1001 Albums Summary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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”

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

It’s weird in the best way The direct subject manner is really unique; not many other albums are about fighting man eating pink robots, but the underlying theme of life/death is just well done. Do You Realize is just a great, powerful song that has one of the most well executed key changes in a rock song I can think of, and Yoshimi 1 is super catchy and does a great job setting up the absolute madness of part 2. Vocals are nice, and the wide variety of (synthesized?) strings and horns adds a full body to so many of these songs I think the album’s a bit slow at times; I wish it sounded a bit more like the first few on this album. it’s not the end of the world since even the slower tempo songs have lots of energy in them at times, but there’s a couple of songs that are just kinda nothing It’s cool that The Flaming Lips were able to tread that line between weird and actually sounding good that so many other artists just blatantly fail at. It’s got really powerful imagery that makes this one super memorable

Addressing the elephant in the room, Like a Rolling Stone is absolutely one of the greatest songs of all time; among music critics it is seriously in contention for the best song ever made. Even with it being a genre I don’t particularly care for, I can tell it’s truly a special song. This is definitely an album you have to read the lyrics for, which I definitely think is the strongest part of Dylan’s music. They’re poetic without being too pretentious, but they still have so much meaning. Ballad of a Thin Man and Tombstone Blues in particular resonated with me. I do think this album absolutely demonstrates Dylan’s shortcomings though. There’s a lot of emotion in his vocals, but the range just isn’t there; he’s just not much of a singer. As everyone knows by now I just don’t like Folk as a genre and although there’s definitely more rock and electronic elements in this one than some that we’ve listened to, I still just can’t bring myself to truly enjoy it. The harmonica blasting you for minutes at a time just really irritates me. I don’t wanna hate on Dylan too much, especially since the songs on this album genuinely changed so much about music going forward, but I think a better musician could take what Dylan built and make something even better. It’s a tough one to rate, since the good is truly transformative but there’s a lot I don’t care for in this one. After thinking a bunch I think this belongs on the higher end of 3s; I’ll definitely have to listen again to see if I’m able to appreciate it more

Just kinda nothing for me Steve Winwood’s a pretty solid vocalist, and I do always appreciate a bit of blues influence in rock songs. Feelin’ Alright’s a decent song, and probably the one that had the most legs. Also for being from 1968, it feels surprisingly polished. I think there’s enough variety to keep you interested throughout most of the album I think this album outstayed its welcome by a decent bit. I really don’t have any huge flaws in my mind (no really bad song, no questionable decisions for the direction of the album), but nothing really resonated for me. This is just an album I will 100% forget about in a couple weeks, though as I’ve said a couple times ago, I’d rather listen to forgettable music than straight up bad music

Talk about an explosive album There’s some great songs on this one, Killer Queen’s obviously the standout but Brighton Rock, Flick of the Wrist, and Stone Cold Crazy are all pretty solid songs. I do think this is a well paced album with lots of variety, a little something for everyone. Freddie Mercury’s vocals and May’s guitar expertise really go a long way, there’s just so much talent in this band. I don’t I liked this one quite as much as Queen II, the second half drags a bit and I just don’t think some songs (She Makes Me, In the Lap of the Gods) utilize the talents the band has very well. I also think it lacks a true standout that so many of their other albums have (Killer Queen’s good but I don’t think it’s in their top 10 best songs). Bars going to be pretty high for a band as decorated as Queen, and although there’s plenty I complained about they just make really solid music. Pretty crazy to see how much their style evolves between their previous album and this one

Doesn’t really feel very alive to me It’s kinda cool to just see a band jam for 20 minutes sometimes; I think it’s pretty pleasant for the most part. It’s pretty fascinating to see a band that basically just ignores all commercial practices other groups follow and just play what they want. It’s just a bit too low energy for me. I’m sure if you were drugged out and you went to a live concert of theirs it would be the greatest thing ever but it just kinda feels like you’re there and there happens to be a band playing rather than the swelling excitement you expect from a live performance Very interesting execution, I didn’t think we’d have a live album that was more background noise than anything else. I could see them growing on me eventually, but I don’t see myself really becoming a fan

