One of the most influential records ever. Consistently good across each song.
We owe everything to records like this.
Despite its name, I think this is a very gloomy and mediocre record.
This is probably an influential record, and I see how it might have even influenced vernacular American English. But I don't think it's good.
This record sounds like a soundtrack to a time that will never come back.
Fantastic record. I want to remember how Bob Dylan's 115th Dream made me smile wide as I reached the Amstel river while walking and listening to the record.
I think this is great because of many reasons: it's acoustic and shows Cobain's skill, it's very well balanced, it shows the breadth of Cobain's musical influences, and it's raw. Genuine. A great record.
I mean it's tolerable, but it's just not that great. I don't really know why it became so popular. I also knew almost nothing of this man and his work, even though I thought I was a doctor in Rock (and related) music.
When I Kissed the Teacher creeped me out a bit. But good record.
Not my genre, but I can see this record being very influential. Summer Breeze sounds like a Metal solo...
I went into this record knowing one or two songs. I ended up loving it, all of it. It's a unique mix of poetry and melody.
Lacks energy. Forgettable. I should like this more, but I genuinely don't think it's that good.
Another record where I go in without knowing more than two songs. I was shocked - it's an incredible album. I don't listen to Hip-Hop or Rap, maybe the techno sounds helped. But I love this record.
I listened to the album first with vocals, and thought it's a shocking mix of some of the worst singing and best instrumental I've ever heard. Then I listened to it without vocals, and it's truly a masterpiece.
I've avoided Sigur Ros for decades and now I'm mildly surprised at this very orchestral record. I understand it's revolutionary, and I agree it's alright but ultimately not my thing.
I found this record quite extreme. The vocals are so exaggerated, it's almost as though this genre requires a performance like this - like how Black Metal needs growling and screaming. It's an odd mix of melody and dissonance. The lyrics are a bit creepy, but maybe that adds value? I didn't like it that much.
This is the first time I listen to Lana Del Rey with intention and I have to admit she's not bad. The whispery singing isn't something I particularly care for but she has a deep, powerful voice and her lyrics are equal parts tragic and beautiful.
This is a great record! I liked everything about it. I will probably put more effort into listening to this band.
It's interesting, but a bit forgettable? I think it's melodic (even when it's not) and I can see it being very influential. But nothing really stood out to me. It felt like she would not be capable of singing the same song the same way twice.
I found it very dissonant. Almost like he was either too slow or too fast for the band supporting him. The lyrics sounded shoehorned to me. The strongest sentiment it stirred in me was humour when I heard Makin' Whoopee...
I really thought, and maybe wanted, to like this record. Or at least to like it more. But it feels like an excuse to release Imagine in a format that would sell actual records... the melodies are simple and cute, but I found the lyrics just plain stupid in some cases.
Not my thing, at all. And then randomly he throws in a cover too, because why not.
You can tell they had a good time recording this and the energy is contagious, but it's not amazing.
I am biased, but I love this record.
A record so original I feel most are afraid to take inspiration from it for fear that they might seem tone deaf in the attempt. Great lyrics and overall melody.
I can see how he was a Beatle, but not in that he influenced the band, but rather the other way.
I think I would like this record more if I heard it for the first time.
Not my thing. To me this is forgettable. Could be that it was influential or visionary but I could not tell.
I baffles me how this made the cut.
A waste of a few catchy riffs.
Dissonant is a word I would use to describe this. I really wanted to like it more.
I like this record but I don't know the precise reason why.
When I first listened to Moondance as a kid I thought I would be a fan of Van Morrison. I am not.
Take any song away from this record and it's still 5/5. What an album!
I actively avoid Reggae. Can't stand it. But I think this is an alright record on account of melody and meaning.
I have immense respect for this band and for Blixa Bargeld. They have released some of the most beautiful songs I have ever listened to. This record is not an example of that. It's too experimental for me to be comfortable giving it a higher rating.
Every song on this record is forgettable to me.
Dissonant to the point where it feels so original it might pass off as a classic?
I have never actively listened to her before out of a lack of interest. I'm sorry to say I was right.
This record sounds ancient and modern at the same time. I feel that quite a few riffs off this record were spun off to create entire new genres of Rock music. I also love the addition of orchestral instruments.
Maybe because it's such an overplayed record, but I feel a bit numb listening to it. It's definitely one of the best albums in this genre with tremendous staying power.
