1001 Albums Summary

I respect Jimi's guitar playing ability and the tightness of his band and I know his playing has influenced so many other guitarists - I just don't find that I would want to actually go back and listen to most of these songs. His singing voice and lyrical content aren't really that interesting to me. Before listening, I had already "liked" Little Wing. It's a great song but too short. I did discover new songs that I like - such as Wait Until Tomorrow and Castle Made of Sand Liked songs on Spotify: 3/13 Rating: 2/5

Definitely interesting to hear this. I'm more familiar with rock related genres, so this is kinda new for me. I have listened to the Vince Guaraldi trio on their Charlie Brown Christmas album and I do like that one. And I like jazz adjacent rock such as Steely Dan. I listened to it 3 times in a row, and it grew on me. I ended up clicking like on 2 of the 7 songs and could see myself adding more over time. I recognized "Take Five" as soon as I heard it - according to Wikipedia it's the most popular Jazz recording of all time. I assume I've just heard it by being alive for 60 years but don't know specifically where I've heard it. I also had a few moments where I noticed that some Billy Joel and Ben Folds songs seem to have been clearly inspired by this. Anyway, I'm glad I listened to it - definitely good for expanding horizons. Liked songs on Spotify: 2/7 Rating: 2/5

I like the Rolling Stones a lot. When I look at my Spotify "liked songs" stats, they are in my top 5 with 78 songs liked across all of their albums (as of this date). This album has 2 of their all time best songs which also happen to be 2 of the best rock songs of all time across any artist (Sympathy for the Devil, Street Fighting Man) PLUS 2 great deep cuts (No Expectations, Salt of the Earth). But then it has a bunch of songs which, to me, are kind of forgettable - not bad just not worth listening to again. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/10 Rating: 2/5

I was already somewhat familiar with this album, having already known and loved 3 of these songs (Do It Again, Dirty Work, Reeling in the Years) - which are all great classic rock songs. I also know and like over 30 Steely Dan songs across all their releases. Upon revisiting it after a very long time, and listening to it 3 times in a row, I discovered that there are many additional great deep cuts on this - and so I "liked" 5 more songs while listening to it. If you're familiar with Steely Dan you can see them already embracing their sound right out of the gate with their first album - combined with the sarcastic/cynical/humorous lyrics they are famous for. Glad this site got me to relook at this one. Liked songs on Spotify: 8/10 Rating: 4/5

This album came out when I was in high school, and is one of those albums you couldn't miss because it was played all the time on the radio and then in college it was always played at parties or in dorm rooms etc. So, I am very familiar with this record. It has 5 fun songs on it that I like to hear every now and again - such as Hells Bells, Shot to Thrill, Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long, and Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution. But beyond that, I find that sitting down and listening to it front to back gets kind of tedious and repetitive and I keep wondering when it's gonna be over. It's not really something I would willingly listen all the way through on my own. The music is too samey without enough variety. The lyrics also get kind of tiring - like they keep trying to show how "evil" or sexist or what big partiers they are. It's feels kind of like fake rebellion to me, and doesn't really have anything interesting or thought provoking to say. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/10 Rating: 3/5

When this came out I was in 6th grade, and I remember a kid in the neighborhood loved this band. He raved about how great they are, but I couldn't get over the fact that I found the singer's voice incredibly annoying. I have given Rush a listen over the years and do like some of their songs. They are very good musicians, and I especially appreciate Neil Peart's drumming. As I listened to this again for the first time in a long time, I kept thinking - it would be so cool if they just focused on doing instrumentals - for 2 reasons: 1) The aforementioned annoying voice of Geddy Lee. He is much better on the songs (or parts of songs) where he isn't shrieking. I've seen some people make comparisons to Robert Plant's voice and - I don't know what it is exactly - but I think Robert Plant's voice is awesome while Geddy Lee is incredibly grating. I guess we all have different ears. AND 2) I also find the lyrics kind of silly. It seems like they are trying to be deep (especially on the first side track) but it just comes across as corny to me. And after realizing they were inspired by Ayn Rand it makes more sense since her books are like that - purportedly deep but populated with one dimensional caricatures and very flimsy philosophy In 2026, the "priests of the temples of syrinx" sound like they are the tech-bro billionaires of all the "magnificent seven" tech companies - so maybe they were on to something?? I've got 2 songs "liked" on Spotify (Passage to Bangkok and Tears) since they aren't as annoying. Although the "oriental riff" on Passage to Bangkok is kind of dated/stereotypical, so it kinda drops that one by a notch. Liked songs on Spotify: 2/6 Rating: 2/5

This was different than what I usually listen to - so was an interesting change of pace. Some of it reminds me of sounds I've heard on Paul Simon's Graceland - though maybe that's just representative of lots of African styles of music. I looked up to see if Paul Simon was inspired by this artist (Koffi Olomide) and couldn't find any connection. I know this album (1992) came out after Graceland (1986) but I thought there might be some connection between the artists prior to this one - but no. Also, it seems that Vampire Weekend has probably listened to/been inspired by this (or this type of music) - and I did see at least 1 reference to that fact when I did some searching. Both "Papa bonheur" and "Koweit, rive gauche" sounded cool to me and "Porte-monnaie" was fun. I did end up liking these 3 songs on Spotify - meaning I won't mind hearing them again in my rotation of songs on my playlists. It's a bit hard to get into, partly because I often gravitate towards lyrics - but I enjoyed some of it for sure. I did find myself distracted at times with some of the cheesy 80s synths sounds. And, given that I am not familiar with this, I don't really have anything to compare it to so I am not sure how this stacks up against other albums from the Congo or this genre in general. Liked songs on Spotify: 3/9 Rating: 2/5

I'm glad they put this on the list, if only as a warning signal to tell me to never listen to this band again. Unlistenable crap. The only feeling it gives me is the feeling of "turn that shit off". I've seen some people mention similarities to White Stripes and these guys. Maybe there are some slight similarities - but the biggest difference is that the White Stripes actually write good songs with good lyrics that sound fucking awesome. This, not at all. Also - Why does this guy occasionally go into Elvis impersonator mode (voice, not music)? Liked songs on Spotify: 0/16 Rating: 0/5 (this site should allow zero ratings)

I am of course familiar with this album. It came out when I was in high school and it was all over the radio and you couldn't escape it - songs from this were played at stores, parties, school dances etc. and on regular rotation on MTV. I was even watching the Motown 25 TV special live, when Michael first did the famous moonwalk dance move. And I used to watch the Jackson 5 cartoon when I was a kid. I'll admit, at the time I thought it was SO completely overplayed that I never felt the need to actually get the album or go back and spend any time listening to it, even after streaming was a thing and everything in the world was available to me. I was also more of a rock kid - but I did like a bunch of Motown and contemporary artists of his (at the time) like Prince. Twas fun actually listening to this front to back for the first time after so long. 4 Good tracks: Wanna Be Startin' Somthin', Beat It, Billy Jean, PYT (Pretty Young Thing) 1 Ok track: Thriller 4 Forgettable tracks: Baby Be Mine, The Girl is Mine, Human Nature, The Lady in My Life Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo definitely lifted "Beat It" up to a whole other level. I'm a huge Beatles fan but the collaboration with Paul McCartney ("The Girl is Mine") here is really one of the worst tracks on this one. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/9 Rating: 3/5

What if you took a seasoned studio session guitarist who had some success with another band that fell apart, grabbed his friend who was also an experienced session musician on bass (and keys and an arranger), then added a 19 yr old kid as your singer, who started singing at 16 and was in another not very successful band, and then added the drummer from the singer's band? You get a group that in retrospect is, without a doubt, one of the greatest rock bands of all time - where each member is widely regarded as at least top 5 at what they do. This album is a 5 star rating with zero hesitation. It's a perfect album with no skips, that never gets old. All 9 songs are classics. It's amazing that this is this band's first album. They came out with such confidence and expertise. Many of the songs on here would be any other band's peak but this is them just getting started. The opener (Good Times Bad Times) is an original song that announces what Zeppelin is and starts with an unforgettable heavy guitar and drum riff. They add organ (by bassist John Paul Jones) to several songs - with particularly great effect on "You're Time is Gonna Come" - to take these songs in a unique direction. They also add an instrumental song ("Black Mountain Side") which is just an acoustic guitar and tabla. The album has 5 inspired reworkings of classic blues and folk songs - alongside 4 incredible originals. The whole album showcases their melding of blues, folk, and hard rock with complex arrangements into something all their own, with totally unique singing. Over time, you can see how the future Led Zeppelin albums continue to expand and improve on this starting point AND entire genres of rock and roll were inspired by this, with current bands (in 2026) still mining this sound - 57 years later! Liked songs on Spotify: 9/9 Rating: 5/5

I had missed this one when it first came out. But I got his 2nd album (Gold) and really liked that one. For some reason I thought that was his first album. Years later I realized he had this one before it and I went back and listened to it. I also discovered that he was the leader of the group Whiskeytown and went back and listened to them too. Good stuff. I'm glad I did because I ended up liking over half the songs and still do. And I'm glad this site had me relisten to it all together again because it still holds up as a very good album. I've liked 8 of the 14 actual songs (first song doesn't count because it's just 2 guys talking). The other 6 aren't horrible but I just don't need to hear them regularly on my playlists. His melodies are usually very good and interesting. His lyrics usually have a different twist on things. I love Jason Isbell and in my mind Ryan Adams was the precursor to Isbell. I think I've read somewhere they were actually friends back in the day. If you like Isbell, chances are you'd like Ryan Adams too. Standout tracks: Too Be Young, Oh My Sweet Carolina Liked songs on Spotify: 8/14 Rating: 3/5

