140
Albums Rated
3.23
Average Rating
13%
Complete
949 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1960
Favorite Decade
Soul
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
14
5-Star Albums
7
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2112
Rush
|
5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
|
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
Stardust
Willie Nelson
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
|
Moss Side Story
Barry Adamson
|
4 | 2.52 | +1.48 |
|
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
|
5 | 3.59 | +1.41 |
|
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
|
5 | 3.61 | +1.39 |
|
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
|
5 | 3.63 | +1.37 |
|
Hot Fuss
The Killers
|
5 | 3.73 | +1.27 |
|
All Things Must Pass
George Harrison
|
5 | 3.81 | +1.19 |
|
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
|
5 | 3.81 | +1.19 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Odelay
Beck
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
|
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
|
1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
|
White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
|
1 | 2.89 | -1.89 |
|
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
|
1 | 2.69 | -1.69 |
|
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
|
2 | 3.65 | -1.65 |
|
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
|
2 | 3.62 | -1.62 |
|
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
|
2 | 3.48 | -1.48 |
|
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
|
1 | 2.48 | -1.48 |
|
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
|
2 | 3.4 | -1.4 |
|
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
|
1 | 2.39 | -1.39 |
5-Star Albums (14)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Charles Mingus · 1 likes
3/5
Not bad not bad
I usually listen to these when working so some good ole instrumental jazz is pretty nice and was indeed very productive while listening to this one
I wouldn’t say it left a huge impact on me, and I don’t think I’d listen to any of these songs individually, but not a whole lot to complain about here. Would probably have it as a 7/10 but I’ll keep it as a (high) 3.
Robert Wyatt · 1 likes
1/5
That title absolutely does it justice
Without a doubt the worst album I have ever listened to, congrats Robert. I said something in my velvet underground review about how I listen to music because it sounds good and it’s like he didn’t even try this time. I would have been fine with it sounding boring but it took everything in me to not skip every song in the album. At least velvet underground has some level of “at least it’s influential and a lot of the music I like today wouldn’t exist without it” but this one isn’t even that. There were legitimately songs on this album where I questioned whether they were music or not. Absolutely hated the half baked vocals and the blatantly wrong/ear bleeding notes
This is the first time I’ve ever given out a 1 and I don’t think any album deserves it more than this one. Genuinely bummed to hear there’s another one of his albums on here
Elvis Costello & The Attractions · 1 likes
4/5
Oooh this is a tough one
Im pretty sure this is my first time ever listening to Elvis Costello and I’m pretty impressed. I really like the music itself, I think Costello’s got a great voice and the band sounds great. Pump it up and The Beat are a couple standouts, but musically I liked every song on this album
What I definitely didn’t like is the lyrics, ranging from a bit shallow and meaningless to demeaning depending on the song. It’s not a dealbreaker for me but I feel like I should bring it up.
After yesterday I’m happy to give it a 4. Definitely on the lower end of 4s but I would 100% listen to it again (maybe with headphones in)
1-Star Albums (7)
All Ratings
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Rush
5/5
Very epic, love the theming and really are only a few dull moments in the entire album (mostly in the second half). Temples is probably the high point
David Bowie
3/5
Beatles
4/5
Probably not the very best of the Beatles but In My Life is such a wonderful song
I wouldn’t really say there’s any songs I don’t like in there but a lot of them just kinda exist
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
Don’t think I’m much of a folk rock fan, a lot of the songs blend together and other than Suite Judy Blue Eyes none of them are very memorable or do anything too special. Nothing super ear grating but can’t see myself listening to that one again
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Don’t judge an album by its cover
Really loved this one actually, I love that combination of funky jazz and some more electronic sounds
I’m 100% sure I’ve heard some of these songs sampled/interpolated in more modern music, just a lot of cool stuff going on
The last 4 songs are particularly great; I love how each one sounds so different and have their own identities
Faust
2/5
Those Germans are weirdos
100% haven’t heard anything like it, was definitely not expecting it to be as experimental as it was. I do like the sound though
I feel like Krautrock overstayed its welcome by about 8 minutes and I thought my audio was completely broken on the last song but the other songs were palatable enough
According to Wikipedia the band vanished for like 15 years after the release of this album and then resumed touring like nothing happened lol
Elvis Presley
4/5
I can see why this guy was so popular (though I know this isn’t the style that got him famous)
Really like the soul sound present throughout the album, great mix of emotional slow tempo pieces with some more high energy pieces. I’m always a sucker for horns in my music
I thought I’m Movin’ On, in the ghetto, and power of my love were my standouts, though suspicious minds is obviously the big one from this album
Would probably be a 9/10 if we weren’t rating out of 5
Wilco
3/5
Kinda divided, on one hand I don’t think there’s any real misses on the album but I definitely wasn’t singing along to any of the songs
It kinda feels like they picked up a random live band from a local venue and recorded a polished album
Definitely wouldn’t have picked this to be a 90s album I’ll say that
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Banger alert
God I love The Chain; vocals on the songs in this album are out of this world. I forgot how many good songs were on this album. Don’t think I need to elaborate much on why
Only flaw is that it’s only 40 mins long. This is actually the highest user rated album out of all 1000+ albums on this list. Definitely a high bar to clear
The Clash
3/5
Well they definitely got better as their careers went on
Ngl not a fan of the vocals, I get they’re going for that early punk sound but it sounds more like British Ramones than anything I want to listen to. Composition itself was fine, if a little samey. Police and Thieves stood out to me a lot, I liked that one
The Verve
4/5
Really really pleasantly surprised
Screw the haters Bittersweet Symphony’s great, if a bit overplayed. I think it’s a really cool spin on the Rolling Stones song it’s based off of
Couple of songs on there that aren’t really necessary but way more good than bad. I think the psychedelic sound combined with the singer dudes vocals works extremely well
Man do I actually like britpop? Guess we’ll find out when I have to listen to an oasis album or something
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Definitely not the sound I expected from a British pop artist
She’s got a pretty good voice, though idk if the soul sound really suits her very well (even though I’m usually quite a fan). I’m pretty sure every song on here’s a cover so I do think it’d be cool to hear more of her original music.
Either way was a fine enough listen, there’s some fun ones on there. Was nice to dip back into the 60s
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Yay 21st century finally!
There’s a couple songs in there that I HATE (Body Rap, Cause a Rockslide), and the rest were ok. Not really a huge fan of when tracks just cut out for ambient noise like it does in Fall in a River.
The last 5 songs definitely redeemed it a little bit but I think the damage had been done. Pretty confident I’ll never listen to the album in full again, though I might throw on disillusion or maybe skip the ear grating ones next time
The Beach Boys
5/5
Oh man, there’s some good ones in here
Obviously Wouldn’t It Be Nice is timeless, pretty hard for it to not just make your day better
Back when I was a toddler I LOVED Sloop John B. I have vivid memories of going into my dads office and getting him to play the song over and over for me while sitting on his lap. Definitely got emotional hearing that one for the first time in a long time
Those harmonies are so much fun, they had such a distinctive sound that never wears out its welcome. Not quite a perfect album but I’d be hard pressed to not give it a 5 with everything it has going for it
Brian Eno
2/5
Talkings Heads at home
Wasn’t a super unpleasant listen but I really don’t get what Eno was going for here. Feels very disconnected at times and nothing really blew me away. There’s some flashes in there for sure but I doubt I listen to that one again
John Grant
3/5
Now that one was interesting
Definitely the most lyrically focused out of all the albums we’ve listened to. There’s some fun wordplay in there, I liked the comedy for the most part. Pretty cool to see lyrics so closely intertwined with the singer’s real life experience growing up. Dude has a great voice too
Gonna be honest the slurs song was a little much. I would never put this one on when there’s any chance someone would be within earshot
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Maybe I just don’t appreciate artsy music
You can go on and on about how influential this album is but at the end of the day I listen to music because it sounds good, and I really don’t think Velvet Underground try. There’s parts in the second half that make me want to pick up my headphones and throw them far away
There’s some interesting poetic lyrics but that alone isn’t enough to save the album for me. Once again no real standouts
I might have to give this one another listen because I’ve gotta be missing something
The Cult
4/5
How the hell did it take 3 full weeks to get an 80’s album?
This one was a blast, you gotta love that 80s guitar sound. Wild Flower and Love Removal Machine were my favorites but I don’t think there’s a single bad song on this album. I don’t think there’s a ton of range on this one but that’s not a huge problem when they’re so good at executing what they excel at.
Not gonna pretend like this is special music or that it has any kinda real depth; maybe it’s because I’m so inundated with 70s albums but I had a lot of fun with this one. Had not heard of The Cult before but will definitely check out more of their stuff later
Charles Mingus
3/5
Not bad not bad
I usually listen to these when working so some good ole instrumental jazz is pretty nice and was indeed very productive while listening to this one
I wouldn’t say it left a huge impact on me, and I don’t think I’d listen to any of these songs individually, but not a whole lot to complain about here. Would probably have it as a 7/10 but I’ll keep it as a (high) 3.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
There were a Brazilian good songs on this one
All jokes aside I really enjoyed this album. Every song was fun as hell and it just makes you want to move. Love the instrumentation as well. I’m sure it would be even better if I actually understood the lyrics but I’m sure it’s not that important
Out of all the albums we’ve had where I didn’t know a single song beforehand this was probably my favorite. Thank you 1001 albums
The Cars
4/5
1001’s been on a hot streak lately
Really liked this album, Just What I Needed is an all time fav of mine and for the most part liked everything else I heard. There’s a couple songs that weren’t it but I can look past that. 35 mins is also a crazy short runtime.
Definitely a little unpolished at times (which makes sense for how early in their career it was) but just a solid album all around
Orange Juice
3/5
The Scotts are alright so far
I thought it was pretty fun, usually not my favorite type of music but I really like the vocals; the lead single is pretty fun and crafts a unique sound that still sounds good.
I probably wouldn’t actively seek out another album of theirs but if another one showed up on this list I would have fun
Robert Wyatt
1/5
That title absolutely does it justice
Without a doubt the worst album I have ever listened to, congrats Robert. I said something in my velvet underground review about how I listen to music because it sounds good and it’s like he didn’t even try this time. I would have been fine with it sounding boring but it took everything in me to not skip every song in the album. At least velvet underground has some level of “at least it’s influential and a lot of the music I like today wouldn’t exist without it” but this one isn’t even that. There were legitimately songs on this album where I questioned whether they were music or not. Absolutely hated the half baked vocals and the blatantly wrong/ear bleeding notes
This is the first time I’ve ever given out a 1 and I don’t think any album deserves it more than this one. Genuinely bummed to hear there’s another one of his albums on here
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Oooh this is a tough one
Im pretty sure this is my first time ever listening to Elvis Costello and I’m pretty impressed. I really like the music itself, I think Costello’s got a great voice and the band sounds great. Pump it up and The Beat are a couple standouts, but musically I liked every song on this album
What I definitely didn’t like is the lyrics, ranging from a bit shallow and meaningless to demeaning depending on the song. It’s not a dealbreaker for me but I feel like I should bring it up.
After yesterday I’m happy to give it a 4. Definitely on the lower end of 4s but I would 100% listen to it again (maybe with headphones in)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Dude has a great future in audiobooks
Definitely think there’s a time and place for this album; it’s extremely ambient and there’s little percussion. It gives off movie soundtrack vibes (which makes sense, since the dudes been featured in plenty of movies). I really do like the lyrics, very poetic and emotional at times.
