1001 Albums Summary

Day 1: Best tracks: The Words That Maketh Murder, In The Dark Places, Bitter Branches, The Last Living Rose I’m more of a fan than not. But I’ve always been lukewarm on Let England Shake. I think it is "The Glorious Land" that keeps me from embracing the album; I don’t care for the mix of the reveille in the song. 7/10.

Day 2: Best tracks: Tom Sawyer, Limelight, YYZ, Vital Signs No skips! I’ve loved this album since high school, and it holds up 25 years since I first heard it, start to finish. Moving Pictures is the most apt album title in Rush’s discography. Each track is full of imagery and is never boring. 10/10.

Day 3: Best tracks: Working Class Hero, I Found Out, Well Well Well, God I’ve never listened to this album from start to finish, but I’m glad I did. It’s greater than the sum of its parts. I'll want to revisit this, perhaps when the next Lennon/Ono album is chosen for me. 8/10.

Day 4: Best tracks: The Weight, Chest Fever, Tears Of Rage, I Shall Be Released A classic that spawned a decade of tunes capped by The Last Waltz. I've always preferred The Band in this more unrefined sound. 8/10.

Day 5: Best tracks: Everyday Struggle, Big Poppa, Juicy, Suicidal Thoughts A few permanent skips for me (One More Chance, Fuck Me (Interlude), Respect). The skits are beyond intrusive. Biggie had flow, but Diddy's vocals in the background appear on too many tracks for me to give anything greater than a 5/10.

Day 6: Best tracks: Metropolis, The Robots, Neon Lights, The Model No hard skips. But definitely prefer a few over others. Metropolis might be one of the first "synthwave / out run" tracks, and I love it. I was introduced to Trans-Europe Express and Computer World well before this album, but this is the one that I listen to more often now, 20 years later. 9/10.

Day 7: Best tracks: Desafinado, Samba De Uma Nota So, E Luxo So, Bahia I'll admit that bossa nova is not in my audio wheelhouse. I'm extremely unqualified to render a judgment of this music, but I enjoyed listening to it while walking my dog. And the next morning on my commute. Desafinado is all I'd ever want from this type of music that isn't straight from the Monsters, Inc. soundtrack. 7/10.

Day 8: Best track: Mayfly By the time I reached halfway through the title track, I thought to myself, "Do The Smiths suck this much too?" While I'm operating under the assumption that the answer is "No," I'm now scared to find out the answer may be "Yes." Never have I heard so many words say absolutely nothing. Thank God Franz Ferdinand redeemed Glasgow in terms of music output. 3/10.

Day 9: Best tracks: She's Calling You, I Against I, Sacred Love, Re-Ignition Balls to the wall hardcore. This genre has never sounded better to my ears. Danceable in several doses, and almost all 31 minutes are headbangin' worthy. I've saved six of the ten tracks, and I'd only heard one of them prior to today. 9/10! EDIT 11/17/2025: This is the first album I've purchased solely from my undertaking this challenge. This album has embedded itself into my (bad) brain, and is making me very hopeful to encounter more Bad Brains somewhere down the line. 10/10! NO SKIPS.

Day 10: Best tracks: Common People, Disco 2000, Mis-Shapes, Bar Italia Witty and bitingly subversive. God I wish this was bigger in the U.S. in 1995/96. My go-to answer to the "Oasis vs. Blur" debate is Pulp. At least Pulp exemplified both the "Brit" and the "pop" in Britpop. Listening to this again doesn't make me reevaluate. This album slays from start to finish. 9/10.

Day 11: Best tracks: 5/10.

Day 12: Best tracks: Powderfinger, My My Hey Hey, Thrasher, Pocahontas WOW. What an album, and exquisitely produced. 9/10 for sure. Possibly a no-skip 10/10 - I'll need more time to determine. Does it belong on the list? 100% Yes.

Day 13. Best tracks: Freddie’s Dead, Superfly, Pusherman. … 8/10. Does it belong on the list? Yes. It's a classic of funky soul from the 1970s, and is at the very peak of original movie soundtracks.

Day 14. Best tracks: Time Travelin’ (A Tribute To Fela), A Song For Assata. … 6/10. Does it belong on the list? Maybe. There was a lot of really good hip-hop in this era, and Common's "Be" is already on the list and is a better album from him.