For some reason I had never heard this band. I was actually excited when it got assigned to me. I was really looking forward to listening to it. I thought "oh, maybe this is a cool band that I can discover". Nope. There's nothing there that grabs me. No beat. No melody. No interesting lyrics. No emotion. No highs, no lows. No twists, no turns. Just endless monotony. It's not even offensive, it's just boring nothingness. I listened to it twice and, somewhere along the way, forgot I even had it on. It just drones on and on and on. Even when it continued playing back at the first song after going through the whole album the first time, I didn't realize I had already heard it before. There are no memorable songs on this one - at all. Apparently this took 22 years from their last album to make. Seems like something someone could have knocked out in an afternoon just fucking around with some effects pedals. I saw that this site is going to give me other albums by this band - so I'm bracing for a similar experience - but hoping/wishing it's somehow better. I read that the "shoegaze" genre was inspired by songs like Tomorrow Never Knows (Beatles), All I Want to Do (Beach Boys), and Heroes (David Bowie). Maybe that is so, but the big difference is that those are good songs that are enjoyable to listen to and this not at all. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/9 Rating: 1/5 (should be 0)

This was definitely a pleasant surprise! Never heard of this band from Mali, nor any other musicians from Mali. From the first song I was digging this sound, they are fun and have a great vibe. I bet I'd like it even more if I could understand what they are saying. The layered, circular guitars with African rhythms is pretty cool. After listening to it through 2 times, I have already liked 7 out of 11 songs on Spotify - and I can't wait for them to show up in my automated playlists. I could see myself possibly liking more upon further listens. And now I want to check out some of their other albums Liked songs on Spotify: 7/11 Rating: 4/5

I was slightly familiar with these guys - having really liked Love Will Tear Us Apart and 3 of the songs on their first album Unknown Pleasures - but for some reason I never listened to this particular album. I can definitely hear their influence on bands I like - such as The Cure, Interpol, and She Wants Revenge and somewhat U2 and Radiohead. I really like the music on all of these - it does a great job of setting a mood. For example, the drums on the first song (Atrocity Exhibition) and many other songs are really cool. Also love the way they combine the guitars and synthesizers on many of the songs, and their use of the swirling and chiming guitars for ambient mood setting. Also they use the bass to drive melodies and mood in a cool way. I ended up liking all of the songs - just because the music is so good. Biggest issue for me is the singing - on some songs I find his voice very annoying but on others it's less so. I do think it sorta grows on you though, but I can't help but thinking how much better these guys would be with a better singer or if they did some as instrumentals. Maybe I need to take a closer look at New Order. Liked songs on Spotify: 9/9 Rating: 5/5 I have to give it 5 because I ended up liking all of the songs - but the voice still turns me off somewhat - so I'll have to listen to this when in the right mood.

How have I never even heard of Fred Neil? I know the "Everybody's Talkin" song from the Harry Nilsson cover which was all over the radio when I was a little kid - but had no idea it was written by someone else. I've had Nilsson's version of this song "liked" on Spotify for years. I also found that I had already liked Linda Ronstadt's version of "The Dolphins" and never knew it was written and originally recorded by this guy. It was fascinating listening to this and noticing similarities to Johnny Cash, Beatles, Jimmy Buffett, Glen Campbell, etc. - and learning about his influence on Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Grateful Dead and so many others. Plus Bob Dylan played harmonica with Fred when Dylan was just getting started in NYC. Plus he wrote songs for other artists like Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison. This guy was connected to so many great artists back in the day. One article I read about him said that the Beatles were in NYC and really wanted to meet him and he was like "ok, I guess I'll make some time" or something like that - haha. And then the fact that he just didn't care about the business and promotion side of music and chucked it all to focus on starting an organization for the protection of dolphins - makes him even more of an interesting character. I listened to this album 3 times in a row and ended up "liking" 6 songs out of 10 just from that. One thing great about this 1001 Albums is discovering "new" (to me) artists and albums like this. Liked songs on Spotify: 6/10 Rating: 3/5

I'm a big Beatles fan in general. I have over 100 of their songs liked on Spotify which puts them as my #2 artist overall in terms of song count. I also went and saw Paul in concert in 2025 - mostly because I figured it might be the last time I could see a Beatle live. So, of course, I am very familiar with Paul McCartney. But I never really got into his solo or Wings stuff that much. Yes I was aware of his radio hits and like some of them - and strongly dislike some of them too - so I never felt compelled to do a deep dive into his solo work. It usually felt like his solo stuff was missing the other band members to say "hey, that's crap, lets do this or let's add something to that". I feel the same way about most of the output of any of the solo Beatles. I'd say the sum of the Beatles was usually greater than the individual parts. So, this is the first time I've ever sat down and listened to this one front to back. I think it's kinda cool that instead of trying to compete with the complex production style of the Beatles he just went in the opposite direction and did a DIY type album. The standout track is "Maybe I'm Amazed" - which is a great song, and the one on this album that seems like he put the most time and effort into. "Every Night" is cool too. I like the anti-consumerism sentiment and simple mellowness of "Junk". I enjoy the instrumentals "Valentine Day" and "Momma Miss America" and "Singalong Junk" - and have added all of them to my Instrumentals playlist. The rest didn't grab me and I really didn't like "That Would Be Something" where he sounds like he's trying to be Elvis. I kinda liked the drumming on Kreen-Akrore - but after repeated listens there were parts of it that made me realize I wouldn't really want to hear it again. Liked songs on Spotify: 6/13 Rating: 3/5

The Joshua Tree is an instant 5 for me. I had already "liked" every song on this on Spotify before being assigned this to listen on here. It's a perfect album with no skips. I also saw U2 for the first time on this tour and I think I've seen them in concert 6 times, including at the Sphere in Vegas. I've got 3 U2 albums that I consider Perfect Albums - where I like every song. War (1983), this one (1987), and Achtung Baby (1991). There is not one bad song on this and all of them are actually great songs - that I never get tired of hearing. Even though some of the hit songs were overplayed at the time, I still really like them. Some of the best songs on this are deep cuts that never got radio play. Any song off this album would be a peak song for most other bands. By the time this one came out I was already a big U2 fan from the War and The Unforgettable Fire albums. But this one took them to a whole other level of popularity. Before this they were more of a niche thing, after this literally everyone knew who they were. I remember being kind of annoyed at all the new fans but had to admit it really was a great album and they deserved as much praise and attention as they were getting. The album starts with the 3 songs that were the big radio and video hits - which are great songs - but all of the songs after the first 3, from Bullet the Blue Sky to the last song (Mother's of the Disappeared), are all 10/10 - great lyrics, great vibe by the band, great vocals by Bono. Very intense, sad, angry, joyous, quiet, loud - all the things. If the sequence of the last 3 songs from One Tree Hill to Exit to Mother's of the Disappeared doesn't grab you then there's something wrong with you :) Liked songs on Spotify: 11/11 Rating: 5/5

I do like some old school country like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, and even all the way back to The Carter Family. But, I have never even heard of the name Marty Robbins. Or if I did, it did not stick in my brain. First impression - this is some corny, old timey music that reminds me of Burl Ives singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer - or something like that. After a few listens of the whole album, it started slightly growing on me. As soon as El Paso came on, I realized that I have heard that one somewhere before but couldn't place where or when. Perhaps from Breaking Bad? Could be. I also noticed some similarities between Marty's singing style and Roy Orbison. Not sure if they influenced each other or not - couldn't find evidence of that online. Some of the characters in these songs also reminded me of the types of characters found in the songs on Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album - which is one of my all time favorite albums. Though I like the sound of Bruce's record so much more. Makes me wonder if Bruce is familiar with Marty Robbins. Another thought - I wonder if hip hop fans would like this since it's a lot about killing people that crossed your path or took your girl - so has some similarities thematically. Bottom line - it's ok, and I ended up clicking like on 5 songs (Big Iron, 160 Acres, They're Hanging Me Tonight, Cool Water, El Paso). They say he was influential on the "outlaw" country genre - but I'm not sure I see the connection. I'll probably never listen to the whole album again, but wouldn't mind these handful of songs popping up on my playlists. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/15 Rating: 2/5

I had never actually listened to this whole album. When I went to it on Spotify, I found I had already liked one song (Fuck and Run) but don't remember when or why I had heard that one before. I listened to this 3 times in a row. I definitely hear other artists that have some similarities - like The Waitresses (singing style mostly, prior to this), and PJ Harvey (contemporary to this, I think), and Poe (after this). This album is way too long - 18 songs. She could have dropped about 8 of these songs and had a much better album. I found myself actually liking a bunch of songs in the middle - they were much more interesting - Explain it to Me, Canary, Mesmerizing, Shatter, and Flower. These ones have a cool vibe that makes them stand out. So I ended up liking 6 songs total out of 18. Six songs on a shorter album would be a very good showing but since there are so many other less good songs it makes it a lot of work to find the good nuggets. Liked songs on Spotify: 6/18 Rating: 2/5

