1001 Albums Summary

Beautiful arrangements. I love this era of production. Flutes everywhere. The record is a bit meandering, particularly the vocals. He’s often going OFF for 7+ minutes and it can get a bit tiresome. Lyrics are interesting though. Feels very loose, which is mostly cool but sometimes feels strange. The swung ride cymbal rhythm that barges in at the end of Madame George while the strings play a gorgeous melody straight is a really weird choice. Slim Slow Slider is a weird ender. It’s a beautiful record for sure, but I’ll likely only come back for the title track.

I absolutely love 70s prog, and have tried with this one before, but I just can’t do it. The vocals kill it for me. The acoustic stuff is beautiful (scratches the early Genesis itch) and the flute work is wicked, but I just can’t get past Ian Anderson’s voice.

Favourite tracks - Ashes of American Flags, I’m The Man Who Loves You Sick distorted drum sounds, drums overall a highlight A LOT of interesting production moves Rough around the edges in a nice early 2000s way I’m the man who loves you guitar sounds - wicked, is this where every messy chaotic guitar solo comes from (Big Thief)? Ending of Poor Places - beautiful Ending of Reservations - also beautiful, influenced by this in ways I didn’t realize. what are these sounds (Nels) The songs aren’t quite memorable enough on first listen for me to give it 4, I think we’re at a 3.5?

I’ve listened to this a few times before but it’s never really blown me away in keeping with how much people rave about it That said, a few seconds into Mojo Pin and I’m revved up What is that warbly synth sound? Crazy reverse guitar in the right ear is sick Really interesting chord movement Whoa I don’t remember it being this heavy This is definitely an album that has influenced me through how it’s influenced my influences Sounds very 90s in a way I love. Tight snare, big and spacious. Crazy col legno sounds near the end of Grace FLANGE Macaroni mouth all over the place Proto-nu-metal? Eternal Life Dream Brother is dope Favourite tracks: Lover You Should Have Come Over, Dream Brother Didn’t care for: Eternal Life, Last Goodbye I think every time I’ve listened to this record it’s grown on me a little more. There is something really special about it, no doubt, it just hasn’t cracked through into the realm of repeat listens for me.

Fairport Convention vibes (though this came out before Liege and Lief) Lovely harmonies Some classic songs I didn’t realize were them (Somebody to Love, White Rabbit) Today is very boring Comin’ Back to Me = Bob Dylan + flute White Rabbit is a really strange song relative to the rest of this record. It feels like it begs to be accompanied by some more psychedelia. Closing track feels very much of its time. This record didn’t convert me by any means but it did make me respect their versatility and some of the interesting directions they went in.

Never even heard of this one, artist or album Nice intro cello/horn arrangement if not a little bland/Pachelbel A little worried because I absolutely hate the artwork Baroque pop folk Charming production Songwriting isn’t standing out to me initially For me this feels like a less exciting + emotionally resonant Sufjan Very ‘INDIE’ Honestly barely got through this one. It has all the dressing of something I would have really liked ten years ago, I think had our paths crossed earlier I might have a better relationship to it. Listening now it feels unremarkable. There were some cool production moments. The songwriting didn’t stick with me at all.

I have listened to this before when I first discovered Zappa, but it’s been a solid ten years Peaches En Regalia still hits Vocals are absolutely nuts on Willie the Pimp. Quite a character A lot of blues-derived stuff on this one. Sooooo much pentatonic Some shredding no doubt Love the swampiness of Gumbo A fun listen, doesn’t stand with some of Zappa’s other work for me from a compositional standpoint. Comes off mostly as a blues rock jam band on this one, which is fun to watch in a bar but not something I’m throwing on regularly.

