1001 Albums Summary

I've never been the biggest Michael Jackson fan so take that into consideration with this review. This album did nothing to win me over to MJ's side. It did, however, reaffirm my complete and sincere love and respect for Quincy Jones. Goodness, what that man gave for music is immeasurable! All (possibly valid) criticism of MJ aside, the production of this album is top tier. The mix, the deceptively complex arrangements, the studio performances are all top rate. That and the musicians who appear on this album are all amazing. I was pleasantly surprised by several guests that appear. (Steve Stevens, Dan Huff, Siedah Garrett, Jimmy Smith!, most of Toto, so many more) They alone were worth the listen.

Another band that never resonated with me. Sure I've always respected their place in rock music, in fact they were the band that I first understood to be "alternative" music. (Although back then it was "college rock") At this point deep into the 21st century with your streaming and lack of physical media it's easy to forget how huge a band like R.E.M. was. Name any of the biggest pop stars out there today, R.E.M. was just as big, maybe even bigger. I'd say their popularity was due in part to albums like Automatic For The People. It seems to appeal to the hardcore fan as well as a newer (at the time) fan. Overall I liked the album more than I expected. Some nice production. I was pleasantly surprised to read that John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures) arranged the strings. That kind of thing always lends credibility for me. It didn't gain a new fan but it certainly earned a bit of respect.

Objectively, this is a brilliant solo piano concert. One that has made it to the highest level of jazz composition and improvisation. It has and should be poured over, analyzed and scrutinized for its subtleties and musical explorations. But I think I'm too lowbrow for this because it didn't do much for me. I mean, it's an HOUR of solo piano, ffs!

I've had a passing familiarity with this album. However most that I know of this album has been "filtered" through The Flaming Lips. In 2002 The Flaming Lips opened for Beck as well as being his backing band for this album's tour. (I was WAY into the Lips in 02) With this your collaboration came the promotions as well. So I've listened to a Beck-Lips radio performance of Sea Change (which also contains Beck covering Do You Realize?) from KCRW far more than the proper album. So when this album came up it gave me an opportunity to hear it with fresh ears. I think consuming this album the way I did, with radio performances and the live setting which I saw that tour, skewed my perception of the material. When I only heard the KCRW show I was hearing two groups enthusiastic about the music and upcoming shows. When I saw the groups live, it was a concert setting so it was fun and upbeat. So I think I was mislead, or probably mislead myself, into a sunnier opinion about Sea Change. This was a fresh listen so I finally got how quiet and melancholy it is. I was really unaware of the background (written after a breakup apparently) so that added to the vibe as well. This wasn't the "pop" Beck of Odelay or Midnight Vultures. This was "sad" Beck. It felt like more polished folk-pop. Like a Laurel Canyon songwriter. It's actually quite lovely. It's a vibe album as much as anything; an album for introspection on a quiet afternoon. I should mention (because I'm into these things) that the personnel is incredibly impressive too. (Roger Joseph Manning Jr and Jason Faulkner of Jellyfish and Smokey Hormel always get my attention. Dudes are awesome)

They broke up after this!? What the fuck? This is a really good album. Quite frankly it feels like a perfect representation of the state of UK pop music in the late 60s. There's some lush arrangements in here, especially vocals. Seems like a common story in rock history; band creates a masterpiece, album does nothing, band breaks up, album becomes an all timer. The Wiki says Al Kooper heard three potential singles when he pushed this album on CBS. Although Butcher's Tale is an interesting choice for a single. It says the label chose it for America's anti Vietnam vibe at the time. (Ferengi rule of acquisition #34: war is good for business) Time Of The Season was clearly the better choice.

*sigh* This guy. This is not my kinda guy. I'll give the album the appropriate rating since it's genuinely brilliant. But I can't with this dude. Only thing I'll say: Ye get your life together you fucking psychopath.

I enjoyed this far more than I expected. I've never been into this group; you could've called me a certified hater. But this album made me believe. They still have a few songs (not on this disc) that I think are shit and (apparently) John Phillips is a trash ass human, but the man can arrange some vocals. That's the strength of these tracks, both the originals and the covers (this was a time when groups covered their contemporaries, like the Lennon - McCartney or the Leiber and Stoller that appear here) benefit from John Phillips's arrangements as well as The Wrecking Crew usual brilliant performance. My one beef is the mix. The various instruments and vocals exclusively in the left or right channel is jarring to my ears. I suppose that was the audio aesthetic of the era.

This is one of Bob Dylan's biggest and best albums. Many people far smarter than I have dissected it beyond recognition. There's no way I, a passive fan, can offer any new insight into this album. So I'm not going to try. It's just a really good album. My advice is to read up on it. It's an interesting story.