I’m gonna say it: most overrated band of all time It’s relatively inoffensive, and every once in a while there’ll be a cool segment at least. Vocals are solid, though I definitely like Yorke’s execution more in the other album we had from them. I think How to Disappear Completely is the only song on the record that sounds genuinely good, and it’s probably because it’s the only one that uses actual instruments I just can’t get into it. Lyrics are just random gibberish, like seriously look at any song in here and tell me what the hell they’re talking about. It feels so goddamn pretentious, like they know how challenging the music is to grasp and that you’re a dumbass if you don’t get it. I can see the argument that there was nothing like this at the time but I’m evaluating this as a “how much do I like this album right now”. Maybe I’m too stupid for this like all the critics at the time this released, but it’s just not something I greatly enjoy This is just kinda the opposite of what I enjoy about music, where there’s absolutely zero melody, variety, cool instrumentation, or really anything other than being a great album to fall asleep to. Will probably be one of my more controversial ratings considering so many people have this as a top 25 album ever made, period. In Rainbows at least had some more involved music in it even though it wasn’t my favorite. I’ll listen to this one again to see if I change my mind, but I’m greatly disappointed

They definitely got better over the course of their careers Very interesting debut, I’m always a sucker for blues so even though this is basically just a cover album it’s definitely my vibe. Good guitar parts, good song structures, I think they picked a good variety of blues songs where it feels like they actually care about the music rather than cheaply ripping someone off Main problem with this one is do you really prefer Mick Jagger’s vocals over any of the artists that originally did these songs? Like obviously they’re great songs but why wouldn’t I just listen to the originals while the Rolling Stones were still finding their footing? I’m not gonna dock points for it but there’s like 2 original songs in here so it feels less like a debut and more like “here’s a bunch of songs you know in our style” I know these guys get way better over the course of their career, so it’s hard to rate this one too high, but it’s a solid enough display of their talent. Always cool to see where these guys got their start, and even though this wasn’t my favorite album, I really do have a lot of respect for this group and what they do for the genre

Idk I think Big Mouth Billy Bass did Take Me to the River better Just a really solid album with well executed songs all around. I love Talking Head’s sound, with Weymouth laying down some awesome bass lines and there always just being a bit of an ethereal sound to their stuff. Aforementioned Take Me to the River is probably the best song on the album; they did a great job taking it and making it fit their style I don’t think the highs of this one are as good as their other albums, as in there’s not a song I absolutely love on here, but I know that’s kinda unfair when you’re talking about a group like this. Very little to complain about on this one; out of the 4 albums they have on here this is the lowest rated one so it’s all uphill from here. Very much looking forward to more of these

I audibly groaned when I saw that Robert Wyatt was on this album This is so much better than Rock Bottom; I know the bars basically on the floor but yeah turns out when you get actual talent on board you can cover up the dudes shortcomings. Slightly All the Time was genuinely a solid song, a bit too freeform for me to truly love but I enjoyed it. Saxophone track is nice There’s plenty to dislike though; Wyatt’s vocals are a bit better in this one but unsurprisingly the only song he sings on is my least favorite of the ones on this album, just does not have a great voice. Not a huge fan of the guitar sound in the first song, just feels sloppy and a bit ear grating at times. Variety’s pretty bad on this one, which isn’t too surprising since there’s only 3 songs on this one (I know there’s more songs on this album but Spotify only has 3 and I really didn’t feel like searching the web to find more of this shit) Pretty crazy to say I’m “pleasantly surprised” about an album I’m about to give a 2 star review for, but that grudge over having to listen to Rock Bottom is still strong. I just strongly dislike Robert Wyatt, and although his influence is diluted pretty heavily with actual musicians working their ass off to make this record sound good, you can’t help but notice his rancid lack of musical talent

Is this the most average album of all time? Vocals aren’t bad, if a bit forgettable. The band’s general sound is pleasant and there really wasn’t any one song I disliked. Very unique experience where from the first track to the last my opinion of them didn’t really go up or down. Lyrics are interesting, I’m sure there’s something a bit profound there but didn’t really pick anything up from my quick listen Not a whole lot I have to complain about other than the fact that nothing really excited me. I wasn’t really bored or anything but I can’t really think of a part I really liked. Just a really soft and consistent album. I will 100% forget about this one in a couple weeks, throw it on the pile. Would never put this one on on purpose but if a friend played it at a party I wouldn’t say a word

He’s just incapable of making bad music I just can’t imagine the kinda person that doesn’t like this guy; it’s just a fundamentally solid album that basically doesn’t do anything wrong. He’s got an iconic voice that just makes your day better, great instrumentation, and most importantly just so much energy and soul behind every song. Not a whole lot of 50s albums on this list but the ones that made it on really stood the test of time; it’s just got such a nostalgic sound to it even though I’ve never heard this album before I don’t think it’s quite as good as Modern Sounds in Country, but I have zero complaints about this one. It doesn’t really have a a real standout like I Can’t Stop Loving You, though it has nothing I would consider remotely bad. I think the lack of real high end songs prevents me from raising this to a 5, but this is just a damn solid album all the way through, and I’m genuinely sad we’ve already exhausted all his albums on the list

