familiar with, none of Dusty’s covers are as good as the originals, so I hardly consider this essential listening.

Occasionally interesting, but not particularly memorable. Sounds a bit like an amateurish Blur tribute. The only other thing I’ve heard from this band is the Three EPs, which I enjoyed much more.

Great energy but he really overdoes the vocal embellishments and I don’t like the way he slurs his speech while singing. This doesn’t hold a candle to other early rock’n’roll figures like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, etc.

I feel like the hype when this and El Camino came out had to be from people who have very little knowledge of existing blues artists. A few of the songs are enjoyable, but some are downright annoying (example, Howlin’ for You). They take so much inspiration from John Lee Hooker, R.L. Burnside, and other classic blues artists that it’s hard to credit them with bringing anything new to the table. The Black Keys get compared to the White Stripes a lot, and you could credibly call both bands blues rip-offs, but of the two, I think the Black Keys display much less originality.

Starts out strong and in retrospect the first half feels like a greatest hits album. It loses some momentum in the second half but is decent all the way through. Not my favorite pop-rock of the era, and not my favorite album of theirs either, but it’s undeniably a classic. However, some of the songs have been overplayed on the radio and at bars, sports stadiums, and other public spaces for years, so revisiting the album now, it wears a little thin.

Much better than I expected, but the feel of most of the songs is very similar. Some more variety in tempo and instrumentation might improve this a lot.

Having two other Massive Attack albums on this list but not Mezzanine is crazy. Anyway, as someone who isn’t a huge fan of trip-hop or electronica, to me most of this does what it does well, but a lot of that is best suited as background music. There are only a couple songs I’d want to listen to again.

The first half of this album is nonstop, top-tier, polished but creative pop songs, and from there it transitions into something that feels like a surrealist dream. The second half may be a bit too weird for some listeners, but it’s a journey, and one worth revisiting. One of my favorite albums of the 80s.

On the one hand, there are some great songs on here, its impact on music was enormous and it’s regarded as a classic for a reason. On the other hand, some of those songs have been overplayed for decades, a couple of the deep cuts are easily forgettable filler, and the mythic status of Kurt Cobain has far overshadowed the actual music, to the point that it’s hard to rate the album purely on its own merit. Given some of the low points in the music, I’d rate it 3 1/5 stars, rounding up.

Includes some pretty good songs, but they are all so similar that they bleed into one another after a while.

Great sound. I think one thing that bothers me about Joni Mitchell is that though she has a lot to say, and her songs have great grooves and arrangements, her melodies just aren’t that interesting or memorable most of the time. The songs on this album are no exception - the instrumentation and overall sound, including her voice, are great, and there’s a lot to digest lyrically. However, for the lyrics to matter to me the melodies have to draw me in, and they’re just not catchy enough to do so.

Over-the-top, but thar’s exactly what they were after. There’s nothing else quite like this. Hard rock for theatre kids.

While Self Esteem is a great song, overall I found the high-speed punk riffs to be overdone and a little annoying. Not every song needs a high-octane, nonstop wall of grungy guitars at the expense of any variety in instrumentation or dynamic range. There is very little variety on the album, and the only mood seems to be “overexcited and vaguely pissed off.”

There’s nothing I can say about this album that hasn’t been said a thousand times. Not my personal favorite Beatles album, and maybe a little over-hyped by some critics today, but I can’t listen to it without smiling and singing along.

Good stuff. Chill, groove-centric hip-hop you can relax to. Not my favorite album of theirs - I prefer Midnight Marauders.

This really feels like Tony Iommi’s band much more than Ozzy’s, given how many times it abandons typical rock song structure for riffs and guitar noodling. That’s a good thing when the riffs are interesting, which is often the case here, but it makes it a bit hard to recall the songs after a while. Good for a first album, but I think they could have tightened up and improved it by removing some of the less interesting noodle breaks.

Some of Bob Marley’s best songs, including what I think is the superior version of No Woman No Cry (as opposed to the apparently more popular, slowed down live version on greatest hits compilations). If this album has a low point, it’s probably Talkin’ Blues, but other than that, every song is a classic in its own right. 4.5/5

I found myself tapping my foot a couple times, but this is at best background music for a dated video game. The music is not interesting, especially given the long runtime of some of the tracks. At times, the clunky drum machine sounds are downright jarring.