I like some blues, and blues based rock songs - and I know Muddy Waters is considered one of the godfathers of the whole genre. So I was excited to be assigned this album and was looking forward to listening to it. Started off with Mannish Boy, which I was already familiar with and liked. About halfway through the album I kept thinking "Is this almost over?" Nope. It was just too endlessly repetitive to me. I lost track of when one song started and one ended. I often really like harmonica in songs - but here it was too much - just constant high pitched whining. Maybe they should consider using it more sparingly for better effect. The guitar was a little like that too. The production style just seems like a wall of noise with no breaks or room to breathe. The piano and the drums were the best part of the songs here. Liked songs on Spotify: 1/9 Rating: 1/5

I have never heard of this band nor album before. The only name involved in this that I recognized was Nigel Goodrich (who mixed this album) - I have seen his name involved with Radiohead, U2, Beck and other artists I love. I listened to this 3 times in a row. I occasionally find it is reminiscent of artists such as Blur, Gorillaz, Beck, Flaming Lips, and somewhat The Beatles and The Kinks - all of whom I like - not an exact copy or anything but definitely similarities in certain instances. It started growing on me after the 2nd listen and I started liking a bunch of the songs. In particular I really like the 6 song stretch in the middle from "Wonderful" to "Liquid Bird" + "Assessment" and "Pure For". So now I am curious to listen to their other stuff - some of which has many more streams on Spotify. Liked songs on Spotify: 8/12 Rating: 3/5

I like Bob Dylan. I have over 40 of his songs liked on Spotify. I even saw him in concert in the early 90s. Prior to being assigned this album here, I had already liked 2 songs off this one - "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Desolation Row" - the first and last tracks. I probably did listen to the whole thing at least once before - but I'm not really sure. This album came out about month before I was born and I have always seen it on "best albums" lists for most of my life. So, expectations were high - but I was honestly skeptical it would live up to it's reputation. So, as with all of the albums on this site, I try to listen to each one 3 times in a row. After the 2nd time through, I started "getting" some of the other songs - especially after reading the lyrics and also reading people's interpretations of the songs on sites like SongMeanings.com. Basically, his fairly obtuse lyrics started making more sense to me. And in general, I started getting into the groove of the songs too - basically getting into the vibe and headspace of Dylan. After the 3rd listen, I looked down and noticed that I had clicked on "like" on every song as I had gone through it. Is it the best album of all time? No, I don't think so. I can quickly think of many other albums deserving of that honor off the top of my head. Is it filled with songs I wouldn't mind listening to again? For sure. Take my 5 stars Bob! Liked songs on Spotify: 9/9 Rating: 5/5

I was in high school and college when Madonna first came out with her self-titled debut album followed by Like A Virgin and True Blue - and she became a superstar over the course of that time She was so pervasive and popular that you couldn't not be aware of her at the time. However, I wasn't digging it and never got into her. It just wasn't for me I guess. It seemed it was meant for the girls and not for a guy. Somehow when the Ray of Light album came out in 1998, I finally connected with one of her works and really liked a bunch of songs on that album. Maybe we just intersected since she was having kids around that time and so was I. This one (Music) came out as the next one after Ray of Light and so I gave it a chance. First three tracks don't do it for me, but I like 6 of the last 7 songs. I like the acoustic guitar + electronic vibe of tracks like "I Deserve It", "Nobody's Perfect', "Don't Tell Me", and "Gone". Plus "Amazing" and "Paradise (Not For Me)" are pretty cool. I am actually a little surprised that this album is on this list. I didn't realize it was considered "critically acclaimed". Good for her to have a few on here. Bottom line recommendation - if you are only familiar with Madonna's most famous stuff from the 80s and early 90s and that never grabbed you - give this one a chance. Liked songs on Spotify: 6/10 Rating: 3/5

I am only familiar with Herbie Hancock from the "Rock It" song that came out in 1983 and was on MTV all the time. Have never heard anything else by him. And I'm not really familiar with jazz stuff in general. I have been getting more and more into instrumental music over the years as well. So, I came into this with a fairly open mind - let's see what this is all about. First thing I noticed - oh, there are only 4 songs - and 2 of them are really long. Interesting. I do generally like some long, jammy songs - such as from groups like Allman Brothers (for a long time), and more recently from bands like Umphrey's McGee and STS9. Have just finished listening to it 3 times in a row... As soon as "Chameleon" came on, the bass line seemed super familiar. I did some searching and found that it has been sampled in tons of songs and specifically it was used by Beck in his song called "Cell Phone's Dead" - which is where I would have heard it. That's cool. The electric piano part in this song sounds similar to stuff from Steely Dan (who I like). Listening to Watermelon, I feel like I've heard that keyboard part before - but I couldn't find it connected to anything I was familiar with (samples or movies etc.) Must be something, since it immediately felt familiar. And then what is that sound - oh it's a guy blowing in a beer bottle - haha. Definitely hear some Steely Dan electric piano on this one too. While listening I found out that both Umphrey's McGee and STS9 have covered Herbie Hancock songs and have been influenced by him. STS9 specifically mentions the Headhunters era. Steely Dan has also been influenced by Herbie Hancock as well. It all makes sense now! Anyway, I dig it. It's good. It's a cool mix of funk, jazz, and electronics/synthesizers. I have clicked "like" on all four songs. Looking forward to these songs popping up on my automated playlists. So this get's 5 stars from me. The whole thing seems like it would be good to jam to while on a long drive just after the sun sets during twilight. Or even just something on in the background while working from home or on a long bike ride. Albums like this are why I decided to do this album a day thing - to expand my horizons and get me to listen to good stuff outside of my comfort zone. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/4 Rating: 5/5

I do like some bluegrass music. For example, the album Train a' Comin' by Steve Earle is a perfect album that I love - which is heavily indebted to this type of music. And I do like some old timey country acts like Hank Williams, The Carter Family, Johnny Cash and stuff like that. And I like some more "modern" alternative country like Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. And I also like some even more modern artists like Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers who mix in this style to their songs. So, when I saw this come up, I was very curious to hear it since it's supposed to be a lot of the artists that started/popularized the bluegrass style brought together by the Nitty Gritty Dirt band as a labor of love in the early '70s. It's basically Bluegrass All-Stars playing Bluegrass Classics. 1st reaction: This is WAY too long. After about the first hour of it I was waiting for it to be done. The version on Spotify has 42 songs but I read on the Wikipedia article that the original release had 38 songs and ended at the "Both Sides Now" instrumental. So I decided early on I would only listen to the first 38. 2nd reaction: I kinda like the instrumentals because they just sound cool and don't have the silly, nasally, twangy voices. But, after like the third or fourth instrumental I started thinking that even all the instrumentals sounded pretty much the same so started losing interest in them too. 3rd reaction: For the songs that I already knew - such as the ones by Hank Williams - I like the originals better. I also like the Byrd's version of "I am a Pilgrim" better than this version too. I also like Willie Nelson's version of "Down Yonder" (from Red Headed Stranger album, 2 years later in 1975) better. 4th reaction: I wonder if Springsteen was aware of the song called "Wreck on the Highway" - since he has a song of the same name. The only similarity between this song and Bruce's song is that the premise of each song is about coming upon a car crash where someone died. 5th reaction: I generally like the songs that Maybelle Carter sings the most. Her voice isn't as annoying as some of the guys. And it's cool to see she was still active in the 1970s. Her original recordings from the 20s and 30s sound like they were beamed in to earth from an ancient time and place - so I was excited to see she was still sounding great after all those years. Doing the math, she was actually only 62 years old when she recorded this - which is only slightly older than I am now. Wow. 6th reaction: The "Sailin' to Hawaii" song was cool - if only because it was a break from the wall of banjo and fiddle sounds. The instrumental guitar version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" (which was the last song) was cool - and was also a nice break from the sound of the rest of the album. 7th Reaction: the song "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" - an instrumental - definitely reminded me of the Charlie Daniels song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". Seems like Charlie was certainly inspired by this number. I checked it out online and it turns out that is true. 8th Reaction: I find that some of the more contemporary artists that do "bluegrassy" kind of stuff (like the ones I mentioned in the beginning) are more interesting - I think because the arrangements are better and also the lyrics tend to be better and less corny. At the end of all of this and after 2 listens front to back, I did end up clicking "like" on 16 of these songs - meaning I wouldn't mind them showing up on my automated playlists. On any other record that would basically be a perfect album. This record would have been better as 3 different albums - it's just too long. I read that when it was originally released it was a 3 album set - so I guess they couldn't decide what to cut. And then they later went and did 2 more albums like this with another 20 songs on the 2nd one, and another 28 on the 3rd one. These guys didn't scrimp. Glad I got to hear this - despite it's length. I still added 16 "new" songs to my collection. My dad grew up in a small town in Kentucky. His mom was a holy roller type who wouldn't really let them listen to the radio because it was the "devil's music" - but I like to think some of my ancestors probably got into this kinda stuff back in the day :) Liked songs on Spotify: 16/38 Rating: 2/5

