1001 Albums Summary

I’m not the biggest Dylan fan, but he is a genius with words and stories. He obviously has a unique delivery and voice inflection - but I’ve never understood why people hate it. Outstanding collection of songs.

Calming and weird and awesome.

I was familiar with Dixie and Cripple Creek, but enjoyed finally hearing the whole album. I can see how they influenced a wide range of artists and helped shape a sound, but not quite enough to get that 5th star.

I’m proud of myself for giving the whole album a chance. Had never heard 11:59 or Sunday Girl before. They were my “favorites.” I know Blondie and this album are beloved by many, it’s just not for me.

I mean, come on. Quick and easy 5. Amazing album from start to finish. In the running for the GOAT.

Love. Superstition is phenomenal, but there’s so much more to the album. Personal favorite is I Believe (when I fall in love it will be forever), with a nod to its use at the end of High Fidelity.

Every Bill Evans album on this list will get a 5 from me, and I hope this is the first of many of his albums. This isn’t background music, folks. This is the main event.

Okay, it wasn’t “bad” by any means, but it wasn’t memorable. America Snoring was far and away my favorite song, but I couldn’t hum a bar of it twenty minutes later. I don’t regret listening to it, but I have no desire to listen to any of these songs again.

Oof. First half was maybe a 2 at best, second half was … also bad. This is a little too out there for me, not much else to say.

5 stars, no question. I’d probably give Otis 5 stars if he had sang the alphabet song or a recipe, though. But his take on these songs is just extraordinary. The passion, emotion, and soul … You just sit back, close your eyes, listen and enjoy.

I used to have no time for electronica. “That’s not music, it’s just noise,” I’d say. Then I gave it a chance. Turns out I like it, too. This album is great. I came into it pretty blind. After the first six songs I thought it was fine, but didn’t have a signature/memorable track. Then Around the World came on like John McClane. “Welcome to the party, pal.” After I finished it I went back and re-listened to the first six songs with new ears and Da Funk stood out. The driving beat(s), catchy - and, yes, repetitive hooks, and solid grooves were exhilarating. And I can assure you don’t have to be on ecstasy or at a dance club to enjoy this. I was walking my dog in the bright sunlight at first, then making dinner for my family. I can easily picture listening to this while on a cross country flight, or doing taxes, or doing 100 other things.

This music is so fun and upbeat, you can’t help but smile, dance, and just celebrate living when it’s on. Probably wouldn’t have ever come across this album without the project, but I’m happier for it.

I leaned 4 all day, but the Purdie Shuffle pushes this to the top. Classic.

Not what I was expecting. This steadily grew on me on first listen and I have returned to it a couple of times since then to explore in greater depth. A nice discovery.

Pre-listening thoughts: I remember these guys. I vividly remember Holding Back the Years and the little snippet of the song they’d play on late night TV advertisements for the compilation disc sets. I can’t recall anything else about them. Post-Listen: ugh. Holding Back the Years was … fine. Worse than I remembered? I couldn’t get into the album at all. I just don’t see this as an album people need to listen to. I won’t be returning.

A timeless classic, definitive versions of memorable Christmas tunes. And yeah, Phil Spector’s name is on this and he has his little speech at the end, but rank this and give credit to the wrecking crew, Darlene, the Ronettes, et al., who performed on it.

Haunting, beautiful, deep, extraordinary. I feel this one deep in my soul and it lingers - a wonderful work of art.

On reflection -- and after listening to a number of other albums in this project -- I'm giving this a 3. I still don't plan to revisit this, but it's generally fine, particularly compared to other stuff here.

Solid record. Comes out of the gate hot, solid mid-way through, and finishes on another real high note. Takes me back to the late 90s in a fun way. Revisited to bump this up, as I've come to embrace my "enthusiast" label.

Classic. I’m glad I listened to the whole thing with today’s ears, though. It’s not my favorite record of all time - not even close - but it’s still a 5.

