1001 Albums Summary

I know this is considered a masterpiece and I wish I liked it more. I have listened to it a few times over the years and my opinion has remained the same. The scope and ambition are impressive, especially as a lyrical rhapsody for the state of Illinois. It was the music that left me somewhat unaffected. It sounds too much like a “musical” - which it is, of course - and maybe I just don’t like musicals.

Solid album with lots of sonic complexity. Love the driving opening song E-pro, and Qué onda güero Is a great snapshot of life in east LA. If the whole album built more off those first 2 songs I feel it would be much stronger. Instead the middle kind of drifts into some good but not great poppy Beck-style songs. E-pro and Qué onda güero are so good that they almost overshadow the rest of the album. There is a kind of a dark bluesy sound in the last third of the album that I like but it doesn’t synch well with the beginning. Overall Odelay is much better.