I'll try to be objective and just listen to this without prejudice - but I have a very strong negative opinion of this guy just based on his public persona - so we'll see. I've never once listened to any Kanye West music - plus I'm not real familiar with most hip hop - so my expectations are very low. After listening through it twice... I thought this would be better without the vocals. The vocals aren't bad or annoying but it gets tiring listening to the endless self centered, egotistical, "I'm the best, I get all the women, everybody loves me, I got all the money and the best consumer products" sentiment. It seems like fake bravado masking an incredibly deep insecurity. And the drama about haters and beefs with specific people aren't interesting at all - it's like some incredibly dumb Jerry Springer shit. For these reasons "All of the Lights (Interlude)" - which is an instrumental - was the best song on the album. I thought it was cool that he had a whole song with Gil Scott Heron ("Who Will Survive in America") - but seems like Gil Scott Heron and Kanye are really very different people with vastly different perspectives on the world so was surprised he did this. The most honest song on the album is "Runaway" - which is literally telling people to get away from him since he's such an asshole. At least it was a slight bit of self-awareness. I admit this is probably my hip hop and Kanye West ignorance talking here, but - I will add that I can't really tell what exactly Kanye West is doing. He has so many writers, producers, guest rappers and samples - that I'm not sure I can pinpoint his specific contributions versus any of the others. I do think the music is interesting and well put together, but my life will be just fine if I don't listen to any of this again. And besides, Kanye West doesn't need one more person feeding his ridiculous ego or enabling him to get more money so I won't be clicking like on any of these songs. This is just not for me I guess. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/13 Rating: 1/5 (should be zero)

I want to like Metallica. I have friends who think Metallica is awesome. I respect how they do heavy metal (or I guess, technically, "thrash metal") but aren't the dumbass spandex and hair metal type of band that were popular back in the 80s, and I respect that their topics aren't just vapid songs about partying and chicks etc. I have given them a very brief listen over the years, but they never really grabbed me. However, I'm pretty sure I have never listened to this specific album before. I think the only songs I kinda know by them are "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters" - both of which apparently came out after this album and were their big radio hits as far as I remember. I came in with an open mind and listened to this one 3 times . Some highlights ... This starts off with an environmental song ("Blackened"). That's a cool surprise, even if it's a little over the top. Good to see someone getting angry over the state of the earth. "And Justice for All..." - which points out that the American justice system and government in general is corrupted by money. I 100% agree with this sentiment. It's even more urgently relevant in 2026 (at the time of writing this review), than anytime in my life. And good for them to be sounding this alarm nearly 40 years ago. "One" - I like the intro, it's not the wall of thrashing, squealing, grinding guitar like on most of the other songs. Maybe that's what people like about Metallica, but it's nice to have a break from it every now and then. The lyrics are great, about a guy severely injured in war. It's a excellent anti-war song, highlighting the personal impacts of pointless wars. I had first heard this as the Chris Cornell cover years ago and really like that version. "To Live is To Die" - Maybe the best song - since it has NO singing and just a very short spoken word bit. Nice break from the growling and shouting. I can sort of hear how they've had some influence on other bands that I like - such as Muse, Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. There were a few moments where they sounded kind of like Rush to me - maybe there is a little prog influence showing there. My biggest issues with Metallica: 1) Why does this guy have to growl "aagghhhh" at the end of nearly every line? It think it's meant to sound tough or angry - but it just seems stupid, distracting and annoying to me 2) Also - I'm not a big fan of the hyper, sped up, high pitched, mechanical sounding, thrashing guitars. It just puts me on edge - and not in a "let's get pumped up" kind of way - but in an anxiety inducing way. Given that this seems to be their trademark sound - I'm not sure I will ever really get into these guys too much. Curious to see what their other albums sound like when they come up on this list. Oh well, I gave it a shot and ended up clicking "like" on the 4 songs listed above which means I'd be ok if they showed up on my automated playlists. That's 4 more songs from them than I had on my playlists before - so some growth :) I'll have to see if I still like these songs as they pop up in the future. I definitely liked the lyrics more than the music and the vocals - so now I'm wondering if there are other covers of their songs out there. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/9 Rating: 2/5

Why do I need to listen to this before I die? Maybe it's just me - BUT I don't find this an enjoyable listening experience at all. One surprise - in the song "Fix Up, Look Sharp" - he heavily samples a Billy Squire song called "The Big Beat" from 1980 - both the drum beat and some of Billy's vocals. It's basically the only listenable song on the album for this reason. "Jus' a Rascal" is probably the 2nd most listenable song. It actually looks like those are the 2 most popular songs on this album - makes sense. In the 1830's in Denmark, a tale was written about a king who pretended to have beautiful clothes but he was actually naked. All the people didn't want to mention he was naked - for fear of seeming foolish. But then one kid spoke up and shouted that the king wasn't wearing any clothes. In my opinion, this album is like that- only 160+ years later. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/15 Rating: 1/5 (should be zero)

When this came up here I was already very familiar with and liked "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel" and "Kids" ... which were the big songs I remember on alternative radio when this came out. But I had never spent any time listening to the whole thing. Some observations as I listen to it 3 times through... Still love the songs mentioned above. At various points across this album, I hear what sounds to me like influences by The Flaming Lips and David Bowie and - which is good. Not a copy but I just hear little things that remind me of them at times. But it has it's own original and cool sound. "Youth" - seems like an optimistic song, which is cool. "Weekend Wars" - definitely has a heavy Bowie sound especially the voice. "4th Dimensional Transmission" - cool vibe "Pieces of What" - voice kinda reminded me of Smashing Pumpkins. Love the long instrumental part of "Of Moons, Birds and Monsters" I didn't analyze the lyrics that much, as I was just digging the vibe. I ended up liking the first 8 songs on this one. Glad this site got me to actually spend time listening to this full album. It's good! I'm definitely excited to see these songs pop up on my automated playlists. Liked songs on Spotify: 8/10 Rating: 4/5

Have never heard of this artist, nor did I recognize any songs by them. I noticed Spotify had a bunch of these songs greyed out (not playable). Don't know what's going on there. There are 9 songs available - so my evaluation will be related to those 9 songs only. Thoughts as it's playing... At times, reminds me of LCD Soundsystem and Chemical Brothers - both of whom I like. But not all of the time. "Dreamin'"- didn't really like this one. Cheesy 80s synth sound doesn't grab me. "Music makes you lose control" - good groove. Has words but it's just repetitive/hypnotic. "Soft Machine" is cool "Hypnotise" - don't these Brits know this should be spelled with a "z"? too repetitive, not enough variety Surprised to hear him pulling a line from "For What It's Worth" by Crosby, Stills, Nash on the "(Hey You) What's That Sound?" song. I shouldn't be surprised since it's the song title - but when I first listened I wasn't looking at the song titles. "Sometimes" gives me Erasure or Pet Shop Boys vibes (I think, I haven't heard them forever) - don't really like this style. "Damaged People" has a cool vibe. I ended up liking 4 out of the 9 songs available to me. The ones I like could be good songs for my High Energy playlist for long bike rides. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/9 (this is the 9 that are available on Spotify - there are 4 others that are blanked out) Rating: 2/5

I've known and liked Paul Simon (the artist) for a long time, with and without Garfunkel. I also saw him at his massive free concert in Central Park in New York City in 1991. But I'm generally more familiar with his radio hits and haven't really dived into his deep cuts. So I'm very curious to actually spend time with this one. Before listening to this album as part of this project, I already had 3 songs "liked" on Spotify - "Mother and Child Reunion", "Duncan", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard". Still like those ones. After listening 3 times, I ended up "liking" 6 more songs - "Everything Put Together Falls Apart", "Run that Body Down", "Armistice Day", "Peace Like a River", "Paranoia Blues" and "Congratulations". These all grew on me - based on the lyrics and the melodies and music. They slowly pull you in. Observation on Papa Hobo: I didn't realize Gatorade was a product in 1972. I was a kid then and don't remember it even existing at that time. Who knew? Liked songs on Spotify: 9/11 Rating: 4/5

Neil Young is one of my favorite artists. I have 65 songs already liked by Neil across his whole career (not counting CSNY). I've seen him twice in concert - once on a solo acoustic tour in the early 90s and once with the Chrome Hearts band on his Love Earth tour last year (2025). 2 of his albums are on my Perfect Albums list - "After The Gold Rush" and "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere". I have "Harvest" as a near Perfect Album. His compilation album "Decade" was my Neil gateway drug, that led to exploring his early albums. Prior to this project, I had already liked 4 songs off this one - "My My Hey Hey", "Pocahontas", "Powderfinger", and "Hey Hey My My". If you have never listened to "Powderfinger" before - you must listen to it 3 times and read the lyrics. It's so good! I love story songs with no chorus - and this song fits that perfectly. How many songs have a narrator who is dead, singing about his demise? So cool. Actually because of this 1001 Albums experience I have already listened to the Marty Robbins song "El Paso". SPOILER ALERT: The narrator dies in that one to. New observations: "Thrasher" is freaking great - after listening a few times and reading the lyrics. How did I skip this one before? I absolutely love this song. I think it's describing how you just have to go your own way and keep moving forward even if most of the people in your life are stuck in their ways, inside their comfortable bubbles. He doesn't blame them, just recognizes they are on different paths. Don't become a "rock formation" or a "park bench mutation" folks. Kinda the "road less travelled" concept in a song without a chorus. It's simply brilliant! Also like "Ride My Llama" and "Sail Away". I have no idea what "Ride My Llama" is about and I'm not sure Neil does either. It's still cool nonetheless. Don't really like "Welfare Mothers" or "Sedan Delivery". Liked songs on Spotify: 7/9 - so this moved it into the "Near Perfect" zone Rating: 4/5

