1001 Albums Summary

I appreciate the compositional skills of the song writers, I just don’t like the compositions. I would have liked this album if they actually “hit the gas” a few more times. The parts of Paranoid Android and Electioneering that got fired up were good. The rest of it was, for me, a melodramatic slog.

I loved the dramatic sound of the album. At several moments it sounded like something that could have been made for a Bond movie. It’s self-aware of its bombast but not ashamed. It’s ironic how it sounds so elegant but thematically a little sleazy. A fun and compelling record.

This is a glowing 3 star review. I am so happy that Eliminator exists. I don’t think it does anything unique or interesting, but dang it it’s fun. Just some dudes ripping sick riffs.

Like listening your sexed up weirdo buddy tell stories for a while. Can’t say I liked it very much. I appreciate the jams but my goodness this dude was a freak.

Just a cool record. It’s amazing that you don’t even need an attuned ear to hear the influence Green Onions had on rock music.

I say 1 star but in reality this album did nothing for me. It’s not hatred, it’s no feelings. These songs never vied for my attention so they never got it.

I think it’s dated-ness makes it difficult for me to enjoy. Paint it Black is one of the best songs ever written though. Also really enjoyed Going Home.

I liked this more than I expected. Euro electronic music isn’t really my thing, but honestly I felt this one. 3 stars, solid “I like it.”

Pretty cool. I really liked Mermaid Smiled. I think it pulled off being playful in a “reminiscing youth” kind of way.

Definitely not for me. My favorite parts of the album were when they were sampling a piece of music I liked and not what they were doing with it. My rating is a reflection of my taste and I am just not a hip hop head.

I love 2000’s Kanye beats. Common is also a great storyteller. I enjoyed way more than I expected.

My favorite song was the Junior Mervin cover. To my 2026 ears this record sounds like bog standard punk rock, but then you see it was released in the 1970s. Makes you wonder what innovative things we’re doing today that will sound vanilla in 50 years.

The lilting melodies used on every song is an effect that should be used sparingly, but Sparks elects to assault my ears for all of the albums runtime with it. About half way through I had to drop the volume to about half what I normally listen at because the entire tone of the album is grating. I hate this and it makes me angry.

I like this one more than Eliminator I think. Cool riffs and grooves abound. They didn’t do anything revolutionary or particularly innovative, but it’s just cool rock music.

I didn’t hate it, but most of the tracks outstayed their welcome. He introduces a sample, does some pretty cool layering and atmosphere around it for a *little bit* too long, then moves on. A little concision would have boosted the score.

Such beautiful songs performed so tightly. The band performing with Brown is very precise. I don’t usually love live albums but I think maybe the energy of the crowd is necessary to understanding James Brown. I enjoyed listening to this a lot.

Liked this a lot. So full of emotion, well performed, and on top of all that still fun. I’ve been on a lackluster streak of albums so this was a breath of fresh air.

I came into this album expecting to give it a 1 or 2 because I was really only familiar with Light My Fire, which I am not a fan of. Some of the bluesier tracks I found quite enjoyable.

I honestly feel like these songs would sound better if they weren’t trying so hard to sound like rock and roll. It’s adult contemporary music in a leather jacket. It has moments, but I overall didn’t like it.

I already know I love King Crimson. While this isn’t my favorite album of theirs, I appreciate its experimental nature. I think the experiment was a success, there is an outline of a style that would be done better later.

The Beatles just had the sauce. Extremely well written songs, and very progressive and experimental for its time. I love this album, though it does sound dated. There’s been nearly 60 years of evolution in the rock and roll genre, so it’s not the album’s fault.

I think Aimee Mann is a good song writer, I just can’t latch onto the style here. The style sounds like if you asked AI to generate an adult alternative song with female vocals.

Good record, Billy Bragg is awesome. This isn’t my favorite but it was a nice listen on a Sunday.

A rare “all bangers no skips.” The songs are well written, fun, and catchy. The production is great. Michael Jackson’s voice is iconic.