I think if i was doing anything other than trying to focus on my work I’d probably be a bit bored, but it actually worked perfect for background music. Would definitely prefer a bit more instrumentation next time, but I think it accomplishes what it’s meant to do decently enough
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Long time no see Nick
Crazy how different this one is to Ghosteen. Very very stark division between the two discs. First disc I actually quite enjoyed, Hiding All Away was fun and I liked the variety in sounds between the songs. Immediately getting blasted with drums and hard vocals on the first track was absolutely not what I expected.
I really didn’t like the second half however, boring and didn’t have the same emotion that Ghosteen had. If I was ever going to listen to this album again I would definitely stop at the halfway point. I just don’t think the highs make up for the lows on this one either way
Please don’t give us another Nick Cave album tomorrow
David Bowie
3/5
Ah fun music, how I’ve missed you
There’s some good ones in here, Changes is great and I liked the last 3 songs on the album quite a bit as well. I definitely liked it more than Low.
I’d say I was slightly disappointed with this one considering a lot of people have this as a top 50 album of all time and I don’t think I absolutely loved any songs on this one, but every song is above average.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I definitely needed a second listen for this one
Had practically 0 impressions my first run through but I warmed up to it a little. Cinnamon girl was cool, I like the harmonies throughout the album and there’s some fun guitar solos in there. I just really don’t care for the super acoustic sounding songs. I can tell Young is a supremely talented musician, but I just don’t get any banger vibes from anything in here.
I’ll say this one’s definitely better than Crosby, Still, and Nash, but I definitely wouldn’t put this on in the car.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Whoa the Brazilians are back
Definitely not as crazy about this one as Africa Brasil but it’s a good sounding album. This is one where I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy it more if I understood Portuguese, definitely more lyrical sounding and less dance vibes. Still can’t knock it too much for that, it’s a fun one.
Definitely want to listen to more Brazilian stuff, if we got another one tomorrow I would have 0 complaints
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
No way, is that actually music I remember being popular when I was growing up??
This is one you definitely want the lyric sheet for. Kendrick’s a master wordsmith and effectively conveys his experience with racism and mental health, as well as commentary on society as a whole. I really like the variety here; you got a ton of featured vocalists to keep the sound fresh, whereas stylistically you can see everything from funk elements to hardcore hip hop.
I can’t count how many times I heard King Kunta and Alright growing up, and I still don’t get tired of them. Keep in mind I am usually not a rap/hip hop guy, but I still think this is a super worthwhile listen. I will say the album was probably a bit longer than it needed to be and there’s some wasted time in there, so it’s not perfect.
Patti Smith
3/5
I can almost smell the velvet underground inspiration
I thought I was going to like the album a lot more than I did after the first song, I actually enjoyed that one a lot. It just kinda deteriorated a bit from there. Will absolutely give Patti credit for her vocals, there’s so much talent there; they fit great on more upbeat songs and slower more melodious sounds. I just don’t think anything’s very catchy after the first couple songs, and I didn’t resonate with the lyrics all that much.
I can 100% picture the person that would love this album and have it as one of the greatest of all time, it just ain’t me
Led Zeppelin
4/5
That’s Led Zeppelin alright
Only song I knew from this one before was Immigrant Song (which still goes hard), so was kinda surprised by the contents of the rest of the album. There’s a lot of cool instrumentation going on (listen to that bass!) and I love some of those transitions.
I just don’t know how I feel about the folk/acoustic sound paired with Plant’s vocals. The ones that are more subdued sound pretty good, but I just don’t like how Friends or Hats off sound.
This is one where I’ll happily stick to the bangers and probably not listen to the full album again, but man the highs are high
David Gray
3/5
Starting to realize I don’t hate British pop like a lot of people do
I do think this one’s super generic; the dude sounds like that Verve album we got last month without the bangers, but I just can’t bring myself to hate it. It’s like a fast food burger, where you gotta make sure you limit yourself and you shouldn’t go in expecting a masterpiece, but it’s engineered specifically to be tasty.
I don’t think I can give it higher than a 3 because other than the first song nothing really left a huge impression on me, but none of the rest of the music hurts to listen to.
George Harrison
5/5
Yeah this guy would fit pretty well on a band like The Beatles
This one was so damn good, really wasn’t looking forward to it when I saw most of the music was folk rock but every song was a treat. My sweet lord is a great standout, but that was far from the only good song. You’d get a song that sounded just like a rejected Beatles track (from what Emily told me tons of these are exactly that), and then a bluesier song, then a fun instrumental. Even though the album was 2 damn hours I don’t think I got tired of it. Funnily enough the bonus tracks that third disc (Apple Jam) were actually my favorite part of the album. I love that 12 bars blues structure and the energy coming off Thanks for the Pepperoni and I Remember Jeep.
This album really made me appreciate George as a guitarist (I really didn’t know any of his solo stuff before this). There were just a couple songs I wasn’t crazy about, but when you have 28 tracks in the album that’s not the end of the world.
Thank you 1001 for making me listen to this one; we’ll see you again someday George.
Dolly Parton
3/5
That’s a voice suitable for the Queen of Country
I did like this album, lyrics felt very personal in this one. Dolly’s vocals are outstanding as well; I’m usually not huge on country but damn I would listen to this 100 times over some modern bro country. Also wow 27 minutes for the entire album? That’s gotta be one of the shortest on the list. For better or worse even if you hate this album it’s over quick. I don’t think there’s a ton of variety in this one but all the tracks sound pretty good.
I do think I’d be harsher on this one if her name wasn’t Dolly Parton but at its core it’s an above average southern country record, nothing more nothing less. Definitely on the higher end of 3 but alas
The xx
2/5
Just no
I was super into cutting edge pop when I was a young teen, but I think I really started to stop caring about it around in the mid 2010s when those stupid whisper vocals combined with minimal backing tracks took off (think Taylor Swift’s Blank Space, Beach House, Chainsmokers etc), and it sounds like this is might be patient zero for that epidemic.
It’s just such a boring sound. It makes the vocals feel less important even if the lyrics come from the heart and there’s literally nothing else interesting going on musically. I get where the appeal for minimalist music like this comes from but it just feels like such a waste of time.
It sounds pretty inoffensive and the album’s over pretty quick, so I can’t give it that dreaded 1 star, but I’m pretty certain I’ll never listen to this one again
The La's
2/5
Ok never mind I don’t like britpop anymore
I did recognize There She Goes, and although it’s pleasant enough and definitely the best thing this album has going for it, even that gets boring pretty quick. It’s got the same problem as yesterday’s album where it’s not like it hurts to listen to but there’s just nothing going on in any of the songs.
I understand that without this album a lot of turn of the century British music wouldn’t exist, but it’s just a whole lot of nothing. Vocals, instrumentation, lyrics, all just kinda there and nothing else.
Maybe I’ll listen to it again in like a year after getting a ton more 90s British albums but definitely not at the top of my list
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Feels like it’s been a while since we got a North American artist lol
This album kinda has everything, really like the variety in sound. Raised on Robbery was fun, definitely the standout in this album, but it wasn’t like every other song was bad. I’ll admit I’m not crazy about her general sound and the slow quiet songs tend to drag so it’s not all good but I think the good pretty comfortably outweighs the bad.
I would enthusiastically listen to this one again, though I might skip the boring ones next time
John Lee Hooker
4/5
We’re on a mission from god
I thought I recognized this guy from the Blue Brothers. I feel like i will never not enjoy blues, even if it’s very amateur sounding. There’s just something about the instrumentation where you don’t even need lyrics as long as you take it in.
I wouldn’t say every song on this album is my jam, but man the album as a whole sounds good. Those are some great vocals and I love that electric guitar in songs like Cuttin Out.
I feel like something would have to go horribly wrong for me to rate a blues album lower than 3, which definitely isn’t the case this time.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
Say what you want about the bias of this list but the non Anglosphere ones they’ve put in here are REALLY solid
I just really like music that’s easy to dance to, it’s as simple as that. And believe it or not that’s the whole point of salsa. I was tapping my foot all the way through. Im sure it would be fun to look up the lyrics but it’s really not necessary for music like this in my opinion.
The only real downsides for me are the relatively repetitive nature of the genre where most songs sound very similar, and the lack of a true standout. Still, when every song slaps I’d be hard pressed to give it lower than a 4. Definitely a 9/10 album imo
The Pretty Things
4/5
Pink Floyd: “hey dude can I copy your homework?”
Pretty Things: “yeah sure, just make sure to change it a little”
This was easily my favorite album I’ve discovered on this journey so far, how the hell does no one talk about this one? Literally the first ever rock opera album, which laid the blueprint for so many other top albums of all time. But it’s more than just a blueprint, it’s actually a good collection of music! I feel like the problem I have with the rock operas I’ve listened to is that half the songs just kinda sound unexciting (which is ok if you’re telling a story), but I genuinely enjoyed every song except for 2 on here.
Yeah it’s a little unpolished, yeah it’s not the most technical, yeah it doesn’t have a true standout, but that was a damn good album. This was exactly what I was hoping for with this exercise and I’ll definitely listen to this one later this week
Eagles
4/5
This is a 7/10 album on its own and a 9/10 album when you’re driving
Take it Easy is an all time classic and by far the best part about the album. I do think it’s pretty cool how each of the members does vocals for a couple of songs, makes it feel like a real team effort. I do think the country/rock fusion works pretty well, even if it does end up feeling a bit repetitive at times.
Pixies
3/5
Well it’s not boring at least
There are some really good songs on here (here comes your man, monkey gone to heaven), and the you have songs that are actually unlistenable (like tame). The vocals are absolutely not my cup of tea, ranging from just ok to ear bleeding. The instrumention’s actually really cool, love some of the baselines and I think they do a lot of cool stuff with tempo and volume (even if that comes at the cost of blowing out your eardrums since you’re using headphones)
I can tell this influenced a TON of modern rock (especially smashing pumpkins and nirvana), and I do think they have such a unique sound, but I’m pretty confident I’ll never listen to this one again. I was really close to turning off the album after the second song because it really was that bad, so I’m glad I got through it at least
Destiny's Child
2/5
Well I did it, I survived the album
The title track’s a great song that you heard all the time growing up, but the rest of it is just super generic sounding R&B. I think Beyoncé’s an extremely talented vocalist but she’s never stuck out to me musically. I think the album was probably about 20 minutes longer than it needed to be. There’s some fun lyrics in there every once in a while but that’s about it.
I don’t think it’s an abomination or anything but definitely not meant for me
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
This is my first exposure to Wu-Tang Clan and idc this is the best hip hop album of all time
There’s so much to love in this one. Having each verse done by a different member makes each song feel so fresh and keeps it moving. The beats themselves are almost hypnotic, letting you really focus on the lyrics while still bringing the necessary energy. The lyrics, of course, that have so much personality and creativity that you have to go back and listen again right after. Some of those lyrics are so damn funny and others are just so satisfying in the way they flow and play with words/grammar.
The low budget/underground sound actually works in its favor. It really feels like a bunch of friends sitting in a room rap battling each other (which according to Wikipedia is exactly what happened, where the room they recorded in wasn’t even big enough to hold all the members). All the barely masked laughter, the constant insistence on one upping each other, but still more than enough support for their fellow members in there so it’s not just a bloody free for all.
I will 100% listen to more Wu-Tang in the future, probably with a lyric sheet in hand so I can get to know the personas the members put on, there’s going to be a lot to analyze there
Public Enemy
3/5
Two days, two early 1990s East Coast Rap albums
Really hard to not be biased when we got Wu-Tang yesterday, but it’s really easy to compare the two and see the shortcomings it has. To start with the good: the themes of injustice, poverty, and media coverage are very well conveyed and it’s definitely a lot better organized than 36 Chambers.
