1001 Albums Summary

Haven't listened to this in a minute, so I'm looking forward to hearing how it sounds now. Yep, "Wesley's Theory" starts it off with a solid bang. Great use of George Clinton in a song that doesn't sound like a Clinton clone. And, Interludes. Still ain't so interested in these, but they're not awful. "King Kunta" still sounds like The Coup in every way. "Institutionalized" still not a suicidal tendencies cover but I love it. Most things on this album are an homage. Bilal and Snoop help realize that feeling here. "u" has some great Kamasi runs "alright" is more than that, featuring some more great Kamasi runs. the band is just great on "to pimp" no doubt "for sale" the second interlude is seemingly a different interlude. it's a complete song. or is it? neither interlude so far sounds like the 90s interludes that kendrick is probably alluding to. by "momma" this album feels like a continuous stream. the songs are different enough but are connected by a vibe and sometimes by an instrument "hood politics"/"how much a dollar cost" engages this connection specifically. these 2 seem to be the album highlights

oh wow, haven't listened to this in decades. this was one of my earliest musial loves and i can't wait to hear how it's aged for me "purple haze" is a classic for a reason. not the origins of heavy, blused-based riffs but one of the most perfect expressions of it in the late 60s. im not feeling or hearing anything new in this listening as the song is part of my dna. i still love it "manic depression" see above. additionally, i really love mitch mitchell's drumming on this track. on the entire Experience run, but just so, well, manic on here "hey joe" again, see above. nigh a perfect song, though we're a few songs away still from that, "hey joe" is a top 20 cover in my ears. "love or confusion" should get more love than it does. "may this be love", the waterfall song. almost the most beautiful song on the album. "i don't live today": still heavyish and the darkest song so far "the wind cries mary" they most perfect pop song by jimi. while i've not heard it in decades, i could listen to it forever "fire" i probably heard this a year or two before the rhcp cover. "third stone from the sun" is the first tune that sounds like its own thing on the album. it's jammier than other songs and includes some studio tricks and experimentation. "foxey lady" became yet another cultural touchstone from the album, covered multiple times. i didn't think i was going to enjoy listening to this again, but it is a really great song. far superior to the covers i've heard (special shout out to the kinnison cover as it came out around the same time i first heard AYE. teenage memories) "are you experienced" the piano, backward masking, and overdubbed guitars are in top form here. i love jimi's playing on this song. it is, without any doubts from me, a perfect album ender.

another one i've not listened to a while, but i know it will rank 4 or 5 stars. just amazing songs start to finish here "eleanor rigby" is still just a perfect pop song. beautiful and melancholy "i'm only sleeping" is a, well, sleepy hit. it's one of those songs that's a clear response to _Pet Sounds_, and that's to this song's benefit "here, there and everywhere" is a great, longing love song. it sounded a little dated at its time, but now it sounds timeless. "yellow submarine" is often written off as a novelty. it really isn't. whimsical, tuneful, enjoyable. give it a listen "she said she said" is a perfectly fine blues-based pop song. not the greatest beatles song but still fine. "good day sunshine" continues the blues-based pop song tradition, but paul's playing and singing really brings this song into greatness. that chorus is rightful beloved by the masses. "and your bird can sing" is a top 5 beatles song for me. there is nothing revolutionary about it, but the interaction of them all is in full swing here. just smart songwriting and playing all around "for no one" paul's interplay between his voice and piano is solid here. also, french/english horn almost always=great pop song in my ears "doctor robert" is a song. i like it because one of my best friends is a literal doctor robert "i want to tell you" is almost dissonant at times, mainly due to that bouncing piano. it's kind of gloriously weird "gotta get you into my life" is pure pop perfection. this version is outstanding, but i still prefer the earth, wind, and fire cover. give it a spin. "tomorrow never knows" is one of the best album-enders of all time. _revolver_ shows why ringo's drumming is often unfairly maligned, this tune in particular.

not Ray's best (but i'm not typically a fan of these big band arrangements unless they're by Duke). However, "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is absolutely sublime. the ballad side is the stronger side ("just for a thrill? "am i blue"? c'mon!) with "come rain or come shine" rightfully heralded as an eternal classic i hope ray's modern country soundz is on this list. that is some great stuff

another pretty perfect record for me. if this is a "weak" 5, then "blonde is an even stronger 5. I hope it's on here as well. i could go song-by-song about how amazing this album is, but "pyramids" is all i need to point to. it is 10 minutes of brilliance, one song broken up into 3 perfect parts. just stunningly good

part of electronica's takeover of numerous musical traditions in the 00s, this is a decent album. having the lineage of one of brazil's most famous musicians probably helped bebel out here, but she is also legit talented. nothing on this album is essential, but nothing is bad either. "bananeira" is the standout track here, a strong mixture of bossa nova, funky bass, and electronic music

there's a reason _american beauty_ continues to be the main dead album people know. it's fantastic. three songs from this show up on the remarkable tribute album _deadicated_. may need to listen to that again after this listen "box of rain" is a beautiful mid-tempo folky-rock song "friend of the devil" is forever perfect "ripple" ditto "truckin'" is a classic rock radio staple for a reason

without listening to this again, i'm confident it'll earn the 5-star rating. i love a lot of sly, and this album is just stunningly good. "stand!" was reportedly sly trying to make a poppier sound, something anyone could easily dance to. he accomplishes this, and he also keeps his social commentary in the forefront "don't call me n*****, whitey" keeps that social commentary blazing hotter in the forefront "i want to take you higher" still has one of the filthiest bass lines in rock and soul music "somebody's watching you" has that infections electric piano ringing in my ears while that urgent, scratchy guitar line runs under the piano "everyday people" is a brilliant pop song, full of fun and ideas. and it lead to a great reimagining by arrested development. "sex machine" provides some breathing room, a moment of little to no vocals where the band can just play for a minute. "you can make it if you try" ends with another piece of classic soul. just a great record from beginning to end.

