1001 Albums Summary

It's very good but probably my 4th favorite by them

I heard enough of it already in the 80's but decided to listen to it again. A couple of the songs are OK. I don't care for the the album as a whole though.

Not my style of music but it would be OK to have in the background, kind of like elevator music. I did add one song, "You Haven't Done Nothin", to my best of 1974 playlist, mainly just because it's Stevie Wonder. It will probably end up near the bottom of that list.

I already know I like this group and there are a couple songs on this album that are in my top tracks of 1996 playlist. "The State I Am In" stands a good chance of being in my top 500 favorite tracks of all time. Currently I have it ranked at 23 for 1996. The album as a whole is pretty decent but not something I would actively seek out to listen to in it's entirety. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars most likely.

It was not really my style back in the 70's and it's still not. The album does have a few moments I enjoyed. I would probably rate it between 2 and 3. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and give it a 3.

It's OK but not something I would choose to listen. I did add Me and Julio... to my 1972 playlist, as it is a catchy tune. I'll likely rate this 2 stars.

Never heard of this album or artist. Well, here goes... Ugh, it's rap, spoken word mostly it seems. Very little to speak of musically. I have to admit I did not pay attention to the lyrics that much. Overall, I found it very boring. I skipped through most of the songs after 30 secs or so. Parts of "The 6th Sense" were tolerable. Going to give it my first 1 star rating out of the 7 I've listened to so far.

Before: Yay, CCR!I do like these guys' music. This should be an enjoyable listen. I might even listen to the whole thing. I'm pretty sure it's going to get a 4. After: I did enjoy almost the entire album but found the last 2 tracks a little tiresome. I would rate the piece as a whole, 4 stars.

Before: Another great one that I already know I will enjoy listening to. In fact, I have it ranked as my favorite album of 1975 with 8 of 8 tracks appearing in my 1975 playlist, which BTW is a relatively modest list containing only 60 tracks. My brother was a huge fan and had this album so I heard the whole thing many, many times when we were in HS in the late 70's. Actually, I myself and most of my friends were huge fans and this album was the background music of countless road trips to our secret sliding rock across the border, up in the mountains, and hours long games of Quarters. I guess it's going to get 5 stars which will be my first such rating so far. After: Yep, pretty much what I thought, 5 stars. I don't normally listen to this album anymore, but it's still great.

Before: This should be a decent listen, though they are not my favorite artists and I don't love this type of music. I've never been a big fan of southern rock, even though I am a life-long southern, and came of age during its heyday. However, there is a lot to like about Lynyrd Skynyrd's music. In fact, I have at least skimmed through all their albums in recent years when putting together my yearly playlists. I think Tuesday's Gone is my favorite track on this album and Free Bird of course is a well known classic. I have those tracks ranked 39 and 52 respectively in my 1973 playlist which consist of 78 songs from that year. I'll probably rate the album 3. After: While listening I decided to add Gimmee Three Steps to my 1973 playlist as well. So yeah, I'm giving it a 3, as it's pretty enjoyable overall but I would not normally chose to listen to this album on my own. I do love the album title. I think it portrays a sense of humor which scores a lot of points in my book.

Before: I don't think I've ever heard of the album or the artist. I'm wondering if it's going to be rap. I'm apprehensive. During: Yep, it's rap or I guess more accurately, hip-hop or neo-soul?. "!!!!!!!" is ok, but it's not rap. After: I found three tracks to be OK: "!!!!!!!" , "Thought @ Work", and "The Seed (2.0)". I might rate them a 2 or 3, the rest I would rate a 1. I could not relate to most of the lyrics and most of the music was not enjoyable or interesting to me. I give it a solid 1.

Before: Rap again, or hip-hop or whatever you call it. At least it's something I like a little. I used to listen to Public Enemy and a few similar artist back in the late 80s'/early 90's but eventually lost interest. I have the first track, "Lost At Birth" ranked 52 out of 84 tracks on my 1991 playlist. Maybe I'll find something else to add. | During: Four tracks in is "Can't Truss It", I'll add this to my '91 list, maybe at the 64 spot between "I Love You" by Spacemen 3 and "Smoke Signals" by The Magnetic Fields. I like it's but is a little too long. Now "By The Time I Get To Arizona", it's getting a little tiresome. I was toying with the idea of giving the album a 4 but I don't think that's going to happen. I'm ready to stop listening now. Help! I guess it's time to start skipping through. | After: I made it through, skipping through only a couple tracks, as I was preoccupied with other tasks. I do realize this is an important album but I found it tiresome after only a few minutes. I'll give it a three as it is mildly enjoyable to listen to but I would never choose to listen to the whole album unless it was for a specific purpose such as this. |

Before: I was never a huge fan but know they had a few hits back in the day and I think I liked some of them a little. I had a brief infatuation with disco in the mid 70's but it was never my favorite type of music. I'm already thinking 3. Let's check it out! | During: "He's The Greatest Dancer" starts off the album and of course I remember this one well. Not my thing really, but it does make you want to get out on the disco floor, LOL. Now I'm thinking I could possibly give this a 4 if the album as a whole is at least as good as the opener. Well, I had to skip through the next 2 tracks, "Lost in Music" and "Somebody Loves Me". My immediate thought when I saw the title "Lost in Music" is that The Fall, my favourite band of all time, released a song with the same title, "I wonder if it's a cover?". Turns out it is, but in the loosest sense of the word. Some of the lyrics are the same, but that's pretty much where the similarities end. I like The Fall's interpretation much better than the original and that is one of my least favourite tracks on that album, "The Infotainment Scan". Continuing with the task at hand, "We Are Family" is another great feel good track. I also liked "You're A Friend To Me". | After: I'm going to give it a 3. I don't deny it's a great album for what it is, but it's not something I would choose to listen normally. To be a 4 it's got to be something I would choose to listen to, enjoy, and not get bored with. Finally, if my 1979 playlist was not already 160 titles long, I would consider adding the three tracks from this album that I do like, to it. Aw, what the hell, I'll add "We Are Family", just for kicks. For reference my 1979 playlist is probably 95% punk, post-punk, and new wave. |