There’s a couple of good sounding songs in there, but I think the problem is the album gets a lot more repetitive when most of the vocals are done exactly the same. Some songs really get on your nerves after the third verse and it makes it hard to get through.
It’s not BAD, and I can definitely see myself liking it significantly more on a different day, but I was definitely burnt out by the end.
Goldfrapp
3/5
New idea just rerelease this album but don’t include the first song
Seriously though, probably the worst first impression I’ve ever had from an album. It’s like she sang the whole thing with a retainer in. Thankfully that was the only song that sounded like that, vocals were pleasant for the rest of the album, not sure what that was about.
Pleasant’s definitely the word I’d use to describe the sound, it’s very light and listenable. The vocals are soft and not super interesting, but absolutely not a problem. I can’t say I truly resonated with anything on this one; it’s definitely on the minimal side at times but it’s pretty good as background music I guess
Could be a lot worse, but I wouldn’t really say I was impressed
Miles Davis
4/5
We’re getting the real oldhead music now
Pretty hard to dislike Miles Davis, as a trumpet player I listened to a decent amount of his stuff back in the day and we played some of his music for jazz band. Not particularly emotionally attached but it’s definitely nostalgic.
You could argue some of this albums on the same-y side, but damn there’s some cool trumpet solos in there; he really pushes what that instruments capable of.
Instrumental albums are always appreciated in my view, really lets you focus and lock in on whatever you need. I don’t think I could quite go 5 for something like this, but it’s a pretty easy 4
3/5
Straight up Beatles at home
The only songs I knew from the Kinks were You Really Got Me and Lola, and this list features neither. I can see why they got so popular, but also why they didn’t reach that same level of fame as the other British Invasion bands. We happened to get dinner with my father this day and he told me that they were kinda soft banned from ever playing in the US due to a variety of reasons including violence and breaking union regulations, which Wikipedia confirmed.
Victoria and Shangri-La were the standouts, and although there definitely wasn’t any offensively bad music, the rest just kinda sounded like discount Beatles. A pretty high bar to clear, but it’s pretty much impossible to not compare the two bands.
This is definitely on the higher side of 3s, but there’s so much other British Invasion music so why would I listen to this again over the competitors.
De La Soul
3/5
Yeah this one’s real weird
I only knew De La Soul as the guys who did the rap part for Feel Good Inc before this, so bit of a different vibe here. It’s not garbage or anything, but reading the lyrics melts my brain, they’re just a little too silly. The more music focused songs do sound good, there’s some good variety in there. The skits can be pretty funny in an absurd “what am I listening to” way.
I do think it goes on a little too long, and some songs just don’t hit very much, but I’m glad I listened to this one. Absolutely the most unique hip hop I’ve ever heard.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Scary
The title couldn’t be further from the truth, which surprised me since I mostly knew them from their super popular synth pop stuff. There was some pretty cool stuff about this one. Honestly didn’t particularly like the first song, and then each song got better than the last. There are some genuinely unsettling parts of the album, which is definitely new to me. Not usually my type of music but it still sounds pretty solid.
I do think there’s a little bit of a clash between the vibes the albums going for and the vocals but there’s plenty of instrumental stuff that really absorbs you. I feel the album could have been just a tad shorter, but I don’t think it overstays its welcome too much.
Definitely on the higher side of 3s, but there’s enough nitpicks where I don’t think I could give it a 4.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Ok I definitely get Zeppelin now
That was unbelievable, night and day difference between this one and III. I really think Plant’s voice suits this hard rock style of music a lot more than the more folky sound in III. Can also see why Jimmy Page is considered a top 5 guitarist of all time, he was absolutely dealing. Heartbreaker was my favorite from this album and definitely going in my playlist, but Thank You and Living Loving Maid also deserve shoutouts, not to mention Whole Lotta Love being a classic. I loved pretty much every song on here, no real complaints.
This album absolutely feels 10 years ahead of its time, hard to believe this was released just a couple months after Abbey Road. That blues sound combined with some really fun high energy music results in some of the best music you’ll ever hear, and you can tell just how may bands heard this album and decided to go in that direction.
Would be very surprised if this one ends up outside my top 25 of the list when this is all said and done.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Nothing like hearing a cool riff and the being blasted with almost unintelligible shouting
There are absolutely parts of this that sound cool, that guitar is movin on some songs. It’s just really hard to get past the vocals, the pretty shallow lyrics, and the lack of any real standouts.
I really don’t think this one should be on the list, I know Kings of Leon can and will do better. As someone who grew up in the 2000s I’m starting to think the panel was past their prime and just kinda sucked at picking the actually good/influential albums from the last couple decades.
Ray Charles
4/5
I don’t care that there’s not a single Christmas song on here this is Christmas music
Ignoring the fact that all the lyrics are about relationship issues, there’s something so cozy about Ray Charles. It’s the kind of music you’d throw on on Christmas Eve sitting around the fireplace with family. I think it’s tickling the same neurons in my brain as Sinatra.
I really did like this one though, I Can’t Stop Loving You’s a classic, and it was nice seeing a bunch of covers of even more classic songs like Hey Good Lookin’. Ray Charles has an amazing voice that just draws you in.
Normally I would complain about the album being on the long side but there’s too much good stuff in here. It’s like right on the border of 4 and 5, but I think I’ll settle on high 4. I probably won’t put this one on while driving but any time you want to create a cozy environment Ray’s got your back
4/5
Zeppelin’s trying so hard to be them
Apparently Led Zeppelin opened for them before they got famous and were heavily inspired by Spirit (to the point where a huge lawsuit unraveled over Page’s heavy borrowing of a Spirit song for the opening to Stairway to Heaven). I actually don’t think they’re too bad, there’s some really good music in there. Street Worm in particular was great, just a good ole 60s rock sound. I did like the overall psychedelic sound in some songs, didn’t try to do anything crazy but it sounds nice.
I can definitely see the accusations of it being on the generic side, but I can’t hate it too much. Just like every prog rock record not every song hits hard on its own but it’s an album where it’s better than the sum of its parts. It was honestly a bit hard to research this album with the lack of info on it, so honestly not sure how influential it was, but it was fun regardless
The Prodigy
2/5
They did it they figured out how to make instrumental music sound bad
I’ve heard a couple of Prodigy songs before and kinda liked them, so was sorta looking forward to this one and was pretty disappointed. Some of the beats sound pretty good and get you invested, and then they do something stupid that ruins it. It almost feels like an video game ost at times
While listening for the first time I thought it wasn’t really that bad at all and then my second listen through made me realize how shallow and uninteresting this one is. Also the vocals are too British
DJ Shadow
1/5
God this one just sucks
Lazy, boring, sounds like shit, too long, repetitive: there’s so many things I dislike about this one. When listening to hip hop I usually derive most of my enjoyment from lyrics, and the beat is a bonus if it sounds good, and somehow this one has neither. I might be able to stomach instrumental hip hop if the beats sounded even decent.
It’s so frustrating because you’ll get like a quick sample that actually sounds good and then they completely undo it with a godawful 10 second segment. I don’t care if it’s artsy or whatever but I just think the whole concept of an album solely made up of samples is an awful idea.
I think the worst part about this one for me is that it’s not even bad in a funny way like Rock Bottom or Faust, it’s just boring and uninspired. Only the second album I’ve given a 1 to, so pretty uniquely bad. Thank god I never have to listen to this garbage ever again
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Pretty hard to find faults in this one
Biggie’s delivery is just so goddamn good; Big Poppa and Juicy are classics that I’ve heard a plenty of times but never listened to closely, and man they sound great. Lyrics are smooth, funny, and deeply personal at times. I think he makes excellent use of samples as well.
If I had to find one problem I had with it, it’s just that it’s a little bloated. There’s a couple tracks that don’t really do much other than lengthen the runtime.
This would probably be a 9/10, but 5 stars doesn’t feel quite right. Comfortable 4.
The Stooges
3/5
This is the most 3 star album I’ve ever heard
It’s the epitome of mediocre; the vocals are fine but not goosebump inducing. The guitar solos are cool but I’ve heard cooler. The overall sound is pleasant but I’m not jamming out to it.
The first track is definitely the best and seeing every track after that get more forgettable is a little disappointing. I listened to this one less than 24 hours ago and I already forgot how they sound
If this was on for a long car ride it would be totally fine, but I wouldn’t ever consciously select it. It’s forgettable, which is a truly terrible fate
Barry Adamson
4/5
No way a cool concept album?
The whole premise of being a fake soundtrack for a fake film sounded interesting enough but it actually delivered. It’s super easy to imagine these hypothetical scenes in this movie, where there’s a chase going on, a murder, betrayal, or any other action that would take place in a noir film.
The music can be a little slow at times, but as someone who listens to soundtracks quite a bit that’s not the end of the world. I don’t think the actual instrumentation or execution is particularly special, but it gets the job done. Most importantly it actually sounds good and isn’t ear grating like some other more adventurous albums we’ve had.
This is definitely not an album I would put on for my morning commute, but it’s a cool listen when you’re working or focusing on something else.
Ian Dury
2/5
Man what the hell
I hate how I actually like the sound of the music, some of those baselines are actually catchy and the use of saxes is really well done. If this was an instrumental album I really think it’d be a 4, but unfortunately the guy has to open his mouth.
I’m pretty confident that this is the worst the vocals have been for any album so far, it’s like he’s trying to sound as aggressively British as possible. I’m pretty sure he tried to sing in as close to an everyday voice as possible to hammer home the themes of this album, but it makes him sound like a classless idiot (especially with how shallow and dumb some of those lyrics are). One of the only songs he actually puts some oomph into his vocals for (Blockheads) sounds so much better than the rest of the album, though even that one has so much else to dislike about it.
I’ll admit this is definitely one I’d like more if I was British and I didn’t hate that stupid britslop accent, but I think an album that sounds ear grating to everyone not living in your country can’t be considered good.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Lotta good and a lotta mid in this one
There’s some truly great guitar pieces in here, Kracked and Sludgefeast were phenomenal and had some amazing, memorable solos. I do appreciate the effort to be innovative
Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of really bad music on here too. The end of Tarpit is unbearable and Poledo barely qualifies as music, more just ambient noise. The vocals really just aren’t that strong throughout the whole album, which is fine for some of the heavier guitar parts but it isn’t going to cut it for most other songs.
Subtract a couple songs on here and I could easily bump this up a number or two but it’s pretty hard to look past the garbage parts
Willie Nelson
5/5
Man what a musician
Havent listened to a whole lot of Willie Nelson, but was more familiar with the outlaw sound he’s most synonymous with; I was pretty surprised by the vibe and content of this one. It’s very emotional and punctuated by some truly amazing vocals. I saw that all of these songs were covers, and think he does a pretty damn good job at arranging them. Georgia on my Mind is a classic and he absolutely does it justice.
I don’t think there’s really any misses on this one, though if I had to come up with one critique it would be the lack of variety. It’s a pretty short album, so I’m willing to overlook that for the most part.
Haven’t listened to a whole lot of country albums front to back, but this has to be pretty close to the top. Probably on the lower end of 5s, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one
Tim Buckley
2/5
Take a shot every time Tim makes an annoying sound that does nothing to make the music better
Starting to become a pattern on this list, where the music’s pretty solid (there are some great sax solos in there), but the vocals are actively detrimental. I am starting dig more psychedelic sounding albums a lot. For “experimental” music it doesn’t sound that bad at all.
A lot of the lyrics are just shallow, repetitive, and borderline trashy. The actual sound of the vocals themselves is whatever, but it just gets on your nerves so much after a while. The random sounds he shits out really really suck and made it really hard to not skip to the end
This is another one where I really don’t know why this one’s on the list; it’s another one that was really tough to research since there’s so little discussion/legacy on it, and it’s really not that special of an album at all.