Looking at my Spotify "Liked Songs", I have 6 songs from Depeche Mode liked across 4 different albums - and only 1 song from this album - so it's fair to say I am aware of Depeche Mode but have only slightly dabbled in their music. I did see a Depeche Mode cover band one time like 10 years ago and thought it was a very good show. So, I'm curious to see what I think of this whole album. The one song I had already "liked" is "Never Let Me Down Again" - which seems to have been the hit song from this album and the one that I remember hearing on the radio. It's pretty cool. After the first listen through, the 2 additional songs I "liked" right away were the 2 instrumentals - "Plimpf" and "Agent Orange". They were a nice break from the voice which seems to annoy me. The music is good though. Funny how they are the least played songs on this album - according to the Spotify stats. Do people not generally like instrumental songs?? Also, apparently "Agent Orange" isn't part of the original 10 song release - oh well, still like it. After 3 listens, these 6 other songs grew on me - "The Things You Said", "Little 15", "Behind the Wheel", 'I Want You Now", "To Have and To Hold", and "Nothing". For some reason, I could not get into "Strangelove" and "Sacred". I'm glad this website/book got me to actually sit down and listen to this. Definitely digging Depeche Mode. Funny thing is, when this was new in 1987, I wasn't really into this type of music - but as time goes by it's grown on me. This also led me to discover a bunch of covers of Depeche Mode songs by other bands, and I really like the Smashing Pumpkins version of "Never Let Me Down Again". Liked songs on Spotify: 9/11 (10 on the original release, but I am counting "Agent Orange" even it it wasn't on the original release - so that makes 11) Rating: 4/5

Prior to being assigned this album on this website, I had 4 of Sam Cooke's songs liked on Spotify. All of these were from the original albums or compilations, none of them were live. I am not a huge fan of "live" recordings in general - usually preferring the album versions of most songs. That being said, I am no stranger to live songs - having ~140 live songs "liked" on Spotify - but that's out of 5,600+ songs so it's still a small subset. It was interesting to hear this - because I definitely can hear his influence on artists I like - such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger - especially on stage. It was also cool to hear him totally letting loose in the live setting. For example, just listening to the song "Bring It On Home To Me" - the live version is much more raw and energetic, where the studio version is much more polished and smooth. Both are cool - but you can "feel it" more in the live version. After listening 3 times, I ended up liking 5 songs on this one ("Feel It", "Chain Gang", the Medley, "Bring It On Home To Me" and "Having a Party") - and will look forward to them popping up on my playlists. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/10 Rating: 3/5

I started out with 1 liked song on this album, the radio hit "Paper Planes", but I don't think I've ever listened to this one front to back. As I kept listening, I had this thought over and over again - I would like to just listen to this music, but not the vocals or lyrics - the music has a cool / fun energy. I do find the heavy British accent kind of annoying, and sometimes the lyrics seem like nonsense - but sometimes I can get what she is saying and dig it. It started growing on me more by the 3rd listen through. I was surprised to hear the lyrics from the Pixies "Where is My Mind?" (which I like) in the song "20 Dollar". Also, thought it was cool that LCD Soundsystem (who I like) had her as the opening act on one of their tours. I ended up clicking "like" on "Hussel", "20 Dollar", "The Turn" and "Come Around" - which means I wouldn't mind them coming up on my playlists. I'm curious to see if these will grow on me even more over time. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/12 Rating: 2/5

I've heard the name Afghan Whigs but that's about it. I don't remember ever listening to any of their songs and don't have any songs "liked" by them. Not sure how I completely missed them, I was actively listening alternative rock radio in 1993 and discovering lots of new bands then - I'm guessing they just didn't play them a lot -and maybe they played some of the "popular" songs that I ended up not liking once I heard them today. Observations... Lyrically, a lot of this album seems to be about what a shit person the lyricist (or main character?) is - does crappy things and doesn't regret it at all, and how that behavior is destroying his relationship. So it's kind of interesting to see what it's like inside that mind, but it's also very off-putting because of that. I guess good on him for admitting/recognizing it - or shining light on people like that. Occasionally, this sounded a bit like Dinosaur Jr to me, and 1 or 2 times I thought I heard a little U2 influence. 1st song ("If I Were Going") - pretty cool. The "big"/most streamed song on this album "Debonair" seems to repeat/reuse some of the lyrics from this one -> "It don't bleed and it don't breathe, It's locked its jaws and now it's swallowing" "When We Two Parted" - good "What Jail is Like" - I liked the piano on this one, it seemed more prominent here than on most of the other songs. The song "My Curse" with guest singer Marcy Mays might be the 2nd best song on the album. Her voice is much better than the main guy. They should have done more with her. "I Keep Coming Back" - dig the mellower vibe of this. Probably the best version of his voice on this album. Has kind of a soul singer feel - having just listened to the Sam Cooke live album on this list, I can see the connection. The last song ("Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer") is an instrumental and is the best song on this one because it has no singing. I don't really like the lead singers voice that much. I like his voice better when he's not shrieking/whining. SIDE NOTE: This is starting to be a pattern with me through this 1001 albums experience - I realize how picky I am about voices. For some reason I didn't really like the 3 most streamed songs "Gentlemen", "Be Sweet", and "Debonair". I think it was the voice thing again and he comes across as the biggest whiny asshole on these I think. Liked songs on Spotify: 6/11 Rating: 3/5

I wanted to like this. After reading how highly, and universally, this has been praised, I thought "oh good, maybe this will be the album that gets me to appreciate contemporary hip hop even more." It just didn't happen. It's not a pleasurable listening experience to me. I did think it was funny how in the first song he was bragging about how he's gonna get with the hot girl and then his mom and dad call him nagging him about something and killing the whole buzz. I chuckled a bit about that, and appreciated his sense of humor. It's clear this resonates deeply with lots of people - I'm just not one of them. I do like some old school rap such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, NWA, Public Enemy - but it seems this genre has moved in a completely different direction from those, that it's just not relatable to me at all. I'd probably need to go back and listen to the progression of hip hop for the last 40 years to make it click for me. I just don't have any desire to listen to any of this again. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/12 Rating: 1/5

I like The Who. I have over 40 of their songs "liked" on Spotify. I consider "Who's Next" a perfect album where I like every song. Also, The Who was the first concert I ever saw - at Shea Stadium (NYC) in 1982 with the Clash opening. But I have never listened to this one - so I'm excited to see how it is. I'm going to review the 6 songs that were on the original. It looks like Spotify only has extended versions of this - so I will skip the songs that weren't on the original for this review. I haven't heard "Young Man Blues" before - either this cover by The Who or the original by Mose Allison. It was cool. "Substitute" - this is a great song that I know from the original studio version. Only complaint is they could have spent more time on this. Not sure why they chose to do a short 2 minute version of this, when the single version is almost 4 minutes. The cover of Eddie Cochrane's "Summertime Blues" is great, and I realize now this is the version I've heard most of my life. Really liked the long instrumental section of the "My Generation Medley". Upon relistening to "Magic Bus", after not having heard it in a long time, I recognized right away that the core riff is basically the Bo Diddley beat - which has been used in tons of songs over the years. Funny, I hadn't registered that before. I didn't really like "Shakin' All Over" that much. It's one of 3 covers on this one - out of 6 songs. I did think it was interesting how at the very beginning and at certain parts in the song Roger Daltrey's voice sounded like Jim Morrison. The best things about all of these songs are: 1) the drumming by Keith Moon - which always sounds like it's about to go completely off the rails - his energy and power is great 2) And of course the guitar of Pete Townsend - you can hear how so many rock guitarists over the years have been inspired by him. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/6 Rating: 4/5

A few years ago, during COVID lockdown I think, I was listening to the Led Zeppelin tune "The Battle of Evermore" - which I have heard hundreds of times and love - and got to wondering "who is that woman singing with Robert Plant?". That led me to Sandy Denny, which let me to Fairport Convention. And after going down that rabbit hole, I ended up having 10 songs from them "liked" on Spotify. But for some reason the only song from this specific album that I clicked like on is "Matty Groves". I think I just got sidetracked and never deep dived on this one. So.... I'm so glad this website got me to spend time with this one. I dig their whole British Folk/Folk Rock vibe. And her voice sounds like it's an angel's voice coming from another time. I can totally see why Led Zeppelin let her be the only outside singer on any of their awesome songs. It fits perfectly with the Folk Rock and mystical sound they wanted for that song. I listened to it all 3 times in a row with no other distractions. This was great! I was getting into every song and never once was wondering when it's gonna end. It has this great vibe where it sounds modern and ancient at the same time. It's cool how the songs they wrote sit side by side so well with old, traditional English folk songs. I ended up with all songs liked and I am excited to hear these songs show up on my automated playlists Liked songs on Spotify: 8/8 Rating: 5/5