another near perfect album and certainly my favorite EWF album. "shining star" is rightfully the most well-known song, but there are hidden bangers on here, including the title track, "yearnin' learnin'" and "see the light". great stuff from top to bottom. if their cover of "gotta get you into my life" were on here, it'd be an easy 5 stars.

this is not a bad marvin gaye record by any measure. it's just not one of his greats. the album is bookended by two legit great tracks: "let's get in one" and "just to keep you satisfied." remarkable tracks, the both of them. the rest of the album is just a bit of a let down in that it's all pretty samey. not much musical or lyrical stretching going on during all this getting it on.

i listened to the shit out of this in 98-99, right before i moved to michigan for grad school. haven't heard it much since then and didn't think too much of the album since. this is mainly due to the annoying ubiquity of "bittersweet symphony," which is an excellent song that overshadows the rest of this, frankly, set of songs that are almost all superior to BS (ha-ha). still love songs like "the drugs don't work," "space and time," and "lucky man." top notch songs all of them. i really love this album when they stretch out into psych rock territory. "the rolling people" and "velvet morning" are remarkable, and "catching the butterfly" sounds like a track from _kid a_ five years before _kid a_ came out. so, just a wonderful album all around

i was 15 or 16 when this came out and hated country music. i was a rock and hip-hop kid. eventually, i learned to love all kinds of country music, dwight included. his mid-to-late 80s stuff is just so damn good.

this is the only Zappa that i have on vinyl. it’s amazing how frank moves between freak out music with its weird time signatures, odd instruments, and even odder sound effects. at times, this sounds like any other 60s album musically, but lyrically the anti-love songs and parodies of 50s and 60s music set frank apart

15 days into this challenge and i have had the first artist that i've not heard of before (i hope this happens more often). this album is miraculous. i should be working, but i can't stop listening to this. i will seek out more of his stuff after this

with ~990 albums left on the list, i'd be surprised if i've listened to another album more than _synchronicity_, an album i've had in some way since i was 10 years old (so for 43 years now). i doubt i can be too objective here, save for "mother". this album's 4/5 because of that song

another 90s favorite of mine. while _animal rights_ is the moby album that i prefer, there is some marvelous music on here. the re-release including the b-sides is also a good listen

another of the 1001 albums i don’t have to listen to in order to rate. but i listened to it with no complaints. the album not only injected west coast, 90s rap with samples, but is just stunning and perfect on its own

one of the jazzier zappa albums i've heard, and it's really damn good. not as weird as "freak out" or "joe's garage", for example, and a better listen for it.

another album that i loved a lot in the past, but i don't know how this will hold up for me. it's still pretty damn great power pop. and yeah, it's still great. my early ears are still alive in this old head

talk talk's final three albums are good to great, in ascending order of release. this is their final album as a poppier new wave band. they excelled as a poppy singles band, and the songs on "spring" are great songs. you also get a little sense of where they're going with the 8-minute album ender, "time it's time".

another new album for me. i've listened to ibrahim a little bit before, but this will be some new sounds. "tuang guru" sounds like ibrahim at his most coltrane, which makes it fine but not amazing. "water from an ancient well" is a masterpiece. were the album as strong as this piece, it would be an easy 5 stars. the second half is the stronger listen. however, i really don't know how this album makes this list. so many other ibrahim albums to make this and african jazz albums overall could be on here. just puzzling

i don't think i've actually listened to this album in its entirety, and i'm glad to have done so finally. what i've learned is that the s/t song is the weakest on the album, even though it becomes pretty awesome during the last 2ish minutes when the strings and rumbly bass come in. "cecilia" is still fun and "the boxer" is still the best "famous" song from the album. "baby driver" is a pretty good song though easy enough for me to forget it. "the only living boy in new york" is still my favorite s&g song. just remarkable from beginning to end, and "why don't you write me" is a damn good follow-up to it. "bye bye love" is needless. why is it here? "song for the asking" is a solid ender but still a little forgettable. perhaps album-enders are there because many stop listening by that point? i don't really know for sure

i hope bjork's first four solo albums show up here, but i doubt they will be. _debut_ is a great, great album. by _verspertine_, her fourth solo album, she had solidified herself as an avant-pop genius. the standout track for me is still "one day," a marvelous bass-heavy dance pop gem of a tune. then there's the weird, dissonant sax to open the almost equally great "areoplane," in which she performs some truly odd delivery. "the anchor song" is a lovely, lovely piece of pop jazz. just wonderful delivery and strong ending to this amazing first record

this is my favorite calexico album. no contest. still one of the best live bands i've seen and look forward to another show in the future, but they are just not much of an album band. _feast of wire_ transcends their studio weaknesses and provides an almost perfect experience, beginning to end. "black heart" is a special kind of amazing on this album. it's kind of what they tried to on earlier albums but just didn't get the feel right. they nail the strings and stripped down acoustic jam band feel here. it almost feels like portishead meets uncle tupelo's acoustic stuff and is just brilliant. p.s. their covers of the minutemen and of love are also outstanding recorded tunes

another 90s one i've not listened to in a while. buckley is a very talented singer and guitarist. i wish we had the chance to hear him once he had developed his own voice and sound. so much of _Grace_ sounds like led zeppelin. he would have found his voice, eventually.