The Mars Volta
4/5
Finally a 2000’s album I genuinely enjoyed
This one sounded real good, thought it was just the right length for a prog album. I haven’t listened to a ton of post 2000s prog but I do think the cleaner sound adds a ton to the immersiveness. Vocals aren’t necessary the clearest so didn’t really catch a whole lot of lyrics, but I love the sound.
There’s a couple of rough parts that I really didn’t like, the weird technological garbage in the middle of the final song hurt. The albums an hour long and there’s maybe a cumulative 1 minute that actively sucks which isn’t the end of the world but does need to get brought up.
Going to need a couple more of these to reverse my judgement of the 1001 committee sucking at picking 2000’s albums though
Van Morrison
3/5
Not too crazy about this one but it’s fine I guess
Before today I only knew Van Morrison as the dude who sang Brown Eyed Girl, so I guess it’s not surprising that every song on this album sounds like it. I have definitely heard Moondance before, never knew this was the guy who did it Instrumentation and vocals are pretty good, definitely passable.
Lack of variety is definitely the biggest complaint I have about this one. A lot of the songs kinda just blended into each other. I think the energy’s just a little off where it’s not emotional enough and also missing some catchiness.
Wish I could like this one more, it’s a pretty well executed album just not my thing. Also would have never guessed the dude’s Irish, good for him.
Cream
4/5
That Clapton guy’s pretty good at guitar
Unsurprisingly the guitar solos are really really good in this one, really impressive what Clapton’s able to get out of that instrument. Sunshine Of Your Love’s got one of the most iconic bass lines of all time, so simple but so catchy. The bluesy psychedelic sound is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Really well paced album as well
I like the vocals Bruce and Baker provide for the most part, but I don’t really care for Clapton’s sound all that much, he should stick to guitar. It’s not the end of the world but I 100% think this would be a better album if Bruce sang the whole way through
Dirty Projectors
1/5
Reminder that I hate experimental music
If I had a couple good things to say about this album, it’s the fact that it’s over quick and every once in a while there’ll be a cool 30 second stretch where it sounds decent enough
I really really wish the dude didn’t sing with that falsetto the whole album (the woman’s got a much better voice, listenable at least). The inability for them to stay on rhythm infuriates me so much, I’m sure they’re talented enough but it sounds awful. Most of the base lines/drums sounded like they were generated by AI where none of the notes make any sense. Vocals are definitely the bigger problem though
Probably a bit closer to a 1.5. I’m feeling spiteful today and I thoroughly disliked this one
Iggy Pop
4/5
Somehow I liked this one a lot more than the Stooges one we had last week
You can really hear the Bowie influence. I really liked China Girl, Dum Dum Boys, and Mass Production.I really like the guitar riffs quite a bit, super catchy. Variety’s surprisingly good too, some definitely sound more punk themed and others are a lot more mellow. I don’t say this often but honestly this one could use one or two more songs.
I’m still not huge on Iggy’s voice, and I do think the first half drags a little bit (that first song just isn’t very good unfortunately). Lyrics are also not great on some songs and on the repetitive side
I think there’s just a lot more going on with his solo work where it’s catchier and more innovative. Pleasantly surprised
David Bowie
3/5
The more I listen to Bowie the more I think he’s a 3 star kinda guy
I’ll start off with this: the dude does not make bad music. Every song on this one is pretty solid from a musical standpoint, well thought out and there’s enough variety where it doesn’t get boring. Across the Universe is pretty cool (even though Emily told me he stole it from the Beatles)
I just don’t think his highs are particularly high. I know he has better songs on other albums but I never come away from his albums with a real standout or banger. Maybe it’s just a symptom of his music not being my thing since I really can’t highlight any major flaws
It’s an enigma; I’m never upset when we get a Bowie album but 20 minutes into one I kinda wish it was over
Beck
3/5
It’s kind of a soup of genres but it works decently enough?
The music definitely sounds good, with E-Pro and Earthquake Weather being the standouts for me. Variety is excellent, where the genre, tempo, and potentially language changes every track.
I do think for how dynamic the music is it just isn’t that interesting to me unfortunately. The vocals are just kind of there and a few songs left absolutely zero impression on me.
Nothing egregiously bad in this one, but I just don’t think there’s a lot that’s giving me a reason to listen to this one again. That’s a lot better than the other 2000s albums this list has given us at least
The Cure
2/5
I’m sorry but this one was so boring
I guess I’ll start with the good by saying there’s nothing objectively awful with this one, nothing super skippable or ear grating
The first song having absolutely nothing going on (I thought my speakers were broken at first) really set the tone. It’s just a bit too sleepy, the vocals aren’t really interesting at all. I don’t think there’s really a whole lot going on with cool instrumentation either.
I know these guys make better music than this so a little disappointing to say the least
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Sick name and even sicker album
The range of this album is pretty insane. Before you Accuse Me and Ooby Dooby sound amazing in their style, making them almost not feel like covers (plus more blues is always nice). Travelin’ Band is an awesome one that feels like a lost hit from the 50s, pretty much impossible not to tap your foot to. The crown jewel in this one is “Up Around the Bend,” with one of the most iconic opening guitar riffs of all time and might be in my top 5 driving songs of all time. Long As I Can See the Light is a great one to end it on, just a wonderful cap to this album. John Fogerty’s vocals are exactly what these songs need. Also there’s just so much cool stuff with tempo, just super well executed
Even the non standouts are still pretty good. Ramble Tamble and I Heard it Through the Grapevine is like 17 minutes of the band jamming out with some really cool solos in there. There is very little I can nitpick here, other than maybe taking a minute or two off each to add another track.
Think I got another one of my top 25 locked in. I think very few bands have as iconic of a sound as CCR, and this is about as memorable as you can get.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Well the guys voice definitely grew on me a little
It usually really annoys me when singers sound like they smoke a pack a day, so unsurprisingly I really didn’t like the title track. I do think the more energetic rock heavy songs use his voice a lot better to the point where they’re pretty listenable. Cut Across Shorty was definitely the best of the bunch, liked the sound of that one a decent amount and there were some cool moving pieces.
Again I just don’t think the mellow country sound works at all here, so most of the tracks on this one just kinda fall flat. A lot of the instrumentation doesn’t really leave a strong impression on me, so it really does feel like he needs the vocals to carry (and even though I said I didn’t absolutely hate his voice, it’s not good enough)
We’ve definitely gotten worse in the past, pretty easy 6.5/10 or so. Also unrelated to this album but this guy blatantly ripped off Taj Mahal from Jorge Ben Jor’s album for his biggest hit so he can’t be that good of a songwriter
Kelela
3/5
Honestly a lot better than I thought from the description
It’s a really interesting mix of Pop, R&B, and Electronic music. Her voice is actually really good and probably the best thing about the album. Lyrics feel very personal while also not being too crazy artsy. I do like how the bass is definitely less grindy than a lot of other 21st century R&B songs, makes it easier to listen to
I do think there’s a bit of a lack of variety, and nothing completely stood out to me on this one. Might have also been a hair too long with that in mind. Even though it’s better than the sum of its parts I’m still not a huge fan of any of the genres in the soup so I don’t think I’ll ever be crazy about this one.
It’s a solid 7/10, which is a lot better than I thought going in, but it didn’t quite capture my heart
The Sonics
2/5
I can see why the Brits dominated the mid 60s when this was their competition
It’s not awful per se but I honestly don’t think I prefer any of the covers to the originals, and their originals aren’t particularly good. Definitely catchy, I did find myself enjoying the beat for a bunch of them. For its time it does a decent job of feeling like something newish but I just don’t think his vocals are quite it. I do gotta give them credit, any time an albums under 40 minutes on this list I breathe a sigh of relief since the artist actually respects our time.
Innovative for its time but I think out of all the bands in the early/mid 60s these guys got left behind for a reason
The Police
3/5
Man I thought these guys were better than this
Message in a Bottle’s pretty good, Walking on the Moon’s alright, but everything else ranges from mediocre to just weird. I do think it was a little better on my second listen, there’s really nothing truly awful about this one.
Sting’s vocals are pretty hit or miss; when they work it feels like no one else could sing that part but sometimes they just sound off. Other than the bass which is pretty solid I feel like the instrument work just isn’t that special.
Yet again a case of “it’s not awful, but I know they can do better”
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
Raise your hand if you were also confused about the album title/artist name change
I liked it quite a bit actually, definitely started strong. Definitely got flashes of Prince and Michael Jackson every once in a while and it oozes that similar flamboyant personality. It was nice to hear a slightly more modern soul album for a change. Vocals are excellent.
I do think it drags a bit towards the end and that it fails to produce a real standout, but every song is pretty solid. The energy’s a little off in places which just feels a bit awkward and unpolished.
Still a pretty damn strong debut album, I’m impressed
Tim Buckley
2/5
Good news! It’s not nearly as annoying as Greetings from LA. Bad news: it’s really really boring
Of course we’ve gotten this dude twice already. The sheer talent of this guy to make two albums that suck in two completely different ways. This one lacked all the annoying sounds and unsettling lyrics Greetings from LA has but in return it completely stripped out everything that made it passable for me. These songs are so goddamn boring; pretty much zero variety and also go on for at least 5 minutes longer than they need to. I know they’re supposed to be emotional but I just get absolutely nothing from any of the tracks on this one.
I guess at the very least there’s nothing actively offensive and the vocals are easy enough on the ears; I would rather listen to this than absolute silence so I can’t rate this a 1, but man I wanna be spiteful and do so anyway since I’m kinda fed up with this guy.
Also had the same problem with this one as the last one we had from him where there’s so little info on the album out there so it’s pretty hard not to question why it’s on here other than the fact that the authors really liked it. Only have to suffer through one more of these shitters thankfully
John Coltrane
4/5
Now that’s a palette cleanser right there
Love this album; every part feels so dynamic yet so important. The transitions are just so cool, love the key change between the first two parts and that awesome drum solo to open up Pursuance. Definitely think Pursuance is my favorite part but I feel like singling out any track on here kinda defeats the whole purpose; it’s an experience. I’ve heard this album described as spiritual a lot and I can definitely see it. Just the right length too, it just feels like it covers everything it needs to cover.
I really don’t have any problems with this one at all, it’s pretty close to perfect, but I think jazz is going to be a genre I will always love but not absolutely adore. I think the fact that you pretty much have to listen to the whole album in one sitting to really enjoy it makes it a bit less suitable for casual listening.
Still though, from a music perspective this is absolutely one of the best albums ever made, just slightly out of reach for a 5 for me
GZA
4/5
I will never complain about more Wu-Tang
I’m very glad we got 36 chambers before this one considering how a decent portion of the lyrics directly allude to that one. Musically it’s just about as good, I love the flow and how hypnotic it gets at times. I don’t care if it’s corny, I do like all the martial arts themes; it adds so much to the personality. GZA’s got a really powerful voice which makes the delivery really hit
It’s still great but not quite as good as 36 chambers; I think a lot of the charm of the original was the chemistry between the whole group, and although all of the other members are featured pretty heavily in this one, it’s not the same. I also don’t think the lyrics are as good, though there’s still some great lines in there
I realize it’s kinda unfair to compare this one to one of the best hip hop albums of all time; I really did like this one and it’s just more of what I loved about 36 chambers
James Taylor
4/5
This is just Mac and Cheese in an album form
It’s simple, the lyrics are very basic, it’s really short, but it’s just got a pleasant sound to it. I was surprised by how much I vibe with it; I like the horns in the last song quite a bit. Vocals are also really nice, clear but not too in your face which I think is a hard balancing act
I still don’t think I’m a huge folk fan but I liked this one a lot better than Crosby Stills and Nash for some reason. The variety’s not amazing on this one,
When I first saw this album I joked that it couldn’t be more generic if it tried (the dudes name is Jame Taylor and it’s just a white dude looking at the camera), and although it didn’t do a lot to shed that reputation, it was pretty damn solid.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
I bet this one would go hard if you had brain damage
This albums an absolute mess, it’s the musical equivalent of rage bait. It’s like the rhythms are crafted to piss you off and the instruments are fine tuned to hurt your ears. The lyrics are very minimal which is probably a good thing honestly, as I don’t think there’s a whole lot of talent on display. Also congrats to The O-Men for probably being the single worst song we’ve heard on our journey so far, it takes special talent to make something that putrid. I really don’t like how edgy the subject matter gets, from the band name to the album title to whatever the hell that last song was.