Before: I don't immediately recognize the artist or album title, one of which is "90" and the other is "808 State". Not sure which is which. Released in 1989, given the artist name, title, cover, and date, I'm guessing it's going to be something in the post-punk realm. Here goes... | During: "Magical Dream" starts off as a fast paced electronic number with a danceable beat. I'm assuming this would have been popular amongst the rave crowd but I was never really into that scene. In fact, I ever went to a single rave, although I was in my mid-late twenties during that time and many of friends went to them. I guess this album is not going to be too bad a listen. Probably going to get a 3, but I doubt I'll be adding any of these tracks to my 1989 playlist. About the closest thing to this type of music that I actually a good bit is The Prodigy's "Music for the Jilted Generation", which came out 5 years after this. You can definately hear the influence. And of course I'm reminded of The Art of Noise's album "Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise", which came out 5 years prior to "90". I just thought of them while listening to the beginning of "Cobra Rose", but by the end of the track, I'm being reminded of Dan Deacon's album, "Spiderman of the Rings", which is one of my all time favorite albums, but did not come out until nearly 20 years after "90". If you haven't heard, it's like "90" on acid, and highly recommended to at least give it a listen. I dare say, "Spiderman of the Rings" may never have happened if it were for "90", so thank you for that, 808 State. Sadly, there are no Dan Deacon albums to look forward to in the 1001 albums list, which is a major miss in my opinion. | After: "808080808" is my favorite track on the album. I guess there's no harm in adding it to my 1989 playlist. Not sure it will stay there the next time I review and sort it. By the time I got to the end of this album I started to dislike it just a little so on that note, I've decide to rate it 2 stars. I'm just not a fan of this type of music, especially when it contains few to no lyrics. |

Before: I'm probably not going to like this very much. This my 15th album on the list and it seems like I start most of my reviews with a similar thought. I'm really not a fan of this genre. I was 20 when this album came out and was listening to artists like XTC, The Specials, and Elvis Costello at the time. There are a couple of ZZ Top songs that I do like a lot but they are from an earlier period. In fact one of my all time favourite songs by any artist is "La Grange", released in 1973. I actually have that ranked number one in my 1973 list. | During: The album starts of with the very well known "Gimme All Your Lovin'". I'm really NOT a fan of this genre. Not sure why, I think it's too simple, formulaic, and boring. I have to admit that it is a very catchy tune, and I find myself bobbin my head in rhythm but something is just not right with it. Another hit, "Got Me Under Pressure" is next. I think I'm gonna have to turn the volume down and focus on other task to get through this. Especially seeing how "Sharp Dressed Man" is coming up next. I think I actually hate that song. It has over 630 million streams on Spotify. What is wrong with these people? I see a one or two star rating coming up. I had to start skipping through at the 5th track, "I Got the Six". "Legs" I already know I hate, so skipping that one too. "Thug" has a catchy little bass thing going on that makes me think of Primus, maybe something to look forward too? Nope, no Primus at all in this list, another miss. | After: I did not like a single track, not even a little. I'm only on album 15 now but this one is at the bottom. Not much else to say. One star. |

ever really a fan. I scanned my entire collection of favorite songs by year and found only one track from them and it just so happens that it is from this album. It's "My Curse" but the title is not ringing any bells, will see how I like it this time around. | During: I'm not a big fan of this genre but I don't dislike it either. The album cover is interesting but the music is not. It's OK as background music. By the time I'm half way through I decide to start skipping through a little. Now at "My Curse" which is number 56 of 57 on my 1993 favorite songs list. I have to say I don't recognize it but do like it a little. It's the only song on the album with a female vocalist, BTW. | After: I'll give it three stars. I don't dislike the music but I don't really like it either. |

Before: "Metallica" by Metallica. I'm assuming this was their debut? I was never a fan. The closest thing to metal that I liked back then was Ministry, who were one of my favorite bands back in the day. In fact "The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste" would definately be in my 1001 albums list, and probably be in my 101 albums list. Alas, it's not in this list. So let's get started with Metallica. During: "Enter Sandman", yep, I don't like this. Too simple, formulaic, and totally uninteresting. Ministry is not really like this at all. OK, maybe just a little, but it is reminding me of White Zombie who I did like a lot for a brief period in the early nineties, but they were groove metal. OMG, "Sad But True" is even worse. After: I mostly listened to the album while I was doing other stuff and skipped through several tracks. I don't care for this style of music and I don't like this album as a whole. It's very simple and boring. Apparently it was their fifth album. Looks like I'll have three more opportunities to listen to them. I get it they were very influential but I have to give this one star.