_sweetheart of the rodeo_ is my favorite byrds album, but they didn't make any bad ones. and they made a few great ones, including this one here.

this is not the RM album that I tend to return to, and i'm asking myself why is that the case? this album is full of such weird goodness.

i've only ever known hanoi rocks by who they influenced. _back to mystery city_ is a marvelously strange concoction of punky, pub rock, even a hint of goth with its keyboards, all slathered in glam rock. i don't know if i'll ever listen to this again, but i won't rule it out and will listen to other stuff by them. i was skeptical when i saw this as today's album, but i left as an interested listener

a perfect album? yep, at least as close as one can possibly get to one. "respect" gets all the, uh, respect, and rightfully so. the standout track here is the title track. "do right", "save me", "a change is gonna come" provides one of the best 1-2-3 punches in pop music

i loved this as a youngin. now it bores me. this is too much of a prince rip-off, and i was probably less bothered by that decades ago. "perfect way" is still pretty good, though. "flesh and blood" is some pretty good brit ska

oh, like i need to listen to this to rate it. hands down their best, and those final 3 songs are the perfect album-enders. i was happy to listen to this yet again

i wanted to try to find enough holes to state that this album is not as good as all the hype, but it's impossible. with the exception of "birthday" it's almost all bangers. even though i find "revolution 9" unnecessary, it is not uninteresting. i appreciate the weirdness of it. i did love being reminded that "helter skelter" and "revolution 9" are essentially punk songs

ugh. i've never liked her voice. this is painful. songs and music are fine. but, that voice

one of my absolute favorite 90s albums. let's hear how it held up for me. six songs into this twenty-two song epic and, yep, still love it. "speedy marie" is still my favorite track. there are sixteen songs remaining to change my mind "sir rockaby" is also still a fav. man and then "freedom rock". it's just bangers one after the other "ole mulholland" starting out like a new order song. love it.

another favorite 90s listen. i will probably always love this album, and it is good to hear it again in the context of this project. catchy tunes, goofy weirdness, and a great ballad-y song in "here". just great from beginning to end. "summer babe" is a top 5 single of all time for me.

A story. In the mid-90s, I was at Washington State University. I walked along the Glen Terrel Mall through campus many times a day over those years. Holland Library is on one end of the mall. A small family of evangelicals appeared frequently near Holland, preaching things that one would likely think of as evangelical: premarital sex, substance abuse, and abortion all as sinful, devilish behavior. One of their shticks involved the preacher’s wife, Sister Cindy Smock (why can I remember their names 30 years later when I can’t remember why I walked into the kitchen?), pushing her fingers hard through a condom to show how easily they break. Persuasive. I stopped occasionally to listen to the Smock family but usually just brushed them off. One day, Brother Jeb and Sister Cindy were out railing against the influences of popular culture, music especially. This is when I won myself a personalized copy of Brother Jeb’s jeremiad, _Who Will Rise Up?_, when I correctly answered the name of Big Brother & the Holding Company’s first album. _Cheap Thrills_ is the answer. He gave me the book and went on to preach against the influence of an album that was almost 30-years old at that point. It's probable that Brother Jeb thought I was a soul lost to the hippie drug culture that his mind still fixated on. The reality was that I had worked at music stores for the previous seven years and had sold and stocked thousands and thousands of albums, including albums by Big Brother & the Holding Company/Janis Joplin. I had never heard the album, only knowing “Piece of My Heart,” the classic rock radio staple from the album, until today. _Cheap Thrills_ is today’s 1001 albums to listen to. It’s . . . a snooze. Joplin’s vocals and the music are old hat by now, white people making money from black music’s past.

i had never heard this one before. it does not disappoint. psych goodness from beginning to end. "elevation" is an 11-minute epic of noise and debauchery

not my favorite album by fiona, but it is still amazingly good.

christ, another one(two) that I do not need to listen to but gladly will. wall-to-wall absolute bangers across these two discs

Took 41 days for hip-hop/rap to appear on the 1001 albums (still no metal). From “?” to album end, this probably deserves 5 stars. I’ll evaluate once I re-listen to this later. Yep. 5 stars

it's good. not great. that's their follow-up album, but this is good

it's a pretty great album. it's not gonna make you interested in glitch pop if you're not into it. i find this worth it for "kicks" alone. a great album-ender

yeah. still perfect

bob’s best. “concrete jungle”, “midnight ravers”, “slave driver”, and “kinky reggae” are the best among a slew of other great songs.

probably another perfect record, another one from my childhood cassette days, but i've not listened to it for at least a decade, probably when the 30th anniversary edition dropped. i had forgotten that she covers "when you were mine", and it is a pretty great cover. google's gemini claims that prince wrote it for lauper, but he wrote it for _dirty mind_, which came out 3 years before SSU. also, "time after time" is still one of the absolute best pop songs ever. still love that dirty synth bass in " she bop". i had totally forgotten that "all through the night" was a hit single, but how could i have forgotten? it was all over the place. and some skank-y guitar for "witness". i do love that there's no "she's so unusual" song title, but there is the "he's so unusual" skit. and the b-52s adjacent "yeah yeah" ends the album. yep. still perfect p.s. why wasn't "right train, wrong track" included on the album? it probably worked better as a b-side (and she does howl a lot like cindy wilson, so maybe the b-52s were already referenced one time) to "girls...", but it is such a good song

ugh. it's dance pop, so make of that what you will. it's mostly fine but nothing more. "royals" was a good song. it's not on here

okay, another one that i'll begrudgingly listen to as a way to remind myself that it's perfect

the title tells us what winehouse is doing. she gives us a nigh perfect take on old r&b, funk, reggae, and soul. this is just stunningly good. it’s too bad that the autobiographical nature of the album was too much for her

so happy the boards are on here. _geogaddi_ is my typical go-to with them, but this is one of the best debut albums of all time. happy to dig back into this work

my favorite of theirs by far

it's a good album. it's a little samey, but drake was great at what he did.