A wonderful record but then again I would probably enjoy the sound of nails scratching blackboard if I knew the nails belong to Nick Cave and the blackboard is held up by the Bad Seeds.
First encounter with this. It's not bad. It's not particularly great either.
I really, really wanted to like this record more.
Never actively listened to this record until now. It's good enough to listen to again.
Not really my thing.
Not bad but very forgettable. I liked Super Bird more than the others!
Listening to this record felt like a breath of fresh air, even though I'm not the biggest fan of the band.
Growing up loving Chet Baker and John Coltrane, I'm finding it difficult to bridge the gap between that and this record. I mean, reading reviews here that describe these tracks as "tasty" or "fun" or non-ironically comparing them to Super Mario (!) makes me feel like I'm missing the frequency everyone else is tuned into
I knew Glory Box going into this. An alright record. It's a cohesive experience, just not one I would actively seek out very often.
I am happy I discovered them later in life, because I have something to look forward to. I'm not old or anything but hey nobody makes music like this anymore. Great record!
I don't really know what to make of this record. The lyrics aren't fantastic, the sound is generic, the songs don't tell a story together either. I'm a bit surprised this made the 1K list...
It's a perfectly fine record, but it's just not something to get excited about. This is ambiance music, which certainly has its place in culture, but these reviews are personal and my personal take is that this is forgettable.
It's hard for me to write this without doubting myself, but I just don't enjoy this music enough to appreciate it.
There are under- and overrated records out there, but I think this one is where it deserves to be.
Odd how it sounds so modern even in 2026.
I thought I liked a few songs but it's been an afternoon and I already forgot everything.
This record seems to suffer unfavourable comparison to the band’s more celebrated work. Having said that, and having thought about it carefully, I’m giving it a low score largely because I’ve never really liked Fleetwood Mac.
I think he saved his best for last.
I gave this celebrated rap record a listen and found it as stupid and juvenile as expected.
I think I would be forgiven for thinking this record is here because of the introductory song. But to my genuine surprise, the whole album is a pleasant, cohesive experience. It's not something I'd listen to often, but given the right circumstances this is a great record.
I'm usually not a fan of live albums. But I am a big fan or Muddy Waters. These songs have great lyrics delivered with great showmanship and great melody.
I've never heard of them and never listened to their songs but this is a fantastic record.
I only knew two songs going into this, but I enjoyed the record. It's eclectic in a good way.
I mean, imagine having this as your debut album.
What really gets me is the thought that this was once mainstream music. How we've fallen.
I probably did not dedicate sufficient focus to listening to this, but I didn't like it.
It's not bad but I am starting to feel like Neil Young's non-famous work is an acquired taste.
I can see this being a pinnacle of the genre, but I'm just not that big of a fan of the genre to begin with.
Our species peaked with this record.
Soundtrack for panic attacks.
Sometimes I go into the records this website spits out and think I'll surely like something, and then hate it. This time I thought I'd hate it, but I liked it.
I don't know what more to say about this record other than it's palatable.
Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean carry this record, but the rest of the songs are just plain weird or stupid. The Girl is Mine will haunt me - I've not heard something so idiotic in years.
I can see this being groundbreaking but it's a bit too over the top for me.
Reminds me of David Bowie backed by guitars with 90s effects, but in a very bad way.
It's almost unbelievable how naive and candid this record is.
I can see some innovative things for that time but I don't think this ripened with age.
Good album, though this band is an acquired taste beyond their very famous songs. I learned to like David Byrne and had to also learn how to appreciate this record.
Great first song. The rest reminded me of Chris Rea mixed with cruise ship music. But really great first song!
Not my thing. I tried listening carefully but it's almost like I was waiting for the record to finish. The beginning seemed to go on forever, and the last few songs felt like they lasted a few seconds.
One of those albums the whole planet knows, and for good reason.
I tend to dislike soul and funk and this record has not changed my mind on that.
I just don't like it.
It plays like the 60s went on forever. They didn't. They barely happened. Dusty knew.
I was never a fan of this growing up, but in a world of overprocessed digital music I've learned to like and even admire the rawness of this record. Plus a few of the tracks are by now absolute classics.
The beginnings of greatness.
I get the whole experimental thing but is literally noise.