Weird as shit Stravinsky arrangements/melodicism Bizarro world show tunes Not sure if I’m going to make it through this one It’s making me question my commitment to finishing listening through all of these albums or if there is a reasonable cutoff point of acceptance There ARE some very nice woodwind arrangements on this. Ultimately this is probably something I would listen to if it were presented as purely German instrumental classical music. Though that applies to most musicals/operas, take the vocals out and I like it 10x more Wow ripping fusion guitar lead randomly on lied von der belebenden Truly the instrumental passages are lovely for the most part. Some very nice woodwind and brass passages. The segments that feel more like traditional European ‘dance’ music are not for me. I love that stuff in the right cultural context but this is not it Dear god there’s a whole other side of the record Truly a torturous listen. What an experience this is turning out to be

holy shit here we go this is awfully stimulating after listening to Tank Battles this is a walk in the park tbh it’s interesting, after a while it almost becomes ambient music… it’s something about our brains attuning to a certain level of stimulation so quickly. I found it actually reasonable as music for working. Had you presented this to me outside of that context, and asked if I would want to work with this on, I would say ‘fuck no’. but such is the nature of this 1001 albums challenge, we listen in whatever context we can manage certain times melodies do emerge and they are wonderful drums sound fucking huge and crazy for ostensibly a jazz record (product of the 80s) I wouldn’t listen to this again, but I didn’t hate it. I’m laughing inside mostly while listening to it. Is that the intent? Probably not, but it still makes it enjoyable.

Not a genre I’ve spent much time in! This feels like music I’ve probably heard in the context of a movie/TV soundtrack I wasn’t expecting a melodic chorus with harmonies What the hell happened at the end of Love Song (sounds like a bad tape edit) Organ and ambience on Just Can’t Be Happy unexpected The speech on Just Can’t Be Happy (‘the devil commands!!!’) is sick Instrumental in Anti-Pope was really cool These Hands is a funny song, spooky carnival organ The production is interesting, not what I would have expected from an early punk record Closing tracks are dope, probably the highlights for me I liked this more than I thought I would! Some of the spooky organ stuff is a little campy, but it’s a fun record with some cool straightforward lyricism and unique energy.

One Hundred Years is pretty scary tbh I like it Some really cool effects on A Short Term Effect, the diving vocal delays and reverse guitar stuff is dope Drum machine city Such a cool atmosphere The vocals were always going to be the challenge on this record for me, I love pretty much everything else. Everything lives in the same range (dynamically and melodically) and I just can’t hang on to it. A Hanging Garden 2010s indie rock band floor toms Cold intro cello is sick Wow, Pornography is a crazy track. The tape loops, the tension, synths in the right ear and toms in the left. This would be absolutely massive live. The most standout feature of this record for me is the atmosphere. The songs aren’t exactly memorable, but they’ve really crafted an interesting world. It feels very dire. I’m not really into the vocals for the most part, but on the closing track they are perfect. There’s an urgency and desperation to them. A lot of really cool 80s production moves, some of it pretty trope-y at this point with 40 years of context, but I can imagine in 1982 this record sounded absolutely nuts blasting out of some teenagers bedroom speakers.

Chord changes are insane Visions is way weirder than I thought Stevie Wonder got Wow Living For the City is heavy (emotionally). The skit in the bridge! Golden Lady not doing much for me Higher Ground, a classic I never knew the name of. The rhythmic machinery of the guitars and the Clav with the swing of the rhythm section. GROOVY All In Love Is Fair - what a singer. Whoa Spanish Those chromatic climb-downs with harmonies. Wild Misstra Know it All - just feels so good. Motown knew how to make things feel good!!! Drums are drummer’s perspective Love that fade out refrain. A gorgeous record. So musically sophisticated, and still so many hooks. I’ve never really gone deep into the soul/funk/RNB realm, so I’m listening without much cultural context, but from a sheer musicality standpoint it’s amazing, and the social commentary felt pretty heavy at times. Though I’m not sure how often I’ll revisit it, I feel enriched having listened to it. I’m going 4 on this bad boy.

A very pretty album, though it doesn’t really engage me. The orchestral adornments are beautiful. Reminds me of Nat King Cole/crooner calibre string arrangement. I do love Brazilian guitar playing. Chords are interesting and there is some complex movement, musically it’s very sophisticated, but it still feels like background music to me. It was nice music to fold laundry and clean to, but not something that captures my attention enough to focus solely on. I will probably throw this on again while cleaning the house, but not in a ‘serious’ way?

