My first impression was that this reminds me of Joe Jackson... but without any hit songs. I didn't latch on to any songs that I would immediately want to keep repeating. There are a couple songs that might work better as singles by other artists. I was surprised that there was a rap song. The genres seemed to be all over the place. I thought at one point possibly the genres were changing intentionally as if a character was moving into different settings which caused the genre and music to change. I was surprised that this was a Paul Weller band. I was a little familiar with The Jam but did not know what else Paul Weller had done. I kept thinking this was possibly a George Michael band before he was known in the pop genre.
Going into these albums blindly I'm quick to try to think of an artist that I'm reminded of while listening. I couldn't think of anyone right away. Britney Howard came to mind early on just because of the album cover... but towards the end of the album I came up with Fiona Apple. Even though I knew it was from 1976... this really does feel like 70's. It's jazz and folk and even has an electric guitar solo akin to David Gilmour. I was hoping that Joan played all of the instruments (like Lenny Kravitz) but on this album she plays only acoustic guitar. Her backing band is excellent. I need to do a deeper dive.
I actually own this album. I have probably only listened to it 2 or 3 times prior to today. I'm a huge fan of his album Mutations and I figured this would be similar. However, this is his breakup album and it's very depressing which is probably why I didn't listen to it much. Listening for this project I was reminded of the song Lost Cause which I liked a lot (enough to remember from before.) I knew Golden Age first from a great KT Tunstall cover on her acoustic album.. which most likely led me to buy the Beck album. This is Beck at his simplest... no crazy samples or cryptic (odd) lyrics. Even though the lyrics are simple it seems like Beck is mumbling his way through them and I wish the vocals were clearer. Song to song is mostly the same monotone muddy vocals without much dynamic from track to track. This album is not bad but not his best. Because I'm aware of his other albums this will more than likely be judged harsher than if this was a true first listen to an artist I knew nothing else about.
My music listening skills are not high enough to rate a jazz album. Kind Of Blue is supposed to be the best. I couldn't tell you for sure if is or not. This is in a similar catagory. Is this the best Bossa Nova jazz album? Is the Mona Lisa a great painting? Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie? Or is this album just one I need to listen to before I die because it's one of the better albums. Are there 5 more jazz or bossa nova albums like this that are better? I have no reference. This is fine to listen to on a rainy day with nothing else going on in your life. I don't hate it... and don't love it. It's perfect music for a cocktail party or lounging around on a rainy afternoon with nothing else going on in your life. My rating will skew more towards the middle only because I have nothing to compare it to... and other than the opening track I don't recognize anything. Also 95% of the album is not in English so I couldn't even appreciate the lyrics.
I figured after "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and "Time After Time" the album would be all filler but I didn't realize "She Bop" was also on this album. "All Through The Night" was another pleasant surprise. The album is short in length... only really has 9 songs (not counting the 45 second "He's So Unusual"). Most of the songs just fade out at the end... which gets a bit of a mark down for that alone. Learned that Prince wrote one of the songs too. Overall a solid album that I found quite enjoyable.
I've already listened to this album quite a lot just in the last year or so. Incredible album. Double albums are often criticized for being over indulgent... "less would have been better" or "could have made one solid single album and got rid of the filler it took to make 2 albums." In this case it's the perfect amount. Side 1 and 2 go by too fast. Side 4 might drag on a bit but being a concept album it's acceptable. Not much to say about this album that hasn't been said in the last 45+ years. This album gets an easy 5 stars.
More jazz. 1001 albums and I've already had 2 jazz albums out of 6. Again, this is not bad to listen to... but I'm not versed enough in jazz to decide if it is great or it is just average. I can assume it is great since it's on this list... but nothing caught my ear right away. It all sort of blended together for me and sounded the same. I need to take a class in jazz to have a better idea why this is great. It will unfortunately receive a middle rating because I have no reference to judge it higher or lower.
