1001 Albums Summary

Classic acoustic soft rock. I know wide world and father and son; longer boats and sad lisa stood out of the new songs. album mood ranges from soft background to if you're in the mood for a few tears.

come together--we all know it something--reminds me of wish you were here (or does floyd remind me of something?) silver hammer--ok? oh! darling--classic little rock ballad start octopus's garden--me too, john, me too here comes the sun hits different after i want you ope interrupted album, vibe broke lot going on after here comes the sun the end--mean drum solo her majesty--catchy

good start, it's a vibe. strong instrumentals, vocals are moody getting some religious imagery--"i'm born again" in airbag, "G-d loves all his children" in paranoid android; but it doesn't necessarily sound like positive imagery loving the style shift in exit music; oh my that took a turn ok i think the intention is not antireligious, but antiestablishment fitter happier??? 100%. unnerving computerized voice lists a bunch of expectations for a balanced life then just: "a pig. in a cage. on antibiotics." slow burn ending, nice bell to finish it off 3/5

ah i recognize this tradition of english folk--belle & sebastian followed it. they took more license, i think, but definitely there very nice cadence to time has told me loving the strings in river man fruit tree--so good love the album will need to listen more to fully absorb it. 5/5

goes hard with lots of van halen classics.

north americans--anthem to house parties getting shut down by cops? someone great--love the syncopation us v them--kinda weird sound of silver--lol, fair. what is the sound of silver tho? new york i love you--sad little waltz it's good but not my style. 3.5/5 rounded to 4/5

seamless transitions. flawless classic rock sound. the classicest of classic rock fallen eagle--little fiddle going on move around--going electro here, i dig it good contribution to the drawl-ey, southern rock sorta genre, but imo doesn't stand out on its own. it's long, probably a larger dose of southern rock than i would prefer 3.49/5 rounded to 3/5 scratch that blues man--great end to the album points for versatility, between the standard southern rock, fallen eagle leaning more folksy, blues man going full blues.. 3.75/5 rounded to 4/5

blue öyster cult riff going on there ... well that was fine? but really didn't catch my attention so i guess 3/5

oooh ok i can get down with this. ngl i thought it was gonna be like indie rock. much better. this is--nice bass freedom--damn. if only you knew--lot of british sampling lol break--oooooh this is a groove remember his name--ok i'm legit loving this. the vocal variety is great. the beat is strong. the instrumentals have a great dialogue going with the rapping. i dunno how experimental this is in hiphop, but compared to my normal listening this is out there, and i am. loving. it. what's golden thin line--the friendzone, that perennial subject of song and verse after school special--haha love the intro. oh nice he's in the song feels like there's a good bit of social commentary going on here (no shit sherlock) but i'd have to listen a few more times to get a good handle on it. definitely freedom is about, well, lack thereof. ddt & the songs there are prob about toxicity in the LA hiphop world? acetate prophets--loving this one. i want to know more about the african sampling. vocals are getting more esoteric compared to the rest of the album. i don't think i can give less than 4.5 to an album that engaging. 5/5

... and the gods made love--i had no idea jimi hendrix sounded like this have you ever been (to electric ladyland)--ok this is more the hendrix i know crosstown traffic--oh yeah now we're rocking his spoken word / singing is iconic, never heard anyone do it like hendrix voodoo chile--the guitar intro, oh yah. organ n all don't even need to listen to the rest lol 5/5 jk i ofc i'll listen to the whole thing wait voodoo chile is 15 minutes long?!?!? that was like 7 min max little miss strange--great guitar riff, then some beatles vocals coming in come on (let the good times roll)--great going. you can hear chuck berry's influence rainy day, dream away--oh wow this is incredible. the light rock beat, the sax and guitar, jimi hendrix singing softly. a talking guitar??? 1983... (a merman i should turn to be)--also getting some pink floyd vibes here.. except the first pink floyd album was only released one year prior. IS THAT A SITAR??? seagulls moon, turn the tides... gently gently away--great transition from 1983. love that this entire track is just transition still raining, still dreaming--talking guitar is back house burning down is a rocker all along the watchtower--iconic, the only song on the album that i already knew voodoo child (slight return)--ooooh listen to that guitar intro easy 5/5. 100% musically cohesive, every track fits into the album as a whole, from 15min voodoo chile to 1min moon turn the tides. no one can match hendrix

purple haze--"excuse me while i kiss this guy" 5/5 no notes. third stone from the sun--apparently i am not experienced in the ways of jimi hendrix. sick slow guitar solo though. is that riff from... rasputin? well obviously not this song is 11 years older are you experienced--ok this ones a bit ... riskier. definitely more experimental hmmm this one is tough. i might lean 4.49/5 rounded to 4/5 because it was long and experimentally outside my taste. iconic opening tho

keep on movin'--this is a vibe fairplay--loving this. her vocals are fantastic. "cause. it's all. about. expression." holdin' on--oh this club beat is strong. the spoken word is strong, unique style feeling free live--ok that's not my style but again strong spoken word african dance--killer flute solo. kinda wild how long or short a song feels can change completely by song. Like this is 6 minutes and is streeeeetching long, but jimi hendrix pulled off a 15? minute song effortlessly dance--not the biggest fan of soul ii soul's own vocals--looks like the first two songs had another vocalist on the song this album has a very strong beat. kinda headache inducing? feel free--good. balancing the beat and vocals better. nice electric guitar in there too jazzie's groove--ope yep londoners ambition (rap)--good soft rap. british ok verdict is....honestly maybe 3/5? good album, not great, but i just wasn't with the driving club beat nonstop for half the album and the spoken word wasn't my favorite

i don't even know the slightest place to start with this... necrophobic--some good beat changes here but all these songs sound the same to me ok the scream halfway through postmortem was impressive raining blood--dramatic intro. some variety from every other second of the album. outro guitar sounds like animals bleating. bleak. morbid. sounds the same thru 90% of the album. 2/5

i have no idea what to expect here. soft guitar intro. loving it. OH my he has a good voice. so deep and just on the line between smooth and gravelly eid ma clack shaw--what is that title??? this is sad boy music. well balanced between vocals, piano rhythm, percussion rococo zephyr--"i used to be kinda blind... now i can sorta see" too many birds--this one is a little less melodic than the others my friend--good crescendo. "my friend" growled is a bit unnerving faith/void--i don't love this song, but i get it overall 4/5. thoroughly enjoyable, unique sound executed skillfully. his voice is incredible. some songs were outside my tastes; but would certainly listen again.