As usual I can't offer any new insight on this artist and his music. The man was one of the architects of rock music. An absolute legend. The one thing that struck me listening to this is how smooth and laid back he made rock n roll. Rock in a slow groove. Pretty sure some of these tracks will make it to a regular playlist for me.

Full disclosure: I've never heard of this guy so take my comments with the acknowledgement of my ignorance as this is way out of my music comfort zone. It isn't something I'd run into growing up in the Midwest outside of Yellow Springs (look it up). Hell, to us Lynyrd Skynyrd was exotic. So I don't know this guy but I do know music (at least a little) and I know my own ears. This album was a pleasant listen and actually quite easy to digest. There's good compositions and interesting instruments and even though I don't speak Senegalese you can tell his voice is unique and authentic. After I read up on the man I realized I've seen/heard a couple things like his voice in Black Panther and that big multi star UK cover of God Only Knows, so there's that. The last song felt a little different than the rest due in part to a "rocking" guitar solo. It kinda feels out of place but it also doesn't when you consider it was released in 1992, so the rock solo tracks. Overall it's a really good album, I'm glad it came up in the queue. That's all.

This is an album that requires some context because on the face of it it's just a standard rock act. But it's easy to understand how this would have been a heavy rock mind fuck in 1967. This was loud, brash and in your face. At the time. This was the time when people were calling Clapton God. That is until Jimi Hendrix rolled into town. It's a good album, maybe even great. But in the years since we've found Clapton and Ginger Baker to be collosal douchebags and also there's a million guitarists and drummers out there who could smoke these two. (Jack Bruce always seemed pretty cool though) In 1967, this was a landmark. In 2025 it's an afterthought.

I have nothing to add to the Paul McCartney conversation. I always liked each Beatle as a personality but I've also been the oddball in that the Beatles music never resonated with me. Because of that I usually excuse myself from all Beatles discussions. This album seems like standard McCartney, which isn't too bad. But this is also one of those 70s albums that make me wonder what the four of them would have made if they hadn't broken up.

Yeah, I got nothing.

I get it, I suppose. It's good for a party. It's catchy It's danceable. That's all.

Finally pulled an album I'm familiar with. This concept album is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. Just song after song of quiet, heartfelt emotions that illustrate a sad tale. Sparse arrangements, but they feel so deep and rich. Standouts for me are the classic Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain and Remember Me. Remember Me feels like it walks right to the edge of Texas swing but doesn't quite step over. The older I get the more I appreciate Willie the lyricist.

Only vaguely familiar with this album so I was able to hear it with fresh ears. I'll keep it short: this album was fucking fantastic.

I liked this far more than I expected. I expected something more, I don't know, shallow? Plastic? Manufactured? It felt like natural, organic songwriting versus artificial pop. (Not that his other stuff is artificial pop, I just don't know much of his material) I was actually a little disappointed in Angel, which is apparently his big hit. Just felt like generic anthem pop/rock. (Full disclosure: I gave this more of a listen than originally planned because this gorgeous, incredibly cool woman said she loved this album when she was younger. Honestly that's good enough for me. Yeah, she's that amazing) Update: Okay so that lady is not so amazing and she kinda sucks actually. So now I don't give a shit. Now my biased opinion is that this album is garbage.

I liked it. I don't have much insight here. But I do think about it in comparison to other punk releases in the early 80s. To me X shows the diversity of style that lies hidden within the punk genre. This album in particular does exactly that well.

Personally this album hit different. It hits different because of the place it holds in my life as a child and because of my life at the time this album was suggested. It looms large in my childhood because there are radio hits here. Hits I always heard on what would become classic rock radio. But this is a full decade before they became an Mtv staple. Small point of comparison: there's an in studio performance of La Grange on the Howard Stern Show that you can find on YouTube. It's about the most badass thing I've ever seen. One thing that stood out was Frank Beard's drumming and how he plays the snare rim at the beginning. This is a swinging blues jam by nature. But Frank Beard REALLY swings on this track. It's one of those moments where you understand every member's contribution to the band. In early '24 I saw The Jim Irsay Band at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. Billy Gibbons was one of the featured guests of the All Star band. The drummer sitting in the band was none other than the legend Kenny Aronoff. The man is a percussion monster! An absolute god of modern drummers for hire. Somehow (?) he just didn't have that same swing as Frank Beard. Somehow, this drummer extraordinaire just couldn't quite get that same feel as OG ZZ Top. Don't get me wrong. He was in the pocket. He was just wearing a different pair of pants. My point is that the band's songwriting on this album (mostly Gibbons and Hill, but Beard on a few tracks as well) is so fucking strong and it shows. This band could bring it without gimmicks; without the (literal) fuzzy guitars, video vixens and tricked out hot rods. They had hooks and vibe all over this disc. The performances from every member were first rate. Very much worth the time to re listen. Probably doesn't deserve 5 stars but I also don't have any arguments against 5 stars