Before: All right, the Eagles! My Dad had this album so I used to listen to it a good bit when visiting in the summer. He didn't have many albums so I didn't have much to choose from. However, he did have all of the Eagles first five albums. I dare say, for better or worse, that has probably influenced my current musical tastes a good bit. Maybe it makes me tolerant of blandness if the music is it at least pleasant to listen to? Anyways, I do know I liked the Eagles some back then and should like them at least a little this time around. Checking my favorites of 1972 list, I find "Take It Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling" on there but not "Witchy Woman". Maybe I'll change my mind this time around and add it to my 1972 list? During: OK, so I added "Witchy Woman" to my 1972 list, not sure it will stay there. The next five tracks are pretty boring. The last 30 seconds of "Take the Devil" are interesting, it would have been great if they had developed that a little more. "Peaceful Easy Feeling" is awesome. I still love this song after 50+ years. I currently have it ranked 32 and "Take It Easy" ranked 24 out of 65 for 1972. I actually think I like "Peaceful..." more than "Take It...", this time around, so decide to switch them. That puts "Take It..." one slot ahead of Van Morrison's "Saint Dominic's Preview" and we can't have that. So, I move "Take It..." down one, below "Saint...". After: All in all, I don't like the album as a whole very much but don't dislike it that much either. Take It Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling" are enough to surely bump it up a little. I'm on the fence still about "Witchy Woman". I'm thinking of rating the album as 3. I'm in the early stage of this 1001 thing (this is #18) and I haven't clearly defined my ranking categories yet but this album is surely a 2 or 3 in my book. It's a two per my ranking system that put together yesterday.

Before: My first thought is it's a 5. I'm very familiar with the album already. I know there are a few 5 star tracks, and some 4's. I don't have a formal essential albums list yet, on paper, so to speak, but this one's definately in my mental list. Even if I don't absolutely love every track, this is without a doubt the best example of trip hop and is essential for that reason alone. During: So for this one, I've decided to rate each track: Mysterons - 5 Sour Times - 5 Strangers - 5 It Could Be Sweet - 3 Wandering Star - 4 It's A Fire - 3 Numb - 5 Roads - 4 Pedestal - 3 Biscuit - 4 Glory Box - 5 Avg = 4.5 After: Easily 5 stars.

Before: Well this should be interesting. I really don't know what to expect. Of course I know of Count Basie but can't name a single one of his songs. A quick check of Discogs shows the genre as Big Band. OK, I admit, I never listen to this kind of music on purpose, only if it happens to be part of a movie score. During: And it is interesting. Definately not bad as background music. I'll probably listen to this twice. It's going to be hard to rate though as I do agree that it's really good, but it's not something I'll continue listening to after this exercise is done. Maybe this will be one of the few exceptions I make. I mean, if I can make an exception for The Residents, I can make one for Count Basie. After: I listened to the whole thing 3 maybe 4 times over the course of the day. I decided to not make any exceptions and stick with my current rating system and while I do agree the album is very good and I would consider it "essential" , it's not I can see listening to a lot and not getting bored with it after a while.

Before: This is one of favorite albums, surely in my top 1000 but probably not top 100. It's get a few 4 and 5 star tracks, namely: Jordan Minnesota, Passing Complexion, Kerosene, and Bazooka Joe. However, I do find listening to the whole album a bit tiresome. In fact I don't think I've ever listened to the whole thing in one sitting. Let's get started! During: I didn't have a chance to make notes while listening as I was preoccupied with my cats demanding attention. After: I'm giving it 4 stars. It's got a few 4s and 5s but the rest or 3s IMO. Still, I think it is best in class for this particular genre, from my limited experience.

Before: I've skimmed through this album at least once before. Two of the tracks are on my favorites from 1967 list, "Alone Again Or" and "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale". During: It's very pleasant music for the most part but the songs are not real interesting. Perfectly fine as background music, as long as you don't listen to the lyrics too much, some of them are really goofy, and not in a good way. The Red Telephone is awful. After: Overall, the music is very nice but the lyrics are distracting, as they are so literal and not very interesting. I prefer that if lyrics are easy to hear, they need to at least be interesting, clever, humorous, etc. Else, the lyrics need to be kind of fuzzy or hard to make out in which case the listener can kind of make up their own lyrics. But that's just me. I'll give it 3 stars.

Before: I think a like them a little but not that much as I'm pretty sure they don't have any tracks on my favorites by years lists. I think I saw them perform at Frijoleros in Atlanta in the late 80's. During: This was hard to listen to in a logistical sense so that my affect my rating a little. The album is not on Spotify or Amazon so I had to listen to individual songs on YouTube. I did find all of them except "And A She-wolf After The War". There were a few tracks I might add to my 1986 play list if they were on Spotify. After: Average track rating was 2.6 so I'm giving this a 3 overall.