This album was listenable. 50+ minutes was a bit too long for me. Like the jazz albums these songs all kind of ran together. I didn’t hate it and am not the one to judge this album due to my lack of reference in the rap genre. I did like “The Meaning of The Name” and the title track.
90 minute double album of 10 songs. Space Truckin' is less than 5 minutes on the album. Here it is extended to nearly 20 minutes. Several other songs are extended versions including a lengthy drum solo on The Mule. I probably would have a better appreciation of this live album if it was 1972.... and I was more familiar with the studio versions of these tracks and more in awe of the clear sound of the live album. Phish does this to their songs. A 4 minute song on an album will be 22 minutes in concert and after 18 minutes you don't remember what song they started with until they come back to it in the last minute. I like the 4 minute song... I don't need a 22 minute version. I will more than likely hear the Deep Purple studio albums eventually as they are probably part of this list... which with more familiarity I may gain appreciation for this live album.
These are all very good musicians. Unfortunately this doesn't really do much for me. I'm honestly surprised this is on the list... but 1001 albums covers a lot of genres and artists. Ozomatli is probably the best at what they do... but that doesn't make it something I need to listen to before I die. Is this even their best album?
Classic album that has stood the test of time. I have nothing negative to say about this.
This sounds like a soundtrack. I think that was the intention. It is a little long for a new artist. Quite ambitious. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. Album came out 15 years ago and I never heard of this person or album. I'm not even entirely sure what genre this would be classified. Could have probably died and not heard this album though. 1001 albums might be too many albums.
Kitschy. That is the word that comes to mind. A collage of 50's and 60's music influences with a bizarre twist with the singing and the lyrics. Weird just to be weird? or are they truly unaware of how ridiculous they are being? It's an act that wears thin unless you buy in and then everything they do is genius much like a Jackson Pollack paint splatter. Is it art or is it a mess? Listening to this album made me realize that Weird Al's "Mr. Popeil" was done in a B-52's style. Only took me 42 years to figure that out. Don't hate this album. Don't love it. They have their own sound... on a later album Roam and Love Shack prove they can make more mainstream music and still retain their style for the most part.
I know quite a lot of Paul Simon's music. I don't think I had ever heard a single song on this album. There are some good songs on here. First impression of "Allergies" is that it was song written for Sesame Street. After a few listens I liked it more. I think this album would be a hidden gem upon multiple listens. I also really liked "The Late Great Johnny Ace".
Afrobeats. This album is good music. I felt it was like reggae with jazz. Not so much reggae or jazz. Maybe just a touch of both. My main issue with this album, especially as a first time listen, is the length of the tracks. Every track was 7 to 9 minutes long. For me the length of the tracks hurts my overall impression as it was hard to see any dynamics between songs. I was suffering from afrobeat fatigue.
Listened to this album a lot in the last 30+ years. Very familiar with every second of this album. There is always going to be debates about if this is their best album, or worst album or just a pop album. It's 5 stars regardless just for the cultural impact it had. I personally love this album and for me there aren't any "skip" tracks.
This is the UK version which is somewhat different from the US version. "Paint It Black" is not on the UK Version. At 11+ minutes, "Goin' Home" is surprisingly on both versions. I could do without that. "Under My Thumb", I knew quite well. "Lady Jane" was ok... but I did like "Out Of Time" quite a bit and was surprised that it had been left off the US version. It's historic for the Stones as it's their first all Jagger/Richards album. But there are only a handful of songs that stood out for me, it's missing "Paint It Black" and I get the UK Singles vs chopped up US Albums debate. I just think that the UK album is not as strong because of what I know is on the US version. I also have the knowledge of their albums to come so this is weaker because of those "filler" songs.