The reason it doesn’t quite approach Robert Wyatt level awfulness is that it at least keeps you engaged, every track is pretty short, the variety’s there, and when they want to they can actually sorta bang out a tune (I’ve definitely heard worse songs than human cannonball)
It’s influential at least, so I can see why it’s on the list. Don’t get me wrong there’s zero chance I’d ever put this one on unless I got lobotomized but it’s interesting. Music is definitely deserving of a 1 star but at least it’s bad in a way I’ve never heard before rather than a boring way.
The Stone Roses
3/5
Man British people REALLY like this album huh
There’s some good stuff about this one, I really did like I am the Resurrection and She Bangs the Drums is a classic Guitar Hero Arcade track. It’s very polished which I do appreciate and the instrumentation is pleasant enough
I really don’t care for the vocals though, too dreamlike and half assed for my liking. I think the songs really blend into each other in a boring way and it just lacks the excitement you’d expect from the genre. It just lacks anything that really makes it stand out from the swaths of alternative in my opinion.
Absolutely blows my mind that this regularly outpaces Abbey Road and other highly acclaimed British albums in all time rankings. It’s far from bad, but there’s just so little that I would consider special when comparing to the greats.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Yeah I was too mean to the first Velvet Underground one we got
At the very least, Nico wasn’t that painful, if a little boring. This one is so unpolished and rough that it barely sounds like music at times. It really does sound like you gave a bunch of five year olds instruments and told them to rock out. Horrible rhythm, the vocals just straight up suck, and the instruments are passed through way too many layers of distortion. The lyrics are awful too, it’s not like there’s some kind of deep meaning behind them. That 17 minute song to cap off the album is definitely some of the truly worst music we’ve had on this list
I really don’t have a whole lot to say that’s nice about this one, I understand why it’s on the list and how it’s super influential but man this one straight up sounds like shit. Every once in a while there’ll be a section that sounds ok but they’re far and few between. I really don’t get the appeal of this one at all
Mj Cole
3/5
There’s no way this is the worst user reviewed album we’ve gotten so far
Maybe it’s because I was scarred by White Light/White Heat but this one was pretty nice. It’s very non offensive, where the singing is actually solid, 90% of the beats are pleasant to listen to, and no track really overstays its welcome by more than a minute. I’m used to house music being a lot more just random sounds and less music so I was pleasantly surprised. The variety is actually pretty good, from more instrumental tracks, to poppier more melody heavy songs, to rap focused songs (though I honestly dont think British People should rap).
This albums on the generic side for sure, and I agree with the sentiment that it really doesn’t feel all that influential in the grand scheme of things so it’s fair to question its placement on this list. I think the length is ok if you don’t listen to the second side but there’s definitely some fat to be trimmed there. I did end up listening to the whole thing since I was locked in and I definitely got exhausted by the end.
I don’t think this album was special or transformative, but it’s very listenable. I would listen to this album 5 times in a row rather than having to listen to something boring like Happy Sad or something ear grating like White Light/White Heat. Here’s to hoping the remaining 15 albums that are worse than this one are actually worse
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
Man there’s a lot of talent at play here
Bell Bottom Blues was probably my favorite, but Layla’s a classic for a reason so it’s pretty hard not enjoy that one. I liked Clapton’s singing a lot more in this one than I did for Cream, just think it’s a better fit. Pretty confident at this point that I just really like blues and blues adjacent genres, something about way guitars are tuned just sounds great. There’re some amazing guitar solos on here, and though I’m not sure whether it’s Allman or Clapton on those, they’re close to the top of what I’ve heard
I don’t have a whole lot of complaints, but there’s definitely some songs that just kinda exist and by the end of the album I think I got a little tired of the vocals since it’s on the long side.
Pretty criminal this is all we got out of them, if only Clapton kept his needle out of the spoon and didn’t piss off everyone he worked with.
The Adverts
3/5
Yeah starting to realize I’m not a huge punk fan
The sound on this one honestly isn’t awful, I’m used to punk sounding a lot crunchier so for being a record from so early in the genre it sounds fine. There’s some decent guitar work in there and it was in an uptempo music kinda mood today so it sorta hit the spot
There’s still a lot I don’t like about the album; there’s some parts that are a bit too chaotic that just kinda annoy you, vocals are just bad enough where it’s something I have to bring up, and the variety kinda sucks. Also I don’t think there’s a single song I can point to and say “yeah that’s a good one”
I liked it more than some of the other punk we’ve gotten on here but it’s nothing too special. Pretty easy 5/10 album for me
John Martyn
2/5
It’s not bad but I don’t know why I’d ever listen to this one again
I listened to this album like 6 hours ago and I already forgot everything about it other than the first song being elevator music. Absolutely nothing offensive in this one but it’s definitely on the boring side. There’s some alright parts for sure and my opinion kinda seesawed for each successive track I heard
It’s exceedingly generic, from the dudes name to the album name to the tracks and lyrics. I bet I’d give this a 3 on a day where I was more bored but a 2 feels more right today
The Waterboys
4/5
Always love getting something unique
Fiddles are always hit or miss for me, but I really liked how they were used in this one. I can’t say I’m an expert in Scottish/Irish Folk music but I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the American stuff we got. First half of the original album including the title track was damn good. Also liked how they covered some more recognizable songs (This Land is Your Land) to make the whole experience cozier and more familiar
The version of the album we got is definitely a bit too long and some songs just drag on; felt like by the end everything was kinda bleeding into each other. I praised the instrumentation earlier but eventually after hearing fiddles for 90 mins straight you get a little sick of them
Still though, genuinely enjoyed this one. Probably on the lower end of 4s but the highs were high enough to keep me invested all the way through
Violent Femmes
3/5
I guess punk can be pretty solid when it wants to
The instrumentation here was far and away the best thing about this album, I did think the sound worked better with the folkier instruments. The vocals and really the album as a whole is very clean compared to something to something like The Clash. I just don’t like how most punk is all gas no brakes for 45 minutes, so it’s easy to listen to one song but not the whole album, whereas I feel like this one kinda had the opposite effect.
I don’t think this one’s crazy memorable in my opinion, and I definitely didn’t get absorbed like I would with a really good album. Theres also a couple songs on here which I really didn’t like, which is kinda to be expected.
I still don’t and will never probably love the genre, but have been proved wrong twice in the last week that all punk sounds the same. I just hope we have a little break before I get sick of it
Nas
4/5
90s rap just hits different
I wholeheartedly agree that Nas is one of if not the greatest lyricists in the history of the genre. It just feels a step above in terms of self awareness and effort. The way he raps feels so unlike other artists before him where it feels more free flowing and conversational. It makes it easy to get lost in the music. Was very familiar with NY State of Mind, got some great lines in there.
I was a little disappointed with all the buzz this one gets, as this is one of those albums that universally gets that “greatest rap album of all time title”, and I just don’t agree. It’s a really good album, but I just don’t think the highs are as high as Ready to Die or 36 Chambers. I think some of the beats themselves just ain’t it.
Can tell just by listening how influential this album is, but I don’t think it’s in the running for my personal best of the best when it comes to rap
Queen
4/5
Man what the hell why do they sound like that
After the initial shock of the “We will rock you” guys putting together an album that’s somehow closer to Led Zeppelin then their later work, I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I think it’s too easy to hate on them for being corny that you forget that Freddie Mercury’s still one of the most talented vocalists ever and Brian May’s a pretty remarkable guitarist, there were some great solos in there. March of the Black Queen was probably my favorite.
I do think it’s definitely on the generic side and I’ve 100% heard better prog rock, I can see why it didn’t do great commercially. I also think they went a little too hard on the theming here and the lyrics and overall work suffer a bit
It’s a really interesting album for sure, it lets you see how their sound evolved over the years and it just sound good so it gets my thumbs up
Beck
1/5
Cmon Beck you can do better than this
Guero was a pretty solid album, where my main problem was not really getting me absorbed in the music but there was a lot of stuff I thought was cool about it, where this one was just straight up garbage. Way too experimental for my liking, just throwing random sounds together and distorting the tracks will always piss me off. And don’t get me started on the vocals being robotic garbage the whole time, that would have been a fine gimmick for a song or two but not the whole album. It’s not completely unsalvagable, as there’s parts every once in a while that kinda groove, but I had a negative reaction to pretty much every single song in the end
Originally I though the final track just being a normal albeit unremarkable song would save this one from being a 1 for me, but going by my own rating system why the hell would I listen to this one again? I know this is probably my hottest take for the entire list but I just don’t see the appeal at all, it’s not even great background noise. It sounds offensive and it made my day worse so welcome to my exclusive group of 1s Beck
Pulp
3/5
I can never bring myself to hate britpop
The variety in this one was pretty excellent, for a genre that’s stereotyped for having so much samey music every song sounded pretty unique. Vocals are pretty solid. Disco 2000 and Common People are a little on the brainless side but very fun tracks nonetheless
They ain’t beating the generic allegations; some songs content wise feel like every other pop radio single. Even though I enjoyed most of the album it didn’t leave a huge impact on me. I don’t think the instrumentation is particularly special either
Not gonna pretend like this is high art but it’s catchy music and I will happily take that over some of our recent albums
5/5
Otherworldly album
I’m pretty familiar with the songs on this album, although this is technically my first time listening to the whole thing. The overall space theming and sound makes this one feel so special, reminds me a bit of Dark Side of the Moon except cranked up to 11. Matt Bellamy’s vocals are pretty great, the instrumentations amazing, and the variety’s pretty outstanding where no two songs sound the same
Starlight is definitely my favorite on the album, such a great song that really evokes the feeling of traveling to space, that sci fi synth sounds great whenever it shows up. Supermassive Black Hole’s gotta be Muse’s most popular song, and while it’s not quite my favorite on this album it brings so much energy, that guitar riff is so powerful and the musical emphasis on the even beats makes the whole song feel like it’s slapping you in the face. Knights of Cydonia is also great; it’s a dynamic song with tons of momentum, some great guitar solos, and some of the best drumming on the album.
Not every song is a hit on here, but I think the highs are more than enough to make up for the somewhat lackluster second half compared to the first half. Pretty fitting album to get while we got astronauts circling the moon
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Take a shot every time they say “Sucka MCs”
The vocals themselves are pretty well done, very distinct and they’re almost comforting in a way. I think my favorite part of the album is just getting a glimpse at very prototypical rap, it’s very cool to see how it evolves over the years. I do like rap collectives where you use multiple singers; it lets more personality flow into each track and adds to the variety
I just don’t think the backing beats are very good at all, they lack energy and they don’t absorb you like future rap albums do. For the most part the lyrics are fine but eventually you get to the point where it feels a little corny and every song sounds like DK Rap (which was modeled off Run DMC ofc)
Really cool for its time and pretty inoffensive but doesn’t really hold up compared to the great albums of the 90s.