Before: In case you don't read anything else I wrote here, I just want to say right off the bat there is NOTHING PUNK about this album. If this is punk then the word is meaningless. Still, I think a liked Green Day's music a tiny bit but not much back then as they don't have any tracks on my favorites by years list for 1994, or any other year for that matter. They're way too main stream for my tastes. For reference here are my top albums from 1994. I might be able to squeeze Dookie in some where between 15 - 20. Rank Artist Name Album Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Portishead Dummy 2 Beastie Boys Ill Communication 3 Stereolab Mars Audiac Quintet 4 Soul Coughing Ruby Vroom 5 Korn Korn 6 Frank Black Teenager of the Year 7 G. Love & Special Sauce G. Love And Special Sauce 8 Jawbox For Your Own Special Sweetheart 9 The Prodigy Music for the Jilted Generation 10 The Magnetic Fields Holiday 11 Ween Chocolate and Cheese 12 Radiohead The Bends 13 The Proclaimers Hit the Highway 14 Low I Could Live In Hope During: Two songs in, yep I remember this sound from the 90's. I'm sure they are very good but as I said, too main stream for my taste. I'll probably give it a 3. Definately would not be in my 1001 essential albums list. Time to turn down the volume and work on other tasks. Then "Longview" comes on. Not too bad, fun even. Maybe I'll add that to my 1994 list, just because. After: I have to give it a three. Maybe it deserves a higher rating but I would never play this album of my own volition. There are so many better choices out there. For that reason the highest rating I can give it is a 3. Looking at the Wikipedia article I come across this confusing line, "Regarding its legacy, Dookie has been labeled by critics as one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time." In what way is this punk? It's totally mainstream power-pop-rock. I know that's not a recognized genre but that's what it is imo.

Before: Of course I know of Herbie Hancock and listened to some of his music a decent amount back in the mid 70s. My brother was a big fan and had one or two of his albums which I listened at least a couple of times. During: Starts off with "Chameleon", it's funk-jazz, I love funk. This is not going to be too bad. It's 15+ minutes long though and pretty much the same thing for the first half repeated over and over. There are probably nuances that I am not getting. It works as background music just fine. After: Overall it's technically good, maybe great, and I'm sure deserves to be on this list but it's not something I really like and would never listen to other than as background music so I'm giving it a 3.

Before: It's a five. I already know this. This was one of my favorite albums back when it came out and it still is. There'e a decent chance it would be in my 100 essential albums list. During: Favorite songs are So Young, She's Not Dead, Pantomime Horse, The Downers, Sleeping Pills, and Breakdown. Those are all solid 5s. Animal Nitrate, Moving, Metal Mickey, Animal Lover, and The Next Life are 4s. After: So, before this exercise, I had 5 tracks from this album on my best of 1993 playlist, but decided to add three more so now I have 8 from this album on that list. It's definately one of my top 3 albums from 1993. The other 2 contenders are Stereolab's Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements, and The Breeders', Last Splash.

Before: All right, Aretha Franklin! This should be enjoyable. I do like her music but it's not my favorite genre so don't go out of my way to listen to her music. During: Enjoyable experience as anticipated but not one I'll be repeating anytime soon, by choice. After : The album is very good and I'm sure deserves to be on this list but I have to give it a three as it's not something I personally like a lot.

Before: Never heard of this album or artist. I'm thinking some form of rap or similar based on the album cover and explicit lyrics warning. During: The first few minutes are not bad, hip hop? Discogs calls it Conscious Hip Hop, while Wikipedia calls if Alternative Hip Hop. Now up, "If You Only Knew", I do like this some. Maybe I'll find a contender for my favorites of 2002 list; let's see what else they got. "Break" is good. "React" is good. By the time we get to the 6th track though, "A Day at The Races" I'm getting tired of the music. Unfortunately Spotify does not know the lyrics for a lot the numbers on this album. Speaking of lyrics, one problem I have with rap, hip hop, and similar genres is that so much of it so self referential, it gets a little tiresome. I might like the music but the lyrics drag it down. After : It's a long album. Definately got tiresome by the end. So much so that I would rather not listen, than listen to it, which edges it just below a 3. I decided to give it another try but by the time we get to number 6 out of 15, "A Day At The Races", I'm done. I definately don't want to listen to the whole album again and overall I'd rather not listen to it, than listen to it, but I don't hate it. That sits it squarely in 2 territory, even though I did like a couple of tracks a little. There's nothing on this album that I love but my 2002 list if a little sparse at 47 tracks and my goal is between 50 - 100 so I skim through the album one more time to see if there is anything I can grab. I decide to add "React" to the 48th spot, just after Clinic's, "For The Wars", and "Thin Line", just below that. Naw, scratch "Thin Line", it's not that good, so I remove it. It's catchy but a bit too repetitive and long.

Before: I recognize the name. I'm thinking some form of jazz from the 50's, maybe? During: Oh, "The Girl from Ipanema". Of course I recognize that, a solid five. This should be a enjoyable listen. 5 The Girl From Ipanema 4 Doralice 3 Para Machucar Meu Coracao = To Hurt My Heart 3 Desafinado 4 Corcovado 3 So Danco Samba (Jazz Samba) 3 O Grande Amor 4 Vivo Sohando After : Average = 3.6, I'll round up to 4. This is not how I usually do this but I'm feeling generous. Can't say I'd go out of my way to listen to this again but it was enjoyable. If it weren't for "The Girl from Ipanema", it'd be a 3.

Before: Hmm, Germs + 1979 = Punk or punkish? I do recognize the name but don't think I was a big fan back in the day. During: Well if this on the list I sure hope Dead Kennedys and Black Flag are. Can't say I was ever a big fan of this genre. To me it's similar to rap in that the music in not at all interesting after you've listened to the first song. I mean, it all sounds kind of the same. What's the point of making essentially the same song over and over again. Looks like there is one album each from DK and BF coming up, but I would have chosen a different album from DK which is Plastic Surgery Disasters, which I do like. Now 6 songs in, looks like it's going to be 2. Looking at the reviews, I see a lot of 1's and a lot of 5's, which seems appropriate. I do like, Lexicon Devil, We Must Bleed, Shut Down. After : After doing some research I see this is considered a pretty important album. For that reason I'd say it should be on this list. However, I don't really like this genre that much so it's getting a 2 from me.