Starting off with a banger. It’s a well-constructed pop song for sure, fun to listen to, old-school pop songwriting and chord changes. Next two tracks aren’t really doing much for me. Feeling very ‘filler track’ after a strong lead single. The vocal delivery is a little funny to me. It’s something common among 80s stuff, I’m not sure how to describe it. The hits that I already knew were the obvious stand outs. It’s a fun pop record, love the 80s energy. I enjoyed the listen, but probably only coming back for the hits.

Production is interesting off the bat. Saxophones and phaser guitars? Pretty In Pink I’ve heard. Great track. Again the production is interesting, organs, shimmery chimes, duelling hard panned guitars. I just want to sleep with you - creep Vocals get pretty grating listening to a full record. One-note (literally sometimes) Some catchy tunes! It Goes On The production was really interesting (psychedelic, even), and there is some solid songwriting here, albeit a bit obfuscated by the vocals for me. I enjoyed the listen but don’t think I’ll be coming back.

I’m very out of my element on this one but remain open minded. The saxophone is making this interesting for me. Otherwise sounds pretty much how I anticipated it would. The record got WAY quieter at TV Eye. 1970 punk mastering? There’s some cool moments but nothing with staying power for me. Last track is absolutely nuts. My favourite by far. Swans energy. Highlight was the closing track which is completely different from the rest of the record. Makes me intrigued to hear more of that kind of thing from them. Otherwise not something I’ll return to.

Wow. What a wild ride. I was laughing a lot. I love the old school hip hop charm. The Humpty Dance. What a hilarious track. I like my oatmeal lumpy Every track is 5+ minutes. They are vibing out on these beats. Is this maybe a club oriented thing? Apparently it’s a concept album but that doesn’t become apparent until the last 5 tracks. I love the concept album in a hip hop context though. Packet Man is my standout. ‘Biochemically compacted sexual affection, now here, take a look at my selection’ hit so nice. I actually laughed out loud while driving cause the delivery was so smooth. What a trip. I think I really liked it, though I did get a little tired of the lengthy tracks. I am a sucker for the old school hip hop delivery, cute as it may be at this point, it just feels so nice. I have a hard time giving this a 4 cause I feel like most of my enjoyment of it is kind of ironic?

Found this record incredibly boring. The only track I liked was the instrumental. I just have hard time with this era of post-punk dance music, it doesn’t resonate with me.

I’m immediately intrigued by the collection of elements and weird samples on the first track These bass lines are crazy Vocalist reminds me of Adrian Belew of King Crimson but with some Peter Gabriel energy Arrangements are very cool. Pulsing strings, textures Rags to Riches intro sounds, very unique. Wow I love this track. Percussion on Automobile Noise is so sick. The textures all over this album are gorgeous. Reminds me of later Talk Talk records and Peter Gabriel. I really loved listening to this record. This is probably the first record on this list where I felt genuinely creatively inspired. I will absolutely be returning to this and making my way through their discography.

This record is already an all-timer for me, so listening in this context will be interesting. Time Has Told Me is an absolute classic. The piano and slide guitar are perfect accompaniments, never feel like they’re overstepping. Chord movement is elegant and interesting. River Man another perfect song IMO. String arrangements are breathtaking. Major/minor shifts flawless. Lydian tension. Incredible songwriting and late 60s folk production style at the highest level. Guitar playing on Three Hours is brilliant. Interesting triplet switch up at 3:15. Wondering about Nick Drake’s connection to John Fahey/William Ackerman/American primitive guitar vs. his British folk contemporaries. I wonder what it was like to be in the room for Way to Blue, when they either decided to mute the acoustic guitar and just roll with the strings and vocals, or they recorded it live that way? Either way, incredible Day Is Done is one of the few songs that I would ACTUALLY describe as hauntingly beautiful. Why didn’t they call it ‘Cello and Bongo Song’? In seriousness, I hear Opeth being influenced by this track. Thoughts of Mary Jane is so quaint. English countryside as fuck. Those tremolo strings Man In a Shed - Charlie Brown (that’s a good thing) Fruit Tree is another strange one, the chromatic descending progression, the orchestration. Saturday Sun is an interesting closer, piano-centric in an acoustic guitar world. It might be my least favourite track on the record and the vibraphone feels a little cheesy, but it’s still undeniably pleasant. This record is very special. Pink Moon edges it out for me in terms of Nick Drake records, but that still places it as a top-tier folk record and has some of the most beautiful string arrangements in folk music. I imagine I will be listening to this record until I expire.