Of course I am aware of Elvis. I remember when he did the first live satellite broadcast of a concert (or something like that). I remember his movies being on TV in nonstop rotation for what seemed like the whole summer after he died - and my girl cousins just wanted to watch them all the time. I have 7 of his songs liked on Spotify - basically a few of his hits from across his career I think. But I've never actually listened to a whole Elvis album all the way through. I take that back - I have listened to his Christmas album (from 1957) all the way through many times. I listened to this 3 times - as I have for most of these albums on here. Some thoughts... When I first looked at the track list my initial thought was that I don't recognize any of the songs on here. The first time through I kept thinking this is a "paint by numbers" Elvis album where the producers and writers came together and said let's create a new "ELVIS" album and wanted to check all of the standard boxes - so we can remind people about him after his military service. After a couple more listens I started to appreciate it for what it is - a well constructed set of songs created by professional musicians and writers - with a singer that happens to have a very good voice. "Fever" - I think I like this one the best because of the sparse arrangement. Makes it different and interesting. Also, when listening with headphones I could tell they were trying things out with stereo techniques. It kinda made it feel like you were sitting there with the few musicians involved circled around you. Also made me think of Springsteen's song called "I'm On Fire" and how he was probably inspired by this. The title of that song is even a line from this one. "The Girl of My Best Friend" - I gotta assume The Cars were aware of this song when they wrote "My Best Friend's Girl" nearly 20 years later. Don't know for sure. Not similar musically but just has similar theme. "Such A Night" - I know I've heard this one before but just can't place it where or when. Pretty good. "It Feels So Right" - good vibe. "Like A Baby" - the song that proves you can stuff 9 similes about babies into 1 song. Who knew that was possible? I ended up liking the 5 songs listed above and would be ok for them to show up on my playlists. I can also see how other artists that I like that came after definitely picked up a few things from Elvis - such as Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Springsteen etc. - although all of those artists grew in endless directions beyond this kind of music. I don't think I'll ever get to a point where Elvis is my favorite artist or where I want to listen to this all on repeat - but I definitely appreciate him a little more than I did before. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/12 Rating: 2/5

I recognized this name for some reason, but didn't know anything about them, nor any of the songs. I have heard the name Ry Cooder before but not exactly sure why. So this was pretty much a walking in blind kind of thing. I had a hard time getting into this. It's kind of fun for a bit - but just get's tiring after a while. I started zoning out while listening. I think I just don't know enough about this kind of music to really appreciate it - after awhile it just all sounds the same to me. The most exposure I've ever had to Cuban music, is from Rocky Ricardo's band on I Love Lucy. It seems like it hasn't changed in a long time. I ended up liking the 2 instrumentals - "Pueblo Nuevo" and "Buena Vista Social Club". Liked songs on Spotify: 2/14 Rating: 1/5

Prior to this, I had already liked the song "Royals" by Lorde. I think this was played on Alternative Rock radio a lot when it first came out (in 2013). That's the only one though, and I never spent any time diving into the rest of her stuff. Thoughts while listening to this... I kept wondering why so many pop singers of the last decade or 2 have such a "breathy" singing style where they pronounce words in a strange, "chopped" / "talky" way. I found out that it's called "Indie Girl Voice" or "Whisper Pop". It's the kind of thing I hear when out and about in stores etc. and I'm always wondering why so many women artists sing like this. I find that it can be a very annoying affectation. Lorde didn't innovate it - it looks like singers like Bjork, Regina Spektor, and Lana Del Ray probably started this and Lorde followed in this tradition and helped popularize it along with others like Selena Gomez. Learn something new every day. I'm sure there's a lot more to this that I am missing. I do like that many of her songs are NOT the standard verse/chorus/verse setup of many pop songs "Writer In The Dark" had a very Tori Amos feel to it. I like the songs that are piano based the most. Ended up liking "Liability", "Hard Feelings/Loveless", "Writer in the Dark", and "The Louvre" I'd probably relate to this more if I was a sad, 20-something girl - but I do respect her artistry. I should add that I can't tell how much of this is her doing or the producer guy who looks like he also co-wrote most of the songs. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/12 Rating: 2/5

I don't think this album is meant for me. I am not a middle school aged girl, nor was I when this came out, nor have I ever been. This just reminds me of everything that I don't like about most modern pop music - where it's put together by a committee of producers and designed to check all of the "hit" boxes. Just feels soulless and boring, like a mass produced disposable product. Maybe this is the album where all of that started - perhaps that is why this album is on this list?? The only reason they needed Britney involved was to come in and sing. It could have been any other person. To be honest, her voice actually isn't very good on this album - which is kind of sad since that's her only contribution. I don't know how her voice here compares to her subsequent releases. It funny, it sometimes seems like she's trying to sound like a young Michael Jackson. It seems they just chose her because she's cute - which I guess actually is a different contribution since that shows up well on videos. To compare to other popular women artists who all started out fairly young such as Taylor Swift, Lorde, Liz Phair, Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morrissette, or Sinead O'Connor - at least they write a lot of their own songs - which I can respect since you feel like you are hearing the perspective of the actual artist. In this case we are hearing the thoughts of middle aged men trying to put themselves in the mind frame of a teenage girl. I'll never proactively listen to any of these songs again. It's just all pretty bland and forgettable. Actually, the best song on this is "The Beat Goes On" - which technically isn't even on the album since it's only on the Deluxe Edition. It's got much more interesting music. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/11 Rating: 1/5

I know a little bit of UB40. Before listening to this album I had 7 songs "liked" by them on Spotify - but it looks like none are from this album. So, I'm very curious to hear this. Thoughts while listening ... This is a great vibe. As I was listening the first time - I was "yep, that's a great song - cool sound, interesting lyrics". And then the next song comes on and same thing. And repeat. I also really like the instrumentals and extended jams (such as on "Madam Medusa"). I dig how they use the saxophone. It's not blaring on top of everything else, but blends in to the overall sound. Was pleasantly surprised to see a cover of "Strange Fruit" - the classic song made famous by Billie Holliday. Didn't even have to listen to this more than once to "like" every song. One of the great things about this "1001 Albums" thing is that it sometimes gets me to go deeper on a band I am only slightly aware of and find some really good nuggets. I could listen to this over and over, and will be excited to hear these songs pop up on my automated playlists. Liked songs on Spotify: 13/13 (Perfect Album) Rating: 5/5

This is an instant 5 stars for me, without even listening. I already like and love all songs on this one since this first came out. This is a perfect album, with no hesitation. I don't even remember exactly how I first heard about this - but I know I saw The Flaming Lips as the opening band for Beck in 2002. That was a great show - and so that's probably the first time I heard some of the songs off this album. I haven't gotten tired of listening to it over the years and it continues to grow on me more, even after 20+ years. Great music - combination of things like acoustic guitars and synths. Bass playing is awesome too, often very melodic and not just part of the rhythm section. Drums are excellent and often a main feature of some of the songs - check out "Are You a Hypnotist?" for some great drumming. Cool instrumental songs too. Surprising this is just 3 guys doing all of this - and from Oklahoma too. Great lyrics - sometimes deep, sometimes kinda silly and fun. "Do You Realize?" and "All We Have Is Now" are peak songwriting - but it's all great actually. Their musings on people having fights with robots, and robots developing almost human-like emotions don't seem so futuristic anymore in 2026 - when we have people interacting with/developing relationships with AIs everyday, and actual robots being deployed for security purposes in various parts of the world. Check out the latest capabilities of Boston Dynamics robots if you haven't looked into that in a while. And with many countries flirting with fascism - it's not hard to imagine robots being deployed against citizens like these guys are envisioning. Guess we need to start taking our vitamins :) I think of Flaming Lips as a continuation of bands like the Beatles and ELO - in the best way possible. I've seen people comparing Wayne Coyne's voice to Neil Young. I can actually sort of see that - but it's funny that this never occurred to me before, even though Neil Young is one of my all time favs. If you haven't listened to this yet - just let it play 3 times in a row and see how it all hits you. This is my 2nd 5 star album in a row. UB40 - Signing Off was the one before this. Let's keep this up! Liked songs on Spotify: 11/11 (Perfect Album) Rating: 5/5

Supergrass ... I thought I recognized that name but can't place any songs by them. Then I remembered that I have actually seen them live - they were the opening band for Pearl Jam at a show I saw in 2000. And for some reason I can't remember anything about them. Upon listening to this all the way through - I now realize why I don't remember anything. These guys (or at least on this album, which I assume is considered a good one of theirs) are just very generic with a singer whose voice is very annoying. There is just not anything about this that grabs me and makes me want to listen to it again. Musically, vocally, lyrically - not once did it create any interest for me. Also considering 1997 is the same year that incredible albums came out from other UK artists like Radiohead (OK Computer) and Blur (self titled) - it seems these guys were just so far behind their peers. Also, I can't even place how they influenced anyone else. Why are they on this list? Sorry, not for me. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/12 Rating: 1/5

