1001 Albums Summary

Exactly the kind of album to start off the 1001 with. I was really getting into music in 2006 but I was only ever vaguely aware of this band until now. I definitely recognize their singles; the kind of thing that would appear in the same playlists as the Killers or Radiohead. The stylistic range of the album is certainly impressive, though I wouldn’t put it in the top thousand of all time. Probably top thousand of the year it was released. I’ll be sure to check out more of Muse’s back catalog.

This has always struck me as a quintessential follow-up album. It doesn’t hit as hard What’s Going On but it’s not supposed to.

Someone in a bar once asked me which band I thought was better: Radiohead or the Beatles. Easy, I said, the Beatles released multiple albums per year and revolutionized rock. We waited years for a new Radiohead album and all we got was In Rainbows. OK, that was a bit harsh, but in retrospect it really was a sign that the band had peaked. There are some solid tracks. “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi” is the big stand-out. It still feels like a gut punch all these years later. I’m adding a star just for that one.

I’m now 4-for-4 with albums that would not have occurred to me to put on a 1001 must-listen list. They’ve all been good, just not what I’d consider representative of their respective bands. Unlike previous albums this is my first time hearing any of these tracks. If I were to listen to an instrumental version of this album, without Ozzy’s distinctive voice to guide me, I doubt I’d be able to guess it’s Sabbath. It’s probably just my ignorance and my relatively young ears, but it sounds more like something I’d expect to hear at Woodstock than a civic auditorium. Nevertheless you can certainly hear the beginnings of metal’s defining sound forming here. Interesting little time capsule.

…did Zappa invent prog rock? Why didn’t I know this? Why is no one talking about this?

Now we’re talking. This is an album I would absolutely consider a must-hear.

Every single track on here is an anthem. “North American Scum” is perennially relevant to my life. This album felt like a revelation when it came out and I can’t even say it makes me feel nostalgic only because I still listen to many of its songs pretty often. The tone of each track varies widely, but there’s always driving beat tying it all together. Just enough cowbell. Bold to have a dirge dedicated to NYC as the closing track instead of the title song. Definitely a top 100 album, maybe even top 25.

Sex Pistols is one of those bands that was hugely influential but I don’t really find myself coming back to often. It’s been a looong time since I heard some of these tracks. Apparently they had a recent reunion.