I have listened to this record before, but have I really ‘listened’ to it? There is something about the jangly piano and the glockenspiel that feels a little bit silly/Christmas. Instrumentally it is an exceptional record, E Street band are obviously no joke. The roaring on Backstreets is crazy. I’m not entirely sure if I like it? It is bold. Born to Run is a hit for a reason. Instrumental hook is perfect, chorus is brilliant. This song does feel like running down an American highway in the midwest Organ and horns are great. I really want to love this record, but to be honest I don’t feel taken by the songwriting. It doesn’t feel particularly memorable and the instrumentals only get halfway to compensating for that. It’s nice to put on for a certain energy, but I’m not sure how often I’ll come back.

This music was not made for me.

Wow absolutely terrifying listen. Almost 1 star for pain but 2 stars for being so strange/Lynchian I almost enjoyed it at times. Constantinople and Birthday are fucking nightmares

Was looking forward to MJ coming up because I’ve never actually listened to a full MJ record. Great one to start. I mean there are just so many hits on this record it’s insane. I have to say that Baby Be Mine and The Girl Is Mine are very cheesy in a way I don’t love. The Paul McCartney feature and skit is hilarious though. Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean is potentially the craziest 3 track run in musical history? Human Nature is gorgeous. Might be my favourite track. PYT feels like more of the same energy from earlier in the record. Some really cool little synth riffs. Lady in My Life is kind of a weak closer for me. The production is of course incredible. Very definitively 80s. That spanky clean Strat guitar sound, those big synth stabs. So many iconic and influential musical moments. Steve Lukather ripping on Human Nature, Eddie Van Halen on Beat It. I definitely really enjoy listening to this record, I have a hard time giving it 5 for my personal taste mainly because of tracks 2-3 and 8-9 not really doing anything for me. The brilliance of the pop songwriting and production are undeniable. The best selling record of all time and it makes sense.

This feels like a record that demands repeat listens to soak up the storytelling. Tracks like Jack of Hearts really drone on if you’re not fully invested in the narrative. I enjoyed the listen, it doesn’t stand out as a favourite Dylan record off the bat but I would spend more time with it because I think there’s something here. I found myself pretty moved by You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome. Standout tracks: Tangled Up In Blue, You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome

Cisco Kid is definitely familiar! I am into 70s funk but from a pretty passive place, it’s not a type of music I feel spiritually connected with, but I can definitely feel the vibes radiating off of this record and they are great. Musicianship is very impressive, love the organ sounds, percussion arrangements are so good. Feels great to listen to on a sunny drive. I love the long jam tracks. As a prog kid this is where I feel a kinship with these types of bands. I might throw it on for something feel good now and again, but it doesn’t have major staying power for me.

Lots of classic tracks on here from my basketball days. 12 year old rebellion. Stan is a fucking incredible song. Still holds up tbh. Some shit is pretty tough to listen to (Ken Kaniff). Kim is straight up terrifying. I love Eminem. Some of this shit is dated and/or pretty fucked up, but he is a lyrical genius.

There are some really cool moments on this record. It’s a lot proggier in moments than I expected, reminds me of later Genesis stuff. Head Over Heels/Broken is a really cool arrangement/melody. The production is dope. I don’t like Mother’s Talk, but sonically really cool stuff going on. It’s extremely 80s but very charming in that way. Rule the World is an absolute certified banger.