ok this is gonna be incredible i know it down to zero help yourself--amazing. ahh i think she's the british tracy chapman water with the wine--oh yeah love and affection--ooooooh those backup vocals are so deep join the boys--oh this is a. g r o o v e. somebody who loves you--emotional lyrics, but does not sacrifice musical balance. the intentional pause before the next song is perfect to bring the song home. silence is an oft ignored musical element, but so impactful. like fire--like fire tall in the saddle--oooh love me a good slow ballad. her singing. the guitar solo. perfect. i don't know enough to say what genre this is--i'm inclined to say it's blues moving a bit towards r&b but really what do i know???? what i know is that this is a 6/5 album. joan balances the album perfectly between emotion and groove--and both at once--with impeccable vocals, guitar, organ, backup singers, the whole nine yards. coherent, lyrical and melodic.

ah love the incoherent lyrics of subterranean homesick blues she belongs to me--is there a live version of this on self portrait? i think so? or maybe just the intro? "she's an artist" i know, but the rest of the song isn't familiar. maggie's farm--seems like this is gonna be more of a rocking dylan with a slower interlude here & there love minus zero--ooh this one is new. it's more serious in musical tone & lyrics than s.h.b. or maggie's farm, but it still has that lively band going at it outlaw blues--also a new one. ope. on the road again--i think this is new but it sounds so so familiar. lyrics seem a continuation of sub homesick blues, i.e., utterly nonsensical bob dylan's 115th dream--now i'm imagining that every nonsensical dylan song is just a narration of one of his dreams. capt. arab? moby dick is ahab.. arrested for carrying harpoons, waitress he was handsome, lol house with american flag turns him away says i'll tear you limb from limb i said you know they turned away jesus too he said you're not him. this is a ballad of bob dylan getting knocked down hey mr tambourine--an absolute classic gates of eden--hmm this one is new too it's alright, ma (i'm only bleeding)--new one; this is a nice slower one. ok i'm digging this, kinda surprisingly progressive it's all over now, baby blue--another classic do i have the slightest idea what any of that was about? nope. a nonsense album full of nonsense songs. subterranean homesick blues is the most well known of the nonsense songs, but several of the slower songs are also more well know i think (i'm probably a bad judge of how well known a dylan song is...). is it actually nonsense... maybe, maybe not. he definitely addresses some social themes, but he dresses it up in fast paced little nothings. not his best, i'd say it's in the 3.4-3.6/5 range. i'll decide tomorrow. final verdict--3.5/5 rounded to 4/5. presence of classics like subterranean homesick blues, mr tambourine, and it's all over now, baby blue add to the rating. a range of nonsense ballads appear on the album; 115th dream presents a critique of authority and its use of tradition to restrain people; most of the other ballads i could not decipher.

oh i was expecting a hair band, no this is earlier rock. not country rock, but leaning a bit that way. also he was 26 at this concert? i'm slacking... show me the way--oooh i know this song. the opening riff is iconic. all i want to be (is by your side)--is this a sampson & delilah reference? i don't care if they cut my hair? i dunno, that kinda discounts the fact that delilah also gouged out his eyes. probably just reading too much into it. wind of change--good solo acoustic song, lot's of feeling baby i love your way--oooh yeahhhh get the full band in there now penny for your thoughts--lovely little guitar solo there ok i dunno i kinda zoned out there. solid rock album but not my listening. enjoyed it, probably wouldn't listen again. 3/5.

sail away--oh hmm ok. this is slow. a 2:53 song has never felt so long. lonely at the top--this is a polka vibe, love that. still slow. pokey lafarge has definitely heard this song. he gives us all his love--still slow. jesus song. last night i had a dream--ope there's a single fast beat, back to slow. i need to actually listen to this album for its musicality simon smith and his dancing bear--ahh sad boi circus music? old man--i'm starting to get a temp on randy newman: sad slow emotional music, where the lyrics express a range of emotions across songs but musically, vocally, rhythmically, etc. they all sound the same. political science--ok maybe that's not right; this song is the most upbeat so far. but what in the world is this song??? "boom goes london, boom goes paris..." ah love some good old fashioned cultural american imperialism singing about... nuking everyone???? wait what?!?! burn on--cleveland, ohio, that perennial subject of song and verse. memo to my son-- dayton, ohio--dayton, ohio, that perennial subject of song and verse. you can leave your hat on-- G-d's song (that's why i love mankind)--is this a prayer for G-d to leave people alone? idk 1/5. this album is painfully slow.

ope lost some notes. look i'm not gonna write liner notes for every track on a two hour album. i'll report back at the end. it's a two hour album... listening to the beatles hammers in how influential the beatles actually were. wish you were here clearly derives from harrison here in several ways. love his rendition of if not for you. but... it's a two hour album. was that really necessary, george? a lot of songs honestly just blended into background noise for me. 3.49/5, rounded to 3/5. good, influential, too long.

going good with this opening riff definitely more my speed than slayer. still not my favorite genre but ya know. lotta record scratching going on here in the end--i like that opening piano. i think i recognize this song? i dunno it feels like a classic. a place for my head--oh my these are quite the lyrics this exudes angst in the way that can only come out of the '90s (i know i know... not the '90s. still pre-2001 tho...). cure for the itch--weird ok that was it. i don't know, 3.x/5. probably 3/5. looking forward to not listening to any angsty albums over the weekend.