When I first saw this as my next album, my first thought was "oh, this is the guy that does that song 'I always feel like somebody's watching me' where Michael Jackson was the backup singer". Oops, no that was Rockwell. Ok - apparently I don't know anything about Maxwell - haha. Additional thoughts as I listened ... Sometimes I hear a little of Prince or even Marvin Gaye and Steely Dan - but with any possible rough edges completely smoothed off to where it's absolutely slippery. Maybe more like a male Sade I guess. Now reading the Wikipedia article, it looks like several of the musicians actually worked with Sade and Marvin Gaye - so that makes sense. The 2 instrumentals (first song "The Urban Theme" and last song "Til the Cops Come instrumental") are both pretty cool for background music. Ended up "liking" those 2 instrumentals as well as "Sumthin' Sumthin'" and "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)". So much of this starts sounding exactly the same after awhile. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/12 Rating: 2/5

My first Metallica album on this list was "... And Justice for All". I was hoping to have a better reaction to this one - but alas, that was not to be. I dig the point of view of the lyrics of these songs - such as "Leper Messiah" (anti-organized religion, also cool that they took this title from a line in David Bowie's song "Ziggy Stardust"), "Disposable Heroes" (anti-war), and "Master of Puppets" (addressing the dangers of drug addiction). I respect them for not doing the stupid hair metal band crap from the 80s. The Instrumental song ("Orion") is ok and is the only song I "liked". But ... I just do not enjoy the listening experience to pretty much all of this. It just sounds like a guy shouting over completely spastic, hyper music. I don't have any desire to sit and listen to this again. I'm thinking thrash metal is just not for me. Silver lining - at least I only have 2 more Metallica albums to be forced to listen to on this list :) Liked songs on Spotify: 1/8 Rating: 1/5

Have never heard of Pentangle before, nor any members of this band. Thoughts... As soon as it started, especially during the first 2 songs ("Light Flight" and "Once I Had a Sweetheart"), it reminded me of Fairport Convention. That 1960s British folk sound with the voice like an angel out of the mists of time. And through this site, I discovered Fairport Convention's "Liege and Lief" and liked the whole thing. But as soon as I got to the 3rd song, I realized I definitely like Fairport Convention better. I don't really like the guy's voice. And then the 4th song, which sounds like a Gregorian chant from an ancient church came on and I am not really digging that. I don't really want to feel like I'm going to church when I'm getting into music. And the "Hunting Song", while it had some cool moments, was too "king and queen" renaissance faire-ish for me. I did end up also liking the "Train Song" - it was very interesting musically and somehow sort of reminded me of Nick Drake as well. It has the guy's voice but also the girl's voice. Also ended up liking "The Cuckoo" after a few listens. It was definitely interesting to listen to this. I had no idea there was a whole bunch of bands doing music like Fairport Convention back in the day - so that was cool to find out. So, I'm glad I got to listen to it - but I ended up only liking 4 out of the 9 songs. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/9 Rating: 2/5

As soon as this popped up, I was excited to hear it. I like a lot of americana, alt-country and southern rock stuff. I like Jason Isbell and I know he was in this band for a short while - though it looks like this album was from before he was with them. And I already have 5 songs liked by them on Spotify - but none from this album. Thoughts while listening... Uh oh, this is not going well. I got through the whole Disc 1 and kept thinking that I'm not really liking any of this. Maybe the song "Birmingham" is sort of ok, sort of?? Onto Disc 2... First song "Let there be Rock", not good. "Plastic Flowers on the Highway" was ok. "Angels and Fuselage" is the best song on this - by far, with more interesting lyrics about the crash of a plane. It's from the perspective of someone on the plane (assuming this is the Skynyrd plane crash). The pace of the music lets the song breathe without the spastic sound of most of the songs. I just can't get into the fact that every song is about the state of Alabama or Lynyrd Skynyrd or both. If they want to glorify Skynyrd, at least write songs that are enjoyable to listen to - like Skynyrd. One of the songs is a spoken word history lesson of Alabama heavily focused on George Wallace. Ugh. Why did this have to be 2 discs? There just isn't enough good or interesting stuff on here. It has a feeling of a bunch of outtakes, or of a bad bar band rehearsing together. Unfortunately, I don't think I could even narrow it down to the 12 best songs for a 1 disc album & but it definitely shouldn't be a double album. The music is just very repetitive and has a generic southern sound that often sounds very sped up. Are they all seriously coked up or something?? And the multiple singers' voices aren't good. Artists like Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Black Crowes, Ryan Adams, Sturgill Simpson, Son Volt etc. all do this type of music SO MUCH better. I realize the Drive-By Truckers kicked Jason Isbell out because he was a troublesome drunk at the time - but Isbell writes thought provoking songs with good music - so good for him to get away from this. Upon relistening, I only liked 2 songs on Spotify (Plastic Flowers, Angels) which is pretty bad out of 20 songs. Liked songs on Spotify: 2/20 Rating: 1/5

I've known this album since I was a kid - especially the songs "Moondance" and "Into the Mystic". They have kind of been ubiquitous on FM radio and I think in movies and TV shows. I've also had the CD for a really long time - but actually haven't listened to it in quite awhile. This album is like comfort food. You know it, it's good, it's familiar, it goes down easy. It's not the most exotic or adventurous or creative - just all solid songs. It has 1 great song - "Into the Mystic". When that first acoustic guitar part comes on, it just sets a cool, contemplative mood and builds from there. I wish Van Morrison didn't turn out to be such a creep as he got older - but I'm not letting that color this review. Liked songs on Spotify: 10/10 Rating: 5/5

I have only heard the name Wu Tang Clan but have never heard any songs by them. Thoughts while listening... Kick-Kick-Snare - that's the exact same drum beat across 90% of this listening experience. Sounds cool and fun at first, but gets tedious and boring after endless use. "Can It All Be So Simple" - was good because it was different - but the very long talking parts ruined it for me. "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin To F' Wit" - braggadocious rap song - but at least it has some sense of humor such as "I'm causing more family feuds than Richard Dawson" "C.R.E.A.M." and "Tearz" - like these ones, the music and lyrics are more interesting than most of what's on here. This is my 4th hip hop album where I didn't really get into it that much - but this one was definitely better than the other 3. I'm not sure if they make this for me. Liked songs on Spotify: 3/12 Rating: 2/5 (being generous, because I did like some songs that got ruined by all the skits)

Prior to listening to this I have 8 songs liked by Massive Attack - most are on Mezzanine - but none from this album. So I'm excited to dive into this. This is all pretty good. I generally like the songs with Shara Nelson singing the most. Was cool to see a little more melding in of rap and reggae on this album - as compared to the later Mezzanine album. After listening to this 3 times I ended up liking 7 of the songs. Was cool to read that this is considered the first "trip hop" album - though the band members don't really accept that label. Liked songs on Spotify: 7/9 Rating: 4/5

Prior to listening to this I already have 68 songs "liked" by Neil Young on Spotify - putting him in my top 10 of all artists based on song count. And I just saw him last summer (2025) in concert. Also "After The Gold Rush" and "Everybody Know This Is Nowhere" are on my Perfect Albums list, with "Harvest" and "Rust Never Sleeps" on my Near Perfect Album list. So I really like Neil Young. For some reason I can't figure out, I have never listened to this one. Thoughts while listening... Not sure why this is considered "grunge" - I guess just the heavy distorted guitars? That seems the only thing. Not sure why this is considered so groundbreaking - it sounds like a lot of Neil Young music before this. Before I read anything about this, I was actually thinking "this seems sort of Neil Young following a Neil Young & Crazy Horse template". I do like a bunch of this though. "Country Home", "White Line", "Over and Over", and "Mansion on the Hill" are cool. I like the anti-consumerist theme of "Days That Used To Be". I also like the long extend jam songs "Love To Burn" and "Love and Only Love". Also just realized he played several of these songs when I saw him in concert too - so they sounded familiar when I listened. Good job Neil! Liked songs on Spotify: 7/10 Rating: 4/5

I have 34 "liked" songs by The Cure on Spotify - including every song on this album. So this one is already on my perfect album list. In the early part of The Cure's career I was only peripherally aware of them and some of the songs by them that had broken through to my awareness I didn't really like that much - with "poppy" songs such as "The Love Cats". I will admit I was also not interested in their "look" and their videos that I saw turned me off. Once I just sat and listened to them and forgot about their video image it was much better. Side note - this is one thing I don't like about music videos - they distract you from actually just listening. I think my gateway to the Cure was the compilation album called "Staring at the Sea". I can't even remember what caused me to get that one - but once I did I started really liking most of those songs - especially the early songs such as "Killing An Arab", "A Forest", and "Primary". And I was thinking "hey these guys are pretty good, I should check out their other stuff". And then after this album came out with songs like "Pictures of You" - with the long instrumental section - I started liking them even more. This album has 8 of 12 songs that are over 5 minutes long and all have a sort of hypnotic effect - starting with the first song "Plainsong" which starts with over 2.5 minutes of lush music before the lyrics kick in and really sets the mood for the album. The last 4 songs on the album (which look like the least popular on Spotify, except for "Disintegration") are actually all really good. They are also all very long (from 6.5 to 9.5 minutes) so they stretch out establishing a definite mood. The poppiest song on this album "Lovesong" is still actually very good and fits with the album. Most of the songs don't follow the typical verse/chorus/verse standard of pop music - which makes them more interesting. This album could be nearly as good even without words since the music grabs you so much. I just noticed they have various instrumental versions of most of these on the "Deluxe Edition" on Spotify - so I may have to check those out. Listen to this album 3 times in a row and see how it pulls you in. Good stuff! Liked songs on Spotify: 12/12 Rating: 5/5