Mostly pretty boring for me. Not really up my alley.

A gorgeous and lush record. Percussion is immaculate, bass lines are incredible, vocal arrangements are heavenly. Graceland, Diamonds and You Can Call Me Al are all timers of course. Sometimes I wonder if even Paul Simon knows what he’s talking about in his lyrics. They’re always interesting though. The African guitar playing is always compelling. That JC chorus sound. The record does drag a bit for me in the second half. Some beautiful stuff but not as much with staying power. It was really interesting reading up on the controversy around this record. I was always under the impression it was all based in cultural appropriation, but it turns out it was much more politically charged re: the anti-apartheid movement. I had also always heard he didn’t credit the African musicians but that’s not the case, and he paid them 10x their normal rate. There’s definitely an interesting conversation to be had about the album’s role in exposing the masses to African musical influence, myself included, vs. the idea of ‘white man discovers African music’. Nonetheless, the record is beautiful and the songwriting is brilliant.

Has a very cool energy. Tonite It Shows got that spooky Christmas vibe. Wild theremin moments. Vocals don’t do a ton for me. I Collect Coins is interesting, that fucked up tape sound that’s so popular now. There are some cool production moves all over this record. Has an interesting sonic signature. The very end of the record is a wild move haha. Some Stravinsky/Bela Bartok/Zelda combat music. It was an enjoyable listen, songwriting wise didn’t grab me, but definitely some interesting production and instrumentation moves.

It feels hard to engage with this record seriously the way it’s been over saturated in other media. But here we go. The production, harmonies, everything technically is bang on. Some great pop songs in here. Hard to deny the hits. The title track is pretty sick actually. Fernando is catchy no doubt. A fun listen, probably not something I’ll come back to.

PETER GABRIEL - SO Red Rain - what a fucking opening track. Possibly the hugest sounding piece of music I had ever heard upon hearing it, potentially still holds that title. Everything just sounds monumental. the hi-hat intro. I find it hard to place exactly what is making it so big. there's what sounds like a big piano chord, obviously huge reverbs, but nothing ever feels washed out, it's so articulate. I gush I gush. Sledgehammer - iconic intro flute hook. the bass line in the verse (Tony Levin with the finger sticks) is one of the best bass lines ever created in my mind. This track is so dense but everything fits together beautifully. I remember reading that the whole outro was Peter just going off with nonsense, which you can definitely hear, but it doesn't matter. Don't Give Up - god damn these harmonized basses sound incredible. Lanois doing his thing here. I love this sound so much. I also love these 80s pads and glassy synths. Kate Bush sounds great, I remember being a little bit underwhelmed by her appearance on first listen, but it's grown on me a ton. She has such a fragile voice, but not in the modern indie-whisper way. When she resolves the chorus, it's absolutely brilliant. We get very gospel in this middle section. That river's flowing. This song has a strange structure. My controversial take might be that this song is too long. You could chop this last minute off without a second thought. That Voice Again - a relatively unsung hero on this record. One of my favourite tracks. drums are incredible. that tom fill. ugh I love this chorus. vocal harmony is perfect. the transition to the verse is maybe the weakest part. feels like they were really trying to splice these two segments together somehow and that's where they landed. Mercy Street - That fretless bass slide into the triangle percussion. The Reich-iness. The organ solo, so simple and beautiful. Realizing for the first time that this is a reggaeton rhythm. Big Time - what is that sample at the beginning? I feel like this is the kind of stuff from Peter that I wouldn't really give as much of a chance if it weren't coming from him. Man can you hear the influence on The 1975. Those synth bass lines are so great. This is the funniest song on the record. The female backing vocalists with the 'big time' just makes it hilarious. Very 80s, neon. There's some interesting stuff going on with the chord changes on this one. We Do What We're Told - I read that this was the first track they made for the record. Seems strange but it also ads up. Dictates the sonic signature of much of the rest of the record. Definitely feels of the Lanois mind. I could actually do without the lyrical vocals on this track, seems like it could have served as an instrumental interlude and had the same impact. What the hell are these bloopy synths? So sick. Excellent Birds - feels more like early Peter Gabriel stuff. a bit zanier. grooves are immaculate of course. Laurie Anderson being cool. Probably the weakest track on the record, or We Do What We're Told, but still cool as fuck In Your Eyes - apparently this track was at the beginning of Side B before for vinyl pressing reasons (bass content). What a different record that makes it. In Your Eyes is another perfect song IMO. The way it shifts into the pre-chorus feels incredible, that harpsichord-esque sound (curious what that is?) that comes in is an essential instrumental hook. It's massive and anthemic and gorgeous. Youssou N'Dour absolutely crushing it on the outro. High-frequency percussion is immaculate. The barbershop bass vocals at the very end singing 'in YOUR eyes' can be forgiven, for the rest of this track is historic. Went into this with the record in my top 10 favourite albums of all time, and that certainly hasn’t changed. It’s sprawling, detailed, beautiful and brilliant. Its influence is so prevalent. I’m still searching for some of the sounds on this record. Plus I can put it on at my parents’ house and they’ll be happy.