nooo it didn't save my notes. ok this is another side of the beatles from the little side that i know. abbey road they're all singing about octopi, here it's more folky songs about women's eyes and watnot. looser in an almost stomp-n-holler-egg-shaker-jam-session sorta way? as in leaning acoustic with more interesting instruments (i knew i hear a sitar!!) and a more down to earth lyrical approach. of course most of what i know of the beatles is *after* this, so i'm sure in a few hundred albums i will get to listen to what they actually started out as. i'd say in the 3.5/5 range. probably rounded to 4/5 for the benefit of the doubt because it didn't save my notes

bombtrack--driving beat. the name suits them. in the name of--wow. incredible. acab. take the power back--loving the bass settle for nothing--d.a.m.n. musically interesting and balanced. each song provides variety & contrast. a range of vocal and instrumental techniques. hard hitting lyrics on social issues. this is gonna score high. bullet in the head--imperialism ok not noting every song, but refer to notes for settle for nothing for overall impression. 4/5. miles better than slayer reign in blood. oh hmm i gave that album a 2/5, but this is more than 2 stars better than that. consider either promoting this to 5/5 or demoting slayer to 1/5.

incredible. no notes. 4.5/5 +/-

hmmm what is this? the tin can percussion is a vibe hmmmm sad girl indie? move like honey--oh real slow never is a promise--nice harmonies going on with the background vocals. the string section, too. pale september--good lyricist carrion--nice crescendo final verdict: it's slow, it's sad, the instrumentals & vocals work well together to create the intended atmosphere. it's balanced. i probably won't listen to it again. 3/5.

wild to me that johnny cash was on the downswing before this. because this album is incredible. the interlude of prison announcements & him telling them they can't swear (censored). folsom prison blues is a classic for a reason 25 minutes to go--woah. musically well balanced. woah. orange blossom special-- the long black veil--damn. these interludes are cracking me up. it's not exactly a cheery album. they had garbage disposals in 1968?? i guess so give my love to rose--amazing green green grass of home--the nostalgia greystone chapel--love singing a song by a prisoner did they just boo the warden??? love it. are they giving him tin cups? something imagine being a prisoner and johnny cash comes in and is like "here's a concert for y'all. also recording for an album for the free world." anyway 5/5 perfect artist perfect album.

ok this is metal/rock ish. nice driving beat. oooh pretty soft vocals one hour of this???? ok. walkin on the sidewalks--a little crude, a little repetitive, not my favorite song in the world. actually that's an understatement. this is 2 minutes of the exact same 2 bar chord over and over and over again. mexicola--halfway through the album. nice starting beat. hispanic impressions--liking this one. honestly better with no vocals. you can't quit me baby--ooh nice guitar solo at 5min. ...oh to be a seal bobbing up and down in the water contentedly floating with the current... (sorry that has no relation to the album) these aren't the droids you're looking for-- i dunno how to keep writing original notes for every song... en generale, the instrumentals are interesting with a strong beat and engaging solos (hispanic imp., you can't quit, droids, intro of spiders and vinegaroons). there are, however, also long stretches (walkin on the sidewalks..., give the mule) with very repetitive rhythm guitar that just goes. too. long. i don't particularly love the vocals. leaning towards 2.4/5, but spiders and vinegaroons might bring that up to 2.6/5 i was a teenage..--hate the ending. does that bring it back down to 2.4/5?

another grungy metallic '90s rock band? not keeping exact notes here. one of the early songs was more metal. oh yeah--this sounds like elliott smith. i guess either/or was released the following year. angel interceptor--nice little love song i dunno it's fine? 3/5?

stars of track and field--ahh the carefree teen life. love when you can hear the singer's accent. i mean... not really because they are glaswegian so i imagine their accent is much stronger than how they sing, but it's still present. love the trumpet solo too. seeing other people me and the major--lively, the lyrics are well balanced--present if you want to listen to the words, not the only thing going on if you'd rather just vibe. see, queens of the stone age, this is how you incorporate a repetitive element into a song: the repetition swells and contracts, and there are other things going on. like dylan in the movies--love the bass line the fox in the snow--oooh great ballad with low piano, very light string backups, lyrics with metaphor, what's not to love? if you're feeling sinister--oh my, quite the song ope missed detailed breakdowns by song.. well balanced, lyrically and instrumentally interesting. solid 4/5.

obsessed with the concept. but i'm gonna listen in three sections by disc, cause i don't really want to listen to 3hrs nonstop. i don't believe in the sun--"astronomy must be revised" iconic reno dakota--"pantone 292" (it's blue) these are all incredible. i am taking notes for future use. the cactus where your heart should be--is that a harpsichord? i think i need a new heart the book of love--oh my goodness this is so sweet i love it finished disc 1. notes: incredible. silly at times, serious at times, lovely throughout. incredible lyrics all around. instrumentation solidly complements the lyrical mood. overall impeccable. however, i am not taking individual listening notes on all 69 tracks. discs 2 & 3--presumably about 46 tracks--are for afternoon listening. phase ii starting off a little more experimental here. love is like jazz especially. when my boy walks down the street--YES YES YES this album feels like the quintessentially '90s counterpart to that quintessentially '90s angst in linkin park, et al. "oh i could write a song about the way you say goodnight" is the funniest lyric i shatter--i don't love it, but it is impressive deep robot voice vocals going on ok two discs in, and i'd put this in the mid 4 range. probably rounded to 5/5 because it has brought me much joy, but i'm not sure i'd call it a perfect 5/5. phase iii was even a bit more out there than phase ii, i think it's intentional. sadly xylophone track did not have a xylophone???? zebra was weird and funny. i stand by my assessment that it's a solid 4.5/5 rounded up.

ok finally getting back to listening to this. first thing monday morning because why not. planet telex--off to a better start than amnesiac. the bends--nice rocking going on there high and dry--ok i'm actually enjoying this one still got some radiohead mumbly not annunciating anything singing humming stuff. i dunno, 3/5? 2/5.

very soft start. nice vocal harmonies what goes on--now we're rocking. a little bit doorsy some kinda love--what? pale blue eyes--i dunno jesus--jesus song counter: 2 beginning to see the light--breakfast at night? wine in the morning? i'm set free--is this by any chance connected to the last song? the murder mystery--love the organ. vocals are weird. getting doors vibes throughout--which is probably accurate since they were contemporaries. honestly for some reason i think of that sound--organ, certain style of vocal harmonies, etc.--as more british than american. i dunno, 3.x/5. tbd how i'll round it.