My mom loves Elvis. I even met up with her in Memphis to go to Graceland together. I recognize his influence in rock and roll and music in general, and I really like a lot of his later work, but this particular album doesn’t sustain a must-hear status to me.

I love this album. I already play it regularly in my house. Perfect for a quiet night with my wife or just relaxing and reading a book. 5 stars.

Never heard of this album or even the band. This is also the first time I’ve avoided all reviews before I listened so I could really have my own experience. Regarding the album -- I love this. It set a fabulous chill vibe and mood I'd love to explore again and again. This is getting me at the right time. It brought me into its little world and took me on a fun ride. I'll add it to my collection and will happily revisit more in the future. A fun new discovery and an instant 5 for me.

Interesting. Was not familiar with Gene Clark or this album. Album opener made me wince a little, but even then the lyrics made me intrigued. As the album played on the whole thing grew on me. It won't go into my regular rotation, but I could certainly see listening again. And it has a fascinating back-story on its initial reception and later resurgence. Glad to be introduced to it.

I obviously know The Clash, but I’d somehow never heard their debut. I’d have historically said punk is “not my thing,” but I’ve also never really given it a real chance. I don’t have a single bad thing to say about this album. Way more catchy than I expected. I’d put this back on long before spinning, say, Rubber Soul again, and I already gave that 5 stars, so this one vaults to a 5, too.

Yikes. Okay, this is not my thing. There was a stretch of songs - Senhor F, Bat Macumba, and Le premier bonheur du jour - that I enjoyed a little, but that was it. I won’t be listening to this again.

I know CSNY, I’ve seen CSNY live. I like them. This is a good record, great harmonies.

Man, this is an instant time machine back to my youth, a soundtrack for California afternoons, good friends, simple times, no responsibilities, just carefree fun. Right place at the right time. Fight on! ✌️

80’s Prince. Instant 5 stars. I’ll be honest, I’d give The Rainbow Children and LOtUSFLOW3R and HITNRUN Phase One high marks, too, if they appeared on this list. I love Prince. But 80’s Prince is beyond next level.

Okay, I never would have found this or listened to it on my own. And I would have turned it off if I wasn't doing this project. (I want to give every album a real chance - no skips.) I liked the music fine, it was really just the vocals that were grating. I was grateful when it was over and I won’t be revisiting.

I know these guys influenced a lot of people, and some of my friends really love them. I liked a lot of the music instrumentally. The vocals made me think I can sing. (I can’t.) But they grew on me as the album continued. The 2nd half of the album was awesome, I was almost a little disappointed when it ended. Best example so far of why to listen to a full album before making a decision on it, and to give the whole thing a chance.

The birth of heavy metal. Still totally rocks and takes a well-deserved place on this list. And a big shout out to Louisa Livingstone on that album cover, too, setting the tone for all the tunes to come.

Classic album, no bad tracks. Representative of an oft-dismissed but super fun era in rock music. Glad to see 80’s hair bands get a little love here. 🤘

Man, I feel like I’m getting spoiled. Live B.B. King is an obvious 5 star. Virtuosity, energy, fun. I love live music, I love the crowd noise, and B. B. really made Lucille talk. If anyone actually reads this, I encourage you to also check out Joe Williams and Count Basie rip every day I have the blues. That whole album is sublime, too.

Frenetic, relentless, catchy and exciting. I only knew Alright before now because of the Clueless soundtrack, so this was a great, unexpected ride.

Oh wow. Wasn’t expecting this album on the list. I’ll keep this short and sweet. I love Keith Moon. I like The Who. I don’t like this album. I trust several other albums of theirs will make this list, and they’ll fare better.

So, I love Strangers Almanac by Whiskeytown, and I expected to like this, too. But I didn’t. Maybe if I had listened to it in my early 20’s? I just didn’t connect with it, it was uninspiring, and he just seemed too earnest here. And I listened without knowledge of Ryan Adams’ personal life, allegations of misconduct, etc. I was not aware of any of that until after I listened to the whole thing and read a couple other reviews here. But separate the art from the artist, anyway. I kind of liked Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd. And I’m going to go listen to Strangers Almanac again. Yep, Whiskeytown still holds up. That’s five stars. Go for that instead of this.