Yeah just not my kinda “music” As far as sample heavy electronica goes, I definitely liked this more than the DJ Shadow album since this one at least has a stronger sense of direction. I thought the snippets of conversations and whatnot were actually pretty cool and add a lot to the ambiance. I just don’t respect this one much from a musical standpoint; too repetitive, not a whole lot going on in the instrumental department, and just a bit too weird. I hate how the overall energy of each song basically remains flat the entire time, where there’s not really peaks and valleys but rather 5 minutes of the same loop playing over and over with some minor variations Starting to realize I really just don’t like this genre, and although I’d rather listen to this 1000 times over the people next to us at the Indy 500 blasting shitty dubstep for 24 hours straight, it’s just not something I’d ever consciously want to listen to. It’s not that painful so I don’t think I can give this a 1 but there’s were some segments that really tested my patience

It’s been way too long since we got an aggressively mediocre overly British punk album (like 2 weeks) Not the worst, from a musical standpoint there’s some interesting guitar stuff in there and I’d say it’s pretty polished. I like how they’re able to take one of the only things I like about punk (i.e. the lyrics actually having meaning and agendas behind them) and makes it more than listenable. Lots of interesting themes covered in this one Vocals are fine in a vacuum but after almost an hour I got so sick of that singing style. I don’t think the vocalist has a ton of range on this one, which is unfortunate since I thought there’d be enough variety to allow her to showcase everything she has. The last non bonus track (Voodoo Dolly) just sucks, I think it just took everything I didn’t like about this one and condensed it into 7 minutes of slop. My opinion swayed pretty significantly over this one, but I think 3 is the only right answer for this one. Post Punk’s way better than the smorgasbord of regular punk we’re forced to listen to, but I still haven’t been truly wowed by anything the genre has to offer

Sometimes it’s nice to just get a turn-your-brain-off album There’s a lot of good catchy songs on here, with the title track and Look at Your Hands being my favorites. George Michael’s got a good voice and it’s pretty easy to get invested. I think it’s kinda cool to see this super straightforward pop blueprint dipped in all sorts of genres (funk, jazz, soul etc). It has a lot of Michael Jackson influence, to the point where it’s almost too much at times The main problem with this album is just the blatant lack of depth. I know the historical context of him not being out of the closet yet is important, but pretty much every song on this is just some form of him wanting someone (don’t even get me started on I Want Your Sex being like 10 minutes long). I’m not going to pretend this albums super deep or really anything besides an album that’s supposed to sound good, which is just kinda Pop in general. As long as an album’s fun and actually has songs to sing to, I will almost certainly like it.

Hot take: I like good music Just a comical amount of good songs on this one. Back in the USSR is a great opener, just quintessential 60s rock with a good bit of humor in there. Ob-La-Di is just a really fun song that, although a little silly, is damn catchy. While my Guitar Gently Weeps is goosebump inducing, just awesome guitar playing on Clapton’s part. Revolution 1 is probably the last true standout for me, love the sound and has interesting messages without being too much. This album has a huge advantage in having a full 30 songs, but I think this album has the best variety out of any album I’ve ever listened to. You have stuff like Helter Skelter, Blackbird, and Bungalow Bill on the same album with stuff like Glass Onion, Dear Prudence, and Everybody’s Got Something to Hide. Don’t really need to go into the talent behind the Beatles themselves but vocals and instrumentation are just as polished as they’ve ever been, just really well executed With a tracklist that big there’s obviously going to be a couple stinkers. Revolution 9’s the elephant in the room, the entire time listening to this album I was dreading having to sit through it in its entirety as I’ve only listened to snippets before. While I wouldn’t really call it music it honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought, it’s just sound. Wild Honey Pie’s the only one I’ll say is real garbage on this one, but at least it’s like a minute long and not 17 Just a fascinating album that’s just a fountain for discussion; hitting on 28/30 songs is just ridiculous and although I don’t think the highs are quite as good as stuff you’d find on Abbey Road, it accomplished the rare task of making a double album that you don’t get tired of by the end. Can say pretty confidently this is one of the greatest albums of all time