I bought this album when it came out. Only thing I ever remembered was how Tom Waits sang "In the Colosseum". So gritty and just not the type of music I was interested in. It was comical. Years later I tried to give the album another chance. Wasn't impressed. Today I listened to it again for the first time in over a decade. I still don't get it. Reminds me of a sober Shane McGowan if Shane was American. The lyrics are probably prophetic and poetic and deal with serious dark topics... but I find it difficult to listen to as a whole album. I know it won best Alternative Album and I'm sure those that like weird stuff love this album. I love Mr. Bungle... but this I find grating. Having said all of that, I discovered the song "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" which I kinda liked. Buried as the 14th track it's not surprising I didn' remember it as I probably never made it that far too often. I also found it interesting Keith Richards co-wrote a song and played on "That Feel" which is the last track. Odd place for a song with a such a high profile guest. I like 1 out of 14 tracks after 30 years of trying.
Was excited to listen to this album. Was very disappointed. It sounds like Pink Floyd meets Beck meets Ween (without the humor). All of the songs except one seemed like sketches of song ideas that had no hooks and no cohesive idea. It sounded like demos of ideas for an album. Maybe I'm missing the point.
I had never listened to Arcade Fire before. They were hyped up pretty big at the Grammy's and it made me less interested. So, I was quite hopeful listening to this album that I would be blown away and regret having not listened to them for all of these years. The first song was pretty good. I was intrigued. Unfortunately, the rest of the album meandered. I was not blown away and I had no interest in having a 2nd listen. Nothing really stood out after the first song. Is their best album or just one of their albums that I should listen to out of 1001 other suggestions? I'm beginning to question this 1001 list.
I liked the music... and some of the sampling (which is part of the music.) It was an easy album to listen to and I would probably appreciate it more if I dove into the lyrics and knew what the songs were about. Is this Common's best album? I did read that "The Corner" was one of his best songs.
Heavy. Geezer Butler heavy. This is why I started this project. To listen to albums that I have never listened to by bands that I know some songs but haven't done a deeper dive. Black Sabbath has a lot of albums (with and without Ozzy). I know several of their more popular well known songs probably all from Paranoid. This surprisingly had 2 instrumental tracks... sounding nothing like Black Sabbath. "Changes" sounds like an Ozzy solo song. I listened to this album several times today and enjoyed it... more listens will possibly help me figure out the lyrics.
I'm surprised at how much love this album gets. This not an album I enjoyed. I debated if this was a 1 star album out of 5 I disliked it so much. "Paper Planes" is the big popular track and it doesn't come until the end of the album. By that point I was already annoyed and disinterested. Again, I'm surprised at the amount of praise this album gets. I think it's a group think experiment. An influentual reviewer likes it so other's follow that with praise as well because it must be great if that guy liked it. And then it snowballs into wide praise and a critics choice.
This album has 3 hit songs and the rest is unmemorable. Although, I was surprised to hear the Madonna/Prince collaboration and that they couldn't combine to make a hit song. I also began to wonder if the 3 hit songs would be memorable or hit songs in my mind on a first listen... as opposed to already knowing those three tracks and then not recognizing any others. If three different tracks had been played over and over on MTV would I question why Cherish hadn't been a single? or would I think it was unmemorable? I'll listen a few more times and see if anything sticks.
This album was nominated for album of the year... following 2 years of Frank Sinatra winning album of the year and Jobim winning the year before that. Was there nothing better going on that they kept nominating the same people every year? Barbra Streisand was nominated every year also after winning before Jobim. This is a nice album to listen to and is very calming. I did enjoy it but other than the combining of artists why is this considered so amazing? If the Beatles did Abbey Road and then released the same album 2 years later with someone else singing would that be remarkable?
Classic album filled with great songs. If Stairway to Heaven wasn't enough on its own you have Black Dog, Rock & Roll and Going To California. When The Levee Breaks is also on here. Four Sticks, Battle of Evermore and Misty Mountain Hop probably star on other albums but here they are almost like fillers.