I was really intrigued by the idea of this, and I enjoyed a number of the songs and much of the over vibe. It wasn’t bad, but I probably won’t listen to it again. There’s just too much other stuff out there.

This was really good. Beautiful. Less sad/depressing than I was expecting. I’m not going to put it on my running playlist or anything, but I enjoyed it and will likely listen again. L.A. was a standout for me.

Love. Another band I discovered at the exact right time. Gives me a great feeling, like a couple of my best friends came over with their instruments and we were just having fun drinking beers and making our own music after work.

The great songs on here are among the best ever. What’s Going On, Mercy Mercy Me, Inner City Blues. Man, how appropriate for our times today, too.

Had some exceptional moments, but they were just too few and far between for me.

Just a great record. Not much more to say about it.

This album is great. It’s okay to like this AND Radiohead. It’s not a zero sum game.

Fun album, totally 80’s. Not my favorite, but certainly of its time and a joy to listen to.

Really good, with some all-timer songs, but definitely not their best album overall. Probably somewhere between a 3 and a 4, but I’ll round up on the strength of Gimme Shelter.

Man, Fogerty's voice is unmistakable and his song writing was top notch. I probably won't return to this particular album -- Chronicle Vol. 1 is enough for me -- but I dig CCR and I'm glad to see them here. Impossible to go lower than a 4.

I didn't really care for Tainted Love in the first place, and the rest of this album was pretty rough going for me.

I wouldn’t have said this was my thing before, but I loved it.

Pre-listening thoughts: I’ve heard of this guy and I know a lot of people love him. Somebody who has finished this project picked this album as their favorite overall. I’ve never heard one of his songs or even his voice. I'm excited to finally check it out. Post-listening thought: I didn't turn it off, but I would have if I wasn't doing this 1001 project. The instrumental portions were better than when he was singing. Did not like it, won't revisit.

Another awesome new-to-me band and album.

Not the best, not the worst. I love Annie’s voice. The cover of Wrap it Up was a fun surprise to me.

5

This was fine, but not an album I'm going to seek out again or recommend to others.

Wow, so I remember Lovefool vividly - it was infectious and inescapable, but I never thought about these guys beyond that. And was that really thirty years ago?! I was admittedly dubious when this popped up, but there’s so much more here than Lovefool (which is as catchy as I remember.) I was wrong to write The Cardigans off as a one hit wonder back then. I doubt this album would make the cut if I ever made my own list, but a very enjoyable listen for me nonetheless.

I hated this on first listen -- not knowing anything about it beforehand -- until the last couple of songs. When it ended I immediately started it from the top again. I can't say this will ever be a go-to album for me, but it definitely grew on me to a point of real appreciation.

Loaded with hits and extraordinary musicianship, just pure joy to listen to. The smile on Eddie's face as he popularized tapping and shredded on the electric guitar says it all for me. And Diamond Dave is one of the most dynamic front men in rock history, a showman with all the bravado and swagger, and a voice that complements the tunes perfectly.

The first four Exorcist minutes were great. The whole thing was interesting, if not my usual thing. I had read about the growling/caveman part, but l laughed out loud when I got to it (and for the rest of that section). I doubt that was what he was going for, but whatever. The jig was funny, too, I felt like I was on Splash Mountain at Disneyland. No bad feelings, certainly innovative, and mostly entertaining.

It was good, but I didn’t like it as much as I expected to.

The hits are outstanding and plentiful. I didn’t get into Depeche Mode in my youth, but I like them a lot now.

Great album, definitely needs to be on this list.

I love her voice and enjoyed being introduced to Elis. This is not something I would have found or listened to on my own, and exactly why I'm along for the adventure.

No nostalgic feelings toward this. Music is solid at times, the lyrics are silly. I could write a lot more about it but I’d rather just take a shower and move on.