Lou Reed
4/5
Few things instilled more fear in my heart than seeing Lou Reed described as “the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground”
All jokes aside, this is so much better than the two Velvet Underground albums we’ve got it’s not even funny. The songs are actually written to be catchy and sound good. No offense to Andy Warhol but Bowie is a much much much better producer; I really liked Satellite of Love which I’d argue is more Bowie than Lou Reed. The album deals with a lot of the same themes Velvet Underground does, but the fact that it’s not ear grating conveys those themes so much more effectively
There’s a couple songs on there that sound like the escaped the depths of his former band’s vault (New York Telephone Conversation stands out), which I kinda just had to endure. His vocals are also very hit or miss, where sometimes they work great and sometimes I think it’d sound better if there was a bit more oomph put into them
Was pleasantly surprised by this one, though it’s still got just enough going against it to not put it too high on my list
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
Yeah I really don’t like this genre
The instrumental parts where they just jam out for a bit aren’t too bad, I bet it’d be cool to see live. I think the variety’s all right too, the tracks that slowly build up make the long runtimes a lot more bearable and interesting
There’s a ton to complain about though, starting with what the hell was up with that 30 seconds of tinnitus on Super Unison? I feel like there were a bunch of moments on this one where they were trying to piss the listener off which I really dislike. The vocals are actively detrimental to the tracks; the genre’s definitely known for rougher vocals and uninteresting range but the album would be 100% better without them. Each track overstays its welcome by a couple mins at least, as well as the album itself being a couple songs too long
I’m really tempted to give this one a 1 due to that awful first song and the aforementioned 30 seconds of torture but I think the instrumental parts are just alright enough to spare it from that fate
Roxy Music
2/5
They call Brian Eno 007: 0 bangers, 0 charisma, 7 shitty albums on this list for some reason
At the very least this one’s not absolutely horrible, as in I never got the urge to skip any songs on this one. Even though it’s not my thing I can tell these guys are pretty talented, so at the very least I’m not surprised a lot of other musicians really like them
Personally I really don’t get the appeal, it’s just not fun and no tracks really groove. It feels like AI music at times where it’s just soulless and fails to leave an impression on you.
It’s better than the previous album in the sense that I didn’t have active hostility towards the artist while listening, I just wanted it to be over
Ramones
3/5
It takes more than one song to make an album no matter how good that one song is
Blitzkrieg Bop is a classic, I think they 100% saved their best for first. I loved playing it in Rock Band since it was one of the easiest to play perfect on expert mode and it was over so quick. As with all albums that basically invent a genre, it’s pretty cool to see how it all started (even though I’m not a huge fan). Also always have to give the artist props for the album being under 30 mins, especially since I was catching up from the weekend
As great as Blitzkrieg Bop is, the novelty wears off very quick when EVERY song sounds like it. Seriously I’m pretty confident this is the single worst album we’ve got in terms of variety. I legit had to check a couple times to make sure the album didn’t loop back to the beginning. I think my view on the album deteriorated a bit more with each track, not because they were bad but because I was already sick of the almost identical sound
If we were rating albums off singles, this would definitely be pretty high on my list but unfortunately I gotta rate it off the whole work. Please don’t give us more punk tomorrow
Jurassic 5
4/5
Haven’t heard of these guys before but man this is a cool one
It takes a lot of what I like about older rap (more instrumentation, got a bit more of a melody) and combines it with a lot of stuff I like about Wu-Tang (skits/spoken word sessions, stronger vocals). It’s obviously more hip hop than anything else but there’s a lot of really strong jazz influences. Vocals are great, and even though the lyrics aren’t particularly special, they’re still solid. Beats are really strong and keep you invested even on some of the longer tracks
There’s a couple of songs that just kinda get a bit repetitive but other than that I don’t have many complaints. I guess there’s some songs that are a little too innovative and weird but nothing super unpleasant
Not quite good enough for a 5 star, but this is a really great album. Starting to realize I really like this genre
The Jam
3/5
Just another generic album with an aggressively British vocalist
The album does sound quite good at times; I thought the drumming was particularly great and there’s some pretty catchy bass lines in there (though they definitely ripped off the Taxman base lines for Start lol). The album was pretty short and I think there’s just enough variety to keep me invested all the way through
Not a fan of the vocals as previously mentioned, I do think there’s such a thing as “too British” for my tastes. Even though there’s some solid instrumentation, the sound as a whole just feels so damn generic. I don’t think there’s any catchy melodies or any individual moment that made me stop and say “damn that’s cool.”
It’s gonna be one of those albums where you ask me about it in about a month and I’ll have no idea who you’re talking about. Better forgettable than bad at least
Heaven 17
3/5
This is some weirdo stuff
Gotta love when the coolest part of the album was the bassist and it turns out he wasn’t even part of the group he was just some random studio musician. Seriously though there were some awesome bass work going on. Singlehandly carried the album for me.
I’m just not a huge fan of the remaining content, I don’t think anything was too terribly awful but it just kinda had me on edge, like there’d be a note that’d be ever so slightly sharp and grating. They could very easily make this unlistenable garbage with a couple of small changes. Lyrics and content are also just so hilariously on the nose at times that it’s kinda weird
I can’t bring myself to loathe this, but I also don’t think it’s fair to give this anything higher than a 3 despite there being some fine sounding stuff in there. I really don’t think this is very good music at all (which seems to be a pretty popular opinion)
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I figured we’d run into these guys eventually
Gimme Shelter’s a great opener, great instrumentation with some dark and haunting lyrics. You Can’t Always Get What You Want is an even better finisher; I really do think it’s one of the best songs of all time, the way it builds give me goosebumps. I do generally like bluesy music, and although I don’t think it hits as hard as the more established artists at the time, it’s pretty decent (which is good since it’s vast majority of the album). The title track is also pretty catchy, definitely my favorite outside of the aforementioned big tracks.
I don’t think Mick Jagger’s a great singer; you get used to it after a while but you can’t help but think how all that talent would sound with a different frontman. Sorta mentioned this before, but I do think there’s just a bit of a disconnect between the bands sound and the genre they’re trying to perform, but that’s not the end of the world as long as the music sounds good.
This is my first time listening to a Stones album, so hadn’t really listened to most of their catalogue. I’ll say their good songs can stand up to pretty much any other artist’s hits in history, but the rest ain’t all that great. Would be hard pressed to give this one less than a 4 for the highs though
Fred Neil
3/5
Oh yay more folk rock
Vocals are pretty excellent on this one, definitely the main takeaway I had on this one. Sweet Cocaine and The Dolphins were probably my picks, I just think there’s some interesting stuff going on musically in those two.
Biggest complaint I had about this one was the lack of variety, where so many songs bleed into each other. This is one where I do think the instrumental sections don’t actually add a whole lot, where that last song just felt like it took everything I liked about the rest of the songs and didn’t do anything.
Never heard of the guy but apparently he’s one of the pioneers of the genre so fair enough. Gotta lot of respect for the guy’s efforts with dolphin conservation though, seems like a cool guy but I just don’t think I’ll ever like his music genre.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I somehow made it all the way through my life without knowing a single Amy Winehouse song
There’s some pretty cool ideas in here, that fusion of genres (Jazz/Pop/R&B) works pretty well and is definitely a new sound to me. There’s some good variety and I really do like the transitions between different genres, surprisingly smooth. Great vocalist as well.
I don’t vibe with the lyrics much, some of the more self destructive lyrics coupled with her tragic story are just kinda sad when to me they were intended to be more humorous. I don’t feel too bad hating on this considering Winehouse herself really didn’t like this album much lol. I also think there’s just something missing, some tracks sound fine and other tracks feel like there’s a layer that’s not there and makes them feel kinda flat
I’m not too surprised this is one that got removed from future editions of the book considering none of the tracks from this album are the ones she’s really known for, but considering how much influence she had on female vocalists going forward I can’t blame it too much for being on here
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Last 3 songs doing a whole lotta lifting in this one
Mrs Robinson’s a great one, easily their best song and (maybe not) coincidentally the one that sounds the least like most of the rest of their catalogue. Super catchy with a ton of pop culture relevance. Hazy Shade of Winter’s pretty good too, a lot more rock influence in that one which makes me appreciate it.
I just can’t with the vocals and dull instrumentation for most other songs on the album. Same problem I have with every other folk rock album where the variety’s shit and there’s nothing going on for every track. I know the whole concept of this album’s about life and aging and what not but I’m not particularly moved, especially knowing these guys were like my age when recording this one. The track where it’s just old people talking is not interesting
Am pretty positive this would be a 2 if it was any longer than 30 mins and didn’t have some buzzer beaters at the end to save it, but I gotta give credit where credits due
Ice Cube
3/5
We’ve gotta be close to exhausting the supply of rap albums right?
From a purely musical standpoint the albums pretty solid, there are some great beats and Ice Cube’s got one of the most iconic voices in hip hop history. There is some pretty cutting racial commentary which I thought was pretty well done, I always like the old white guy newscaster bit when it comes up in 90s rap.
It’s just really hard to take this guy seriously sometimes though, those lyrics are so edgy for the dork who played the main character in classic 2025 Amazon film, The War of the Worlds, as well as countless other Hollywood pursuits. I keep forgetting how out of pocket west coast rap is compared to east coast, but man the amount of offensive and just gross lyrics is insane. Think it’s just a bit too long and the lack of variety really starts to rear its head towards the end
If this one trimmed the fat and cut out all the garbage songs this would be an easy 4, but there’s definitely enough actively going against it to bring this one down a point. The bones are there at least
The Offspring
4/5
As someone who doesn’t know a lot of Offspring music it’s pretty crazy how much of this I recognize
While I don’t think this is their finest work it’s still pretty good, vocals are super recognizable and unique while still sounding good for the most part. Come Out and Play is so damn catchy, probably their best song that isn’t on Americana. I really do like Pop Punk a lot as a genre, takes everything I like about punk and makes it actually sound good
I don’t think I’d have another 40 minutes of listening to the offspring in me unfortunately, his voice does absolutely get on your nerves after a while. Compared to some of their later work it does sound a little samey at times.
Have gotten a lot of mediocre music over the last week so it’s nice to have an album that actually moves the needle in either direction
Miles Davis
3/5
Knew I was in for a ride when I saw this album had 7 tracks and it was 1 hour and 45 minutes long
Miles Davis will always be cool, easily a top 3 musician to ever pick up the instrument. The musical talent itself is incredible, just masterful execution. There are some really interesting ideas in this one, definitely feels a lot more modern than Birth of the Cool while still absolutely having some of that same identity.
It was a bit too freeform for my liking, not necessarily a bad thing but it made it harder to get invested in the music. It definitely did drag a lot, I probably would have liked it more if they tried some shorter more focused pieces in between the long flowing tracks.
I will always be pretty happy with a jazz album, I got a shit ton of work done listening to this one. Not quite my cup of tea but I can absolutely see the type of person who would say this is one of the greatest albums of all time
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Man I was just listening to some of Bruce’s music the other day
Emily’s pretty crazy about this one and I concur that it’s a pretty great album. It really feels like Bruce transcends genres and makes great music no matter what your tastes are. Vocals are great, E Street Band’s going crazy the whole way through (I will always love when bands use wind instruments in their music), and those lyrics are something else
I don’t think there were any massive standouts for me, though I’d consider every song good. I think it’s more knowing how may other great songs Bruce has in his catalogue that it makes this one feel just a tad underwhelming as a whole
Still though, the Boss is undefeated and it’s very easy to give the guy his flowers considering what a stand up guy he is off the stage. Honestly shocked the famously British biased 1001 list picked not one but FIVE albums from this American guy.