Prior to being assigned this, I already had 5 songs liked from this album and 13 songs liked by this band. I think I first heard them on SiriusXMU back in the day. So, I am familiar with them. Excited to see if I missed anything from this one. After a few listens I ended up adding 3 more songs. "VCR", "Basic Space" and "Infinity". This whole album is a mood. It's spare, quiet instrumentation and singing voices just brings things down to a very relaxed state. Not the album you want to play to get a crowd pumped up & but it definitely has its time and place (maybe on a long drive, or at a chill gathering, or hanging out with your sweetie, or even while working from home). Liked songs on Spotify: 8/11 Rating: 4/5

I have never even heard the name of this group nor any songs by them. So this will all be new to me. This is my 5th hip hop album and I liked more songs on this one album than the other 4 rap albums combined (only 3 songs total on those). But - I still only ended up liking 5 out of 18 songs on this. Maybe rap is growing on me or this one is actually better (thinking the latter)? Songs liked: "Execution of a Chump", "Beyond Comprehension", "Lovesick", "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", "What You Want This Time?". Just noticed most of these are some of the least streamed songs on this album, except for Lovesick. It seems my rap tastes don't match up with the masses at all - haha. Some of the songs have a fun vibe and they are not the usual misogynistic crap I've heard on other rap albums. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/18 Rating: 2/5

I feel like I've heard the name Belle and Sebastian but can't recall ever actually hearing a song by them. I was listening a lot to SiriusXM stations like Alt Nation and SiriusXMU around that time but don't remember hearing these guys. So I am curious to see what this is like. Initial thoughts - at times this reminds me of artists like Nick Drake, Donovan, The Kinks, and Simon & Garfunkel. All of whom I like. BUT on first listen I really don't like it as much as I like those artists. I think it's the guy's voice. The muffled, lazy, high pitched singing voice is kind of annoying. On repeated listens it did not grow on me, in fact it made me more annoyed. Plus, is this guy like the original incel or something? The first song "The Stars of Track and Field" seems like it's written by a creepy guy in high school who is infatuated with this beautiful and talented girl but she doesn't even know he exists and so he imagines she must be sleeping with all the boys and the girls and the coaches so she can get ahead in life. I bet if you actually found this woman and asked her about this guy she would say "Who?". None of this clicked with me and was not memorable to me at all. I'm guessing I did hear this band on the radio at some point but it probably went in one ear and out the other or I changed the channel. Sorry Belle and Sebastian, I tried. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/10 Rating: 1/5

Prior to this I only have 2 songs liked by Television - and one of them is the song "Marquee Moon" and I REALLY like that song - especially the long instrumental jam part. So I'm very curious to dive into this album more. As with many bands I am not that familiar with, it seems that most singer's voices really annoy me. I think this must be a ME problem. Although sometimes they grow on me and sometimes they don't. I think this guy is slowly growing on me after a while. But, in general, I do like the music much more than the vocals. For example, I've listened to the song Marquee Moon so many times and I don't think I could tell you what it's about lyrically, because I just focus on the music. It's such a great groove. Listening to this I hear some similarities with predecessors like David Bowie and Velvet Underground, contemporaries of theirs like Talking Heads and somewhat Elvis Costello and successors like the Strokes, U2, Spoon, Matthew Sweet and Modest Mouse. All of whom I love. I realize now that I actually saw Richard Lloyd (Television guitarist) when he toured as part of Matthew Sweet's band - cool connection! What's funny is I grew up in the New York area and on the radio you could hear a lot of the bands coming out of NYC - like Talking Heads, Ramones, Blondie - but I never heard these guys on the radio - even the alternative stations like WLIR. I guess they had mostly ended their brief run before LIR started. The dual guitars on this is great! I like the addition of piano to songs like Torn Curtain. Opening part of Elevation reminds me of something. What is that?? Upon the 3rd listen, as it was going I kept thinking "oh yeah, this song, I like this one" and so I ended up liking all 8 songs :) Liked songs on Spotify: 8/8 (Perfect Album) Rating: 5/5

I've heard the name Erykah Badu - but don't know any songs by her. First impression: She's kind of like a "modern" version of Minnie Ripperton. If 26 years ago is still considered modern - haha. Her voice doesn't go as high as Minnie Ripperton but the style of music is like that. The song "Hey Sugah" sounds so much like her for example. After listening 3 times some of these songs started growing on me - like "Kiss Me On My Neck", "In Love With You", "Time's A Wastin", "Green Eyes", and the aforementioned "Hey Sugah". So that's a decent start for learning about her. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/14 Rating: 2/5

I remember when Yeah Yeah Yeahs came out and they were played on the radio. But they never grabbed me at the time. So, let's see how this goes. Oh yeah, they have that "Zero" song. What the heck does "shake it like a ladder to the sun" mean?? Oh yeah, they also have that "Off with your head, dance til your dead" song. Ugh - really didn't like that one. I think on both these opening songs they only lasted a couple of minutes on the radio before I changed the station. Not a good start. Maybe the rest of the album is better than the radio songs. Only song I liked was "Shame and Fortune" - it has a cool sound. The rest of these were either annoying or boring/forgettable to me. Funny how that 1 song that I liked has the least plays on Spotify of any song on this album - clearly I am not aligned with the rest of the fans of this band. Thinking this band isn't for me. Liked songs on Spotify: 1/10 Rating: 1/5

Have never heard of this band before nor any songs by them. As soon as the first song ("Visions of Love") started playing I was digging the cool groove right away. And then I hear Sinead O'Connor's voice and was wondering what I am listening to. Good surprise! 2nd song was a big drop, this guy's voice is pretty bad. 3rd song - uh oh - don't really like the Spanish singer either. "Everyman's an Island" - liked the music for this one. Wish this was an instrumental. There aren't that many lyrics on this one so I think it might grow on me. Was excited for this one from the first song, but it mostly went downhill from there. Liked songs on Spotify: 1/10 Rating: 1/5

Of course I am aware of Taylor Swift's existence, and it's possible I have heard some songs by her - but I wouldn't have known it since it would have just been randomly in public. I've never actually proactively played a song by her. I did hear a bunch of middle school girls sing some of her songs in a school talent show back in the day when my kids were in school. I think that was off her first album. At the time I just thought that she was whoever was the latest person that the middle school girls were obsessed with and it would fade over time - but she definitely seems to have more staying power. So, I'm curious what the hype is all about - especially since this is supposedly her best record. After first listen, I'm pretty sure I've heard "Shake It Off" and "Bad Blood" before - but I don't really like those. "Out of the Woods" sounds A LOT like Lorde. I looked it up - Lorde used Jack Antonoff as her producer for the Melodrama album (which I reviewed on here), so that might be the connection since he is the same guy that produced this specific song. This caused me to go back and re-listen to the songs I liked from Lorde's album. What I like about some of Lorde's songs is she is a little more vulnerable and confessional in her lyrics and singing style - whereas the only thing Taylor seems to be confessing is that her boyfriends are all the bad guys and she's never done anything wrong. It's all so black and white. So, my summary is 21 year old Lorde was writing much more mature lyrics than 25 year old Taylor. "I Wish You Would" is one of the most vulnerable songs on the album but I just noticed it's one of the least played song on Spotify - so clearly her fans don't like that side of her. Same with "Clean". "Bad Blood" vocals sounds kind of like Lorde to me. On the 2nd time through, I starting realizing how forgettable / generic most of this sounds to me - since I didn't remember hearing the songs from the first time. After the 3rd listen, I did end up liking "Clean" and "I Know Places" (the last 2 songs on the album) - since they feel more authentic to me and the production is a little more spare with room to breathe. So that's 2 Taylor Swift songs added to my Spotify playlists where it was zero before. That's progress, right? Serious question - did 25 year old Taylor Swift think about anything else but boys and relationships? Have her interests and lyrical focus expanded in the 12 years since then? I understand she's getting married, so I wonder if she's gonna run out of things to write about if she can't write about boyfriends who (usually) screwed her over - i guess until something happens with her current relationship with the football guy. Maybe she does write about other things - but it's not apparent on this particular album. As a contrast... Fiona Apple wrote a very self-reflective song like "Criminal" at the young age of 20, Sarah McLachlan wrote "Possession" at 25, Stevie Nicks wrote "Landslide" at 27. All of those artist's song writing (and many others) is so much better, and memorable, and thought provoking in my opinion. I do respect that she writes her own lyrics - apparently with help from the producers. So I give her credit for that. Unfortunately, the lyrics generally don't make me feel anything positive or negative nor think about anything new or different. And most of the music doesn't really interest me, it sounds too programmed and polished. I think this is my problem with most modern pop music. I don't think Taylor is going to be too upset about my 1 star review - she's just gonna shake it off and will be just fine :) Liked songs on Spotify: 2/13 Rating: 1/5