Not my favorite EJ album, but this is a fantastic album, and I’m sure it is not the only EJ on the 1001. That opening ARP on “Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” still gives me chills. The “Funeral” portion reminds me that EJ is one of the founders of progressive hard rock. The original “Candle in the Wind”, found here, is the superior version. Admittedly, part of that is probably my disdain for worshiping the royals, but it’s mostly because it’s just better musically to my ears. The “England’s Rose” version is a staid piano ballad-y take. Not my thing. Also, “Bennie & the Jets” = eternal jam. We do have to slog through the triteness of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”, but that leads us to some utter brilliance: “Social Disease” and “Harmony” just make a banger ending.

as i've never been much of a white stripes fan, i never listened to jack's solo stuff. a mistake? this album is quite good. "missing pieces" has some really cool keyboards going on and begins the album strongly.

i think i understand why this album is on the list, but it's not my fave. "phantom of the opera" is rightly heralded as a classic, but it's really the only one here that is. i'm not in the paul di'anno camp, and his vocals are partly why I don't like their debut that much.

still a classic. a bit same-y throughout but still great music

i think the _saturday night fever_ sdtk. is the closest i've come to listening to a bee gees album until today. it's some pretty great pop music with lots of emotional ups and downs. i do like their disco stuff ("tragedy" remains an eternal gem), but i think i prefer them in this baroque pop vein. "it's just the way" is some magnificent beatles-esque pop.

10/5. next

as far as megastars go, adele is a pretty amazing one. "hello" is pretty boring and staid, but "send my love" has something magnificent going on with it.

I only knew the groovies as a great punk/new wave band and had never heard their bluesier stuff. This is the best record the Stones never made. Really top-notch stuff, and I can certainly hear how they truene into more of a punk band.

I only knew the groovies as a great punk/new wave band and had never heard their bluesier stuff. This is the best record the Stones never made. Really top-notch stuff, and I can certainly hear how they truene into more of a punk band.

the second artist i've never heard of before these 1001s, and it's pretty damn good. it's possible to draw a line from stereolab to antennae to veloso. i'm very happy to now be able to make this connection

i forgot how good ELO could be. sure, a little proggy for some, but there is such good stuff happening on this album.

i will finally admit that "clocks" is a good pop song. after one listening, i can't recall anything else from this shlock. songs like "daylight" and "a whisper" are why coldplay are sometimes called radiohead-lite (okay, i always call them that)

it's good enough but dusty is better when doing her own work or working with her own writers. she takes on a lot of great songs here and does them just fine.

My teenage self wasn’t into this album. Teenage selves are often wrong. This is some fantastic pop.

doves is one of those bands i've heard of but never heard anything from. it's alright. i like it well enough but nothing is too memorable. probably won't be anything that makes it into my rotation

i remember enjoying the videos at the time of this album's release. the album stands up as a decent punky-dancey electronic album. it's a little same-y sounding, but not completely. the non-single stuff i had never heard before was usually the more interesting stuff. "narayan" is particularly good, if not a touch long

still one of my favs

I’ve only listened to a little Joan and have always liked her stuff. “Water with the wine” I’ve heard numerous times. All good stuff, it “Tall in the Saddle” is just a magnificent ender

another band i've heard some from but never got into. i dig this quite a lot. love that opening bass line for "introducing the band". really strong album all around

another longtime love of mine. happy to listen to this again as i do so several times a year. the whole thing is night perfect, and "long promised road" is one of my favorite songs ever

miles released numerous 5 star records, and this is almost one of them. it's in the top 10 of his releases to my ears, but plenty ahead of it. this is still essential listening as a defining sound of miles's early years. he hasn't moved yet into his own sound, but he makes some excellent songs here

i think i know why this album is on here, and it is pretty good overall. i don't hear much difference across songs and found myself frequently bored by too many of the instrumentals

another new band for me. always on the lookout for good Afro pop, and this fits the bill. great stuff

another one i'm happy to listen to again. the part of TB that's used in "the exorcist" is great, but the whole thing is a prog masterpiece

haven’t heard this in years and reminded that it might be my favorite cohen album. stripped down, intimate and poignant. It’s a remarkable achievement

i'm still firmly in duke's camp when it comes to these two competing composers and orchestras, but this is quite strong. i'd never heard of this album and am glad to have heard it. it probably will cycle through my ears in the future

rightfully a classic. this is probably my favorite queen album, but that is almost an impossible choice to make. such good stuff here, and i'm still perplexed that "flick of the wrist" didn't become one of their big songs, at least not here in the US

it's fine. "street spirit" is still a great, great song, but this album doesn't move me like _kid a_ and beyond. _ok computer_ is a big upgrade from this but still isn't radiohead at their best

this will be another perfect album. i should listen to TYM at least once a year. perhaps i will remember to do so after this. there just is not a bad song on this beast of an album. p.s. the 2021 deluxe version is chock full of great demos, outtakes, and live trax. very worth hearing if you've only heard the original

out of all the laurel canyon biggies, joni is the one who has my ears, but this is rightly praised for its strong songwriting. musically, it is okay but borders on too light for my tastes. i do like king's keyboard work across the album as well as charles larkey's bass work

been years since i gave this a listen. it's still a great album. some of the odder stuff near the end doesn't really work that well as it kinda takes my ears out of the album as a whole, but it's still a top-notch album

yep, another perfect album i'm happy to listen to again.