so this album is gonna have a lot of banjo, violin, clarinet, and recorder, right? right? she has funny cars--love the little background twangy guitar plastic fantastic lover--you know that 70s italian disco/rock song that's supposed to sound like english (and does!) but is actually gibberish? yeah just randomly thought of that for no particular reason prisencolinensinainciusol--oh wait wrong album comin' back to me--ooh i dig it. this tempo & style is much more my speed. the slow acoustic guitar; the softer vocals, a little flute / recorder action. somebody to love--oh i know this song WAIT SPOTIFY WHY DID YOU PUT THAT ON SHUFFLE??????? how do you feel--who does this sound like??? the beatles? yes but i feel like there's someone closer white rabbit--love this absurd little ditty ok after the spotify shuffle fiasco i have now listened +/-1.5 times. nice light rock. leans acoustic and esoteric. enjoyable overall. not every song stood out, but the rest were pleasant enough in the background. coming back to me, somebody to love, white rabbit are probably top songs. i'd say high 3/5 rounded to 4/5

ok lets see what's going on got a sitar-esque (is it actually a sitar?) opening. hmm. this is not my vibe. angsty and from the 90s, but not the same flavor of "90s angst" as like linkin park. actually i'd say this is more angsty? lots of n-words which i'm generally not a fan of in my music. also not a fan of digitized narrators in my music. probably give it a 2/5 cause i don't want to think about why to justify a 1. thanks for the music but no thanks.

odd, 3/5

an absolute classic. defining member of the genre "they are singing with audibly non-american accents". goodbye blue sky--nice acoustic guitar obviously the album is very moody. probably the most so of the big floyd albums. honestly unsettling at times. ya know, these days i do not care for excessive angst. life is too short to focus on that shit. on that note, i would give this a 3/5. however, out of respect for past me that did love listening to this album in the angst-filled freshman year of college, and out of respect for pink floyd being absolute classics, i will consider giving it a 4/5.

oh yah great start to my monday!! ok no listening notes by track, but great album. it's disco, ya can't complain. not the famous earth wind & fire songs, but nonetheless fantastic. honestly maybe better for it; showcases what they can do beyond just "do you remember." "the 21st night of september." anyway solid 4/5 range

ok here we go. not really in the mood for radiohead today but oh well. at least the first song has a sardine reference. if only the whole album was about fish. pyramid song--unique pulk/pull revolving door--i hate this. oh here would you like an anxiety attack? four minutes of wanting to vomit that i will never get back. you and whose army--ok better than the last one. still not great. the vocals are, not mumbling, but like sing-mumbling. mumbling but sustained and in tune? every sound is equally low volume and voiced and stretched out? i dunno i can't understand anything regardless. final stretch!!!! oh nice there's a clarinet! thank goodness that is over. 1/5, not even a sardine reference and a clarinet can redeem that. re: listening notes for pulk/pull.

walking in your footsteps--HAHAHA i didn't realize this was a police song i only first heard it via cover like two weeks ago. dinosaurs. mother--is this song self aware or not? is sting singing about how his girlfriends always turn into his mother with a solution oriented mindset or is he oblivious to the systemic issues at hand? synchronicity ii--here's some commentary on the emptiness of modern suburban live and the patriarchy? every breath you take--this is the only song on the album i know from the police. sweet love song but actually a bit creepy if you listen to the lyrics too closely king of pain--another dinosaur reference?? incredible being able to compare radiohead amnesiac (yesterday) and this. both 45 min, 11 tracks, one is a relatively pleasant enough listening experience, the other lasts for an eternity. i don't think either actually deserve to be on this list, but this album is SO much less grating and abrasive. this album is palatable, but not great. easy listening. amnesiac was none of the above. not to make this review about a different album, that comparison is just fresh in my mind. 3/5, pleasant enough but probably will not listen again.

i was expecting angry rock.. my default assumption for random indie bands on this list. maybe i *shouldn't* assume that, but i've gotten too many angry indie rock bands on here.. this is fine, i guess. very casual. low key. his voice is fine, but occasionally annoying. i guess this is the kind of deep gravel voice i sometimes really enjoy, but idk, not feeling it today.

Only listened halfway, decent, need to revisit for the rest

crazy and i love it morissey is really just holding out syllables while talking staple of the genre "i can hear the british accent" (ireland is part of the british isles--right?) [EDITED - LOL OOPS]

i'm not gonna pretend like boston is some groundbreaking genre-defying act... but they're a bop and i enjoy it. and honestly... most of the groundbreaking genre-defying acts on here are absolute shite music that makes me want to vomit.

did not take track by track notes--overall soft, smooth, and good. no complaints but maybe not *great* per se? sad rainy day music. probably in the upper 3.x range, so rounded to 4/5.

"whaddya mean it's not in the computer?!?!" 4/5

oh yeah throwback very clearly halfway between dark side and the wall. ok it's time to go home review is over i shall decide between 4 and 5 stars on monday.

smells like teen spirit--i know this song come as you are--i also know this song i really don't think i'm the person to appreciate the depth and nuance of all these 90s rock bands. i dunno... there's just SO many of them. like 3 radiohead albums and nirvana and skunk anansie and war on drugs and ... it just goes on and on and on. even the older rock is starting to all blend together. ok here's more pink floyd. here's peter frampton live. here's stephen still. yay more rock. unfortunately the 1001 best albums project is limited to genres with notable album output. folk albums? sure, there's albums, but the album is not necessarily the best way to convey the body of work. classical music? fundamentally does not operate at an album level (although of course there are albums, they just are not inherent). non-anglosphere music? well the american monopoly on cultural exports would like a word with you. jazz certainly has some notable albums, but again, it's not particularly the fundamental unit of the genre. territorial--this is music? unfortunately the above genres are the music i listen to. so this is just so. much. rock. which i'm glad i'm expanding my horizons, but i'm not loving all the music. it would just be nice if it wasn't so inherently biased against what i listen to. also. why is '90s rock SO angsty. like grow up. endless, nameless--oh goodness, 6 minutes of this? oh that's just the intro. or not. blah. i was gonna give you 3/5, but then you had to add this as the last track, didn't you? anyway, 2.5/5, it's fine, i guess. sorry nirvana for unloading baggage on your review.