Lou Reed
3/5
Starting to think Lou Reed wasn’t the problem for Velvet Underground
This is another case of being relatively inoffensive, but at the same time thought provoking and emotional music. Between this and Transformer I have to admit that he’s a pretty good musician. The dark and moodier parts mesh really well with the more classical emotion sounds.
Not all great though, there’s some songs that absolutely drag a ton. I absolutely despised the part with babies crying in The Kids, way to take one of the most annoying sounds possible and ruin what’s otherwise a pretty solid song. It’s only for a minute or two but I think my tolerance for that tops out at about 10 seconds
I definitely like Transformer better, but this is far from bad and I definitely vibe with it at times. Is this what people mean when they say this guy’s an acquired taste? Maybe I will actually have to go back to Velvet Underground to see if I missed anything
Fever Ray
2/5
Another day another mediocre 2000’s album that had little cultural relevance on 1001
This one wasn’t that awful, just mediocre, as in it didn’t physically hurt to listen to and it’s somewhat interesting at times. I don’t think anything really brings this one down a ton (no single awful song, really irritating artistic choices) but that’s about all I can say on the positive side
I can only take so much of random nonsensical distorted lyrics from some random Swedish person, and the 56 minute runtime of this album was way longer than it needed to be. There is absolutely zero variety in this one, where all songs sound identical, there’s pretty much no vocal range (starting to realize I really, really hate soft whispered vocals), and just absolutely nothing to stand out from the millions of self produced electronic songs out there. The lyrics are gibberish in most songs, so I can’t even give them credit on that side
I just really fail to see the appeal here, I don’t think this is irredeemably bad but I’m 100% confident I’ll never listen to this again, since even as far as ambient music goes there’s definitely more interesting music out there
Moby
4/5
Talk about a tale of two halves
The first 8 or 9 songs of this album are phenomenal, just banger after banger. Love how high energy and varied each song is, from super electronic but still musically sound tracks to ones that almost feel like live performances, just truly amazing stuff for someone I honestly don’t think I’ve heard of before
That second half really slows down though, it’s not awful and there’s definitely some cool songs in there but all the fun and variety is gone. I think on its own it’d be more palatable but it’s just really disappointing when I was looking forward to another 30 mins of the 1st half and that’s just not what we got
Variety is really excellent on this one though, hard to complain too much. I think this would be a 5 if the aforementioned 2nd section got cut, but it’s a pretty damn solid album nonetheless
Sonic Youth
2/5
Either pretty solid or just absolute garbage, no in between.
The songs Thurston Moore does vocals on are actually pretty solid. 100% is a pretty nice track, reminds me a lot of Nirvana at times. There’s some decent guitar instrumentation in there and some really cool techniques.
I absolutely can’t stand Kim Gordon’s vocals, when she wants to sound good she can (On the Strip) but there are some putrid performances in this one. Orange Rolls, Angels Spit is absolutely awful, easily a bottom 3 song we’ve gotten so far. It legitimately sounds like she’s retching and about to puke at times. Nic Fit is also particularly bad, but at the very least it’s only 60 seconds.
With a half dozen omissions I legitimately think I’d love this album, but the stinkers on this album are just unbearably bad.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Yeah no wonder this album sold like 20M copies
That was really really good, just feels like a love letter to the 60s. Her vocals are absolutely suited for this more soulful sound than they were for Frank. Lyrics feel very very personal. There’s a lot of great songs on there; Rehab is super memorable, Tears Dry on their Own is overlayed over on of my favorite songs (Ain’t no Mountain High Enough), but it has a completely unique identity rather than feeling like it’s a knockoff, Me and Mr Jones just swings really hard (and apparently the subject is Nas for some reason lol). The variety on this one’s excellent, definitely an album that’s better than the sum of its parts.
There really isn’t a whole lot I have to complain about, there’s no bad songs in here. 34 minutes honestly feels short and I wouldn’t be too opposed to an extra track in there or two, but that’s just nitpicking at this point.
Think it would be hard to say there’s a whole lot of 2000s albums that outshine this one on the list, just a really great piece of art from an artist that passed away way too soon
The White Stripes
4/5
Two great 2000s albums in a row? What happened to the 1001 I know?
Seven Nation Army just might have one of the best riffs of all time, and its pretty hard not to get emotional thinking about all the times baby Spencer would get hyped when they’d play it during a tight 4th quarter at a football game. There’s quite a few other damn solid songs on this one; I thought Ball and Biscuit was pretty cool. There’s some nice variety on here, really not a whole lot of repetitive music. Jack White’s vocals aren’t particularly special but they work just fine for what’s being done here
I do think a couple songs just kinda drag unfortunately, I didn’t care for Little Acorns and really most of the end section of the album didn’t leave a huge impression on me. Still though, definitely not bad music, just think the lead single kinda steals the show
Pretty sure this is my first time listening to White Stripes other than Seven Nation Army and Fell in Love with a Girl, so pretty surprised that they have that much range. Pretty easy 9/10 album for me, but think I’ll round down this time
Radiohead
3/5
Man Radiohead is weird I don’t know what to think of it
I guess starting off, Thom Yorke is a pretty great vocalist. I honestly can’t see this music working well with any other vocalist, and can see an absolute nightmare scenario where you had someone like Ian Dury as the vocalist and this would just be garbage. I really don’t know how to describe the sound, but it’s far from bad. Nothing’s painful, quite pleasant at times actually. Jigsaw Falling into Place was probably my favorite track, just think it’s the most well defined
I do think it’s just a little artsy and the range just isn’t there. The instrumentation for a lot of songs is definitely on the minimal side sometimes, which isn’t a dealbreaker but not something I tend to like in music. I think it’s also just knowing Radiohead is capable of so much better makes me think they were kinda running out of ideas by this stage of their career
This one was really interesting in terms of figuring out what I like and don’t like in music (which is the main reason I wanted to do 1001 in the first place), since it really challenged my criteria. Really agonized between a 3 or a 4 for this one but I think a 3 feels more accurate.
Circle Jerks
2/5
I’m sorry does that say 15 MINUTES total???
This is not a genre I like but honestly the bite sized tracks make this one a lot more palatable. There’s just enough variety where it feels like a full album instead of one long 15 minute song, which is the issue I have with Punk at times (the Ramones album made me think I just listened to blitzkrieg bop 10 times in a row).
I will always dislike vocals like that though, just really gets on my nerves when they don’t even try to sing and intentionally obfuscate their vocals so the lyrics are hard to understand. I know I was praising the variety a little bit, but other than a couple of cool instrumental breaks it sounds like every song has the same tempo, key, and theming.
I probably won’t listen to this one again, but if you asked me whether I’d listen to this entire album or just the last song on the Velvet Underground classic White Light/White Heat, it’s not even a contest. The album being so fast paced 100% bumps it up a full point, and can very easily imagine this being a 1 if it was like 10 mins longer
Electric Light Orchestra
5/5
Goddamn that was somehow better than I could have possibly expected
There’s so many bangers on this one, Turn to Stone’s a fantastic opener, just great energy and might be some of the best use of strings I can think of in rock. Steppin’ Out feels like a fusion of Pink Floyd and Bowie, just some really powerful chords in that one with great vocals. Mr. Blue Sky is probably a top 25 song of all time, just objectively a super happy song that’s got everything from great vocals, a memorable solo, and of course the awesome orchestral part at the end (which i now have even more appreciation from, considering some of those motifs show up in other songs in this album). Birmingham Blues was yet another standout, really just showcases their range. I think the variety on this album is outstanding, where no two songs sound the same. There’s so many cool instruments in here, obviously headlined by their signature strings, but there’s all sorts of great, rarely used instruments like clavichords and fire extinguishers (yes, really). Jeff Lynne’s a great vocalist on this one and really does make this one feel epic and special.
I don’t think every song on this album is life changing, but considering it’s a double album that’s kinda expected; there’s no real stinkers in this one and the average ones are more than passable.
There’s just so much this album does right that other groups don’t, really just feels like so much heart was put into this one. Would be pretty surprised if I found 10 albums that I liked more than this one by the time we’re done with this list, so this is probably in the upper echelon of what this list has given us with Cosmo’s Factory and Zeppelin II.
Beastie Boys
3/5
If only there was some way I could include the music video for Sabotage in the rating somehow
This one was a lot more interesting than I thought, the surprising amount of instrumental tracks threw me for a loop. As always, variety is the spice of life and although I have no real problems with the beastie boys a lot of their hits sound exactly the same. Sabotage isn’t my favorite song or anything but it’s pretty solid and definitely the best track on this one.
Compared to other hip hop, it’s definitely on the corny side, which isn’t objectively awful but it’s kinda weird at times. It lacks a lot of the impact that a lot of other 90s hip hop has. This one’s also just a little longer than I’d prefer, 20 tracks is a lot when the vocals get really repetitive after a while. I’m not a huge fan of how it sounds like all the vocals are being routed through megaphones
Definitely not bad, but compared to all the other 90s hip hop we’ve got (genre I’m starting to realize I really enjoy) it’s just not that special
U2
4/5
I’m still never forgiving these guys for forcefully downloading their shitty album to my phone in 2014
All jokes aside definitely better than I thought it would be, Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day are pretty good songs. Pretty interesting to look at this one from a historical perspective with the Troubles going on at the time. Musically everything’s well executed; the Edge’s guitar style is pretty unique and yet just fits seamlessly into all these songs. I know a ton of bands took influence from their sound so pretty cool to see where it all started
I really don’t have a whole lot of qualms with this one, but other than the two headliners I don’t think a whole lot captivated me. I think Bono’s voice is solid but it definitely does start to wear on you close to the end
I have a couple of problems with Bono but I do think the messages in this one are pretty well intentioned. Haven’t really listened to U2 a whole lot thanks to the aforementioned 2014 incident, but I wouldn’t be opposed to getting more U2 albums
Steely Dan
4/5
Quintessential Unc Gem album
There’s some absolutely awesome solos in this album, most notably the breakneck paced one in Bodhisattva and the smoother but still really cool one in Gold Teeth. I love the variety between the jazzy songs and the more quintessential soft rock sound that they’re so well known for. Fagen’s vocals are also just super easy on the ears
If I had to complain about anything it’s the lack of a true standout, but that’s more of a symptom of the album just being pretty damn solid from start to finish. I think the albums a little flat emotionally at times, which I guess is kinda expected with the genre
I’ve listened to a decent amount of Steely Dan and I think they just have such a high floor where it feels like all their music is above average. Absolutely a dad rock band but damn they sound good. Not quite a 5 for me but will definitely listen again
Everything But The Girl
3/5
New genre alert
This one wasn’t nearly as bad as the rating suggested. Not the most exciting music but it’s pretty easy on the ears. The lyrics are mundane for the most part but there’s something comforting about that. I really don’t know exactly how to describe this music but its far from bad
It does feel very boring at times, with their being very little variety in the songs themselves and the instrumentation. There are absolutely zero songs that left a lasting impression on me and I forgot a ton about this album between the time I listened to it and the time i wrote this review
We’ve got some truly terrible albums that have higher ratings than this one on the site, so I will happily give this one a 3
Beatles
4/5
Man that one flew by quick
Title track of this album’s great, definitely one of the most iconic songs of that early era for them. “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You” and “And I Love Her” are also nice; there really aren’t any songs that just suck. Album is pretty well paced where no song overstays its welcome. Not usually huge on harmonies but it just feels right for the Beatles
Biggest flaw with this one and really most of the early Beatles stuff is just how safe and straightforward every song is. Most of this album is pretty damn catchy so I’m fine with overlooking that flaw, but compared to some of their later stuff it definitely sticks out
Even though this is only our second Beatles album on this list it’s still cool to see how much they evolved between this album and Rubber Soul. Don’t think this quite has the legs to be a 5 but cmon it’s the Beatles
UB40
4/5
Reggae’s a genre I always enjoy more than I think
This one’s super listenable; great vocals, powerful in your face bass lines, and just really nice sounding instruments. I always love saxes and brass in music, and I think UB40 does a great job not necessarily making them the focus but using them to build up the music and add more layers to it.