Yes! I love Sam Cooke and know this raucous, high-octane show very well. I love live music and live albums in general, and this beloved album showcases Sam and set a high bar. I’m glad they captured it to give us a small taste of this show. I can respect those who hate live albums, but I will never understand them.

I bought this when it was first released because I thought it was a cool idea. Today is the first time I’ve ever listened to the full 2+ hours of it, though, so I guess that says something. It’s okay. Possibly the only live album I know of where I prefer the studio version of every song. (That’s not an indictment on all live albums, though. I had Sam Cooke Live yesterday and I could listen to that set once a week if there wasn’t so much other great stuff out there to be heard.)

I’m kind of happily surprised to see Pantera here. I’m not sure I’d call this a must-hear album for a lot of people. But I love it, so it gets a 5 from me. And I miss Vinnie and Dimebag.

Never spent any time with The Smiths growing up. This was fine.

I liked this a lot, several good-to-great songs, obviously topped by Stay With Me. It helps that I’m not a music critic, just a music fan, and I’m just here to find/rediscover tunes that are fun or mean something to me.

I thought this was okay when it came out, but I really enjoy it now. Excellent song writing, Jimmy Chamberlin shines. 2+ hours is a lot of Smashing Pumpkins, but it works.

Felt like I was in my own personal John Hughes movie.

Pleasant. Not awful, not great. I guess I’m glad I spent some time with this, but there’s nothing that will compel me to listen again.

Liked these guys from a distance for a long time, and bought this when it first came out, but didn’t spend much time beyond the hits until Trent and Atticus scored The Social Network. That was basically my gateway into going back and exploring NIN. Been a fan ever since. Saw them live a couple of weeks ago, with Josh Freese on drums - fantastic show. So yeah, five stars for this.

Loved it when it first came out. Still good, but it’s lost some luster for me.

Solid funk and soul. I’ll admit I’m generally more of a greatest hits guy when it comes to Sly, but I enjoyed this today.

Abrasive and beautiful. I loved it.

Fabulous. Classy. Love it.

I’m in the camp of people who never spent any time with this because of the way others gushed. I thought there was no way it could live up to the hype. I was wrong. I’m glad to finally listen to it and see what I’ve been missing out on. I love it!

Great album, another classic. Joe Morello, Paul Desmond . . . Of course this is a 5.

Of course I loved this - Ray Charles is awesome. Fun to hear “You Don’t Know me,” in particular, which made me picture the scene in Groundhog Day where it’s featured prominently. Anyway, the whole album was great, as expected.

Man, this album alone has a ton of his greatest hits, and the songs work together well to paint a clear picture of a time and place. Billy Joel is a fun storyteller.

Not my typical thing, but not bad. I was a little surprised to see the low worldwide ranking after I listened to it, but I guess most of those low reviews are because he’s a dick? I don’t care enough to look deeper into it.

Powerful. No way the “Queen of Soul” gets less than five.

It had some catchy moments, but overall not something I want to explore any further.

Wow, I didn’t think of myself as a big Joni Mitchell fan, but here we are. I wasn’t familiar with this particular album before, but that was great.

I loved America, of course, and the trio of tunes to close it out: Mrs. Robinson, Hazy Shade of Winter, At the Zoo. I have fond memories of a house filled with Simon & Garfunkel growing up.

This is fine. I don’t have any strong feelings, good or bad, about it, and no personal history or connection. Glad to give it a spin.

I’ve never done drugs or gone to a rave, but maybe I should? I had never heard of this before, and I liked it a lot.

First time listening to this. Yes, obviously very Oasis-like, but I like Oasis, so cool. Real good record.

I’m surprised I didn’t like this more. A couple absolute gems, but just not enough to sustain throughout for me.

Excellent new-to-me discovery. Another band I’d never have found without the book/project. Enjoyable listen.

I’ll give it a 3. I feel generous.