Sounds like if The Kinks got more experimental and psychedelic. Some good songs here. Definitely worth a few listens, even if mot every song is a winner.

About half of the songs are amazing. The other half are alright, but seem like well-made filler. Averages out to 4 stars.

A few good-to-great good songs including of course the amazing “Stan,” but the second half of this is pretty weak. It’s almost like there are two Eminems contributing different songs - one who is self-aware, funny, and insightful about the way he and the music are perceived by fans and the media, and another Eminem who just wants to look tough and make gangsta rap and not think too hard about it. I’ll take more of the former and as little as possible of the latter.

It would be hard to pick a favorite Zeppelin album, but this one has to be a contender. Includes a few of my favorite Zep songs (especially Ramble On and What Is and What Should Never Be) and most of the rest are also classics. I’ve never liked Living Loving Maid very much, but the rest of the album is non-stop greatness.

While I prefer the original versions of several of the songs Otis covers here (especially the Sam Cooke numbers), he does a great job on all of them, and his backing band is excellent too. I don’t think this is one of the definitive ‘60s soul albums that some reviews argue it is - it may not even be Otis’s best - but it’s a damn solid record. 4.5/5

Starts off with three great, now-classic songs. The second half lags a bit compared to the first half, but this is a fairly solid album all the way through. Not particularly groundbreaking, but well made and generally catchy light rock.

After giving this a listen, I understand why I’d never heard of them. It’s kind of like the Beatles’ first record, except the playing is sloppier, the recording quality is horrible, the original songs are unmemorable, the lyrics are mumbled, and the covers are all WAY worse than the original artists’ versions. I’m struggling to find anything to like about this.

Does not hold up as well as many of Bowie’s other 70s albums (Ziggy, Low, Hunky Dory, Station to Station, Heroes etc), but there are a few great songs here, especially Fascination. It also has a pretty bad cover of Across the Universe, though, and the extremely cheesy Can You Hear Me.

A pleasant listen, but not nearly as exciting or memorable as Bridge Over Troubled Water or even Bookends. I appreciate this more for the promise that it shows (which S&G later lived up to and then some) than as a work standing on its own. 3.5/5, rounding up.

Makes me curious to hear some Algerian music that ISN’T permeated by schlocky western pop influences. At least lose the crappy drum machines, dude!

Not my favorite album of hers (that would be “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)”, but a classic collection of great songs performed well.

He’s got a good voice and sound but none of the songs were very memorable to me and the whole thing feels a little too plain. Maybe on repeat listens some of it would grow on me.

It takes a few listens for particular songs to stand out, but the overall sound is great. I love the rhythm section as well as the guitar work on this album.

As far as punk or punk-adjacent music goes it’s not bad. A lot of the songs sound very similar but this is interesting enough to make me want to listen to their later albums.

Fairly generic-sounding soft rock in an era when lots of bands were being very inventive and stretching the genre. A few decent tunes but nothing to write home about.

I can see why some find the weirdness of this album off-putting, especially songs like Packt Like Sardines, Pulk/Pull, Hunting Bears, and Like Spinning Plates. But alongside these odd (but interesting) songs are some of Radiohead’s best (I Might Be Wrong, Pyramid Song, and You and Whose Army), as well as a couple of good jams in the form of Knives Out and Dollars and Cents. I think the only real weak link here is Morning Bell (of which there is a much better version on Kid A). I think what may be off-putting to some people is the lyrics - they often sound nonsensical, and are sometimes a bit mumbled, and that can come across as pretentious (if interpreted as “what I’m saying is important and if you don’t understand it that’s your problem”). But I think the lyrics are often meant to be surreal, like half-remembered details from a dream. If you don’t like that imagery, you’re probably not going to appreciate the lyrics. Also - if you think these songs are weird, listen to the B-sides for this album.

This is a mixed bag. A few of their best early songs and some of their worst (though even my least favorites, such as Tell Me Why and When I Get Home) are pretty alright). To me, this is probably tied with With The Beatles for their worst album, their worst was still very good!

When I listen to double albums I often wonder whether a pared-down version would make a better standard-length album. Often the answer is no; this one is easily yes. A few good-to-great songs and quite a lot of filler.

Roughly on par with his earlier 70s albums, if not quite as good. Still plenty to love here.