I like the opening track. The rest of the album seems to drone on a bit. Strongly disliked the Across the Universe cover. Generally well crafted, perhaps just not to my taste.

I’ve seen it happen recently, an artist dies and some of their lackluster work gets praised as a hidden gem. Everyone’s gut reaction to this was correct when it came out. It’s not very good. There’s so much better Marvin Gaye in the world.

Lemme start by forgetting what a POS this guy is. The sonic style of the album is quite good to my ears. I love Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine so the industrial funk metal sound is up my alley. The lyrical content is extremely cringe, and the songwriting is a bit shit. Pile on top of this that Marilyn Manson isn’t just putting on “creepy weirdo” as a character, he really is one! This album is not good and I would not recommend, but if I’m being honest I did vibe with it.

My favorite part about this was the parts that felt like a jam session. Cool record, Bowie ruled.

This one is just fun and good. It’s a classic for a reason.

Pretty cool. I know the most popular rating on this site for this record pokes fun at people saying it all sounds the same, but I think that’s a valid critique. X-Ray Spex was doing cool things on these songs, but I’m welcoming the end as I feel I’ve heard enough.

Rip to the legend Ozzy. These songs are so foundational to so much of the music I love today. War Pigs rules. Paranoid rules. Love Hand of Doom.

I want to like this. I think the songs and arrangements themselves contain beauty. I think that Newsom explores new territory. There are two monumental problems this record has though: first, the tracks don’t need to be that long; second, the vocals. The length issue is easy to explain, a little editing would have gone a long way. My issue with the vocals is where I’m at a little bit of a loss. She squeaks occasionally, and when she does it pierces through the whole mix. I found myself messing with eq so that the squeak in her voice wasn’t so irritating. I couldn’t fix it. This album’s a 2 verging on a 3. Good idea but half baked and needs tweaking in the vocals department.

Like others have said, I’m not really sure I have the cultural context to enjoy this. I give it credit for making me want to dance. Otherwise it felt meandering and way too long. Also the Imagine cover is that bad.

This stinks. U2 speaks solely in the language of cliche. The songs and their structures are predictable, the lyrics are corny and unoriginal. I’m not asking for rock and roll to always be innovative and groundbreaking, but I feel like these songs were copied out of the textbook.

These songs are immaculately crafted, emotive, and creative. All while remaining so lowkey. Beth Gibbon’s vocal performance is near perfect. I loved this and will be returning to it.

I liked it a little. I don’t have a lot to say about it. He was clearly angry about things the government was doing, which I can relate to.

I liked the extended jam sessions. There’s a brooding attitude underneath the country rock sound. Young wrote some good songs.

Undeniably extreme talent, undeniably cool. Please don’t take my reviews as a measure of quality I’m ranking based on how much I like it. The chords and harmonies are carefully chosen to be evocative and unsettling. I’m very impressed but I’m probably not coming back to this.

It’s cool, glad I heard it. Not the kind of thing I’m going to put on for myself.

I’m so used to constantly hearing Queen’s hits on the radio, but I’ve never sat to listen to an album. This one rocks. The band are extremely talented, Freddy Mercury had an amazing voice. The songs are cool.

I like this a lot. I think the songs get better as it goes. In some of the first tracks it’s a little repetitive (Shameika, Under the Table, Relay). Later in the album, the songs get much stronger, more creative (Heavy Balloon, Cosmonauts, On I Go). I think Fetch the Bolt Cutters is very good, but it is worth asking if it’s too recent to fully contextualize historically.

I think this is a very good album, but its status being lauded as one of the all time greatest albums has been a head scratcher for me. It deserves its high praise and even a Grammy too. I guess maybe it made an impact on the right people at the right time. Anyway I really enjoyed To Zion, Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, and When it Hurts So Bad.

The music gives me the impression of exploring an urban environment on foot. I thought it was pretty cool.

I suppose it’s really impressive how new and innovative this was. The reason it hasn’t had the cultural impact its contemporaries had is because the songs are mid.