I’ve listened to bits and pieces of this over the years, but somehow never the whole thing at the same time. Solid record. I love there’s a song for Weenie Beenie - I ate there from time to time when I lived in Shirlington.

Classic, a time capsule of the 90’s. Excellent collection of memorable and great songs.

So, I love other Brian Eno albums, which I presume will be on this list. I’m not really familiar with this one. I think it was good, not great. I may come spend more time with this down the road, but I’ll give it a solid 3 for now.

Obvious instant 5, no question, one of the easiest days on this project. This is for MJ, of course. But so many helped make this masterpiece: Quincy Jones, Vincent Price, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro, EVH, Paul McCartney, David Foster, and so many more. The project inspired me to finally listen to the extras on the deluxe album; interviews, other songs, etc. It’s all awesome. They created and captured magic on this record.

That was fine. I remember the radio hits. Not really my thing, but fine.

Great record. I love Freddie King, so I enjoyed their take on Hideaway. And that made me think of SRV. Is there any SRV on this list?

Great album. I wasn’t expecting to like it quite as much as I did … I previously knew Smoke on the Water, Highway Star, Hush, and a few others tunes, but had never listened to a full album of theirs all the way through. Solid.

Had never heard of this before. Did not enjoy.

Boy, am I glad I didn’t give up on this after the first two songs! The rest of it is weird and cool.

Huh. That was perfectly fine, but nothing particularly special or memorable to me.

So, I first discovered Nina Simone at the end of Before Sunset, with Celine dancing in her apartment, telling Jesse he was going to miss his plane. Anyway, I dove into her catalog from there, but had never heard this particular album. Love it.

Not so long ago I’d have probably given this the bare minimum of stars. But I’m into it now.

Wow, that was a trip. It's bloated, of course, and it's mostly novelty songs that I don't have much interest in revisiting again. But it was clever and often funny, too, and I enjoyed it for the most part. I'm glad I listened to the whole thing. I had to pause the project and spread this over two days. Washington, D.C. was a personal favorite.

Good.

Solid. Definitely grew on me as it went along.

I really like Dolly and I liked a lot of this album. It got a little tiring after a while, though.

Great record, reminds me of my parents.

I’d heard of these guys and this album, but had not actually done so before the project. Great record.

Liked it, didn’t love it, but had never heard it before. I could see how it may grow on me in the future, but just okay for now.

Better than I expected. I can't see this ever becoming a mainstay in my listening rotation, but I enjoyed the album.

I knew a little of his story co-founding Pink Floyd, but had not listened to any of this solo post-Floyd work before. I enjoyed the album a lot, very catchy and fun to listen to.

A little hard to rank this one, as it was over so quickly. It was fine, I just didn't really get anything out of it.

I love Bob, and this is a great record.

Wow, I liked this a lot more than I expected. I only knew the big hits before, but the rest of it is really good, too.

If you’d have asked me yesterday if I liked The Doors, I’d have said, “no, not really.” But I liked this a lot. I think it’s one of those times where maybe I didn’t care for them much when I was younger, but appreciate more now.

If I’d have stopped after the first ten songs I’d have given this a three. But I liked a number of the bonus songs even more. Rock n’ Roll Toilet made me laugh. Bonus songs bumped it up to a 4.

Okay, let's get this out of the way. Bonzo and Zeppelin will get 5 stars from me whenever they appear in this project. This is one of those albums where I wish I could just instantly give it a 5 and move on. But I do enjoy going through and listening to the whole thing again, even though I already know it so well. Five stars for Bonzo's grooves alone. LOVE.

Beautiful voice, but overall not really something I’ll spend more time with.

So, this wasn't really my thing in 1992. I remember Connected, of course, that was everywhere for a while. Still not something I plan to revisit, but kind of fun to go back and hear again in full.

Never heard of this band or album before. And it rocks! I see a lot of people say it just sounds like other bands or albums of the time. Cool. If those other albums are included in this project, I reckon I’ll give them a high rating, too.