Depressing. Singer songwriter with mostly acoustic guitar only. While listening, I thought of Cat Stevens and Paul Simon who have more hooks and their songs are more upbeat. Even Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett is more upbeat. This album is just "down"... has Nick Drake ever laughed or felt happy? I might listen to this album a few more times for the lyrics and find out what he is being introspective about. I will look forward to "Pink Moon" when that surely is suggested as it might be the better album (hopefully.) I don't feel led astray by this suggestion as I have with several other of the 1001 selections so far.
Great music. This would be even better if the vocals were clearer. I'm sure the point is to not have the vocals clear in a hardcore sort of way. This reminded of bands on Matador and Sub Pop that nobody has ever heard of because although they might have great music they can't write songs that have hooks and don't get the promotion of the larger labels. I'm sure that this is the exact music it's intended to be... not popular and not clear. I fully expected this to be a grunge band from the 90's that didn't get popular but they're from DC (or NY). Dave Grohl probably stole some of their ideas for songs like White Limo and Weenie Beenie. Songs like that are fine but a whole album of vocals that are hard to hear is too much.
Aggressive. Right off the bat I don't really like the double pedal kick drum sound. I know it's popular in this genre... but I get tired of it. The music is great... the singing is great. The slower songs are good. I know Corey Taylor is considered a vocal god. I liked the change in vocals in the middle of songs. I thought of Mike Patton who actually is a vocal god and how this has some similarities from growling to softer singing. I did like Snuff quite a bit... probably because it was a slower ballad type song. Not being able to understand the lyrics makes me less of a fan right away... maybe with additional listens I'll grow to like the songs more with knowledge of the lyrics. My first listen was at 6am in the dark driving in a rain storm. Setting seemed appropriate for this music.
Nice album for the holidays. I'm not exactly sure why this is on the list. Are these the definitive versions? I grew up with the "An All-Star Country Christmas", same songs and just as good of an album. That probably won't get recommended. I have nothing bad to say about this album though.
Great vocals. I knew the opening track and that might be the only song I had ever heard. I wouldn't be against listening to this album again. The hype for Adele is too much... similar to Taylor Swift. Is it great or just overly hyped. I didn't cringe at anything on this album and will dive a beat deeper to know what the songs are about.
The start to an incredible run of 4 top shelf albums for the Rolling Stones. "Street Fighting Man" and "Sympathy For The Devil" are probably the two most well known songs from this album... but most of the songs are excellent. My favorite track from this album for awhile is Stray Cat Blues. One nit pick is that I think Jigsaw Puzzle goes on a little long as it is somewhat repetitive. I do own this album and this is the 2nd Rolling Stone album to be suggested so far (out of about 30 albums). Easy 5 stars.
First thought was "That sounds like Phil Collins drums". It probably is the same sound but it was not Phil Collins. Hugh Padgham is the producer which explains that connection. I did not like this album. I had flashbacks of Tome Waits' "Bone Machine" album. It's just not for me whatever this genre of music is supposed to be. It does sound theatrical which I did like somewhat but the whole thing became irritating.
Dancing Queen is of course iconic and a great song. If I watched Mama Mia more than once I might recognize more of these songs. I did recognize the song "Fernando" only to learn it was a bonus track. Are there any sad Abba songs? I also had the thought that this is an upbeat Carpenters with double the members. This is an ok album, I was surprised there were not more hits. I guess I need to watch Mama Mia again to become more familiar with their discography.
This starts off with "Requiem", which I instantly recognized because Foo Fighters covered this song in 1997. After that I didn't know any of the songs. I wish the vocals were clearer. Is it on purpose to have vocals impossible to understand? or am I supposed to be reading the lyrics on my vinyl record when I listened to this in 1980? The music is great. Would get a higher rating if the vocals were clearer. I feel like bands like this have a lot of messages but the message gets lost in the gritty vocals that are not easy to decipher. I think more listens and knowing the lyrics will make this an album worth listening to more.