is it rock? is it folk? folk rock? rock folk? it's (r/c)o(f/l)k papa won't leave you henry--ok.. ok..... weird..... getting weirder........ i had a dream-- str**ght to you-- brother my cup is empty--i drink alone by george thorogood and the destroyers???? christina the astonishing-- why are the overwhelming majority of these albums so fucking angst ridden?!? have you read the news lately?? i don't need MORE angst in my life. when i first came to town--the welcome guest on mermaid avenue by billy bragg & wilco john finns wife--i want to vomit. please remind me why i need to listen to this shit before i die. "oOoOoh look at me i'm so edgy" 1/5

tunic--this is respectably good. upbeat. more unique vocal arrangements--i mean kinda just talking but it's well done. mary-christ--this is a good ramones punk style bop. i don't think this counts towards the jesus song counter (which shall therefore remain at 2). kool thing--good continuity with the previous song. mote--enjoyed that one goo--vocals are less, i dunno, refined? mildred pierce--why does every indie/alt/edgy/whatever rock band from the 90s-00s just *have* to have a song devolve into static with deformed screaming descending into noise? the best part of this song is that it's only 2 minutes long my notes went the same place as my attention. album was decent, enjoyable enough. bonus points for being an alt rock band and *not* drowning themselves and us in self-imposed edgy misery. 3.4/5 rounded down.

oooh starting out symphonic!! soft kinda folky (but not folk) light listening. bill callahan sometimes i wish we were an eagle (2012) is very much in line with this--although i *think* callahan is american. very much just baritone singing with some accompaniment. some love songs some sorrow songs a little mystical a little mundane. it's nice. i think hawley is less mystical than callahan. i would say it's in the mid 3s. not sure whether to round up or down. on the one hand, very refreshing compared to all the angsty alt rock on this list, on the other hand, i probably won't listen again. i'll go 4/5 cause why not.

i mean the doors are classics. good bones. and organs. and songs about people who would probably take your organs. 4/5.

this is a vibe, i'm enjoying it luck of lucien--haha the french rapping loving that footprints i left my wallet in el segundo--love the intro with the vinyl static can i kick it--where do i know this guitar intro from????? ham & eggs--ok this is incredible enjoyable overall. it has a cohesive style & feel, but maintains variety between tracks. very listenable. it would be good mood setting music for just like hanging out with friends, but i probably wouldn't go out of my way to listen otherwise. 4/5.

last release on spotify was a compilation in '98. second most recent was in '89. none of their work has been remastered. these are fantastic signs. oh and this is 43 tracks and 1h14. i'm here for it. but i will not be taking comprehensive track-by-track listening notes. starting off very casual and rough. just sounds like some guys having a great time in a garage. cohesion--incredible little guitar interlude definitely thought this was a tears for fears knock off based on the cover. this is better though. they've got some good musical references. storm in my house--don't fear the reaper; and some others i noticed but couldn't place. not a single track is long enough to make you question how long it is. unpolished but not in a bad way, just quick & dirty. lyrics cover a multitude of topics, primarily in the protest realm. it is punk, after all. overall enjoyable, i'll probably go 4/5 because it does stretch long. if it was a 40 minute album i would probably listen again. or if i manage to get my hands on a vinyl of it, then i would definitely listen again.

a classic "something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, mr jo-ones?" is what i say whenever i'm confused and do not know what is happening. hmmm. iconic album, emblematic of dylan's eclecticism. weird lyrics that only sometimes make sense, with social commentary interwoven amongst nonsense. instrumentals match that style, with the organ going hard etc. album has a mostly plugged except for one unplugged track (desolation row; a classic). of course the folk revivalists were less than pleased about this development, but it's good music so i don't mind. i'm giving it a 5/5, but that is an openly biased rating. if i wasn't raised on bob dylan, i would probably give it max 4/5.

let's give heavy metal another shot. hope it's better than slayer. and it better be in portuguese so much for heavy metal in portuguese. it's fine? i dunno. not my jam not my peanut butter not my sandwich i'll give it a 2/5 because i care not to think about further and will not listen again.

i did not take notes on this but fantastic album. 5/5

bye bye love borrows from blue öyster cult (don't fear) the reaper moving in stereo--love the stereo effects here lots of classics here. are they doing anything revolutionary? probably not, i dunno. does that matter? no cause it's enjoyable 4/5, it's a bop

ok i definitely anti-hyped myself down too much for yet a n o t h e r mediocre '90s angst rock band. this is opening up nicely tho. repeater--ok so i only know i think exactly two examples of punk and those would be the ramones and the minutemen. this is definitely in line with the ramones, and i can get behind this. merchandise--ope song is already over, what was i gonna write? ok maybe i know a little bit more what this "post-hardcore" is that everyone keeps talking about? it's still got that cheery upbeat undertone of earlier punk, but you can maybe start to hear the angst of the '90s approaching. a little bit of the screaming and drive greed--love the screamed single repeated lyric styrofoam--only half the lyric are intelligible but i like it. nice guitar riff in the middle shut the door--strong opening to the closing song overall, i very much enjoyed that. short and sweet, goes hard the whole way through. i was honestly dreading it because i don't know a single damn thing about "post-hardcore" (which seems to be the only word anybody uses to describe this band), but i do know that i do not love '90s angst-rock. gladly, this is not '90s angst-rock. i haven't been able to define what the qualitative musical features are that make something angst-rock or not, but in my thus far limited experience, punk does not have it. punk =/= grunge. 4.5/5 rounded to 5/5

oooh funky. this is not hallelujah first we take manhattan--oh my his voice is so deep. everybody knows--well this is ... less than cheery. the instrumentation is really nice, though. a classical guitar, maybe? a little mediterranean, for sure. i'm your man--oh that synth is so eighties and i love it. sounds like the nausicaa soundtrack. take this waltz--circus music counter: 2 enjoyable, wide range from funky-can't-stop-moovin-and-groovin to sad ballad to ... circus music. his voice is definitely unique and i enjoy it. i'd put this in the mid 4/5 range. tbd how i'll round it.