Interesting and fun. I like where Queen went from here more, but the musicianship was obviously there all along

Man, I love her voice but I don’t think this collections of songs really showcases it.

This had me drumming on my steering wheel all day. Couldn’t stop smiling. Loved it.

I can’t hear Sunshine of your Love without picturing John Bender singing the riff in Shermer High School.

This reminds me of when someone takes a sip of a weird drink and says, “this is terrible, you have to try it!”

Not even my favorite Tom Waits album, but an automatic 5 for me. Gritty and beautiful.

Priest Rules! Go watch Heavy Metal Parking Lot. Capital Centre Largo, Maryland May 31, 1986 "I'm David Hilby, I'm 20 years old. I'm ready to rock!" "What's your name?" "Graham, man, like gram of dope." "Heavy metal rules" "Where'd you come from tonight?" "Reston. Mayberry, USA!" "Timmy loved Judas Priest" "I'm Kelly McCullis, don't drink and drive, we're at the Judas Priest concert, get away from me, please!"

Solid record. The hits stand out from the rest of the pack, but enjoyed most of this.

I’d heard of PJ Harvey but had never heard one of her songs prior to this. Loved her grit and emotion and voice. And it rocks instrumentally, too. I’m all in.

This is great, very enjoyable to listen to. No reason to not give it a 5.

I didn't spend a lot of time listening to blur or Oasis in the 90's, so a lot of this was new to me today. I think it could grow on me, but my initial feeling on first listen is a high-3 or low-4.

I love her voice, and I respect this album, but I don’t like it as much as some of the other stuff she would go on to record.

Yep, I was in high school in 1992 and I loved this then, and I really like it now. When it popped up my initial reaction was “5-star, obviously!” I mean, I own Labcabincalifornia, too. But this doesn’t quite hit me now the way it did back in the day. Still enjoyed, a lot of nostalgia with this one.

I’ve never thought of myself as a Bowie fan, but I enjoyed this. And I guess I’d better get used to it, as I understand he has nine albums in this project …

Aha, an album I may have rated lower when I was a younger lad, but appreciate more now.

Some real classics here.

Not awful, not my favorite.

What a trip. I had never heard of this effort from these two musical legends until now. Occasionally good.

Not much of a review here. I liked this, but I’m a little surprised I didn’t like it more.

Love this. Amazing voice, so many great songs.

Nothing profound to say here. Just a damn good 5-star album.

Interesting find I’d never have listened to without the project.

Immediate, obvious 5.

I see a lot of people on here have a real scientific ranking system. I don’t. My system is “gut feeling at the end.” And I don’t skip songs. Live 1966 gets a 4, with a bomb-ass rendition of Like a Rolling Stone to close it out.

So many albums on here are labeled “boring, boring, boring.” Then we get something challenging and different, and many run away with an ostrich-like prance. This album is currently the 6th lowest ranked of all of the albums in the project. I had never heard of it. But this a perfect example of why I’m doing this. Of course Rumours and Sgt. Pepper’s and Dark Side of the Moon are awesome and safe, and I'm going to give them their 5's, but I'm thrilled to go off the beaten path, too. And the reality is this wasn't all that weird or challenging of a listen.

Didn't love it, didn't hate it.

I've discovered it's not just for rebellious teens. Can confirm it’s a good release for parents when your kids are being a pain in the ass, too.

This was so hyped at the time that didn’t give it a chance. I eventually listened to it years later and of course loved it. Still do.

Bliss.

This was a fun surprise for me.

This has sublime moments, but some real clear songs where I’d make my run to the bathroom if I was watching it live.

Man, I thought I liked this album more. I hadn't really listened to it much in recent years. There are moments when this is extraordinary; they're just way too few and far between for me.

Oh wow, more Blur. Okay, this was fine.

Innovative and a wizard with words. My Name Is rules, but most of the rest of this weighs it down a bit for me.

My dad loved CCR and passed that on to me. Great album full of classic songs. And I grew up just north of Lodi.