Really don’t have a whole lot of complaints about this one other than being a tad too long and there being not quite enough variety. It’s not too bad just listening to the album but after like an hour you kinda just want it to be over
Before listening to this one I was familiar with Red Red Wine which is definitely has a poppier sound, so I was a bit surprised when it sounded like more traditional earlier reggae. This one was a nice surprise, just has good vibes and I got a ton of work done listening to this one
The Killers
5/5
I feel like I’ve heard that second song on there a couple times idk
All jokes aside there’s some pretty phenomenal tracks on here. Jenny was a Friend of Mine is a pretty good opener, think they do a great job of contrasting their sound with the dark lyrics. Mr. Brightside is one of the ultimate white people turnt songs, and although it’s certainly a little overplayed, there’s nothing quite like being in a bar/stadium and have everyone go crazy when the lyrics start. Somebody Told Me also goes hard, super difficult to get out of your head if it gets stuck in there. Instrument wise I think this one’s pretty great as well, great guitar riffs, bass lines, drum parts, clearly a lot of talent at play.
I definitely think the album being so front loaded hurts it a little, but that’s more of a symptom of the first few songs being so damn good rather than the back half being weak. I’ve said I don’t care for super distorted/robotic vocals in the past, and while I stand by that, it doesn’t bother me quite as much in this one for some reason.
Either way very happy with this one, have complained about the 1001 writers having an awful track record with picking 2000s albums and they’ve definitely proven me wrong in the last few weeks. I just don’t understand how you can hate this one
Garbage
4/5
Title is false advertisement 1/5
There’s some bangers on here, Only Happy When It Rains is great and pokes fun at the trend of the angsty whiny lyrics that started getting popular around this time, which I loathe lol. I really like the singer’s vocals, I think she does a great job putting energy into songs while not being too over the top (taking another shot at Sonic Youth). Those guitar parts are also pretty incredible, love the sound of some of those instrumental parts and how they’re tuned
There’s a couple songs in here that I didnt really like at all, I think some songs are just a bit too messy for my taste. Everyone once in a while they’ll be a sequence that’s just a little hard on the ears; while not skipworthy or anything it does bring it down a tad. Also there’s a couple of songs that don’t sound bad but are just kinda boring (not a fan of that last song)
Either way this one continues a really strong run from 1001, another album that I would almost certainly not have listened to without this list but is without a doubt a signature staple of the 90s
Pere Ubu
1/5
The great streak of albums was going to come to an end at some point
One of the very few good things I can say about this album is that it’s relatively short and there’s a couple of songs that aren’t absolute garbage. If the entire album sounded like Street Waves it’d probably be closer to a 3.
Laughing and Life Stinks are just putrid songs, in the most annoying, bad spirited, and grotesque way possible. I really can’t stress how awful this dudes voice is to me, it’s truly uniquely bad to me. It sounds like a drunken caricature of a more talented musician. This albums paved with all sorts of irritating instruments, between whatever the hell those sax sounds are and the random distorted instruments for no reason. I’d argue Sentimental Journey isn’t even music, it’s just a 4th grader playing saxophone while some dude throws beer bottles at him
I get this is sorta experimental and did indeed influence future artists, but their refusal to even try to sound good is truly infuriating. There are very few moments in this album where I’d rather listen to the song rather than complete silence, so by my rating this has to be a 1. I really think this enters my bottom echelon of truly terrible albums; I genuinely can’t think of 5 albums I’d place lower than this
Björk
2/5
I keep going back and forth between hating this and thinking it’s pretty cool
On one hand, there’s some really haunting, beautiful moments in this album. Bjork’s voice is super iconic and I really can’t see this album working with anyone but her voice. It’s hard to deny there’s a lot of emotion being conveyed through her vocals and lyrics
On the other hand, so much of this album just sounds…bad. Maybe it’s just because she’s past her prime in this one but there are some really really rough songs on this, where I’m just begging for it to be over. The instrumentation is minimal, yet still finds ways to clash with itself. Her voice is really hard to listen to after 50+ minutes of wailing
It’s interesting to see something that is so far away from what’s popular in the US, but I can 100% see why this did not catch on. Also wow we have 3 more of her albums on this list? Not the best first impression but I guess we’ll see where it goes from here
Sade
3/5
Better than the last couple we’ve had at least
Smooth Operator is far and away the best song on here, couldn’t place the name but I’ve 100% heard it a bunch. Didn’t actually like the first 30 seconds or so but love the way it builds. Album is pretty easy on the ears, the use of jazz backing sounds pretty solid throughout. Vocals are not bad
I really don’t have a whole lot of impressions after the lead single, just feels like everything kinda blends into each other and nothings interesting enough to get your attention. It’s far from bad but it’s just not memorable enough. I really don’t have a whole lot of other complaints though, kinda hard to explain why it didn’t resonate for me
Wow I really just typed a bunch of words for this one didn’t I? Kinda fitting in a way, good enough to not hate on but too mediocre to actually discuss in detail
Beatles
4/5
That’s the Beatles all right
I liked this maybe just a bit more than Hard Days Night which is very fresh in my mind considering we got it a week ago. I think the average song on here is catchier, there’s a bit more variety, and it feels a bit more from the soul (probably because of the Motown influence). Their version of Please Mr Postman is probably the best song on the album and might be the best version of the song period.
The highs just aren’t that high for this one compared to their other albums, I really don’t think any songs in here are must listens. Their sound at this point in their career itself is pretty solid but it really does feel like they didn’t evolve much until their 4th album.
It’s still the Beatles, and there’s still a lot of good tracks in this one, but definitely more of a “oh that’s cool to see how they sounded back then” than an essential part of their catalog
Giant Sand
2/5
First and last day I’ll think about Giant Sand
The instrumentation is really nice at times, i would say i was vibing with it a little over half the album. It’s not exciting, but it’s good background music. I’d say it’s pretty unique, where it has that southwestern influence without the imagery and energy those bands usually have.
There’s some awful sections of music in this one though, the Overture was so painful it took everything in me not to skip it. It’s all uphill from there, but there’s still just random noise in the middle of songs that ruins the ambiance this album tries to build. I never got used to his voice, really hate when it sounds like they’re cupping the microphone with their hands and whispering like they’re telling their best friend a little bit of gossip. Also hilariously long for what it was and definitely should have been a third of its length at max
This is another one where it’s pretty obvious the 1001 people just guessed when the first edition came out which recent albums would stand out; pure comedy when you open the Wikipedia page for this album and the only legacy is “it was in the book”. You know it’s rough when these guys get 5 digit Spotify streams a month. There’s definitely worse music out there, and it was definitely interesting at times, but I don’t respect it enough to give it a 3
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I think this guy gets a bit too much hate
Start to finish this is a very solid album, Battered Old Bird is probably my favorite but I don’t think there’s any songs I’d consider bad. I really like his voice and the energy it brings to songs, but I think it works well for slower emotional songs as well. Musical talent for the rest of the band is also clearly there, though I don’t think that’s really the focus of the group but more of the songwriting
This definitely doesn’t reach This Years Model’s heights however; I don’t think the highs are really that high and there’s a couple songs that I feel nothing for.
I concur with the sentiment that the 1001 panel were kinda just a group of Elvis Costello mega fans considering he has 6!! albums on the list, but I’d rather listen to this all day over some of the slop we get regularly. High 3, but I think another good song would bump it up to a 4
Supergrass
3/5
I always do like when an album has a song that you’ve heard a million times but never knew the origin of
I did like this one for the most part, there’s some nice songs on here, just some good ole alternative with an aggressively British spin. Alright is super catchy (even though apparently the band hates it and refuse to play it at their shows) and most of the rest of the setlist is above average. There’s some solid guitar riffs in there, the vocals grew on me even though I usually don’t care for vocalists with a cartoonish British accent, and it really does have a lot of soul; it just feels personal at times
Biggest two problems I have with this album are the variety and one particularly nasty song. I don’t think in a vacuum the variety is awful, but skip to the middle section of every song and tell me they don’t all sound exactly the same. The song is question, We’re not Supposed To, is just awful, truly bad enough to bring down the album as a whole. Respect to them for collaborating with a musical group as influential as Alvin and the Chipmunks, but man what the hell was that. At least it was over quick
Definitely more good than bad in this one, but I don’t think anything in this one really makes it stand out from the swaths of 90s alternative other than the one big hit.
Nick Drake
2/5
I’m sorry but can’t help but get “White Guy with Guitar” vibes from this one
There’s definitely emotion in his vocals, and from a technical standpoint there’s some pretty stellar guitar playing in this one, and the lyrics are interesting, if a little on the poetic side.
I’ve said before I really don’t like this genre, and the more folk albums we get the more that belief gets reinforced. There’s just so little going on in this one, with it literally just being a guy with an acoustic guitar; not even a harmonica or some kinda percussion. The variety’s pretty awful on this one. Thankfully the album’s very short, so it’s not the end of the world; I’d lose my mind if I had to listen to an hour of this stuff
I’m starting to think blues is just a straight up superior version of what folk aims to accomplish, where it’s more interesting musically and has more range. I know they’re not exactly the same but a lot of times the lyrical content and theming are very similar. Anyway I think if there was more than one instrument in this one I could bump it up a point, but I just can’t get invested when it’s so minimal
The Soft Boys
3/5
I’m not surprised these guys fell into complete irrelevancy lol
Its an interesting soup of genres; it really does feel like diet Beatles at times, with all the harmonies and instrumentation sounding a lot more like what was popular in the 60s rather than the 80s. I think there’s enough variety between songs to get you through the album (though obviously I ain’t listening to the full album bonus tracks and all). Every song is catchy and high energy enough to keep you invested all the way through. Underwater Moonlight has a pretty solid guitar solo and it’s just a nice way to end the album
Vocals can definitely miss at times, think the harmonizing parts actually sound quite a bit better. Just a little too British and harsh at times, though for the most part they’re fine. There’s a couple songs that I don’t particular care for style wise, but (mostly Insanely Jealous of You)
It’s definitely better than I thought, though you’d have to be an absolute psychopath to listen to the full 40 track album; the main 10 are fine. Probably still a 3, but it’s unique and also very listenable so I could see myself listening to this over some of the 4s I’ve given out
The xx
3/5
They tricked me again
I liked this one better than the first album we had from them, I thought the first song on the album was actually good and almost made me forget what I hated about them. I think the vocals have a bit more energy put into them this time, they’re pretty pleasant for the most part. I Dare You is also alright, have definitely heard that one before and is probably better than any track on the first album.
After the high of that first track, they go back to their old tricks of whispering softly, not taking any musical risks, and just being the La Croix of modern pop. It’s just so boring, feels more like the music they’d have playing in a shopping center or apple commercial than something they intended people to listen to. I’m more upset that I actually got my hopes up and thought they turned a corner
Again it’s still not as bad as I remember them being, and maybe I was a little too harsh in my initial review, but this is absolutely not my kinda music. Pretty certain this will be my final time listening to these people by choice