I liked it, despite the fact that their style was dated even for the time it came out. The track featuring Nelly Furtado was a standout.

I’ve never been a punk fan, and this list is exposing me to a lot of it. I can tell this band is good at what they do, I just think what they do sounds a bit shit.

Dusty Memphis was a phenomenal singer, the songwriting leaves something to be desired though. I would put 2 stars, but Son of a Preacher Man is so good it bumps the whole album up a star.

I like the musical style of this album, but it is extremely one note. Also, the total lack of energy in the vocal department turns this into a snoozefest. A criticism that is wholly personal to me: I grew up in the 2000s, and was formed by 90s and 00s rock music. I’ve never heard of Giant Sand before. I have to conclude that it’s because it’s boring and not that good. Why is it on this list?

This album was big when I was in high school. I do really enjoy the neo soul sound. Medium rating is just a reflection of the fact that I don’t really connect with it.

It’s aggressively ok. Like, the most extremely “it’s fine” album I’ve heard from the list yet. First track is easily the best. The rest of it is just regular ass 60s pop with some neat tricks hidden in the background. I don’t really like it but I can’t be bothered to pin down why.

I like this a whole lot. The guitar tones were so crisp and played so elegantly. The songwriting managed to be so pretty and vivid and emotional. My biggest criticism is that the back half of the album is so much less energetic than the first half. It feels like running out of steam as it goes.

Don’t really like it, not for me. I don’t even love Radiohead and they do this style way better. I think High Speed is my favorite track.

I assumed I would like it less than I did because I’m not a huge fan of the big singles from the album. But tracks like Fade Away and Radiate and 11:59 were quite good. There’s something extra nostalgic about Blondie’s sound.

Now, I actually really like this. It’s the kind of music that fits my default taste. When I listen to an album I try to do a little online research about the artist and the album. Why is this album in the list? The Zutons are not a groundbreaking act, and this album isn’t doing anything really progressive. Idk I like it, just a little confused as to why it’s here.

I like a good extended jam sesh. Clearly some cool shit, much of it foreign to my ears.

I dig it. Wish I was more of a jazz head because I feel like I’m missing something whenever I listen to it.

I don’t hate it, but I don’t think the songs are that interesting or unique. My biggest gripe is that the mix sounds like garbage. It’s so muddy and unfocused. It’s what music sounds like in a dream, shapeless and repetitive.

There are plenty of great songs on this album. It suffers from the perennial double album problem: too much filler. In my opinion double albums only work as concept or live albums. A studio album that’s presenting your current work? Edit that shit dog.

The songs are not interesting. What’s more, I think the song writing is just fine. Listening to this felt like waiting 45 minutes for something to happen and it never does.

This is a great album. It’s got the dark moody atmosphere driven by an excellent rhythm section. I do have to deduct a star for the vocal performance. I find it quite tiresome when singers don’t even try to sound good. Otherwise these are beautiful pieces of music coming from a place of real pain.

It’s pretty good. John Lennon was an amazing songwriter. This album feels threadbare. It sounds like he’s laying his cards on the table regarding how he felt about the Beatles, his own issues, and the state of the world.

There’s really no universe where I would have liked this. I see the artistic merit in the lyrics. Everything else is quite drab and thin.

This album has flaws, so don’t take my 5/5 to mean it’s perfect. It has the classic double album problem of having far too much filler material. This album is always a massive emotional kick in the balls for me though. I know what it feels like to be traumatized and made to feel distant and estranged from everything that matters to me. The moments that work here, leading up to Comfortably Numb (which makes me embarrassingly emotional) hit like a train. 5 stars for being the only album to make me feel this way.

It’s fine. Not a huge The Who fan as it is, this a decent live performance.

This sounds like drinking yourself to death. I appreciate the layered composition, but the songs feel like nothing. Like eating a well baked wafer, but depressedly.

The songs have such a melancholy quality to them, but remain energetic. Good writing and composition, guitar playing is a highlight.