This album came out at a time when I didn't care about country and folk music. Not that I'm its biggest advocate these days, but I appreciate the genre more and more. This is to say that I wouldn't have given this album any attention upon release. But I'm older and hopefully wiser and I'm in a far better place to be introduced to this. Over the years I've come to appreciate each one of these ladies more and more for their immense musical talents. Dolly and Linda in particular. Dolly is quite an underrated guitarist and Linda has, had, a voice powerful enough to shatter steel but tone and technique pure enough to make angels envious. But add Emmylou Harris to the mix? Wow. Stunning vocals. This album's songs didn't resonate with me. However I have to recognize the massive talent on this record; the production features some serious heavyweight musicians. But the talent is the three women and their harmonizing. Simply gorgeous vocals. Worth the listen and high rating. These three need something like a statue or holiday named in their honor. American treasures, the lot of them.

Honestly I'm rating this high for the fact that the guy did it all. Like, everything. All vocals, all instruments. This was a one man operation. I'm sure there were engineers and technicians involved, but this is a Steve Winwood joint. That's it. The songwriting is strong, if not a little dated. But I think it and a lot of Winwood solo stuff holds up to classic pop/rock standards. I can see a track or two (not much more) landing on a playlist or two.

Once again, I have nothing to add. It's a great album. Becker and Fagen are brilliant writers. To me it's especially evident by how many tracks they AREN'T on. Like, Fagen is on all of them but a couple are vocals only. And Walter Becker doesn't even play on Peg!? There's so much going on with this album both behind the scenes and with the final product. It's worth the exploration.

I've only heard a couple things from this group before hearing this album. But I'm kinda familiar with the genre so I'm sure I would know my reaction when it was released: 1992: meh... I'm not into this. 1996: yeah I kinda like this! 1999: dude I'm SO into this! (Ten years + of no listening) 2000something: yeah I remember loving this! So on and so forth until today. But I actually don't know the record. So now my thoughts are: ......it was okay.

This is simply garage rock. Just raw and unrefined, like rock is supposed to be. Definitely 5 stars.

Gotdam this is a fucking brilliant album! I think it's fair to say that Purple Rain is Prince's most popular album if not his most well known. It's the culmination of all his previous albums and the benchmark for all that followed. Every song slaps but When Doves Cry will never not fascinate me. It's 99% percussion and vocals! A few well placed keyboards and a bitchin' guitar solo and you have the most unlikely classic. Prince always held a unique position in popular music. The guy dressed like Liberace, played guitar like Eddie Van Halen, had the energy and soul of James Brown, had the songwriting talent of Berlin or Bacharach or Dylan or Quincy Jones or any of the greats and, according to Charlie Murphy, a crazy good jump shot. We had seen nothing like him before and I don't know if we'll see that kind of talent again. Purple Rain had it all. Rock, soul, pop, R & B. Definitely a 5 star album.

Of all the albums on this list, Ryan Adams Gold is one of them. For some reason. Apologies to Mr. Adams, you're a fine writer. I just didn't find much to latch onto. Is it me? It's probably just me.

I don't know what to do with this album. I've never heard of these guys. I was 12 when it came out so I have no context for them. I just know that 12 year old me would've hated this. Indifference at best. I'm sure it's a great example of the band and genre. It's just not something I havw experience with. To me this is poppy, gothy bullshit. (Bullshit might be too strong. But I don't know what else to use)

I've heard this album a million times. But not for years and not with a critical ear. As always, there's interesting history behind this record. First one after the death of Bon Scott, the first with new singer Brian Johnson. It had to do something big. It was make or break time. They fucking delivered. Angus and Malcolm are certified riff kings. But I didn't realize they were such hook writers. Were they always this way with Bon Scott? Yes? Sort of? I don't know. It's just that everything not only kicks ass, but it's fucking CATCHY too! There are so many song hooks! There's so much energy! I always thought it was just a kickass AC/DC album. Now I consider it a rock masterpiece.

This is one of those "let's get this one out of the way" albums that come up here. It's because this is an album that's been played to death in my life. I'm so on the fence about The Who. Daltry and Townshend are proper fucking boomer douchebags. Keith Moon, while great in his own right, is pretty overrated in the British rock drummer department. It was his over the top personality and above average drumming and John Entwistle that elevated his work. I understand that's a bitter pill to swallow but the guy would get smoked by anyone but Ringo Starr. John Entwistle is the one member that deserves all the praise he gets. He was easily the best musician in the band as well as one of rock's greatest bassists. My other issue is that I recently had a discussion about The Who's Tommy. The discussion resulted in (fully biased and subjective) the conclusion that it sucks. (Again, that's just me) However I also don't trust the opinion of the other person in said discussion. She sucks and listens to trash anyway. So after all that I admit this is a good album. It has the best writing and performances of the band's catalog. I still think they kinda suck but I'll rate this album high because it deserves it.