Not looking forward to two more albums from these guys Honestly for post-punk it’s got some great variety, one of my biggest complaints with the genre is that every song sounds the same, and they actually do a pretty decent job making each one feel different; there’s electronic stuff, distortion guitar heavy stuff, piano stuff, and honestly none of the backing tracks sound that bad I really don’t like this dudes voice though, sounds like Lou Reed with worse mixing and none of the things that made him (a little) cool at times. It’s just not a very clean album and I couldn’t really get into any of the lyrics/themes. I think there’s individual parts of songs that sound good (usually the parts where he’s not singing), but I don’t think I liked a single song on this album This is a genre I’ve expressed my dislike for every time we get one, but we’ve definitely got better albums in recent memory. Feels like another one of those albums that got on due to recency bias that really hasn’t held up very well

Mechanic: “So, what’s the problem?” Customer: “Oh, my car’s just been making this awful racket” Mechanic: “Have you tried taking out the Coldplay CD?” All jokes aside (thanks Emily), I don’t think Coldplay fits the unlistenable label as for the most part they’re quite pleasant, they’re just really easy to hate on since they’re popular. Chris Martin’s a pretty good singer in small doses and Yellow is definitely a solid song, even if it’s a little overplayed I just don’t care for the variety and overall sound, just too samey for me. That slow mellow theme every song has works well in a vacuum but I really don’t think this one showcases the bands talents very well, and I know they’re more creative than that. Maybe it’s because Coldplay is commercialized now but it just feels a bit soulless, like they were given a very specific prompt for what kinda music to make (even if they executed on that limited prompt pretty well) Still think they get too much hate but this is definitely not their finest work, it’s just not exciting or thought provoking

In the words of my dad, “here’s my man Otis” Otis’s got an amazing voice, definitely fitting for the King of Soul. There’s some really good tracks on here, my favorites were Wonderful World and I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, though everything on here’s pretty great stuff. Think it’s funny that for the most part this is a cover album, though the most famous song on here (Respect) was actually his original song and became much more famous with Aretha Franklin. I think he really executes each of these songs really well; obviously Satisfaction will always be quintessential Stones, but his rendition feels so natural with all the horns and whatnot. I feel like I have to judge this one a bit more harshly just because most of these were not songs he wrote, and I do think some of the original artists did the songs better (A Change is Gonna Come), but that does feel a little nit picky. I’m definitely biased since my dad exposed me to Otis all the time growing up as one of if not his all time favorite artists, but it’s hard to hate on him, this is just amazing music. Pretty star studded list of songs on here and can easily see why this is pretty regularly rated as a top 100 album of all time

Yeah not gonna lie I was this close falling asleep to this one Very relaxing, feels dreamlike and light while at the very least having a bit of interesting instrumentation thrown in there every once in a while. Don’t think there was a single moment I actively disliked Just one of those albums where there’s really just nothing to sink your teeth into, and I wasn’t joking when I said I could fall asleep to this, it’s really that boring; maybe I’ll try it tonight when I go to bed. I’m racking my brain to think of more stuff to say about this one but I got nothing, quintessential 5/10 but I’ll round down cause i feel like it

I listened to this in bed as it poured outside with my curtains drawn, and honestly I think that’s the only way to listen to this In the End is obviously the standout here, being one of the single most streamed songs ever made; for someone who grew up in the 2000s and heard it god knows how many times it’s still at least a little cool. I think Chester Bennington (rip) has a really unique singing style that sounds good for the most part, and really makes each song feel “Linkin Park” rather than “Nu Metal”. There’s a ton of energy behind each song; it just hits you in waves Biggest complaint I have is the lack of variety, where it really does feel like every song has the exact same structure, tempo, and key at times. The songs I recognized were obviously their own thing but everything else just sounded like they were riffing off them. Also, I just cannot take this stuff seriously; I like Crawling as a song but it really does feel like something a 14 year old would play on his iPod after the girl he asked to homecoming rejected him. I know a lot of these songs are about struggles with mental illness and depression, but that’s all I can think of. I’m honestly kinda surprised this one’s on the list considering the 1001 writers absolutely refuse to put anything that’s actually popular after the year 2000 on the list, but I’m glad it was on here considering how it exposed everyone on earth to a (often despised) genre and produced some of the most recognizable rock songs in the 2000s. I’m trying not to be spiteful since I really did enjoy most of the songs on here, so I think I’ll be nice since it’s at least not another English punk album