If I were in a different mood I might rate higher. Very well written songs. I know that I was craving more energy so I’ll come back and re rate another time I think.

Honestly I think this is pretty good. This is a divisive album, but that’s kind of the point. I found myself grooving with the rhythm in the dark atmospheres. If you’re asking “why do I need to hear this before I die?” I think the answer is so that you can see if you like this kind of thing. I didn’t love it, it did get a little boring after a while.

The experience of listening was enjoyable, hearing grunge in an early state is very cool too. No particular track grabbed me here though. Straight up the middle kinda feeling about an album.

I liked it. My personal favorite think about Pixies is that they influenced Nirvana. If the day ever comes when I want to explore this genre and era more I’ll remember to come back to Pixies.

If you like rock and roll, you have to give the old blues men their flowers. You can hear Muddy Waters raw energy and the crowd having fun with it too. Many of these songs are standards now.

Some very pretty songs. I know it’s good but it didn’t move me very much.

I liked this a whole lot, this might be another case of missing the cultural and lingual context required to fully appreciate it though.

I liked listening to it. I’m not a big hip hop guy but I really enjoyed the soul influenced beats. Speech also had some good observations about the world. I was a little tired by the end, feel like it could have used some trimming.

Man Black Sabbath ruled. This is an exceptionally cool album that sounds so huge. Tony Iommi’s guitar playing and tone hits like a truck.

This album suffers from a lack of unity of thought. Obviously these songs were written by several Motown legends, and the songs by themselves are great. This album just feels like a collection of great songs performed excellently. Not to be overly negative though, the songs and the vocal performances are great.

I strongly dislike Young’s voice. He sure can write a good song, I just don’t want to hear him sing it.

I liked the lush production and the ethereal vibes. Not really my kind of thing though.

I think it’s pretty cool. Our House is great. I’ll admit I was only half paying attention.

Supremely cool. Loved the extended solos. This may be the best example of jazz/rock fusion from this era.

This album is loaded front to back with all time classics.

Not for me. Thought this one was a snoozer. I don’t find the compositions very interesting and I don’t think I share Cave’s sense of humor sufficiently to appreciate his lyrics.

I appreciate how much this album rips, despite the fact that I think the song writing is mid.

I have to give this album its due respect for inspiring so much other amazing work that I love. It also has moments where I hear the vision. As a whole I don’t really like it. Heroin is a highlight for sure.

I like this a good bit. Didn’t really move me but I’m not a jazz guy.

I mean it’s alright. Kinda sounds like a million other albums I’ve already listened to on this list. Nothing here moved me, but appreciate the vibe.

Very slick. I like the jazz rock feeling present here. Nothing in particular grabbed me but the compositions are nicely done.

I thought the songs were pretty good. I don’t think they all justified their run times. I got a bit of a giggle out of the dialogue bits.

Way too long. I can probably count on one hand double albums I think were worth doubling up for. This should be 2 albums. The last Nick Cave album I got had a lot of people saying he’s pretentious. Maybe you can say that about the lyrics, but the music here is actually very down to earth. Listening past the lyrics you pretty straightforward rock music in a very familiar sonic flair. I like it, but will likely not be returning.

What a classic. Eminem’s verses are so dense and clever. Dr. Dre’s productions is crisp and fun. I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t a edgy boy when I was a kid in 2000’s, but the homophobia is a really tough pill for me to swallow here.

Not for me. I know that this kind of production is a skill that requires a finely tuned ear. I just find the style wholly unappealing.

Guitar work on this had me making the stank face. This rules. Didn't know the singer was Rod Stewart until today.

I already love the black keys. This album has classics like Tighten Up and She’s Long Gone which have been in my playlist for years. Far from perfect and not very unique, but it does blues rock very well.

Frickin awesome. I don’t really love live albums and would rather listen to a Motörhead studio album.

I like Bowie a lot but this album is hard carried by 1 great song. Everything besides Changes I can take or leave.

3 almost 4 for me. Probably my favorite rap album on the list so far.