Before: The Stones! I do like them but they're not my favorite band from that era. I was five when this came out so it's a little before my time. The first track Sympathy For The Devil is one my favorites from 1968. I have it ranked 36 out of 109 from that year. It's hard to believe they had already released 13 albums (9 studio) prior to this one. During: Five songs in now, I'm thinking 3 stars. "Street Fighting Man", I decide to add to my 1968 playlist. I didn't recognize the name but do know this song and like it enough to add to the list, but I think there is a better version of it out there. I'll need to research that. After: Yep, it's a three. I don't know why it's on the list, especially since there are 5 other Stones album here. The best thing about this album is it shares the same name as one of my favorite music labels.

Before: Hhmmm, know the name but don't think they're in any of my favorites by year list. So, let's see, 1980 + Name + Album Cover = Punk / Punkish? Glancing at the track list I see Requiem starts things off. Oh, I think I know this song. During: Yep, Requiem is one of my favorite songs from that year. I have it ranked 89 out of 94, between I Wanna Destroy You by The Soft Boys and Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey On My Knee by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. But, I don't have anything else from this band at all for any years. It's highly likely that I've at least skimmed through this and all of their albums. Let's give this one the attention it deserves and maybe I'll find some more gems. It's 4 am on a Saturday, so I've got all day. Wardance is decent but not going to make it on my favorites list. Tomorrow's World is much better. I'm thinking this is going to be a 4 star album. Bloodsport is just OK... After : For me the highlights are: Requiem, Tomorrow's World (which I added to my best of 1980 playlist), The Wait (which coincidently shares the same name as a track from the Pretender's, also released in 1980, but the Pretenders' number is much much better), and Primitive. The rest I could take or leave. Overall, I like 4 tracks a decent amount and 5 just OK. Based on my somewhat strict criteria, I'm gonna have to rate it a 3 as though I do like it overall, this is not something I would seek out to listen too and I would get tired of listening to it after a while. Still, I do think it is a good choice for this 1001 list given it's historical significance.

Before: I think Donald Fagen is one of those artists I dismissed back when he was popular on the radio. My favorite artists back then were groups like XTC, The Pretenders, Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, and The Specials. I'm pretty sure I didn't even consider him for my 1982 or any other playlist. Let's try to keep an open mind this time around shall we? During: First up is I.G.Y. It does start off nicely. Of course I remember it now. I have to say I do like this song, it's probably a 4 out of 5, maybe I'll have to add it to my 1982 playlist. I was a huge fan of his band Steely Dan's album Aja that came out in 1977, but that was before I knew about punk, new wave, and associated genres. Next is Green Flower Street. I'm pretty sure I've heard this one too, or is that it sounds just like Aja? Ruby Baby I've heard too, it's nice, sounds like it could have been on Aja. Maxine I don't like at all. New Frontier I like. You know what, I think I had this album on cassette. I definately like this song a lot. Don't like The Nightfly that much. By the time we get to The Goodbye Look I'm losing interest. I mean it's nice but I'm starting to get bored. Walk Between Raindrops does not renew my interest. It does have a little ska thing going on which reminds me I'd rather be listening to The Specials. After : 5 I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year) 3 Green Flower Street 4 Ruby Baby 2 Maxine 5 New Frontier 3 The Nightfly 3 The Goodbye Look 3 Walk Between Raindrops ----------------------------------------------- 28 Average = 3.50 So the average is 3.5. I guess I'm going to have to give it a 3. If it had just one more 4 or 5 towards the end, I might give it a 4. I'm gonna try the lower ranked songs one more time (I've already listened to them twice). Almost done with my 3rd listen. This is reminding me a lot of Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen which is one of my all time favorites, Probably in my top 50 at least. So, I changed some song ratings and feel like I can give the album 4 stars. 5 I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year) 4 Green Flower Street 4 Ruby Baby 2 Maxine 5 New Frontier 4 The Nightfly 4 The Goodbye Look 3 Walk Between Raindrops ----------------------------------------------- 31 Average = 3.875 So, I don't normally rate the songs individually as the average does not necessarily equate to the rating. I give the album but when I'm on the fence, it is helpful. That being said, I'm a gonna give it a 4.

Before: I know I do like De La Soul a bit but I can't name a single song of theirs I like. I had a brief infatuation with hip-hop back in the day. I guess it's my favorite genre from that realm. During: It's a fun and enjoyable listen. I like it more than I dislike it. However, it's not something I would go out of my way to listen to. After : Given it's historical significance, I'd say it does deserve to be on this list, but personally, I have to rate it a 3.