Genuinely how did these guys get so popular There’s some pretty solid instrumentation, sometimes I’m not too crazy about acoustic guitar in rock but I think it sounds pretty good here. Some great bass lines in there as well. I’ve definitely heard There is a Light that Never Goes Out before, and it’s not a bad song I don’t really care for Morissey’s vocals, think they’re fine for the first song but they very quickly wear out their welcome and just kinda suck. No song really stood out for me; even though there weren’t any songs I’d consider bad I really thought there’d be at least one song where I’d listen and think “man that’s good.” I know this is like one of the great British albums, but between this and Stone Roses I just really don’t care that much about this genre of 1980s British indie rock. Also Morrissey is an insufferable annoying guy, might have influenced my taste a bit but I really don’t think his vocals are very good

Man this dude’s music repertoire is surprisingly deep I liked this one quite a bit, it kinda had everything I want in an album; super catchy, multiple standout songs (Anything that’s Rock n Roll, Breakdown, American Girl), good vocals, and plenty of variety. I really love that southern rock sound that’s present in some of their songs, just something we don’t get a ton of on this list unfortunately. Don’t really have a whole lot of complaints about this one; it’s short and sweet but I guess if I had to come up with something it’d be that I don’t think the highs are particularly high. Don’t think there’s any songs that I just can’t help but play on repeat Just a really solid record to cap off the week. Not a life changing album or anything but it’s good music that’s anything but boring, so I’ll happily take it

I mean cmon it’s Nevermind I’m racking my brain and I can’t think of a single 5 song run on any album that’s as good as the first five tracks on Nevermind. Smells Like Teen Spirit’s one of the most popular rock songs ever made for good reason, and I don’t think I can name ten lead singles on any album I like more. I love how it transitions to In Bloom, which has a completely different, slower sound while still having so much energy. Come As You Are has one of my favorite guitar solos and man that guitar/bass line is just awesome. Lithium’s cool just because how much it focuses on vocals over the rest of the songs before it on the album, and again is full of great transitions between the chiller and more grungey parts of the songs. Cobain’s vocals are great as expected, with some really fascinating lyrics (especially looking back knowing about his impending suicide in a few short years). Instrumentation from Novoselic and Grohl is stellar The rest of the album (ok maybe except Territorial Pissing) is good too, though it’s just so hilariously frontloaded that the back half does feel a bit slow at times, but I absolutely would not call it bad music Pretty easy to see why this is an absolutely generational album; in fact I’d make the argument as an album it’s more iconic than anything not put out by the Beatles. It has its peaks and valleys but very few works eclipse what Nirvana’s able to do here

Genuinely how does he make a guitar sound like that? First Hendrix album I’ve listened to and pretty hard to disagree with the common sentiment that he’s the most talented human to ever pick up a guitar. Just crazy how natural it sounds and it almost just feels like an extension of his own voice. This album feels unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, just a really interesting combination of psychedelic rock and blues. All Along the Watchtower is definitely the standout, but I liked most of the tracks on this one; I quite enjoyed Voodoo Chile and 1983 where they just jam for 10+ mins I don’t have too many qualms with this one, but the vocal sections are definitely the weakest parts of this album. I don’t think Hendrix is an awful singer or anything, but it’s pretty obvious the sections where the guitar does the talking overshadow the more lyrical sections. I think this one’s a little on the long side, and I don’t think there’s quite enough variety to keep me fully invested all the way through For being a 60s album I think this one does a great job of striking the balance between experimenting and trying new things and still being musically sound. Very very cool album, though I don’t think it quite rises up to a 5 for me

1 star for being the most obnoxious album to find since it’s not on streaming services for some reason Funk is just a cool genre, love a good bass line so it’s nice when the entire genre is just crafting awesome bass lines and having them as the emphasis of each song. I think each song’s the perfect length, much longer than a normal song but right when you think you might get sick of the track it wraps up. Vocals are pretty nice, and there’s some really unexpectedly great guitar solos in there I feel like this is one that’s desperately in need of a remaster or at the very least in need of putting on modern streaming services, since the old YouTube videos I ended up listening to did not have the best quality. I don’t think I’m quite capable of giving this one an honest rating on that front for now, so I’ll try to rate directly off the quality of the music itself. Did not care for Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis (also wow these song names are crazy), thought it was too unfocused and didn’t really feel like it belonged I will definitely have to give this one another listen in higher quality one of these days, but I really did enjoy this one. Looking back on my recent ratings 1001’s been on a roll lately so it’s nice to see it continue

