1001 Albums Summary

Much more rock and roll than I thought The Beach Boys were. An album about environmental conservation, self-care, and protesting the Vietnam war and the treatment of anti-war protesters could easily come off as preachy in the wrong hands, but thankfully these hands are just right. Layering haunting and beautiful vocal harmonies throughout, this album gave me a much better appreciation for the depth of The Beach Boys as musical artists. Some excellent standout tracks for me include Feel Flows, Student Demonstration Time, and A Day In The Life Of A Tree.

Not really my cup of tea. The notions on romance from this time period feel very dated today. Songs like Just One Smile that contain the notion of building your world around someone who is barely willing to notice you don't resonate with modern feminism. Also, even though Dusty was the first to sing Son of a Preacher Man, the song was originally offered to Aretha, who originally turned it down due to concerns of offending preachers. This is my personal opinion, but Dusty feels like a second-rate cross between Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin. I want more powerful vocals. So if it's my personal tastes, I give it a 2/5. But from an unbiased perspective, trying to listen critically, I would stretch to 3/5. I understand the influence she had, and I can appreciate she's maybe the definition of "Blue-eyed Soul", but I prefer my soul a little more powerful.

Liking the dark weirdness of Mysterons so far. Loving the vocals and darkness on Sour Times. Almost like understated jazz vocals, but with a great trip-hop beat. Can't believe it's taken me this long to listen to Portishead!