My thought: If Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were a shoegaze band. Maybe that is based on the vocals and the dissonant sounds that were created around melodic songs. First listen I wasn't able to tell what any of the songs were about, but the music and vocals were good. The kind of music a hip independent record store would probably rate highly on their year end album chart. I'll have to listen again to find out what I missed. Is this their best album? Do they have any popular songs? Or are they an underground band that intentionally makes music only the "cool" people will pretend to understand? Not as harsh as Sonic Youth and not as clever as Neutral Milk Hotel. More rockin' than Belle and Sebastian. I need to listen again because I'm all over the place. Will be interesting in 2 years when I'm a huge The War On Drugs fan and I reread these notes and wonder if maybe I was on drugs. But I did not like the dissonant sounds to start or end the album this I am sure.
The question should be, "How had you not heard this album before you died?" The song "Baby Be Mine" and "The Lady In My Life" were not singles. Does anyone know these songs? It's impressive how many massive hits this album contains if you just count Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean you already have one of the best albums of all time... and then add in Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', P.Y.T and Human Nature to solidify the greatness. For good measure throw in a song co-written and sung with Paul McCartney. The history of the other musicians on the album (Eddie Van Halen, Steve Lukather) just to name two. It's beyond ridiculous how good these songs are and then of course produced by Quincy Jones. Again, how did you not hear this album before you died?
If you asked me to listen to this album and played "Lazy Days" and "South Of The Border" and told me it was Oasis.... I would believe you. If you played the song "Life Through A Lens" and told me Avril Lavigne wrote it I would believe that too. I think this might gain some traction on repeated listens.
Mike Watt is just different. I'm sure independent critics think this is the greatest album of all time... next to the other albums you've never heard. This album is ok. It's listenable and there are some good songs but nothing spectacular. Wasn't really any songs that I thought "Oh, I need to play that one again."
Aerosmith Greatest Hits is their best album. But that doesn't qualify for this list. Rocks starts off with two songs from the Greatest Hits album "Back In The Saddle" and "Last Child" (the only 2 songs represented on the greatest hits.) "Sick As A Dog" could have been on the short list of songs to add to the greatest hits... and possibly "Nobody's Fault". "Get The Lead Out" seemed like an early working demo for "Rag Doll" (anyone else hear the similarities?) The hidden gem is "Home Tonight". If they had made a video of "Home Tonight" with Alicia Silverstone this would have been a hit song for Aerosmith (unfortunately for Aerosmith... Alicia Silverstone was born the same year this album was released and MTV didn't start until 1981.)
This is a great album. "Mother's Milk" was a good album too and this took that and improved upon it. "Breaking The Girl" might be the best song on this album... but "Under The Bridge" will always overshadow most of these songs. "Give It Away" and "Suck My Kiss" were also solid singles. Possibly their best album... but they did pretty good for themselves with the album Californication too.
Fast guitars. Is this the best Iron Maiden album or just the first? Is "The Number Of The Beast" their best album?" This was a good album and accessible. Wasn't as fast or heavy as I would have thought. I kept thinking that "Strange World" inspired Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters". Might just be me. Looking forward to hearing more Iron Maiden albums if they show up again.
I already knew the "Renegades Of Funk" cover by Rage Against The Machine. This version did not sound even close to the same. I don't know if the non-12" mixes are better versions or not. The 12" versions are a bit long and the remixes are possibly not as good? This album as a whole was ok.
I heard this band was a triphop band that blended dub music, electronic and triphop. I immediately thought, “can I just not listen to this album and rate it a 2.” But I listened to it anyways and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this album. I even let Spotify pick songs from this genre the rest of the day and was exposed to more bands and music… I’m probably not a triphop fan yet but it just shows that you can’t say you hate broccoli without having tasted it yet.
More Boss Nova type music. This must be the 3rd such album in this genre in the first 30 albums suggested. The production on this album is incredible. Every instrument is so clear. The singing is of course excellent... however it's all in Portuguese so I don't understand any of the lyrics. Didn't hate it.. didn't love it. I really liked certain aspects (the production) but it didn't do much for me since I can't understand the words. Interesting to know she died in her mid 30's... had never heard of her.