more perfection. what i love most about this album is how "just like honey" creates the template for the rest of the songs. you hear the same guitars, same bass, same drums throughout, but they build different-sounding songs. "sowing seeds" could be from _pet sounds_ or _surf's up_. "something's wrong" could come from joy divisions _closer_, but both songs sound exactly like JAMC. it's just some really great songwriting and production all around

i'm sure there will be more dylan on here. BOB is a pretty great bob record, and i think it's at its best when it's not just boring blues appropriation (i'm looking right at you, "pledging my time"). but then "visions of johanna" hits and all is forgiven. great, great stuff

i love kate's first few records, but she finds her pop goddess voice on this one. "running up that hill" is rightly praised as a brilliant pop song, but she also has "cloudbusting", "waking the witch", "and dream of sheep", "hello earth", and "under ice" on this record. it's brilliant top to bottom

i hate how great adams's early albums are because it turns out he was likely an abusive creep. having his first two albums as physical media, which includes _gold_, means i'm at least not support him further. and they are both great, great albums. nothing on _gold_ reaches the sheer brilliance of "to be young", but most of it comes pretty damn close. (and, tbf, nothing on _heartbreaker_ reaches the heights of "to be young").

another easy 5-star album. i really like the final 3 tracks that get jazzy and a little silly. "trouble child" has some great minor key horns and electric piano going on. just a great listening experience overall

i don't consider myself an elvis fan, but this is a remarkable record. it probably is the one to own. i mean, come on, "suspicious minds" is one of the best rock n roll songs ever recorded

the punk part of my brain says i should hate steely dan. but a band named after a sexual torture device from a william burroughs novel has some pretty punk notes. and i do love me some steely dan

yeah, still great. it's hard for me to choose a favorite replacements. they all have their unique charms and greateness. "we're comin' out" remains one of my favorite punk songs ever. and "black diamond" is a favorite punk/metal tune. and and then, "unsatisfied" gives us a broken and brilliant ballad. just so much goodness on this album. the beauty of "sixteen blue" into the noisey chaos of "answering machine" show my favorite aspects of the 'mats, their utter disregard for genre and how to put together a cohesive album. their commitment to that anarchic spirit works to their advantage

i haven't listened to _seventeen seconds_ in forever and am once again questioning why that's the case. such a remarkably great album and so, so different from _three imaginary boys_. beginning with "a reflection", we hear a new direction for the band. "a forest" is still one of their best songs ever

I prefer her next two, but this is damn good. “sock it 2 me” and “the rain” are forever bangers

i don't really know why this is on here. aside from two songs, "the wild side of life" and "are you sure", this album is a total snooze fest. every song is the same meter, mostly the same instrumentation, same key, same 2:25 in length. it's the epitome of easy listening music, which is the epitome of music that bores the ever living shit out of me. save for the two songs i mention above, this would be a 0 star album for me.

my favorite elton john record. "indian sunset" is still pretty cringe, especially as sir reginald still doesn't think it is or ever was. still, a great, great record

not sure I’d heard this album before and have no idea why. this is a brilliant album

the start of when i found radiohead interesting. i didn't hate their earlier records, and i didn't love this one right away. (i'd initially written _kid a_ off as radiohead engaging in their "berlin" era a lá Bowie before realizing that that's a stupid reason not to like this brilliant record.)

another easy one that i listen to roughly once a month, so yeah, easy 5-star record for me. p.s. the long-awaited extended edition released in 2025 is a marvelous artifact, clarifying why the acoustic versions were the right versions to release. it's great to hear those electric and live versions finally, but they pale in comparison to the original release

i don't know if i'll consider this a 5-star album. innervisions? yes. songs? yes. fulfillingness? yes. talking book will be at least 4 stars, no question. ok, just looking at the songlist before bed. yeah, prolly a 5-star album. yep. perfect

choosing my favorite prime album is a tough job, but his first five are all contenders. his s/t debut is one of the best debut albums I can think of. great stuff

possibly my favorite siouxsie album. "spellbound" is certainly a top 5 siouxsie song and a perfect album opener

probably an album that annoys most people for its jazziness. it really sounds more like an actual jazz album to me than a pop or rock album. but it works great here. the 15 minutes of "aja" into "deacon blues" is pure bliss for me.

one of my favorite music mementos is the original CD i have of this, purchased before they were recalled for the DC-copyright violation of superman on the cover. but the capone caricature could stay. it's also a pretty great album, with some subtle weirdness, great use of the cure, and one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs i've ever heard in "john wayne gacy, jr."

had never listened to this before. im probably a casual PSB fans and wasn’t blown away by this but its not bad. wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again but wouldn’t turn it off either. now, of an Electronic album shows up here….