Day 15. Best tracks: Things Behind The Sun, Pink Moon, Place To Be, Parasite NO SKIPS. I'm an elder millennial, and I'll admit that my first exposure to Nick Drake and "Pink Moon" (the title track) was in the Volkswagen ad for the Golf Cabrio convertible. Loved the song since that ad launched 25+ years ago, already 25+ years after Nick Drake passed away. Over a half century has passed since Nick gave the masters to his record company, and no one has crafted a better singer/guitar folk album ever since. Obviously the love for the title track from music fandom is well-established, but the whole album is a lush soundscape with some of the most beautiful and captivating lyrics in popular music. "Things Behind The Sun" was one of my favorites from my time during the COVID pandemic. There is not a single track that is sub-standard or detracts from this timeless album. 10/10.

Day 16. Best tracks: - Human, No Leaf Clover, For Whom the Bell Tolls I can't believe this album is on the list. I purchased this album the day it came out and have regretted it ever since. This works as music videos or a live video album. IT IS SO LONG. And absolutely boring in audio-only. It just needs some editing, a new setlist (ONLY ONE RIDE THE LIGHTNING TRACK IS ON THE SETLIST - a travesty), and an engineer who can make it sound like it wasn't recorded behind a single-pane of soundproof glass. 2/10. Great in as an audio-visual album. Horrible in audio-only. Does it belong on this list? Absolutely not. Not even as a novelty. And having this on the list and not "Ride the Lightning" cannot be explained or justified.

Day 17. Best tracks: Band on the Run, Jet I just can't get myself into almost any of the tracks here, because McCartney feels the need to change the tune every 30 seconds. 5/10. Several skips after the first two tracks. Does it belong on this list? Maybe if it is the only post-Beatles inclusion for Paul McCartney, which I'm only hopeful that it is. (EDIT: It is not.)

Day 18. Best tracks: The Treasure (Take One), Johnny's Garden, It Doesn't Matter, Anyway Stephen Stills was the best writer of CSN (but isn't in the same class as Neil Young), and he was also probably the best musician amongst them too. He doesn't fail on this "solo" album with a supergroup of talented session musicians behind him. While not every song is great or memorable, there are several moments on this album that make your ear perk up for the sheer professionalism of the musicians. 7/10. A few tracks I'd skip to get to the meat of the album, which runs about 25 minutes too long. Does it belong on this list? Maybe, as it is considered an early "Roots Rock" classic.

Day 19. Best tracks: Lorelai, Pandora (for Cindy). Unintelligible, but absolutely heavenly. I'm familiar with Heaven or Las Vegas, but not this bona fide classic. 9/10. Perhaps no skips (I'll need more time with the album to possibly bump up to 10/10). Does this belong on this list? Yes.

Day 20: Best tracks: Imagine, How Do You Sleep?, Gimme Some Truth … 7/10. Does it belong on the list? Yes.

I don’t know if I like Joni Mitchell’s music. She seems lovely, but I don’t know if I want to listen to her. 6/10, but I’m being generous since I’d skip almost half of this album.

Day Should this be on the list? No.

A masterpiece. 10/10.

6/10. Should it be on the list? I don’t think so.

-Day 27- Best tracks: Reckoner, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Nude, Videotape 10/10. Radiohead's fourth (of five) career 10/10 albums. It's not my favorite album ever, or of their discography, but it is pretty damn close.

7/10.

Listened 5 times today. 10/10. I’ve finally come around to Pavement (at least for this album).

2 listens and I still don’t hear anything exemplary.

Two listens. West Coast > East Coast. No “Deep Cover” = -1 star.

So long, but thanks for the all of these tracks.

Perry Farrell sounds like Luther in The Warriors. Screeching and whining trying to impersonating Robert Plant. For me, he ruins some of the best bass and lead guitar in 80s hard rock. I don’t remember a time when this album didn’t exist. I have a deeper appreciation for Eric Avery after four listens today.

Steve Earle doesn't sound like Nashville (despite where it was recorded), but Nashville has been trying to sound like this album for 40 years. None of Earle's contemporaries were as uncompromising as him. He is a hell of a storyteller, a good singer, and heck of a songsmith, just shy of the top of the Americana singer-songwriter pantheon.