I think this record is a good timestamp of the cultural moment in which it was released. It's witty at times, maybe a bit naive by today's standards, raw and simple but with some offshoots you can tell have influenced decades of music since then.
And yet I don't like it.
I was looking forward to this but it did not live up to my expectations, even though it has Psycho Killer on it. It's quirky to a fault and dissonant, like the ancient recessive gene of jazz randomly decided to make itself shown in a pop record.
I went into this expecting to hate it after going through a few "noise" albums around these parts but to my surprise I found this smart, witty, self-aware, not that jarring. It's like early Pink Floyd (but with some of the instruments broken, and a heavy stereotypical American accent) and Butthole Surfers had a baby.
I read the description briefly and confidently misidentified Shot by Both Sides as Walking on Both Sides, which is by Pink Turns Blue. I was a bit disappointed when I figured out my mistake, a few seconds into the first song. But anyway, as it turns out I knew this record too. It's alright.
I haven't read up on it but I think they named this record after the band because the content is meaningless but they couldn't leave it unnamed. It's all a bit too random and aimless. There's no real sense of progress through each song, much less the record itself. It doesn't have any highs or lows which in art is a sin. I'm starting to get that it's 1001 albums, not 1001 great albums to listen to.
Anyone who doesn't have a core memory with There Is a Light That Never Goes Out playing should make one. I'd give this record six stars if I could.
Never really listened to Duran Duran until now. There might be something to this...
I saw them live before ever listening to their songs. What I can say is they're as bad live as they are in the studio.
Never heard of this artist before. Strikes me like a mix of Rufus Wainwright and Beck, with speckles of David Gilmour towards the end of the record?
That aside I fear for music if this made the cut.
The thing about music from this chapter of history is that it's all very similar. The only reason this record stands out is because it ends with Time of the Season, which only adds to irony because it has no business being lumped in with the rest of these songs.
I only knew A Forest going into this record. Pleased to report all songs sound the same, as expected.
There's a world before and one after this record.
I feel like live albums are never a good idea. There are more people that don't have a good time than people that do from listening to live albums.
Think about it. If you know the songs, you likely know them played a particular way. Live albums don't guarantee you that. Or if you don't know the songs, like me here, you can't learn to like them properly. Or you can't join the experience of the band and audience as the concert took place, because you're always left wondering what's next.
My first decree as Dictator shall be to politely ask all bands to rerecord their live albums as studio albums.
Usually when an album is noisy I have an easier time making up my mind, but this one has a backbone or melody throughout each song, so I find it tricky to rate. I've not had much contact with the band thus far, I feel like they have something to say and I might be willing to listen, but this particular record isn't great.
I'm almost tempted to rate it less, simply because I fear the halo effect of this record is influencing the way I listen to it. Sure it's a good record, and it's serious and funny, witty and a bit stupid at the same time. But it's not fantastic.
Maybe innovative and certainly not bad to listen to, but not my thing.
I can't place it but there's this odd feeling I get whenever I listen to this band. Like seeing an ill man have the time of his life. One of the most American, British bands out there.
I recognise Recover from this record, and not because it's good. To me this album is torture.
I don't know and haven't tried to find out why he named this record the way he did but I hope he didn't name it after himself.
I feel like the band has the means to a better end but failed to put them to use. It's like this whole record is a sort of experiment that turned out weird.
There are records that almost seem impossible to match and I think this is one of them.
Seeing this come up made me very happy this morning. Fantastic record!
Started off strong, made me optimistic - but that slowly tapered away as the record eventually finished with nothing but duration as a hint that the record should be over.
I’m not sure about firsts, but I suspect a few firsts took place on this record - one guitar riff, some drums - that later became staples of other bands.
But then the energy isn’t spread out right. It’s not a truly great record.
Maybe it's useless (and unfair) to compare but I see a lot of bands in this record, in particular Turbonegro.
I feel like this has the makings of something grand but can't build towards a climax.
I can't believe I listened to two hours of babies babbling into mics and women thinking "where they panties are" just for Hey Ya! and Roses.
I don't like it, which is not the same as me disliking it. Sadly this music is lost one me.
One of the reasons why I jumped into this project headfirst is the exposure to unknown or untried artists. Frank Zappa, who I never listened to before, is one of them. I get the feeling there's a general consensus in mainstream pop culture that he was a cool guy.