one of the best albums ever, for sure, with one of the best rock/funk songs ever, "papa was a rolling stone". another gem i am happy to listen to again as part of this challenge

i've never actually listened to a santana album. this is probably his most famous. it's fine. the two big hits are the least interesting on the album, but "samba pa ti," possibly the third well-known song is still an outstanding listen. "incident at neshbaur" was a surprising instrumental of jazz chords over a standard rock arrangement. a really fun listen, that. "mother's daughter" is also a little gem. "hope you're feeling better" is some cool psych rock from the era.

another I don’t need to listen to give the 6-star treatment (what do you mean that's not an option?!?!). an absolute gem of noisy post-punk goodness. also one of the cherished few that i can listen to on vinyl

wow, haven't listened to this album in a long time. it still holds up very well, though i don't think the 90s hip-hop skits phenomenon works as well now as it did (or didn't?) then. "people everyday" is still a stonecold jam oh yeah, so is "mr wendal". two fantastic singles double oh yeah, "tennessee". three fantastic singles

i try and try. and it try and i try and i try. just can't really get into wings. i really like the first two minutes of the title track here, and i like the horns later, but i don't really like the whole song. "jet" is blurgh.

as a dumb, young kid, i was a big clapton fan. i bought into the near two-decade hype of the never correct "clapton is god". even before adult me learned how much of a POS clapton likely is, i had soured on his music. this is not to say that this album is bad. it really is not. the band is top notch, and clapton’s rhythm work really shines on the album. mercifully short are his solos, and I really do like his dobro and slide playing here. would I listen to the album again? probably not, but i don’t begrudge hearing it one more time

finally, some metal. this will remain a classic. like all thrash, it can sound a little same-y, but i really don't turn to thrash when i want nuance, subtlety, or experimental sounds. i want the thrash. that said, they do experiment with their sound a bit here with some mild use of keys, more punk, and even some latin jazz/percussion. it really is a fantastic album

the two radio hits are classics for a reason. the rest of the album? meh. it's fine. it doesn't come close to touching the sheer brilliance of _thriller_. i think this album is barely 3 stars, maybe just 2. we'll see how i feel tomorrow morning

one of the best rock albums ever. full stop. p.s. weirdly, "jeepster" is not available via Apple Music on the 2007 remaster of just the album, but it is available on the 2003 expanded version. i'm trying not to listen to the expanded versions to ensure that i'm hearing what originally came out, but that's not always possible. clearly

i don’t really like Billie and strings. this is hands down not a very good record for me. _lady sings the blues_ and _stay with me_, which came out the year before “satin”, are far superior albums.

another easy 5-star pick for me. this was playing in my car and home throughout most of the 90s. not everyone is gonna dig jehu, but if you do, this is their undisputed masterpiece. all their stuff shines but this is where they transcend their catalog.

it probably is still their best overall album, though their newest one, _songs of a lost world_, is amazingly good. while the whole thing is a legit masterpiece, i loveLOVE "last dance". sheer gloomy pop perfection

still not a crazy fan of the white stripes, but this is alright.

i remember hearing about this album when it came out but never got a chance to listen to it. it's good. sometimes, really good. i think it could be cut down to well under an hour and be great. i think she shines best with her reggae undertones, but anytime that electric keyboard plays behind her is pretty damn good

heaven 17 didn’t become a hugely famous new wave band in the US, which is a bit of a shame.

another one of the best albums ever. the classic rock radio staples on here are great, but there is so much more. "fade away and radiate" has a dark, gary numan/tubeway army feel to it that is just infectious. "i know but i don't know" has some mild prog rock and some strong funk feels. "sunday girl" sounds like VU/early nyc punk take on 50s pop. so, the ramones, i guess, but not really. blondie just sounds like blondie

w/o this album, that is no _nebraska_. also, it’s a damn fine album of 80s pop rock. while I greatly prefer _nebraska_, this is a second perfect album by Bruce

How did I miss this release? Seriously, WTF is wrong with me? I thought _Vespertine_ was the finest work that Bjõrk had done. Forgive me, Bjõrk, for my aural blinders (is earmuffs a better word hear?) This is an absolutely transcendent album.

another 90s one where the skits don’t hold up well. the homophobia and misogyny are too much. still, there’s undeniably great music on here

I cannot possibly be objective with the first CD that i ever bought. and, honestly, who gives af about objectivity here? it's not my favorite u2 album, but it's still a great one

power pop perfection. all the stars

another legend that i've never taken the time to hear. i'm pleased that this oversight is now corrected. i thoroughly enjoyed this album

i haven't listened to this in a minute, but it was a frequent teenage listening, as it was/is for many teen boys.

it's a pretty good album, overall. don’t know how autobiographical it is at times, but not hard to believe these are truish stories

the second sly album. the whole thing is great, and this is one where the most famous cut is my favorite. “family affair” is just outstanding pop music. Alt at the top of his writing and delivery game

still a great album. it's a late _pet sounds_ response and is pretty good in that regard. "time of the season" is still absolutely perfect and a great album ender

i was 8 when this came out and probably not quite ready for what winwood is doing here. "while you see a chance" was everywhere and remained a classic rock staple. it's a damn good song, and the extended album version is even better than the single. the whole album is really quite great

it’s pretty good. i prefer the wild, improvisational tim, but this is decent rock music

a good reminder of how good joplin could be. the big brother album i got earlier is just god awful. this is, for the most part, stunningly good. it's not original, with joplin covering a lot, but it's fantastic blues rock. "half moon" is some funky blues rock that highlights this album for me