Before: I have to say, I'm surprised to see this album on the list. I know there is at least on song on it that I like a little but cannot say which one it is. Songs from the album used to get recommend to me all the time by my streaming service. I guess it sounds like a lot of stuff I was listening to in the early 2010's but this one never really clicked with me. Maybe this time around will be different. During: Earthquake is interesting but I wouldn't mind if I never heard it again. Same for Don't Cry. I like Revival a little better not enough to add to my favorites from 2010. Checking my DB, I find I have one song by Deerhunter on my 2008 list and one on my 2019 list. That's it. Sailing, is a pass. Memory Boy, nothing wrong with it really but this same song or similar has been done plenty of times before. I'm leaning toward a 2 at this point. Desire lines is OK but there is something undefinable that is really annoying about it. In fact that is the case for most of their music. It will be interesting to read some other reviews and see if anyone else feels the same way and is able to articulate what exactly is the problem with their sound. Helicopter is OK, but nowhere near getting on my favorites from 2010 list. He Would Have Laughed, this is the one that used to pop up all the time from my streaming service. It's OK but quite annoying at the same time. I would usually skip it when it came on. After : I can name at least 12 albums from 2010 that I like better than this one. Looking at my top five, only one artist is even in this 1001 albums list and that is Beach House's Teen Dream, also from 2010. For reference, my other 4 top fives from 2010 are Tall Hours In the Glowstream from Cotton Jones, Bubblegum from Clinic, The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night from The Besnard Lakes, and You'll Understand When You're Older from Venus Infers. Hmm, Discogs lists the genre style as Shoegaze, Art Rock, Indie Rock, I would agree with the last 2 but Shoegaze?, I don't think so.

TLDR: I didn't care for it very much at first but after a few listens, I do think it's pretty good. Not sure it should be on this list seeing how they have 2 others here but we'll see after I hear the other 2. Before: Blur, I know their first album and liked it a little but I don't know this one. I'm sure I've at least skimmed through it though. During: First track is For Tomorrow, nothing remarkable about it. Not bad and not good. Advert, again nothing remarkable. This is the kind of music I get bored with pretty quick. Colin Zeal, nope. Nothing notable to say about tracks 1 - 7. Oh, hold on, the last 2 minutes of Chemical World are interesting. Sunday Sunday is not bad, it reminds of Lazy Sunday on the Small Faces's Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake released in 1968. Oily Water is pretty good, as is Miss America. After that, the next 3 songs are just like the first 6. The final song Resigned is OK, it has a nice transition and ends with an interesting riff, but the first 4 minutes of the song could have been condensed to just 2 minutes. After : It looks like there are 3 Blur albums in this 1001 list. Why? I think one would be plenty. The only album of their's that I liked a little back then was their first one, Leisure, which is not one of the 3. Maybe I only liked it because my girlfriend at the time liked it and used to play it all the time. Looks like I have to rate this a 3, and should it be on this list? No. Post: So I listened to this album around 4-5 times throughout the course of the day and I have to say that it did grow on me. Will I ever listen to the whole thing again? Probably not, but I do think it's pretty good and am going to rate it a 4. Favorite tracks are Oily Water, Miss America, and Resigned.

Before: The only thing I know from them is Come On Eileen, which I do like, but also find a little annoying. I'm not optimistic. During: The Occasional Flicker, this is awful. This Is What She's Like, wow, 12+ minutes, what was the point of that? Knowledge Of Beauty, awful?, not sure, it has it's moments. One Of Those Things, oh I've heard this before, Werewolves Of London. At least I found a song to add to my playlist "one of these things is a bit like the other". Maybe I'll rename it "One Of Those Things isabitliketheother" in honor of this album. After : I didn't like a single song on this album, but I don't hate it, so I'm giving it a 2. I won't be relistening to see if it grows on me. Well, maybe I'll give it another try in 10 years.

Before: Oh, this is a nice surprise after what I've been presented with lately. Of course I'm referring to the music, not the person. Apparently he is not a very good human being but I don't know about that as I don't follow popular culture, at all. I've listened to this album before when working on my favorites by year list but for some reason I have it on my 2011 instead of 2010 list. I have Power on there at number 40 and Runaway at 17 out of 42 for the year. Of course I have them in the wrong so year so will need to fix that. It's been a few years since I listened to this, maybe I'll find some more to add to my 2010 list. During: Dark Fantasy is a good one. Also Gorgeous, POWER, Monster, Runaway. The rest I didn't care for too much. After : I'm going to rate it a 4. I think it has some really good tracks but most of it is not my cup of tea.

Before: Oh, I recognize the album cover. I think one of my friends had this back in the mid-80s. And of course I know the first track, I Wanna Destroy You. I was a big fan of Robyn Hitchcock back in the early 90s. During: I like I Wanna Destroy You a lot. It's ranked 88 out of 95 on my favorites from 1980 play list. The next 2 tracks are not so great. I Got The Hots is a good one that I remember as well. I decide to add it to my favorites from 1980 play list. The next 6 are nothing special. I guess this is going to be a three. After : Overall, I think the album is kind of lame, except for 2 tracks that I like enough to put on my favorites form 1980 list. Maybe taken in the context of the time it was produced, the album deserves a higher rating, but I check my 1980 list and there were several albums at least, that were much, much better than this, imo. For reference, my top 5 albums from 1980 are: Pretenders, "Pretenders"; The Specials, "More Specials"; XTC, "Black Sea"; The Fall, "Grotesque (After the Gramme)"; The English Beat, "I Just Can't Stop It".

Before: Oh, it's Nirvana. I did like them but my favorite album from them, Bleach, is not even on this list. If I had a 1001 list, I would put Bleach on there for sure, but that's it. I listened to Nevermind countless times already, back in the day. It's probably in vinyl in my collection in the basement. I also listened more recently as research for my favorites by year list. Of course this is a good album. I'll probably give it a 4. During: Smells Like Teen Spirit: It's fine and hints at a certain energy but guess it's too polished for my tastes. I'm bored with it half way through. In Bloom also hints at greatness but it's like there is a filter on. Come As You Are is OK, but seems muted as well. Checking my favorites of 1001 list, I have the first 3 tracks on there but that is all. I probably got bored with listening to it at that point and put them on there just because it's Nirvana. Breed, I like. It's my favorite so far. I decide to swap it out with Come as you are on my 1991 list. The next 2 tracks are kind of boring. Territorial Pissings is pretty good. After : I guess I'll give it a 4, but just barely.