Anyway, I didn't like this record.
Another example of artist I knew little of but eagerly studied as this record came into my roster.
Did you know "smashing" is meant to be an adjective, not a verb? So it's the "excellent" pumpkins. Wow.
Bit long, two hours is a lot of music to listen to. Luckily I enjoyed it.
What a fascinating, almost haunting voice.
Crazy to think he went and got shot by that guy in Sarajevo.
I found this a rather poetic experience.
I realise I know more of this man from pop culture than from his music. And his music is great.
I was at one of his concerts with some friends, and we weren’t exactly sober. At one point, right after a fucking epic guitar solo, the song dropped into a rest - the whole crowd holding its breath for the mythical figure that is Jack White - and two of my friends bellowed VERY NICE in full Borat voice.
On aggregate, I like more than I dislike on this record.
This should be sent into space to forever keep an actual record of mankind.
It's so rare to find a record with character, melody, and meaning in its lyrics - but this is one of those few. Hard to believe it's this good.
This record is right up my alley. I fear I am rating it this highly because of Kurt Cobain's obsession with them, but I think I can forgive myself for doing that.
A bit odd but not in a bad way.
As I understand it, this is not their best (or even second or third best), and yet I like it a lot. It reminds me of Future Islands which likely means Future Islands picked up from The The.
"But sleeping boys catch no fish."
Say what you will about him, but this is a fantastic record that forever changed the world of music.
Never listened to this but I somehow knew what to expect. Not great, not terrible.
She's in a world of her own. Or a galaxy. And then to bring Thom Yorke as a side show? Very well done.
It's me, not the music.
Beautiful voice - but the lyrics are a bit too superficial for my taste, even after I consider how they're a product of their time and think of the lyrical "ambiguity" George Michael had to straddle before he came out. Fantastic instrumentation though. Maybe I like 80s and early 90s effects a bit too much. Maybe I too am a product of my time.
While I am tempted to explain why I rated it the way I did, I will instead inform the reader that I do not enjoy Reggae.
I always had a hunch I'd love this band, and I think I will.
I think the thing with jazz, and this stands even for the best there is such as this record, is that it leaves too much work to the listener. But if there were any jazz worth listening it's this.
I went through a very strong Elvis Costello phase about a decade ago. This record has one song I like a lot, which is not a good ratio. And yet look what a little bias can get you - a good rating!
I just had Very come up a few days ago, so they were sometimes on my mind...
On paper everything points to me not liking them - and I'm not blown away by this record - but tell you what, it's not bad!
I can't imagine what life must be like having this as your favourite record.
Having spoken to many, I infer this is the auditory representation of what went on in the mind of an average Brit in 1994.
Is it my fault that every song is the same flavour of bad?
Vanilla.
There's an old world blues to his music despite it being ahead of its time.
This record deserves respect for what it started. Anyway, a question and a statement from me:
Q: Is his name the origin for all the lils out there?
S: there's a reality where the music ended up being called rip & roll (or shake and roll!) and it still works
I am used to either loving or hating his music, and this album confused me by not eliciting either reaction.
The staying power alone of a few songs off this record is reason enough for my rating.
Not bad!
Not my thing but not not my thing.
I got through life without ever listening to him, and this marks the first time I've ever heard the famous Sledgehammer from start to finish. I did not like it.
I want to like this record, but it's just not that great.
Saved his best for last.
I enjoyed this, but not enough to fully appreciate it.
Interesting, but not something I would return to.
This record starts strong and tapers to spoken word. I'm not sure if this is good or bad.
The endless repetitions turns musical beats into beating a dead horse.
I very much do not want to listen to their other albums.
Great on melody and beats, lacking in message. It's a bit like listening to a pedophile sing about how he is actually attracted to adult women.
Not bad but not for me.
Not bad.
Arguably better than most but not enough to be one of the greatest.
I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, but I have to fight my biases and admit it's not fantastic.
She reminds me of another Canadian singer-songwriter that does improv.
The music is good but the lyrics and persona are so over the top I just can't.
I kind of like how over the top this is with lyrics and art, but ultimately it's not my thing.
It's all a bit samey, though compared to others these songs can at least be taken seriously.
Mediocre is the only word that comes to mind.
I'm not the right person to appreciate this.
After weeks of not discovering anything I like from this list, I was blown away by this.