It sounds like Richard Wagner was born in 1963 (instead of 1813), behind the Iron Curtain instead of the Rhine Confederation, and got really into Kraftwerk in his teen years.

Day 61. Best tracks: (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain, The Vanishing Spies, Speedy Marie, Frank Black throws caution to the wind and unleashes every idea he has, no matter their state of readiness. "Headache" is perhaps the most unheralded song of the 90s (plus an equally brilliant music video). "Freedom Rock" sounds like every good Muse song before changing into something akin to something to a reggae-infused Clash song. This album's Side A is a smorgesboard of alt rock. “What we need is more silly men.” Maybe not true now, but still a hell of a lyric.

Sounds so good. Somehow locked in a state of timelessness. Best tracks: Rio, The Chauffeur, Save a Prayer, Hungry Like the Wolf

I want to really like it. I probably will in a few more listens. It won’t be a favorite, but it is an enjoyable use of my 30 minutes on New Year’s Eve.

How is this on the list? I was very aware of Incubus when this album was released. It sucked then, and it continues to suck now.

I much prefer Smile Sessions, and even moderately prefer Smiley Smile, over Brian Wilson Presents Smile. I didn’t even crack a smile listening to the album today, which I remember so clearly hearing it after its release. I was obsessed with Pet Sounds as a high school freshman with not much else to do than listen to music. But I just can’t find much to make me desire another repeat listen.

This is worse than bad. It is uninteresting. The first song has a sound that makes me wince, and the last song damn near puts me to sleep. At no point did I feel like dancing, which is what it is supposed to invoke. A horrible inclusion on this list. 1/10.

8/10.

Better than the other Echo album I heard during my first 100 days.

Wow. 24 hours after first listening to it, KIWANUKA has burrowed its way into my brain. I’ll be revisiting frequently until I can get my hands on a physical copy so I can properly pay for this experience that I’ll remember until dementia or death.

What a slog of an album. 2 hours of Billy Corgan is about 110 minutes more than I can stand.

A day after the Jungle Brothers was not the best timing. I was bored by the whole album, especially when considering the prior day with a freaking De La Soul feature (which was better than anything here).

What an experience.

Leaving Arnold Layne and See Emily Play off this album was a choice. Not a choice I’d make. 5/10.

Dimery was delusional adding this to the list. Glad Holmes switched to scoring Soderbergh movies since he can get only ruin those only so much.

The Black Keys have fallen down the pecking order of modern rock bands, but Brothers was their height. And it was (and still is) a pretty fun spin. 8/10.

I despise 50 Cent. I can’t stand him or his rapping, which is stale and emotionless. But this album is still a classic of this era, with near perfect production. Dre, Eminem, and the other half dozen producers cooked on this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album. What a joyous blend of genres that moves both body and soul.

Listening to this album was painful for me. Now more than ever, I don't find her voice bluesy or soulful. This album was a 34 minute abyss of shrieking. Influential music doesn't mean "music for everyone."

Wonderfully bonkers. 8/10.

Quite a decent collection of quality tracks beyond the hit, and was actually a delight. “Our House” is a perfectly timeless pop ear worm. A lot of fellow travelers of the 1001 Albums Project get angry about too much 80s music from the Isles; this album should be immune from that criticism (it isn’t but there are a few dozen albums that are more guilty). 8/10.

Beautiful and deserves a re-listen or two. 7/10.

The US album version lacks “New York City Cops,” which deserves 4 stars. The International version has that song and thus deserves 5 stars. Hard to explain. IYKYK. And I know because I was 16 years old when The Strokes released this. Because of my laziness with streaming music rather than personally curating my music selections, I forgot how crucial that song is to the pacing of the excellent back half of the album. Getting this album immediately after their two excellent performances at Coachella was like a sonic time warp to when The Strokes were the coolest rock band from America. Maybe they still are.

I would much rather listen to Bob Dylan sing his own songs than listen to the most saccharine sound of the 1960s. And I’ve got four more of this wretched band’s albums in my future. 4/10.

The Police are (almost) always a fun listen. This is one of their best. 8/10.

Beautiful and timeless. 9/10.

A few good tracks, but too many skips. 5/10.