I like standing up for controversial albums but this does lowkey suck. I’m not mad at it, it’s just boring and long.

The songs are good, their singing was excellent. A lot of music from this era suffers from being associated with an idealistic image of the era portrayed in movies and tv. If you dig in just a little you’ll see that these are 2 middle-America boys writing simple and catchy songs. Can’t help but note that some of the lyrics (hilariously) reflect some outdated sensibilities. I like it, likely won’t be returning.

Some genuinely great songs. My favorite is Champaign Supernova. I think it has moments where it gets a little boring. The songs without great hooks kind of have nothing else going on. Thats long been my issue with Oasis, to me it feels a little shallow, but in moments they shine bright.

I don’t like this. His vocal delivery rubs me the wrong way. The style is overly uniform. The big positive here for me is the guitar playing. I like the guitar work on Angeles quite a bit. I think it’s just not my style because I certainly don’t think this is bad.

Damn it I like Rod Stewart don’t I? This rocked front to back. Stay With Me and Debris were my favorite moments here. Debris actually being quite moving to me. The slide guitars were super cool. I think the weakest track is the opener.

I thought this was a lot of fun and I’m sure live performances by the dictators were awesome. As an album this kind of drags on despite its short run time. I think my personal lingering issue with punk is how it’s all about energy and not so much about the musicality.

I give this a 3 with a side of “on the right day it’s a 4.” If this album were 30 minutes shorter it would be 4 “on the right day it’s a 5.” So bloated and filled with fluff. The great songs on here are so freakin good though.

It’s really great but I did not like listening to it. Truly beautiful compositions, but the aesthetic choices are bonkers to me.

I would love this if (A) Bob Dylan weren’t singing and (B) the harmonica wasn’t so damn loud. These songs are generationally good but I dislike the flavor that Bob Dylan provides.

Very good. It was gray and rainy outside when I came home from work and put this on over my speakers. I had gotten Closer a month or two ago and really liked it. I think I like Unknown Pleasures slightly more.

It’s at least kind of fun, but trying to enjoy this sitting in my living room feels like a total waste of time.

Honestly phenomenal album. The entire first side rocks so hard, the songs are beautifully written. The second side is slower and more ambient but it manages to not be boring. Great album love Bowie.

I think this is better than Only by the Night. The bass grooves were nice. Otherwise I feel like Kings of Leon are mid af.

I legitimately think this is in the top 10 best albums all time. So fun and groovy. It has like 4 of the best songs I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s so charming I forgive it when it commits the sin of running on for too long.

No strong feelings. I think Eno and Byrne were mega talents. This isn’t my thing though.

Ice Cube used to know what was up when it came to how America treats black people. We all know that sadly today Ice Cube defends the white establishment. I wish he was still advocating for violence against racist whites. I have to give this album a low rating because I cannot forgive the misogyny and homophobia. The year being 1992 is no excuse. Honestly it knocks the legs out from under the rest of the politics in the lyrics.

Prog is 100% my favorite genre. What can I say, I can’t get enough of proggy noodling. Perpetual change is a masterpiece in my opinion. Tied for second on this album are Yours is No Disgrace and I’ve Seen All Good People.

It’s pretty cool. If you listen close you hear really cool harmonies. The straightforward dance beats got a little old for me.

When I was listening to this I thought, “not only are these songs really corny and dumb, I have a bad feeling about this guy.” Then I googled Ryan Adams and now I feel like I’m just an excellent judge of character.

I love that the sound and presentation of this album is the pop sound of the era. In spite of that, this shit is weird and unique. I like it quite a lot.

Her voice is really just goated. It’s like Aretha Franklin was made in a lab to be the perfect soul singer.

Lol. Lmao even.

I legitimately hate the way this album sounds and think it desperately needs a remaster. Otherwise the songs are pretty cool.