It’s records like these that really make me question my taste On one hand, it’s folk rock, which I’ve gone on the record saying is one of my least favorite genres multiple times. However, despite having all the hallmarks, something about the way Young delivers just makes it more appealing in my mind. Maybe it’s the vocals, which sound pretty unlike anything else in the genre. Either way, the last 3 or so song surprised me in the best way, went from the most mellow folk out there with harmonica and all that to some genuine rock with distorted guitars; I genuinely thought that was awesome There’s still some slow moments in this one, which is to be expected from the genre. Harmonica is an instrument I can take about 30 seconds of before I lose my mind and I’m pretty sure that threshold was exceeded here. Don’t think any song in particular was bad but some of the heavier more acoustic songs were just not my thing It’s just interesting to think how I liked this one so much more than the first Neil Young album we got, where even though it’s still technically the same genre it really doesn’t feel like it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t gain a little respect for the genre in the first half, though I think the last few harder songs still blew the mellow stuff out of the water

Yeah I don’t think this guy was the key to the Beach Boy’s success As always with records like this, I can say it’s pretty inoffensive, where at the bare minimum it is better than just pure silence. Not a particularly high bar but yes this is music that for the most part attempts to sound good and isn’t just rage baiting the listener Unfortunately, this album is more dull than watching paint dry. Reading about Dennis is an interesting and really heartbreaking story, but I don’t think that enhances my enjoyment of this music at all. It just kinda feels like it spits in the face of what made the Beach Boys so special; I know there’s some personal/emotional lyrics in there but I just can’t be asked to care when that’s how they’re delivered. I stopped after the first disc for this one, since I couldn’t be bothered to listen to a whole nother album of that slop They definitely seem like one of those groups where they’re way better than the sum of their parts. The good run of albums was eventually coming to an end; feels somewhat refreshing to give this one a 2 after giving a week straight of 4s and 5s.

This guy might need some vocal lessons Reggae is always a cool genre for me, just something about the way rhythm is weaved into the fabric of the song is just really satisfying and almost relaxing. I’m not a weed guy but damn I bet listening to this stuff while high would be great. For the most part, there’s some pretty solid backing tracks, where although nothing special, absolutely gets the job done Unfortunately, this guy sucks at singing. I know Reggae singers can be a bit looser with the whole “sing to the rhythm thing” but Mr Quaye just can’t make it work. I don’t care for his accent (not to say you absolutely have to have a strong Jamaican accent or anything but Edinburgh is just not it). It makes it really hard to get into the music when that’s the voice you put to it Pretty disappointing, since the quick Wikipedia snippet on here made it sound pretty cool. Sometimes I wonder if this genre generally doesn’t review very well because of stuff like this. I know most of this review is kinda just comparing it to the rest of the genre rather than talking about individual components of this album, but I really didn’t want to have to relisten to anything this one had to offer

I hope they play Feel Good Inc next The concept of a virtual band is just really cool to me; making it almost feel like more of an art project than a band marred by mismanagement and personal conflicts, there’s a lot of interesting stuff to dive into there. There’s a couple of great tracks on here; Clint Eastwood’s the big hit and pretty easily the best track on the album. I really like Del’s rapping on the two tracks he’s featured on, just a really interesting hip hop artist where you have no idea what to expect before hearing a verse. I do think the album wears out it’s welcome by the end; the vocals are solid but I don’t think he has a lot of range in this one. Just feels very disappointing since the mediocre songs are just eating up the runtime of this album and you absolutely know they could do more. I think most people agree that Demon Days is a better Gorillaz album and somehow got left off the list entirely, so little confusing why their debut’s on here and their magnum opus isn’t, but I’ve kinda given up on trusting the 1001 committee to actually listen to stuff the people like from the 2000s. Not a bad album by any means but still very clearly finding its footing

Definitely a guy that doesn’t leave a great first impression I’ll say that I thought there was some cool stuff on this album, one of the rare albums where the second half is better than the first. It’s not a pretty voice in any way, but I think his vocals are very well suited to deliver emotional lyrics (which is another highlight of this one). Blind Love and Downtown Train are probably my favorites on this one, I really like the instrumentation Elephant in the room is that voice, that damned voice. I absolutely hated that first song, just super grating and nothing of substance. There’s a couple other songs scattered through the album I didn’t like at all, such as Diamonds and Gold and Jockey Full of Bourbon, though there are like 20 songs on this album so they’re not too in your face at least Not exactly sure how I want to rate this one; it’s a fine album and one I’m pretty confident I’d like more if I listened to it again after getting used to his voice. I think this would be a 4 if the songs I really don’t like were gone, but there’s too much good for this to be anything less than a high 3

