1001 Albums Summary

There's the odd good song, but all the droning intro's an in-jokes make this a hard listen. I do get the appeal of Waits, but the good is outweighed by the bad in this one.

Not my jam really but it’s a good listen.

Some highs, some lows. I feel like I listened to this as a teenager 20+ years ago so a handful of songs were familiar. Slow start, strong middle, weak end. Would give it a 3.5 if that were possible.

Great music ruined by inane lyrics and a whiny singer. Different vocalist and this would be close to 5 stars.

I was 14 when this came out, and listened to a lot of Hives. Agree with others that Veni Vidi Vicious should be on this list instead. Solid 4.

Have never listened to Elvia Costello before. Glad I’ve never wasted my time.

I have this album and listened to it plenty when it came out. There’s some really memorable songs and also some stuff this has been wiped from my brain. Sprawl 2 is great, I can’t stand Rococo and have always skipped it. Can’t decide whether I love or hate this now. Given that it was on high rotation but I haven’t touched it for 10 years plus, it’s getting a 3. Middle of the road.

Gets an extra star for Keith Moons drumming.

This was going to be a 2.5, probably rounded up to a 3. But then I hit the last two tracks and it totally shifts gears into something far deeper. An album with a great opener and a couple of great closers with some decent 80s pop in the middle.

The beauty of this list. You get to discover gems like this. Don’t know how I’ve never heard this before.

I thought the opening track ‘Jackie’ was the theme tune for Thunderbirds for about 3 seconds. That was where the highlights ended. This style of crooning has not aged well. Very 60’s but not in a good way.

I’m ashamed to say I knew nothing of UB40 besides “Red Red Wine” before this. Solid dub and reggae with top notch socially conscious lyricism.

Strong start, the hits are hits for good reason. Weaker middle. Mothers Talk and I Believe are a bit too experimental 80’s pop for my liking. Head Over Heels is a decent track that needs to be a minute shorter. The closing track Listen was a surprise change up and a great way to finish - takes it from 3 up to 4 stars.

I *get* it, but I don’t like it. This was a tough listen. Someone else said Bjork from wish.com, which is apt. Give me Fleet Foxes instead. If that makes me an uncultured normie so be it. 2.

I should be the dead-centre target audience for this. I wondered why I’ve heard the bam but don’t know the music. Because it’s god awful, and has aged like milk. My first 1 star review.

It’s… fine? Not sure it deserves a place on this list though… I’m starting to wonder if “500 Albums you must hear before you die” would have been a better title for the book.

Instant classic, absolute bangers throughout, easy 5 stars.

If it was half as long it’d be great. If every 2nd song didn’t sound the same it’d be great. But it’s neither of those things. I’d listen to Plastic Flowers on the Highway again, but that’s about it. Lucero is what this band is trying to be, but done far better.

Gigolo gigolo gigolo gigolo… This is 70 years old and you could play this at any kind of party and people will get dancing. Yes, there’s a whole lot of scat / gibberish, but who gives a fuck when the groove is this good. I was gonna list highlights but honestly it’s almost all great. I’m going to find this for my record collection. Fair warning - it’s from the 50’s, so a few of the lyrics reflect the times. Not in a gross way so much, more of a “bud, stop giving the girl grief for ordering a banana split and get in on the act yourself” kinda way.

Stop singing, please. This would be a reasonable listen if it was purely instrumental. A bad acid trip.

Musically, I enjoyed this a lot. But many of the lyrics are super sleazy and haven’t stood the test of time. The AC/DC lads must have given this a fair few listens. Or is it more like a proto- RHCP? Punk in places, vaudevillian in others, simple 70s hard rock elsewhere. It’s an odd mix and a bit disjointed overall but works in parts. Faith Healer and Teenage Idols are great tracks. 4 stars.

Do I like Willie Nelson now?

This fucking rocks.

I don’t understand this lists obsession with Tom Waits. His voice is trash, which is a shame because the musicianship from the baking band is pretty good.

Unfortunately, one great opening riff doesn’t make for a great album.

Fuck yes. 41 minutes of legendary metal. All killer no filler.

Nick Cave is the more refined version of Tom Waits. Which means you can actually enjoy the music more without Waits’ faux rasp. Some good track but nothing that really hooked me in for multiple listens.

Prog soul? Solid 3.5, rounded up to a 4.

Do not get the hype.

It’s fine, ok, bland to be honest… but I don’t feel anything.

I can appreciate that this would have been ground breaking at the time, but it feels dated now and not one I’m going to listen to on repeat.

I’m a dyed in the wool metal head and I fucking love this album.

I don’t care for the characters in this band, but the influence is pretty undeniable, and most of the tunes hold up well almost 50 years later. Stooges are a better band though, so I can’t give this 5 stars.

In contrast to other reviewers, I prefer the 2nd half of this album. If the whole thing was new wave pop I’d absolutely question this albums place on the list. But the back half saves this album. There are however far too many Bowie albums on this list overall. As I approach my finishing my first 100 albums, I keep coming back to the thought this list really could have been called “500 albums you must hear before you die.”

It’s alright. Bet you look good on the dance floor stands out above the rest. Not sure it deserves a spot on the list though.

Too biased to rate this objectively. I fucking love this album, despite (and probably a little because of) the greasy, sleazy film dripping off it.

Mostly boring. Sometimes annoying.

I did not, in fact, need to hear this before I died.