ok gotta do some catchup here. wrong side of relaxation--oh my fucking goodness this is music????? i can't quit less than one track in, but i hate this. 1989 checks out. under wraps--now that i'm through 5 minutes of hell for the introduction... this is fine. so it's a concept album for a non-existent crime drama about his home neighborhood in manchester. honestly this sounds exactly like an '80s crime drama soundtrack. nothing more or less. "we see it something in the nature of a cancerous growth." maybe the cancerous growth was the albums we listened to along the way. jk jk ... but also ... i hear a tardis, is the doctor here???? ope there's the tardis again. the doctor said no thanks. man with the golden arm--going all james bond for the outro?? ok that one is interesting. really really not a fan of opening the album to a 5 minute sample of hell. the rest of it was fine. adamson obviously used all the normal tricks in movie soundtrack composing to create a movie soundtrack. like i said in track 2, it's exactly what you would expect an '80s crime drama to sound like. the question is, why? who knows. honestly, 2/5.

was away from my computer & could not take notes. fantastic album. disco? yes please.

only got halfway through. great music but it is not happy. 3/5 cause that's all the effort i'm putting in this. i may relisten to the whole thing later

damn lost my listening notes. it's a good vibe, i think 90s hip hop is more my speed than 90s grunge, but still not like my favorite. the beat is good, easy to groove to. probably wouldn't listen to the album thru again, but wouldn't mind hearing their songs now & then. upper 3s/5 rounded to 4/5.

post-apocalyptic folk, maybe? at the end of side 1 and every song has blended together into an indistinguishable blur of [___] vocals, strummed guitar and mild string backups. the only reason i know it's halfway is that i happened to check spotify. oohhhh this track has a *drum machine beat* i can't this is too boring 1/5

kinda punk vibes. it's brighter than grunge (thank G-d). fuzzy birds--A FLUTE SOLO???? hell yeah something 4 the weekend--getting strong beatles vibes but like punk gathering moss--love this variety ok per usual my listening notes trail off by the end. good album. got that punky cheerfulness that i enjoy. musically varied (with flute solo!). i couldn't give this less than 4.5/5, so here's to rounding up lol.

aja-is this just while my guitar gently weeps? nice album. upbeat jazzy rock. pretty smooth. i dunno, it didn't really speak to me enough to be a regular listen. i'd give a solid 4/5.

nooo lost my notes *again* i need to remember to save these it was a groove, 4/5? 5/5?

my listening notes will be sporadic, as this is a 3hr album. let's call the whole the thing off--Ella is just incredible. her voice is so clear. it's enlightening how intertwined the gershwins and Ella's iconic sound are. my goodness i just love Ella by strauss--love hearing the gershwins poking fun at themselves. also i don't think i've heard a scatted waltz before. i could listen to Ella all day long. which is good, cause that's what i'm doing. i will have to go find the other "Ella sings the ____ songbook" albums. the half of it dearie blues--love that bass clarinet there this album is lacking in scatting. promenade (walking the dog)--a gershwin classic for a reason. maybe the instrumental pieces could've been included as interludes instead of all lumped at the end (or beginning in some versions?). similarly to double nickels on the dime (the minutemen), i think this would benefit by having a physical copy with zero pressure to listen to the whole thing, just throw on a side or two whenever you want. 5/5. Ella is an icon. incredible. perfect. the pinnacle of music. pack it up, everyone, it's all downhill from her. (after reading other reviews, i will acknowledge that this is not the pinnacle of Ella's discography in the way this list typically operates. i agree that other, shorter albums of hers would probably be more popular around here. doesn't change the fact that i enjoyed listening to three hours of Ella. "bUt It'S sO lOnG" radiohead got 6 fucking albums, so deal with it and listen to some Ella.)

this better not be a surrealistic pillow (jefferson airplane) situation where the instrumentation depicted on the cover is not in fact prominent in the album. i do believe the children these days call that catfishing. ok it's definitely a little rocky, but has distinct folk elements (that fiddle [is a british fiddle still called a fiddle?]). also 'tis british! once again i am beseeching spotify to allow us to listen to the original release i don't want the remastered extended album i was surprisingly... not a huge fan. it was fine. not better, not worse. british folk should be right up my alley (i.e., five leaves left [nick drake]), but this just sounds too produced and polished and like country rock with a fiddle??? the second-last track with the spoken word in a good gaelic accent had a good thing going, tho. wish the whole album was like that. average 3/5.

ok this'll be a trip for sure. not a fan of the intro, but the beat of the first actual song is good. not sure about the vocals yet. talk about a concept album, damn. even cutting the remaster bonus tracks, it runs an hour and a half. with seamless transitions on every track. the songs are jams orgone accumulator--zz top vibes on this one the spoken word is ... something. sonic attack--oh. my. 1.5 hour space rock opera. ok. that was an experience. props for having a strong concept and carrying it through. very thorough, dare i say flawless, execution. tragically, this is not my vibe. the musical parts were fine. singing was hit or miss. spoken word, though... no thanks i'll pass on that one. 2.49 rounded to 2/5.

not really a fan of this. the number of artists who think they can drop 10 four or five minute songs in a row is too damn high. also what the fuck are these vocals? paranoia--i think this is giving me paranoia. which is not really what i want to get out of listening to music. i can't finish this 1/5

is that a curtis mayfield sample? nice don't mind me, just sitting at my desk in the office listening to biggie smalls rapping about drugs and gangs and violence and murder. i do appreciate this list exposing me to hip hop & rap. not genres i've ever explored on my own, but i can get behind this. i'd rather listen to this than grunge. s/o to sardines getting mentioned by The Notorious B.I.G. that was such a long album. i enjoyed it, but by 3/4 thru i just wanted it to be over.

damn i forgot to save my notes. it's good. i wasn't sure what genre it would be, but the jazz is good. instrumentals are well composed, and the vocals are balanced. is that the opening bit from bugle call rag at the end of zombie? per my usual practice, i only listened to material in the original release, but on this one i may actually go back and listen to the bonus tracks from the reissue.

this is fine. i'm not dancing at a club, so i guess maybe the listening environment could be improved? i really don't mind the music, but it is music for a certain time and place and at work is not the vibe. maybe i'll keep it in my back pocket for the right situation. 3 or 4/5

instrumentals are nice. vocals are weird. the waltz was the best song. also glad it was only 28 minutes. i appreciate this list having something other than english and american music. but i didn't actually love this album. 2 or 3/5. i'll do 3 as props for expanding outside the anglosphere.