A little schlocky and cheesy compared to the earlier albums of theirs that I’ve heard. This one is too little funk/soul and too much disco/pop for me, but a few decent songs.

The lyrics here are much more the focus than the music, but despite the music being very simple and sparse it’s still enjoyable. To me, the lyrics are up there with Bob Dylan’s for effective imagery and emotional impact. A great album that I have to be in the right mood for.

There’s a lot to digest here, and other than Hey Ya I haven’t listened to any of this in years. I prefer The Love Below overall, but Speakerboxxx has some great moments, though I think some of the guest appearances drag it down. I think they were better when they worked more closely together (Stankonia in particular is a masterpiece), but this shows both of these guys have a lot of talent on their own. Too bad Andre 3000 has never really made a proper follow-up expanding on his funk/soul influences.

Pleasant but not very memorable. Maybe deserves another listen at some point.

Not as good as Electric Warrior, but still a solid album.

Finally, something I hadn’t heard of that turns out to be really good! I’ll be checking out everything else these guys have released.

Every time I listen to this it blows my mind that it was released in 1983. It feels like quintessential early ‘90s alternative. Nothing else in the mainstream sounded like this in the ‘80s. Great stuff. Favorite songs: Gone Daddy Gone, Blister in the Sun, Good Feeling, Please Do Not Go.

Some decent grooves, but it gets repetitive and tedious quickly.

Very bland, cheesy 90s dance music without much going for it. There’s a song or two that maybe I’d revisit, or at least not skip if they show up in a playlist, but most of this I wouldn’t want to hear again.

This was incredibly cheesy and schlocky, and worst of all, uninteresting.

I’m usually a bog fan of this kind of new wave/80s rock-pop, but this was pretty boring and unmemorable. No standout songs and the overall sound was just ok. 2.5 stars.

Some occasional interesting moments, but lots of beats centered around cheesy keyboard sound effects and many of the songs are a bit dull and repetitive.

There are a few good songs on here, but it’s mostly very mediocre, musically speaking - just bog-standard hard rock, with too much country tinge for my taste. Lyrically, the “South vs everyone” culture war stuff gets old fast. It’s crazy how much they appear to both worship Skynyrd and offer apologetics for the South’s reputation of racism and poor education (including trying to argue that George Wallace maybe wasn’t entirely racist, just a political opportunist??), they don’t address the elephant in the room about Skynyrd: their use of the Confederate Battle Flag, which is still hotly debated. I get that the south has a troubled past and at times on this record they call out the racism, but they are also very defensive about how white southerners are seen, and they only seem to half-assedly engage with the negative side of the reputation they are fighting against. At the end of this, I still don’t know what the “Southern Thing” they’re defending is, but I do know they’d like people to stop talking about the South’s past transgressions.

I’ve always felt that Beck was quite overrated. I think a lot of the time the added sound effects, drum breaks and other gimmicky instrumental bits are there mainly to cover for the fact that many of his songs aren’t that interesting - as if his answer for writing a mediocre song isn’t to try to improve the writing but to just add “cool” effects on top to distract. It comes off to me as very showy but with little substance. That said, there are a few songs that are catchy enough to grow on me a little.

It’s not all great, but it’s consistently pretty good and some of the lesser-known songs are as good as the hits from their other albums.

This guy’s slurred-speech affectation is insufferable. Is he trying to put on a Blaccent or is he drunk? Either way it sounds like a very misguided attempt to seem cool. The music isn’t terrible but is uninteresting - reminds me of Soul Coughing but with less soul and creativity.

Listening to this album with no knowledge of the Dead, one would have to assume that this band went nowhere. Compared to much of the other popular music at the time, this is exceptionally bland and repetitive. The songwriting, singing, and guitar playing are all mediocre by comparison to contemporaries, and there are only a couple songs I’d consider coming back to more than once or twice.

As with a lot of albums from this era, it bugs me a little that there’s no “definitive” track listing (and in this case, depending in whether you were in the US or UK, some of the best songs were either on the album or only b-sides). I wish the US version included Stone Free. Anyway, this album is great, probably one of the best psychedelic rock albums ever. Although it’s not my personal favorite Hendrix record it’s full of excellent songs. It must have been incredible to see his band play live. Of all of the musicians to die before their time, I think Jimi was the one who had the most potential to keep pumping out exciting music for decades.