I thought this album was the worst I’ve encountered in this project. “Halcyon” (the only track I had heard before, courtesy of the 1995 film Mortal Kombat) saved it from that distinction. That track is excellent. Otherwise, I’d only listen to this album again while under the influence. 2/10.

A collection of singles over a four year period is not what I call a “must listen” album. 4/10.

Stoner rock (QOTSA) adjacent. I approve of this album.

“She’s Hit” is a pleasant surprise. The other highlight, “Release the Bats,” wasn’t on the original release. Nick Cave is an artist that I’ll be getting to know better over the next 2 1/2 years. 5/10.

The soundtrack of my mom’s sophomore year in high school. A pinnacle achievement for a great singer-songwriter. 8/10.

195 / 1089. I loathe "Monday, Monday." (Three of the four members agreed with that assessment.) And for very good reasons, I despise John Phillips and seriously dispute his "reputation" as a songwriter. Guy Webster should have flushed the negative of the cover image down that toilet. And whoever typeset the damn album cover with two incorrect possessives should have been immediately fired. While there are certainly lovely harmonies sprinkled through the 12 tracks, those tracks are some of the most gag inducing music the 1960s had to offer (hence my animus for "Monday, Monday"). The group was just chasing trends left and right better exemplified by their contemporaries. I'd give this a 1/10, except for the fact that "California Dreamin'" is indelibly and beautifully linked to Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express, one of the best films of the 1990s. So I'm giving it a 2/10.

196 / 1089. Marcus Garvey was a charlatan and a demagogue who allied with the Klan and personally thrived on Jim Crow. He thought he was "President of Africa," despite never visiting the continent. And on top of that, Marcus Garvey most likely would have hated the Rastafari and their proclivities for the smoke. Reggae is such a mess of a genre - conceptually and musically - for me. I appreciate the grooves and most of the messaging, but I'm usually feeling the exact opposite way than what was intended. A 7/10 album based on sound, but dropped to a 5/10 based on the album's elevation of a divisive historical figure.

197 / 1089. Afrobeat gives me the joy that reggae should. Fela Kuti's two albums on this list have been illuminating for me. The two added tracks to the original LP are good, but not as great as the title track and "Mister Follow Follow." I'm rating the original two-track LP instead of the CD reissue. 7/10.

198 / 1089. A silly album that has aged as poorly as most things from the early 1990s. The tracks that leave Jah Wobble off the mic and solely on the bass are worth a listen (notably "Bomba" and "Erzulie"). The other tracks feature Jah's horrendously boring vocals, unfocused experimentation for seemingly little to no reason, and/or poor use of Sinead O'Connor as a backup vocalist. 4/10.

199 / 1089. Clapton's personal opus, with some heavy help from Duane Allman and his slide guitar. Would be better served by cutting 4-5 tracks. "Bell Bottom Blues," "Anyday," and "Layla" are obvious standouts. While the "Little Wing" cover is not as good as the original, it is very different from Hendrix's and fits with the rest of the album. Ultimately, one of the best guitar albums one can listen to. 8/10.

201 / 1089. Not every track lands, and some seem dated 25 years later. But there are some highs here worth exploring again. 6/10.

202 / 1089. My favorite Bowie album. And my favorite album to feature Brian Eno in any capacity. I was instantly fascinated by Side 1. But Side 2 is where Bowie's genius goes into above and beyond, and it can take several listens to understand. "Warszawa" keeps amazing me decades after I heard it. 10/10.

203 / 1089. A worthy addition to the list, even if only as representation of Northern Ireland's punk scene in the 1970s and 1980s. "Teenage Kicks" is a piece of pop punk perfection. 7/10.

204 / 1089. 70s Elvis Costello > 80s Elvis Costello. And no, you cannot convince me otherwise. A few really good tracks, but nothing transcending good into classic territory for my ears. 5/10.

257 / 1089. "Criminal," with its suggestive music video, received a fair amount of attention in 1997. It is still one of the best 1990s singles from a debut album, which has aged like a fine wine. 8/10.

259 / 1089. This album impressively came out of nowhere for me. Never heard of the band, but I can't imagine why. This album is as strong as anything I've heard from their sonic analogues (i.e. Wilco, Grateful Dead, The Black Keys). "D" for Definitely worth another listen soon. 8/10.