1001 Albums Summary

When it's successful at cross-pollinating genres, there are definitely interesting sounds that emanate from the project, but those moments don't materialize into whole songs, let alone an album. I find it more of a respectable experiment than something I would revisit.

Incoherent and lacking any central idea that makes it worth a listen. Never really been a Fleetwood Mac person so that’s definitely a contributing factor.

Not at all tuned in to what makes good jazz and what makes great jazz, other than feeling. Honestly, parts of this were great, other parts left me scratching my head. Falls closer to good jazz, but I am sure it's partly user error.

How am I just finding out Prince is horny as hell? Clearly, my first experience with Prince and that's definitely my bad. Most of these songs are undeniably too long, but only like one stinker among them (looking at you Automatic). Funky as fuck throughout.

Really don't understand the hype here. I've always been hesitant towards attempting Radiohead, outright avoiding them as long as possible, and clearly for the better because I completely bounced off this. Instrumentals are consistently engaging, but are drowned out by vocals that emulate the sounds of trying to stay awake on Ambien. Really disappointed.

Would have ripped my adolescent heart out. Clearly a masterwork of mood and tone, it probably would hit best during a blowout emotional crisis. EDIT: Didn't grab me the first time through, but have gone back several times since, and it grows on me every time.

Maybe I’m just getting old, but this is just unmitigated noise, that at my most generous can only be described as just the clanking of instruments together. You gotta be physically or spiritually 15 to get anything out of this.

Admittedly confused with its own identity between Cohen's folk songwriting and the new-age synth instrumentals, but I sorta respect it for how different it is, and at times even enjoy it. Probably the most 80s album ever conceived by virtue of being fueled solely by cocaine and the chase of obtaining a radio pop hit for suburbanites to listen to while driving into the city.

Quite possibly the least sonically interesting album that's been provided thus far. It's not even bad enough to hate; it doesn't provide a single shred of evidence that any creative talent is on display. Incredibly dorky and pedestrian. Fast Cars, No Reply, and I Need feel like songs you'd hear written by a high school garageband. Damn, those cars do be fast & annoying, I guess. Very insightful stuff. If it's British and from the 70s, I guess it automatically gets a spot on the list. At the very least, I suppose it's pithy.

Sampling can change the world

A classic? Really? I mean, it’s fine, good even, but you gotta admit that a lot of this is jamming and noise; when they do add lyrics, it’s not all that groundbreaking. Time is pretty good, but like, it’s not the most intellectual take on the topic of “time gonna keep progressing.” “But the complex themes like greed!” But it’s just a song called Money that features a cash register opening. Guys, come on, be serious…

Nope, can't do it. Quite literally painful. How can anybody stomach multiple 6+ minute ballads of screeching nonsense?

lol. Lmao even. Gotta respect it even if it's not my bag. Gotta be one of the most 80s things ever produced.

Its definably infectious upbeat tone carries the album, but the most I can praise it for is that it's mercifully short. Not winning any awards for innovation because this really is all the same song 14 times. Not even kidding, its the same 3 cords on repeat.

It's undeniable that shes got an amazing voice. If you can connect with that, all the power to you. There is a reason that Beyoncé is one of the biggest personalities in modern music, and it's in part due to the incredible vocal work she's capable of. Personally, I can't ignore the fact that this is structured as 14 singles strung together, nor the overproduced sound that has been focus-tested to the point of often being plastic, diluting so much of the artistry. This contains some great songs, but they are housed between decaying mall music and manufactured #YASSQUEEN anthems.

Crazy that I've never come across this before. Adored this from front to back. Can see this becoming a regular listen for the foreseeable future.

Sorry, but the only influence this can be attributed to is that it allows artists to pass instrumental noise off as art, other than just noise. Just reads as unpolished/trashy, not because it’s an artistic choice, but because it was born out of a lack of talent, motivation, or even just understanding of any level of the recording process. I’ll give it credit for its tackling of “dark” subject matter sonically for the late 60s, but its sound doesn’t do anything to elevate it. People conveniently forget when discussing the importance of this album that there were far more interesting counter-cultural artists across all different mediums at the same time, who actually use formalist talent to portray said touchy subject matter…

Yup, more artless wailing by Yorke. Just sounds like a man on a crazy amount of opioids attempting to keep himself awake by reciting a soliloquy. At least In Rainbows’ instrumentation had even the slightest crumb of something to latch onto; here, Yorke’s failing attempts at resisting anesthesia are presented with the saddest excuse for electronic “experimentation” ever given the label. I can’t get anything out of Radiohead; I am repelled on a genetic level.

Starts out exceptionally dull, but then at about the 90-second mark of Pt. 2, you start levitating out of the chair until you reach outer space and meet some Andromedan, who invite you onto their ship to show you the cosmos via a segment not too dissimilar to a DK Eyewitness Intro, then ends pretty dull.

Absolutely harmless 80s-pop. Doing exactly what it sets out to do, providing an upbeat 45 minutes or so, and achieving a charting single. Not really seeing a point to its inclusion, but there have been worse on this list.

Honestly, I enjoyed the man out of time; recapturing the crooner era vibe this has going for it.

All these mid 60s folk rock albums sound exactly the same.

This is a tough one. Obviously a master lyricist, but I think I am coming at this way too late to understand most of the appeal. Never dull, occasionally powerful, but ultimately held back by not understanding the context that provides a lot of its reputation.