I recognize the quality of this far more than I actually enjoy it. I much prefer the funk/soul jazz of the late ‘60s, (Miles, Herbie, etc.) and in comparison to that, this doesn’t do much for me. But if not comparing it to other jazz styles, it’s fairly enjoyable, even if not exciting, and the skill and tunefulness of the players is definitely top-notch. 3.5/5 stars, rounding up.

Neil is an expert melody maker and a great guitar player and lyricist. All of his ‘60s and ‘70s albums excellent and this may be one of his best. 4.5/5

There was a level of rapport between the members of Coltrane’s “classic” quartet that is very rare among musicians. I don’t know if it truly felt instinctual the way their playing complimented one another, but it sounds that way. Everything they played together is worth a listen, but A Love Supreme is something else - possibly the best jazz album of all time. There’s still plenty of spontaneity but it feels more ‘composed’ than most of Coltrane’s music, which gives it a sense of direction that jazz often lacks.

I’ve heard of Supergrass but couldn’t name a song of theirs. I have given a couple of their later albums a listen recently as well. I think this (and the other albums I’ve heard) are pretty good. Reminds me of Oasis but slightly more experimental and less catchy. I’d listen a couple more times to see what sticks. 3.5/5, rounding down.

Their harmonies always sound good, and Stick With Me Baby and Cathy’s Clown are all-time classics, and Love Hurts is good (but done much better by other artists). Most of the other songs are pretty unremarkable.

The Cure’s albums tend to lean toward either murky, atmospheric, and moody albums (Faith, Pornography) or well-crafted, catchy, and more upbeat pop (The Head On The Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me). Of course, all of those albums contain hints of both sides of the band, but the overall feel of a Cure album is always one or the other. Disintegration blends those two extremes into a more cohesive whole than any other album. Not only The Cure’s best, but one of the best rock albums of the decade.

A few really good songs, the rest are decent but unremarkable. 3.5/5

One of the defining albums of classic rock. Almost every song is worthy of 5 stars on its own.

The music: The schmaltziest, cheesiest, most boring (folk-pop? Country-pop? Easy listening? I don’t know what to call this genre) stuff ever. This is like if the annoying guy with the accordion at your local Italian restaurant had an orchestra behind him. The lyrics: sometimes cheesy, saccharin mindless pop, sometimes attempted satire so over the top it feels like caricature, straight down to the liberal use of the N-Word. This music is a novelty at best, and anyone who can sit through it more than once has seriously questionable taste. Does not belong on any “Essential” list.

The first side of this album is absolutely brilliant. I especially like how Tenement Funster, Flick of the Wrist, and Lily of the Valley segue into one another. The second half is much more uneven but still enjoyable.

Going in I only knew a couple of the hits (The Boys Are Back In Town and Jailbreak), neither of which I enjoy very much. Some of this album was surprisingly good, especially the first few songs. It got a little tedious as it went along, and the last four or five songs were especially boring. This could have been a pretty good single-length album, but it overstays its welcome as is. 3/5

My favorite Arcade Fire album. Took a few listens to grow on me when I first heard it years ago, but several of the songs (Ocean of Noise, Windowsill, The Well and the Lighthouse) get stuck in my head regularly.

I zimbra, mind, heaven, memories can’t wait, and life during wartime are among Talking Heads’ best songs. Some of the others feel a bit unfinished, but I think they were going for a postmodern, experimental feel and they certainly achieved that without making anything a challenging listening experience.

Some of it is pretty good, but it feels much more dated, both lyrically and in production/beat style than some other rap of the era such as A Tribe Called Quest. It’s got a nice feel overall but none of the songs are particularly memorable by the time the album ends.

Fairly boring by the standards of folk rock of its era.

4.5 stars.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would based on the little early metal I’ve heard. 3.5 stars.

A few good songs but about half of them are pretty tedious, and the whole record has the same sound and feel.

Starts out pretty well, some nice if only somewhat catchy synth pop, but there’s very little variety. The songs all blend together and become less memorable and less interesting as it goes on.

Radiohead were still finding their sound here. Much better than Pablo Honey, but still has a lot of straightforward, simple pop/rock like Fake Plastic Trees, High and Dry, and Bullet Proof alongside some more interesting and creative songs like Street Spirit, Planet Telex, and My Iron Lung. I think this is much better than a lot of the alternative rock of the 90s, but still nowhere near as good as OK Computer and their other later albums.