Not my favorite but man I always like getting albums outside the anglosphere There’s something just very satisfying about this music, “tactile” maybe? I like how it’s just a very straightforward expression of feelings, while still having enough to say to make it worth listening deeper. Just fun to dance to I don’t think there’s a whole lot that makes it stand out from other Nigerian/African music I’ve been exposed to, but apparently it sorta led to the spread of the genre outside the continent so that’s pretty cool. Variety’s not great on this one which sucks since it’s such a long album and individual tracks drag a bit Probably won’t listen to this one a bunch more but I will 100% take this over the swath of pretentious mediocre albums that this list seems to love

Two non-Anglo albums in a row? In MY 1001? I don’t believe it Pretty hard to hate well executed jazz, especially when it’s got such a unique sound to it. There’s some really lovely tracks on here, with my favorite being Nomali; I just really like how that song keeps its identity as a ballad while being so happy and bright. I like the variety, with there being some straightforward songs on here and some more freeform tracks rather than all of the same. Don’t have a whole lot of complaints, other than maybe wanting there to be more tracks and less runtime on a select few since they run a bit long at times. Have said before that jazz is a genre I will always like and not love, and I have to unfortunately lump this in Definitely not an album you’ll see a whole lot of discussion for, but this was a genuine treat for how unique and out of the way this is, and there’s a 0% chance I woulda found this without the list. Really hope we get more international albums

Robert Wyatt, you can rest now; you’ve been dethroned The only thing I can say that’s positive about this album is that it’s not boring and when it wants to, it can sorta kinda throw together some blues pieces (Moonlight on Vermont would be ok if someone else sang it) The rest is just…beyond garbage. Half of the tracks on here I wouldn’t even call music. I hate the almost insistence to play off rhythm and off key to make songs clash with themselves. I hate the vocals that intentionally sound bad to show you “music ain’t all that beautiful”. I hate the subject matter of half of these songs, it really does feel like it was specifically appealing to the fart sniffing “high art” intellectuals who think because it’s challenging it’s automatically good. I hated the snippets of blues, one of my favorite genres, which would immediately transform into disgusting abominations of something that could once be considered good. Also this being a double album made it all the more insulting, as if I didn’t get enough of this garbage. I could go on for hours about how much I didn’t like this album. I think it’s kinda crazy this came out in the 60s, and definitely does stand out as pretty unique, but from a “do I want to listen to this” perspective I think this might be the single worst album we’ve had. I listened to Rock Bottom again and although it sucked it’s so much less painful than some of the other awful records we’ve gotten (Pere Ubu, White Light/White Heat come to mind). This is worse because not only is it mind numbingly awful, but it took a significant portion of my day and wasted it. This is an affront to music as a medium

Two days two absolutely disgusting albums At the very least I think this album is a touch better than the other one on this list, The Modern Dance, only because the parts where there’s no vocals aren’t quite as bad, just not exciting by any means. Also thankfully a short album clocking in at 35 minutes The lows are just horrendous on this album though. I really think David Thomas has one of the worst voices I’ve ever heard for a lead vocalist, genre be damned. It’s like it takes everything that makes a bad singer (no range, no touch, no ability to stay in time, no tone) and combines it into a voice that would be horrendous even for a band of elementary schoolers. The instrumentation sucks and actively makes this album worse, just screeching, chaotic, and basically just noise to fill out the tracks length. I really just despise this band and I’m beyond glad I never have to listen to this piece of shit group ever again. Getting this in and captain beefheart in back to back days only ensures me more and more that experimental “bad on purpose” music is without a doubt my least favorite genre; I’m not listening to music to engage with it as a challenging piece of art, I’m listening to it to make me feel emotions (usually positive ones).