i honestly can't think of a single song of theirs... but i feel like i know them? well clearly i don't actually know chicago cause this is not the sound i was expecting. i was probably confusing them for boston lol. this is bluesier than i was expecting. once again i am begging, BEGGING, musicians to understand the length of their songs. i don't actually care to listen to 7 minutes of free form guitar wailing. maybe that took significant skill? i don't know. and 14 minutes???? are you kidding me? i'd love to give points for the blues but this wasn't really the best of the blues either. 2/5

shit forgot to save again. it was a bop. doorbell stood out for its simplicity (and yet not feeling like a drag of a song at over 4min). i took lunch halfway thru which was not conducive to listening. i dunno, somewhere in the 3-4/5 range.

oOoOoH bet this is some edgy '90s bs the fear--yes that's exactly what it is. got a different flavor than your standard grunge. slight british accent showing up. ope is the a TARDIS i hear? the dishes--is that a jesus song? i don't think it counts.. so counter shall remain at 2 ok going good, this isn't too bad. i like the mundanity. almost as if belle & sebastian tried grunge? it's trying to be edgy and over the top and cheesy, but it's something going for it seductive barry--oh not a fan of this one tho. and of course it's 8min long

feel like i'm bout to fall asleep to a vague, diluted version of my brother's indie mixtapes from '95.

village ghetto land--the lyrics and the music do not match. contusion--that's a jam session sir duke--and this is a bop i wish-- pastime paradise took an intermission at the end of disc one for lunch isn't she lovely--love this black man--i think i just gave myself whiplash by listening to this song while reading a statement from our supreme tangerine about immigrants. great song tho. if it's magic--great song. as--vocals: perfection. instrumentals: amazing. groove: impeccable. another star--there's only so many words i can use to describe this album as incredible. sorry, i'm not a music critic; i just enjoy it or not. saturn--depressing how this is just as applicable today as in '76. great song tho. ebony eyes--this one's a bop all day sucker--love some funkiness easy goin' evening--lovely instrumental outro easy 5/5. i think the album opened with the weaker songs and just kept getting stronger the further you go. not that any song was actually weak, just less strong than others on here. i wouldn't say the album as a whole was social commentary, but definitely some tracks were--black man, village ghetto land, saturn. intermixed well with songs about lighter things. the instrumentals were impeccable. the whole thing was just a groove, tbh. per usual, i think the long format probably works best in the context of having a physical copy, not so much on spotify where it autoplays the whole thing (hence my intermission, even tho i'm on spotify).

i've tried to listen to this before and wasn't terribly impressed, but that was a few years ago so let's give it another shot. not doing play-by-play here, but overall good enough. i heard about it in the context of background music for ... certain extracurricular activities. and it certainly has potential there. first half of the album was stronger than the second, i thought. sour times stood out for sure. second half seemed less original and more cliche electronica? i really have no idea what these words mean, but that's how i would describe it. oh lol reading the reviews it looks like glory box is a fan favorite track; i thought it was a meh song. edit: look when you listen to an album three more times in the following day and a half, you have to go edit the rating. originally given a 4/5, raised to 5/5.

what does lou reed have that leonard cohen does not also have? that was tolerable, i guess?

jacqueline--i like this. lots of energy tell her tonight--also lots of energy take me out--oh i know this song! oh lol it has 1.3 Billion more streams than any other song on the album. honestly it's a bop tho, deserves it dark of the matinée--props for the clear stylistic tie with take me out, but not being *basically the same song, again* auf achse--ope got distracted cheating on you--so. much. energy. darts of pleasure--actually impeccable michael--great opening riff. i mean ok not enough songs about guys' hips, ya know. glad franz is working to fix that. gotta give it to franz ferdinand for making an impeccable example of the driving indie rock genre. usually not my favorite, usually too much depressing precedent from grunge, but i thoroughly enjoyed this. 5/5

yah incredible

honestly? it's fine 1999 thru d.m.s.r. (the first half)--it's '80s thru and thru. and if i were a rebellious '80s teen with repressive parents, sure, this would be life changing. it's experimental, it's edgy, it's got all the things that probably appeal to rebellious '80s teens with repressive parents. however, i am none of those things, so it's just fine. it does have a good disco beat, i'll give it that; i could get down on the dance floor to this (if i was a better dancer) automatic--sounds like the soundtrack to a magnum p.i. montage or something free--prince could've sung for the eagles lol lady cab driver--scuse me what? oh joy eight minutes international lover--i'm glad most albums don't have moaning like that. we were going solid 3/5 in the first half. after the second half, i stand by my assessment that this is exactly what a rebellious '80s teen is into. unfortunately, *experimental moaning noises* are not on my list of things i look for in good music. 2/5.

love a rock album opening with a harpsichord (or dulcimer?) after he's gone--is that a minor progression that the rolling stones use? i recognize it from some other 60s rock band. paint it black, *i think*. ok yah, that is what it's similar to. hung up on a dream--ooh i like this one. very nice arrangement butchers tale--oh yah there's the open reeded organ time of the season--strong influence from "stand by me". love the funky interlude. is that an organ or the mellotron? or both? overall, i think it's well executed '60s rock. the harpsichord features well. the vocals are pleasing even if the lyrics are perhaps plain or occasionally trite. instrumental arrangements are well done. nice use of minor keys, unusual instruments, etc. is it maybe a bit derivative? were the beatles or whoever ahead of them on the psychedelic rock train? i mean yah, sure. still nice listening. 4/5

four women--damn. Damn. the arrangement is impeccably sparse. only exactly what it needs. what more can i say--i mean... what more can i say? lilac wine-- that's all i ask-- why keep on breaking my heart--love the vibrato; almost operatic. the transition from wild is the wind into black is the color of my true love's hair----flawless either way i lose--the a cappella bass is exceedingly '60s. the only thing this whole album that i don't love. i am left speechless. 5/5. 6/5, really. she keeps it real.

two tracks hell yeah incredible. even tho it only has one track per side, you could still hear distinct sections within each--especially on the second side. the ability for a few--what, five?--musicians to just play something this flawless astounds me. 5/5

ya know, i've never really dived into elvis. obv i know a few of his songs here and there, but let's take a better look. ok i had to finish the album at home, so my listening was disjointed. that said, i think elvis knows what's up.