I went through a huge the band phase over 30 years ago. a former co-worker of mine couldn’t stand them and asked why i liked them so much. i told him i couldn’t intellectualize why i liked them so much. i still can’t. this is a remarkably good album, with "the unfaithful servant" and "king harvest (has surely come) creating one of the best album-ends of all time. _music from big pink_ was my intro to the band, and is a very good album, but the s/t album is their masterpiece

i love this album. amazing to think that it is almost 50. i still don't really like the kinks cover (the original is perfect, tyvm), so it loses out on perfection. i do listen to it every now and then

okay, faithfull is one of those i'm embarrassed to know little to nothing about. i've really only heard her as a back-up singer and as a member of the rock n soul revue. really enjoyed this album. i know she doesn't sound like this her entire career, but ima check out more stuff by her.

easy 5. next up, please

i’d only known “nights of cydonia” from guitar hero. or rock band. it’s been a minute since playing. anyway, this is a pretty decent album. the only song stuck in my head is “knights”

not my favorite neil young (that would be _on the beach_ and all crazy horse stuff) but still a great album.

perfect. next

another band i only know from classic rock radio and movies. overall, it's pretty good, but i don't know if i hear this one in any future rotations

well, how the hell are we supposed to listen to this in one day?!?! but, another great “album” i've not listened to in forever. so, i'm happy to dig back onto this gem

noise bands are tough. not everyone's cup of tea. i can't call myself a lightning bolt fan as i've not heard much of them. this is definitely a noise album, but it's pretty accessible. at the start, i thought i was in for _metal machine music_ and began yawning, but then they moved into their own gear. while i bet this is too noisy for casual listeners, it has softer moments that almost sound like tortoise or the durutti column. i know those bands aren't household names, but they are not noise bands.

this is a hard one for me, personally. no details, but this may be the only album that i don't listen to again. i'll still rate it because it really is quite good

a classic for a reason. night perfect, were it not for a little same-y feeling at points. a great record

ooh, this one might be the album that i love that i’ve not listened to for the longer amount of time. "all along the watchtower" into "voodoo child (slight return)" create one of the strongest album enders of all time, and "all along" still sits as a top 5 cover for me. "voodoo chile" is a bit of a weird song. i didn't notice the quasi-rapey feel of the song as a kid, but that's not surprising. i do stress the "quasi" part because i think it's an out-of-body experience that the song describes. but the "i'll make love to you while you're sleeping / you won't feel no pain" just does not play well to my adult ears

ah british shoegaze, thank you for killing my ears.

prolly haven't listened to this in decades, early 20s or late teens. i've always loved it, but i think now i appreciate side 2 even more so than before. "misty mountain top" into "four sticks" is pure genius

another album that's not for everybody. it's noise, chaotic, and challenging with two long songs taking up much of each side, and "sister ray" taking up 2/3 of side 2. still, an album i've loved for some time, even if i don't pull it out very often

really, all of björk's works should be on here and all considered just brilliant. i think she still gets slightly better from each release to the next. this is how it should be, an artist's best works should not be at the start of their career.

i'm sure there will be much bowie on this list. this is a very good album, but i hope others rank higher. i was happy to listen to this old friend as it's been a while, and i hope it's a prelude to other listenings from bowie

nyro should have become more well-known than she was. this is some fantastic songwriting and singing

never been too big into goth-y industrial, but laibach is pretty damn good

it’s fun and a bit grimier than their later stuff. don’t quite know why it’s on this list

_gish_ will always be my fav but this album is a masterpiece (as is _siamese dream_). haven’t listened to this in its entirety in a couple decades but man it is so good

was worried after the first track. so godawful bad. track two is a marked improvement. then “soft machine” is a stone groove. really great stuff there. “about funk” is also pretty great. “damaged people” is a really cool album ended. I mean, it’s a dance album, so not gonna be my jam overall. but there’s some really fun stuff but a lot of repetitious songs, too. again, dance music

one of those 90s bands i always heard good things about but that i never had a chance to check out. it's noisy rock (but not noise rock) and is lots of fun. they infuse punk, some metal, pop, and a touch of reggae into an album that is a little long but that doesn't overstay its welcome too much. i can hear myself listening to this again

i remember loving this when it first released. let's see if i still do?!?! still pretty great

it's got a couple of great songs on it, and it's an important contribution to punk music. it's just not as compelling as it thinks it is. still, people interested in the history of punk and subgenres like dancepunk should give this a spin

i can hear why this is important, but i was pretty bored by it. in 1968, would i have been as bored? hard to say, but i've listened to plenty of music from that year and from centuries before that i love

it's a lot weirder than i thought it would be. when i think of the band chicago, i think first of their 80s slop that has biased me against their music. there's some interesting, even political, stuff happening on this debut album. terry kath is possibly the most underrated guitarist in rock history, and he pushes sonic limits throughout the record. the really interesting thing chicago did in their early days was mix brass instruments, and they really shine on this album. overall, it's not going to go into my rotation, but i appreciate what CTA is doing

another one i'm happy to listen to again. great, great score

another perfect. next

still a classic for many reasons

until now, my only experience with goldie was in his role as gary oldman's henchman in "the fifth element". i knew of goldie, and i think he may have done some work with björk (or maybe they dated?)? both? regardless, this is astoundedly good. not at all what i expected. even the stuff that is clearly drum 'n bass doesn't sound like it. there's even a jazzy, stevie wonder-esque track that still kind of blows my mind. this album will enter my listening rotation

don't know if this is my favorite pjh album, but there aren't many that are better

it’s fine. couple standout tracks but another one where I’m scratching my head over its inclusion

meh. it's alright

perfectest album ever

jeez, 2 perfect albums in a row here. this may be a trend

yeah, I just got 3 of my favorite albums in a row.