Let’s take inoffensive and turn it up to 11 These guys make just really safe music, where vocals are solid, they don’t try anything too crazy with instrumentation, and lyrics are pretty straightforward. I really don’t think there’s a single thing about this album that actively upsets me or that I’d really change; it kinda executes on its mission perfectly Unfortunately I think as a side effect it does get pretty boring at times. I don’t think there’s any real standouts for me on this album. It’s like the graham cracker of 70s music; not bad on its own but really just nothing to be excited about It’s always kinda interesting to see what constitutes as pure “pop” from older decades, especially as rock kinda dominated everything by this time. I would absolutely not complain if someone put this on in the car but I will certainly not engage with it much

Cool band name and even cooler album This one has a couple of tracks I recognize. Everyday People is definitely the standout, but I genuinely enjoyed every song on here. I really like their Funk/Soul sound that they pioneered; you get the best of both worlds with some really cool backing tracks with some awesome deep vocals. Usually pretty iffy on very long jam session tracks but I liked Sex Machine, did a great job of keeping it interesting and just showcasing all the musical talent at hand. Lyrics are provocative and meaningful (though not gonna lie I got jumpscared when I heard that second song) Very little I disliked on this one; I actually wasn’t huge on the title track the first time I heard it, probably more just because it wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t think the highs are quite as high as other stuff in the genre, but other than that I’m grasping at straws to find stuff to hate about this one Just a really really good album; I don’t think I can quite give it a 5 but easily a high 4 and with a couple relistens I could absolutely see myself bumping it up a point. First time I’ve listened to these guys and was very impressed

Yknow I’m really surprised I actually liked this one When I saw “early 2000s British soft pop” I groaned and expected to just let it play in the background but I was surprisingly engaged with this one. There’s actually a ton of variety from more standard rock to country to blues to even a bit of jazz, and somehow he actually kinda nails them all. I think he’s got a great voice that brings up the album rather than pulls it down. It definitely feels like an older album that was remastered rather than something that was crafted in the 2000s. I do think that even though every track is pretty solid, the highs aren’t particularly high in this one. Even though I quite enjoyed this one while listening to it it’s not very memorable, and I’d be shocked if I’d remember this album without my review in a year. Still though, from a pure musical standpoint this is super well executed and I have to give the guy credit. Definitely a bit of a hidden gem that’s pretty hard to hate, and after last week’s disaster I’ll happily take that

I wanna call this one racist so bad I think the parts that are actually supposed to be music aren’t too bad, some decent hip hop in there and it’s got a lot of variety. I’ll talk about the specifics later but yes unfortunately the African influence does make it more interesting than if it was trying to be American I just…don’t like this album from a moral standpoint. Malcolm McLaren, a man infamous for taking his name and putting it on stuff made by other people, also happened to take his name and steal a bunch of ideas from African artists. I don’t like the spoken words parts either, which take up a bit more runtime than I’d like. Maybe because of the whole theft thing but this album feels soulless I’d say I’m usually pretty good at separating the art from the artist on this list, since if you’re looking for an artist that hasn’t ever done anything bad in their life, this list would be empty. The problem with this one is that that shiftiness and theft is directly relevant for the music itself, so it’s pretty hard to ignore. Also this guy sorta introduced hip hop to the Brits so I think the world would have been better off without this album

They can’t keep getting away with it I liked this one more than Zeppelin III, I just think it’s a better sound for the bands talents. Love the variety on this one; even though the songs are on the long side there’s enough substance here where you don’t get bored. In My Time of Dying is probably my favorite song on here, love that guitar riff and the way it builds. The first half in general is pretty splendid. I think the extended runtime of most of these songs really gives you the chance to appreciate all the cool stuff behind the scenes I do think this album has the problem of just being a little bit too much Robert Plant; great in short spurts but after a full hour his voice does sorta get on your nerves. I don’t think Kashmir is a bad song but it’s a little overrated and I just think highlights that there’s isn’t a true “perfect” song like the other Zeppelin albums we’ve gotten Still though don’t get me wrong, this is a damn good album, easily a 9/10, but it’s Led Zeppelin so I’m judging a bit harsher. Emily will definitely make me listen to this one again and I don’t think I’ll complain at all

Been a while since we had an actually good hip hop album Kinda surprised these guys never were more popular, there’s so much cool stuff going on. I think the architecture of their backing beats is much different than what was present in other early 90s east coast rap, but the jazzier more instrument driven beats work surprisingly well. While it doesn’t have that hypnotic feel that some other hip hop albums have it’s still really catchy and definitely something you can jam to. It definitely feels a bit more cerebral than someone like Biggie (who don’t get me wrong, I still like), with a lot less vulgarity and less violent subject matters, while still talking about important issues. I guess the biggest letdown for this one would probably have to be the lack of really clever wordplay that I expect in top tier hip hop. It’s not like the lyrics are slop or anything but comparing them to Wu-Tang or Kendrick and it falls a bit flat I don’t think this album was particularly special, but I thought it was really cool to see what almost feels like a different genre of hip hop at times. Even though it was on the long side I never got tired of it and absolutely makes me want to seek out more