a classic. streaming it for now, but this evening i'll go listen to my cassette. although streaming is a slightly higher fidelity musical experience than my cassette... that's alright i don't think this album insists upon a high fidelity musical experience. song about architect?!?! automatic 5/5! jk the boxer is a classic. el condor pasa too. it's a good album. classic acoustic. i don't think i would say it's *perfect*, but i couldn't pin down what it's missing. i think it's a solid 4/5.

this is fine. not great music, but inoffensive enough. the vocals on the rerelease bonus tracks are wayyy better than on the original album. i don't know if it's a difference between the original tracks getting remastered and these not, or what, but the vocals sound metallic on the original tracks. 3/5

oh hmmm interesting... i was obviously initially skeptical of yet another indie rock band i've never heard of (all of them, there's so many of them). *this* indie rock band has an accordion, tho. i'm weirdly getting elliott smith vibes? but political and from the southwest and with an element of hope? less punk than elliott smith oh i'm digging this actually. pepita--nice guitar interlude close behind--fast chase music the book and the canal--i'm skeptical that this is actually indie rock... this is fully instrumental and features a double base. there's this guy in san fran that has a little one man band called rebbesoul and plays smooth jazzy instrumental contemporary takes on old jewish melodies and has like 500 listeners on spotify that i used to listen to... yah this reminds me vaguely of that. i think this warrants a solid 4/5. original, good listening, but not like exceeding amazing.

album cover designers need to learn some lessons in readability from this cover. i've never seen a more instantly decipherable cover. '70s r&b / soul / disco is my jam, so very stoked for this. obv everyone knows le freak. savoir faire, tho??? ohhh great intro. the bass. the guitar. the strings. this is what airport music aspires to be, and fails at. and even better, that wasn't just the intro, the whole song was instrumental (pun intended). 10am and i've already got a disco album under my belt. it's all downhill from here, i guess. had some great songs, some good ones, and some fine ones. solid dance music when wearing bell bottoms.

so is this like a ben 10 fan project or something? i do not love this. punk--horrid intro. why do people do this? sound check (gravity)--this is also terrible. where is the music? there's a bass line and main rhythm drum, there's distorted looped vocals, occasional bits and bobs of extra percussion. lots and lots of record scratching. all working together to create a cacophony of *noise*. the best part of the song is the sample of *nighttime insect noises*. double bass--ok that's a fine enough riff. badudadaaa da daa da da da "all of which makes me anxious, at times unbearably so." if that doesn't encapsulate how i feel about this kind of music, i don't know what does. rock the house--is this trumpet intro familiar? not a big fan of funky del tho. latin simone (que pasa contigo)--best song on the album. if only it had more record scratching and too-rich bass drum. i jest, it would be better without those things. in concept, the song is good. unfortunately it is marred by the gorillaz. m1a1--ya i hate this. thank goodness it's over. the gorillaz signature sound seems to be nonstop bass and record scratches and making noises on the frontier of listenability and calling it music, "all of which makes me anxious, at times unbearably so." 1/5. the best thing to come of this is discovering Ibrahim Ferrer from "latin simone", whose album Bueno Vista Social Club is actually worth listening to before you die. that the gorillaz prompted this discovery shall not improve their rating.

better than slayer look i'm the last person around you should trust to know about heavy metal, but this ain't it. this is classic rock. like van halen levels of "heavy metal". i'm not writing a long review. it's better than slayer, so it warrants 3/5. it's classic rock. there's some variety between songs, but not a *lot*. it's brief, it moves along. ya know, the usual.

this cover exudes pure late-midcentury england. parquet floor? hell yeah mr clean--ok this is hilarious i can get behind this so on one level, there's definite social commentary about consumerism and the lie of fitting in and modern life not being all that and a bag of chips. on another level, this is just plain funny. songs about beating up mr. clean and catching beans and toast falling off the grocery store shelves. in short, it's a hit on multiple levels, and the music's not too bad either. fly--there's some semi-melancholy love songs too? love it the place i love--oh yah here's the american influence from blüë öystër cült down in the tube station at midnight--oh damn. also tho.... subways arriving & leaving the station has got to be one of my favorite sounds 5/5

is the Curtis Mayfield song referencing this? "little chiiiiild, running wiiiiild". love the interlude on this song ok the music is good, and the songs are classics, but the post-doowop a cappella(-ish, obv there are instruments here) just isn't my favorite style. i'd rather listen to the Supremes covering the Temptations. next on my queue is their collab album. the front vocals are impeccable, it's the background that i'm not a fan of. i dunno, we're sitting in a 3.5 range here. i'll decide tomorrow how to round it.

the perfect monday album this is classic. you can't beat it. patterns? great song. do i have any idea what it's about? ya know i'm not listening for meaning, i'm listening for music. words come later. my only comment to improve it is that walt whitman pairs better with emily dickinson than robert frost does.

it's not on spotify so i had to listen to a youtube playlist... the banking and mayonnaise commercials really ... ad... to the ambience. the music is good. so incredibly '80s. not sure i've ever heard something *more* '80s. actually, that's not true: leonard cohen first we take manhattan is slightly more '80s than this. i enjoyed listening to the album, but musically it doesn't really stand out *that* much. solid flow, solid arrangements and instrumental backups. baker's voice is great, but it didn't feel like she showed off her voice as much as she should've. i'm putting this in the 3.5 range. i think in terms of enjoyment listening, i'm approaching a 4/5, but in terms as a stand out album, it's really only a 3/5

i dunno i'm skeptical. music with a clear sociopolitical program? never before. first two tracks are fine. i enjoy the indian influences much more than the hip hop. homelands--now we're talking. not a single word in english. it sounds like ... the gypsy kings? are on this song? oh turns out he's trained in classical and flamenco guitar pilgrims--ok yah back to hip hop. not a fan again. tides--decent. the second half stretches long nadia--enjoyed this. immigrants-- i can't focus while listening to this i will have to come back later. look. my favorite parts are all the sanskrit and my least favorite parts are the english rapping. is it an interesting album? certainly. are there songs i enjoyed and wouldn't mind hearing again? certainly. would i probably listen to the whole album again... no.