Great album from Miles and the virtuosos he assembled… not quite as consistently good as In A Silent Way but it’s close. Favorite songs: Pharaoh’s Dance, Spanish Key. 4.5/5

The more I listen to the Talking Heads, the more I think this is their best album. I love both the poppy and the experimental songs on Fear of Music and Remain in Light, but this one feels like a more cohesive whole with great songs one after another.

Some decent and creative songwriting but not especially memorable. It feels like this suffers a bit from being a one-man show, being a band in name inly rather than a true collaboration among musicians. 3.5/5

I can appreciate the fact that they’re good at what they were trying to do, but what they were trying to do isn’t very interesting.

Lyrically very good, but I strongly dislike the twangy country-folk style, and there’s no variety to the music.

My favorite Dylan album - many of the songs feel much more personal than most of his other songs, or maybe they just resonate with me more. Favorite songs: Shelter From The Storm, Meet Me In The Morning, Tangled Up In Blue.

I’ve only heard this once before and enjoyed it more the second time. There is a lot to like - the overall sound is similar to a lot of the ‘70s rock I enjoy. I think this belongs in a lower tier than similar glam rock like Bowie/Roxy Music/Eno, though, because while the band sounds great, the songwriting is not. After a couple listens, there aren’t any memorable choruses and each song tends to sound like the previous. Maybe a few more listens will change my perspective. 3.5/5

Mostly great and creative songs on here, with a couple duds. Not my favorite Velvets album but an anjoyable listen.

So many great songs on this album, it’s practically a greatest hits. If there’s a weak spot, I think it’s “Jammin’”: a song about improvising that doesn’t feature much (or any? I can’t even remember if there’s a guitar solo) improvising and is repetitive and dull compared to the rest of the album. Favorite songs: Natural Mystic, So Much Things To Say, Three Little Birds, One Love.

I’m familiar with the majority of stuff on this list, so when something comes along that I haven’t heard of, and the first few songs are interesting, I get excited. I’m not a fan of some of the punkier songs on this, but a lot of it was enjoyable and the whole album will be worth a couple more listens at least. 3.5/5, rounding up

A couple songs were alright, but most of it was sappy, overly twangy and bland. This is the stuff films use as background noise when a character enters a dive bar in the middle of nowhere.

One of their best. Favorite song: Shine On pts. 1-5

Interesting to learn that Watching The Detectives was not on the original U.K. Release. That, in my opinion, is Costello’s best song by far, and one of my favorite songs of the ‘70s, and without it the album would merit a 3 from me. Other than that song, the rest is decent but forgettable with a few moderate standouts.

I really don’t like most country or country-ish music, but this is something else. The music is gritty and funky (and far less twangy than most country) and every song paints a picture. The best songs are mostly in the first half, and it does lose a little steam in the second. 3.5/5

Stay With Me is pretty decent and it makes sense it was the only song I’d heard before. The rest of it is pretty run-of-the-mill, bland and unoriginal blues-rock. I could hear them trying to emulate the Rolling Stones on a couple tracks, but they just don’t have it in them to write or play at that level. There is a ton of better and more interesting music from the era, both on and off this list. I don’t see how this is essential.

Some of these songs are pretty good and some I wouldn’t want to hear again. The orchestrations are often nice even when the underlying song and lyrics are not great (example, the title song). Also, he has a nice singing voice but it often seems like he’s “doing a voice” pr putting on a weird accent, which sort of ruins it.

I appreciated the more “progressive rock” elements of this. Less so the heavy metal lead guitar thrashing or constant “chug-chug-chug” of the rhythm guitar on straight eighth/sixteenth notes with no syncopation, but that’s a big part of what makes metal what it is. It’s not quite my cup of tea but there’s no denying they do it well. (The mastering is less than great, with the bass almost inaudible and the drums very tinny). Also, One is an all-timer. Other than the mastering I’d think this is one of the best metal albums I’ve heard. 3.5/5

Very self-indulgent and like any Prince album this has a lot of less-inspired songs alongside the greats, but unlike many of his albums, even the weaker songs in this set are very enjoyable. Favorites include D.M.S.R., Little Red Corvette, Let’s Pretend We’re Married.