Wow. This one came out of left field. What an incredible performance. His stage presence just radiates out of this recording. His voice has so much character. The band’s transitions between songs underneath his banter. The way his banter is so seamlessly integrated into the music, I’m not familiar with the recorded versions of these songs, but I imagine it would be strange to hear them now without his crowd work. An unbelievable frontman and vocalist. The band is bang on. The second half of ‘Somebody Have Mercy’ where the band is coming in on those shots/rolls… amazing. I was smiling and laughing the whole time listening to this record. I almost cried it was such a beautiful experience, the energy of the room is so palpable. This one caught me at the right time. It might not truly be a 5 for me for many reasons but I’m going to give it one because god damn it’s special.

I have to give it up to Aretha of course, insane vocalist. This music just doesn’t quite speak to me. I really wish that it did. It’s enjoyable to listen to, but nothing really grabs me. I think I’ve always had a bit of trouble with soul music in general, particularly the vocal styles that are more acrobatic (Aretha is very tasteful mind you) just don’t hit me the way I think they’re supposed to. I would put it on for a certain vibe though.

Artwork is absolutely sickening, really strange choice for The Beach Boys and I love it. I like the Beach Boys, but they’ve never quite reached the heights for me personally that the Beatles do, if we’re going to open that old chestnut. Honestly I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I find their voices annoying a lot of the time. First few songs are an example of another thing that loses me about the Beach Boys sometimes, I just find the songwriting can be a little meandering, there are cool things happening in the chord changes and the production, but it just doesn’t stick for me. I hear how they influenced Fleet Foxes output heavy on this record though. I hated Student Demonstration Time. This brand of white guy blues music is the worst. The Beach Boys voices are way too soft and vanilla to deliver in this context. A Day In The Life of A Tree has some beautiful organ work, it’s in a really cool space, vocal arrangements near the end are gorgeous. Lead vocal I don’t really care for Chord changes are always so interesting and unexpected, wonder where that influence is coming from? Suspended harmonies in Til I Die are so sick. Brian Wilson is the vocal harmony master. Closer title track is a highlight. Record vastly improves on Side B. This was an interesting turn. I’ve only ever listened to The Beach Boys up to Pet Sounds, and honestly didn’t really think there was much of note beyond that. But this is definitely of note, granted not all notes that I like, but I’m intrigued by it. I think I might revisit this out of curiosity, it might have grower potential (except Student Demonstration Time, pretty confident in that one).

Vocal harmonies are standout for what I anticipated to be a pretty bog-standard rock record. Nothing really engages me, there’s some solid songwriting but nothing I’m gonna come back to.

A case where over-saturation and muzak-ification has pretty much ruined this for me. It’s pleasant, the guitar chords are interesting, but it’s just a bit nauseating and boring.