Before: I have to admit I've never listened to this album. I have heard some of the songs though. I'm not really a fan of this genre. During: It's Ok but I can't relate to the lyrics. After : I don't like it much but I suppose it's an important album and deserves to be on this list.

Before: Here's something I have never heard. I have no idea what to expect. Based on the album cover, I'm guessing some kind on German opera? During: Was hard to find this but did find it on YouTube music, so I had to listen to ads. After : Well, that was interesting. I'll give it a 3.

Before: I really don't even need to listen to the first 5 songs. I'd give it a solid 5 based on them but the overall quality does kind of peter out towards the end. I'm actually not much of a fan of this genre. This album is the only one of this style of music that I like enough to give at least a 4 in that realm. I have "More Than a Feeling" ranked as my number 1 song from 1976, followed by "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, and "Girlfriend" by The Modern Lovers, then "Stich in Time" by Anthony Moore, and "I'm Straight" by The Modern Lovers at number 5. For albums, I have T. Rex's "Futuristic Dragon" and The Modern Lovers' "The Modern Lovers" tied for 1st, followed by Boston's "Boston", Lou Reed's "Coney Island Baby", and ABBA's "Arrival", at 3, 4, & 5. During: 5 More Than A Feeling 4 Peace Of Mind 5 Foreplay/Long Time 4 Rock & Roll Band 4 Smokin' 3 Hitch A Ride 2 Something About You 1 Let Me Take You Home Tonight ---------------------------------------- 3.5 AVERAGE After : I'm giving it a 4. It would most likely be in my 1001 essential albums list as well.

Before: This is one of those albums that I feel like maybe I should like more than I do. Let's give it another shot. I do know I like Avalon more than this one, and it's not even on this list, but I do see 2 other Roxy Music albums. Whoo-hoo. (he says unenthusiastically) During: They released this in 1972, really? I was not listening to anything even remotely like this at the time. The opening tracks have elements that sound almost like precursors to new-wave. Of course, in 1972, I was only 9. I think my favorite band at that time was Chicago, mainly because I had received one of their albums as a Christmas present, along with a portable turntable. It was my first album and I was very proud of it. After : I can see how this is on this list given that it was released in 1972, it seems somewhat ground breaking. Still, it's not something I personally enjoy listening too. I am sure I would feel differently if I had known about these guys at an earlier age. Favorite track was "If There Is Something". I'll add that one to my 1972 playlist.

Before: This looks fun. I'm anticipating some sort of raucous African reggae-esque beats. Let's see. I think maybe I have something from Fela Kuti on one my favorites by years lists. Nope, it's some other African dude, but I cannot recall his name off hand but I would not be surprised to see him pop up as my album of the day some morning. During: Let's Start, literally. Oh, it's an African James Brown. I do love James Brown's music, is my initial thought upon the beginning of this track which then devolves into some jazzy stuff that I'm not much of a fan of. 13 minutes in now, this way too jazzy for my tastes. I'm leaning towards a 3 at this point. Ye Ye De Smell is great. I kept thinking of some of the stuff the Beastie Boys were doing while listening to this album. I wonder if they were influenced by this artist? After : Overall, it was an enjoyable listen but not one I'll be repeating anytime soon. I would regard it as a high 3.

Before: I have no idea what this is going be, folk psychedelia? Let's see, lot's of E's (explicit lyrics warnings). Probably not folk psychedelia. During: Wow, the opener is interesting, made me chuckle a little. Then the next track goes in a completely different direction. How have I never heard of this guy before? Maybe this will be interesting. Nope, not interesting at all. About half-way in I start reading some of the reviews. My favorite went something like this "this is the worse Radiohead album ever". I tend to agree. After : I had to skip through the last few tracks. And, what's with all the E warnings? I did not hear anything explicit, at all. I even browsed through some of the lyrics and did not see anything that would garner an E warning.

Before: It's not my favorite Pixies album, but it's a darn good one. My favorite album by them is not even on this list, Trompe Le Monde. Anywhoo, this is probably going to be a 5. I've probably listened to it 100+ times already, but here goes, one more time. During: It does have a few weakish songs but still, 11 out of 14 are good enough to make it on my favorites of 1990 list. I only have 56 total for 1990 so the Pixies comprise 20% of the list. You'd think it would be my favorite album for 1990 but I have to give that spot to Mazzy Star's, She Hangs Brightly. OMG, that album is not even on this list, nothing by Mazzy Star is. How is that possible? After: Yeah, it's a 5.

Before: I was never a big fan of Neil Young. He's obviously very influential and a lot of people love his music but it never really clicked with me. During: Cinnamon Girl, I remember this one, but I think there is a version I like better. Oh Lord, there are 7 Neil Young albums on this list. Really? One is plenty. I would not have more than 3 albums by any artist and then, only if they are very different from each other. Further, there are only a handful of artists I would allow 3 albums on a list such as this. After: I don't have anything else to add. I'll give it a 3.