how are there two Coldplay albums on this list?

don't know if this is my favorite x album, but it's probably my favorite x album

slipped through my radar somehow but I’m okay with that. it’s fine

probably my favorite kraftwerk album

fela somehow made almost nothing but great records. this is easily one of them

the first three ub40 albums are outstanding, with this as their defining achievement.

eminem is frustrating. he's insanely talented, buty the violent nihilism and misogyny of this album is just hard to stomach. had i been 16 when this came out, maybe i'd have a different relationship to this album (duh, of course i would). that said, "stan" is a stone-cold classic of amazing writing, imagery, mood, and delivery.

while not their masterpiece, it is a stunning debut album, one i will happily listen to again

haven’t heard this in decades. holds up remarkably well. “novacaine” is a good single but I really dig “beautiful freak”, “my beloved monster”, and “your lucky day in hell”. A solid to great record all around

not great but pretty good. lots of fun memories from this record

remarkable. i’ve only heard a few of his songs on the radio until now (and one of his earlier albums). this is the first of the 1001 albums that i’ve immediately listened to again after a first listen

a band I’ve. Ever heard of! hooray! this is really good. prolly add them to my rotation

still one of the best 90s albums

i think _catch a fire_ is my favorite of his, but there's a reason this album is heralded. even the 3 songs that made it on to _legend_ are legit great songs. the non-hits are, for the most part, even better than those hits. the main exception to my ears is "turn your lights down low," which sounds like a misguided thank you to clapton for the "i shot the sheriff" royalties.

first couple of songs didn't grab me much. but, "the man would be king" is a pretty great jam. as is "music when the lights go out". "the ha ha wall" is fun. i'm not sure what to make of "arbeit macht frei". it's hard to reference nazis in a meaningful way in a short punk song. i think it works (showing modern complications of anti-nazi while anti-black/queer), but i don't fully share the context of the band. "road to ruin" has a great jonathan richman/doors sound to it.

walker became a brit in his mid-20s, but he's also ohio-born. so props to a fellow ohioan who got the hell out. his stuff is great, and i love that this album came out on new year's day of 1969. it does not sound like a typical late 60s album, which is to its benefit

i never thought much about williams. all i'd heard was a standard megapop kinda singer. that may still be true, but this album has him in more of a britpop vein, like he could be competing with oasis (yawn!) or blur (not as much yawn).

meh, it's fine. i don't hate it, and the ramones covered "do you want to dance?" and dead milkmen get a great parody out of "california dreamin'". but, it's still, fine

I like it but it’s odd to have a piece of classical music on this list.

half of this is really fun and good. half is syrupy and dull

still as good as i remember

this classic is 25 years old this year. still sounds fresh and urgent

i mean, it will always be perfect, one of my first music loves. so, maybe i can't give it much of an objective listen, but music love is not reducible to merely objective criteria. while de la were one of the groups to popularize skits on hip hop albums, i have yet to come across any skits that hold up. the same is true here, though nothing is overtly "wrong" but just a bit unwelcome. still, perfection

_3 feet high and rising_ was yesterday's album, and now another gem from 1988. while _loveless_ is their undisputed heavyweight champ, people shouldn't sleep on _isn't anything_ (or the too often underappreciated _glider_ EP) as it is terrific in its own right. if this system had half stars, i'd easily call this a 4.5, but i can't put it quite in the same realm as _loveless_. still, highly recommend this one that i still listen to a few times a year

not sure if this or _parklife_ is their best, but i don't care. this is another great blur album. they sound like britpop, the kinks, pavement, and other sounds throughout. great, great stuff

pop perfection. next

another near perfect album for me. i like neil solo better, but he complimented CSN in a beautifully noisy way

_low_ is my favorite of the berlin trilogy, but _lodger_ is very good and _heroes_ is fantastic, the midpoint of a nigh-perfect trifecta of albums. “moss garden”/“neuköln” for the win!

it's alright. not my musical cup of tea, but there are a couple songs on here that i like. this would not make it into my rotation

there's some really good music on here. the second song, " désespoir", was a nice little chameleon of a song and a good example of why sticking with something can be worthwhile. the first 3 minutes feature some of the most godawful, 80s synth sounds imaginable, but then they open into some pretty great afrofunk. really nice album overall

i’ve been a metallica fan for 40 years. for almost as long, i’ve been bored by kamen’s rockestrations. that changes little with this album. at 2h13m, it is a slog with moments of brightness. metallica’s music doesn't need fills. never have I listened to it and thought that what’s missing is some dynamism in between riffs. one cool thing that happens is that the band seems to rise to the symphonic occasion and ups their game. “master” sounds more ferocious than ever. the guitar interplay with the strings on “for whom” is quite stirring.

this or “midnight vultures” is my favorite pre-“sea change” album. some really great stuff going on

the two hits on this are good songs and deserve their status, but there is even better stuff here. opener "time to pretend" is just magnificent and is followed by the beates-esque "weekend wars". just a really cool album beginning.

sheer perfection

how many perfect miles albums will be on this list? this makes two. ima guess 4 more.