Before: I don't know anything about this album as a whole. I'm sure there are going to be tracks I've heard but more than likely, this is not going to be the kind of music I like or have liked since it came out in 2002. I did have Born To Run as my 9th album from this challenge and that one I gave 5 stars. I'm anticipating a 3 for this one. Incidentally, this is my first repeat artist. I check and see he is on this list 5 times, that's way too many. During: I listened to a few times throughout the day. Most of the songs I tuned out or skipped through. After: I liked three songs a little: Let's Be Friends (Skin To Skin), The Fuse, & You're Missing. I'll give it a 3.

Before: I do like the title track, it's one of my favorite songs from 1973. And Jet is another good one. I don't recognize any of the other tracks but I am sure I have at least skimmed through the entire album at least once when building my yearly playlists. I have the track Band On The Run ranked, oh hold on, I don't have it listed at all. I will have to rectify that. I'm gonna add Jet as well. During: Band On The Run and Jet are good. I really do like Jet a lot. Bluebird is OK. Mrs. Vanderbilt starts off pretty good but soon gets kind of annoying and I have to skip to the next track. The next 7 tracks are not so great and I skip through most of them. The closer, Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five, is interesting. I'm probably going to give this one a 3. Only because of the first 2 tracks, otherwise, it would be a 2 in my book. After: Nothing else to add really. This concludes my 50th. It's time to find out what's next.

Before: I've heard of them. I think they may have had some hits on the radio. During: Chocolate Cake sounds pleasant enough but nothing special. I can already tell this is not going to be something I like a lot. Probably going to be 3. It's Only Natural is kind of annoying. Fall At Your Feet and Tall Trees are just bad. I guess I'm going to have to skip through most of this. After: I ended up skipping through all the rest of the tracks. It's gonna get a 2 from me.

Before: I never listen to Willie Nelson but do like some songs from him. Looks like this album might be a bunch of covers. During: 3 tracks in, all covers so far. They are decent interpretations but nothing special. I mean he does have a pleasant and unique voice but that's not enough for me to be interested in listening to a bunch of covers. I do think at least one of his albums should be on a list such as this. I see he has another one on here, I hope it includes original material. I'll probably give this one 3, in large part due to it's all covers. After: Works great as background music.

Before: I do like Lou Reed a lot and he has many songs in my best of years list but nothing from this album. I'm sure I skimmed through it at least once before. During: Two tracks in. I can see why this album does not stand out to me as one of his best. The first tracks definately won't be making it on my best of 73 list. If this wasn't Lou Reed, I'd definately be skipping through, but it is Lou Reed, and it's a Saturday so I have plenty of time to listen to the complete album. I see 2 version of Caroline Says, is that the song I'm think of? We'll see, the first comes up next, I'm on track 3 now and don't really care for it at all. I see there is only one other Lou Reed album which is Transformer, which is a good choice but what about Coney Island Baby? Why would you put Berlin on this list instead of Coney Island Baby? Caroline Says I - nope, not the song I was thinking of. Candy Says is the song I was thinking of. That's a great song and would be very out of place on this album. Six songs in now, why on earth would anyone put this album on a best of 1001 list? Maybe it was very innovative or edgy for 1973? Let's see what the experts have to say about it. After : Overall, it's not an enjoyable listen at all but I did like it a little better the second time. I get it that this album is not meant to be enjoyable. Maybe it deserves to be on this list but still can't rate it higher than 2, based on my own persona criteria.

Before: I do like Cat Stevens a little. I've probably skimmed though this album before but the only song I know I like is Wild World which I have ranked as my 35th favorite from 1970. During: There's some good songs on here other than Wild World. My favorites were Where Do The Children Play?, Miles From Nowhere, and On The Road To Find Out. I see a lot of people mentioning Father and Son but that one doesn't really do it for me. After : It's between 3 and 4 for me. I'll be generous and give it a 4.

Before: Cool, Fats Domino. I need to work on my yearly playlists for the years prior to 1960. This should give some tracks for 1957. During: 4 "Blueberry Hill" 4 "Honey Chile" 4 "What's the Reason I'm Not Pleasing You" 4 "Blue Monday" 4 "So Long" 4 "La-La" 4 "Troubles of My Own" 3 "You Done Me Wrong" 3 "Reeling and Rocking" 4 "The Fat Man's Hop" 3 "Poor Poor Me" "Trust in Me" After : I could not find the album but found different versions of all the songs. 4.

Before: Hhmm, wasn't expecting this one. My mom had this album back in the late 70's and I listened to it many times. I have not listed to it since then. During: Some incredible playing for sure but it's not the kind of thing I usually listen to. At some points I'm wondering, how may many hands does that dude have? After : I didn't know about the back story until I started reading the reviews. I get it now why so much of this sounded like improv. I'm giving it a 4. Sure, it deserves a 5 but it's not something I really enjoy listening to that much.

Before: This is a 5. In fact most songs on the album are a 5. I have 10 of 11 tracks in my best of 1991 list which only has 84 total. so MBV comprises 12% of the list in terms of titles. In mind, this album is the definition of shoegaze. During: I've heard this so many times there's really no point in listening to it again. I absolutely would but it's not available on Spotify for a few months now and I really don't feel like trying to piece it together from YouTube clips. I do have it on vinyl down in the basement, buried in the back of a closet. OK, so I did find the full album on YouTube Music, so here goes... After : 5, no doubt. This for sure is one of my top 100 albums of all time. Maybe even top 20.

Before: This is a decent album. I used to listen to it some back then. One of my roommates' had it. I have 3 tracks on my best of 1988 list which consists of 80 songs altogether. I'll probably give it a 4. During: It's between 3 an 4. After: Leaning towards a 4, I'll be generous and give it a 4.