I’ll start by saying that Clocks and The Scientist are pretty good songs. They’re moving piece of music that earn their place in serious discussion. The rest of the album is trite garbage. The guitar and piano playing are amateur hour. The vocals are good-not-great. I did not need to hear an hour of pounding out repetitive chords over empty lyrics. If you take those two good songs off of this album it’s an easy 1-er.

It’s generally true that artists aren’t putting out their best work in like the 5th decade of their career. This is a phenomenal album, elevated by the fact that Bowie knew that this would be his last before succumbing to cancer. Yeah it’s weird, but I love weird.

I liked a few of the songs here but most of this album kinda bounced off of me. I was busy so I know it’s not the fairest rating as I couldn’t just sit and listen like I normally do.

I like the blues rock style of this album. As many others have pointed out, it’s bookended by two of their greatest songs. Honestly it feels like Gimme Shelter and Can’t Always Get What You Want are out of place.

I liked the sound and the song writing but it definitely wore out its welcome.

I saw other reviewers complaining about his voice. I think the bigger issue is that the melodies he writes don’t suit his voice. I didn’t like this. This album is not unique or interesting. It’s a style that’s been done to death and this was not a fresh take even in the 90s.

I have a secret: I don’t even like Immigrant Song. Honestly, Since I’ve Been Loving You is the best track here. If you were to ask me to imagine classic rock, I would hear and see Led Zeppelin. Classic is the best word to describe Led Zeppelin 3.

It was pretty cool. High energy fun.

Cool jazz record. I liked the textures on this. Nothing really grabbed me but I thought it was good.

This shit sucks but not in an offensive way. There’s good 80s pop and this isn’t it.

This albums pretty cool. I thought some of the high pitched sounds were mixed a little too piercing.

The aesthetic is stone cold and I fuck with it heavy. I thought the music was cool but one note.

I feel like this is the wrong talking heads album. The debut album and speaking in tongues are way better.

Billy Joel just has melodic sense. The way the music drives the emotions so well is remarkable. The song structures range from very simple to a little out of the ordinary, but the harmonies are actually surprisingly deep. I would love to hear more contemporary pop artists write songs the way Billy Joel did. These aren't wild compositions, they're just well written pop songs.

To be fair to Eminem, people only got tired of edgelords after we all got on the internet and couldn’t get away from them. He’s extremely talented at writing rhymes, but the content of those rhymes are eye roll inducing. Dr. Dre’s production goes crazy though.

This was a romp that’s for sure. I like the rock disco fusion going on here. Don’t think the song writing was doing anything crazy but it was proficient enough. I disliked the Pink Floyd cover.

I don’t care about this. I’m not even that interested in real film soundtracks.

The first two tracks were off to a bad start. Once the tempos slowed down the songs had more room to breathe found its stride.

Probably the goat. Every song is excellent. The medley is awesome. This album has like 5 of the best songs I’ve ever heard.

Oh my god shut up dude. This rarely happens to me, where I find an album deeply irritating and I can’t find a great reason as to why. This is one of those albums.

Courtney Love’s voice is extremely powerful and the songs have a driving emotive character. Sprinkle in the context that her husband likely helped write a lot of the music and ended his life right before it came out. This album’s like a dark cloud and I like that a lot.

Tom Petty never struck me as album oriented and that’s definitely true of the this album. It’s a collection of songs and that seems about it. The songs are really good, and 2 of them are bona fide classics.

I really enjoy the parts of the songs when he’s not singing.

Very enjoyable. Reading about the life of Al Green while listening was also a trip.

Pure pop rock bliss. The songs are iconic and memorable.

I ain’t listening to all that. Nothing against it, but 4 tracks in I get what I’m listening to. I have no interest in world folk music and maybe you can call that a shortcoming of mine if you like.

Like most people the only song by The Verve I know is Bittersweet Symphony, which I think sucks balls. I was totally unsurprised to find that this album is boring as hell. The sound is kinda cool but it’s too long and doesn’t go anywhere.

Maybe too experimental for me. I found a lot of the sound effects off putting. The musicality is phenomenal though.

Honestly it’s just his voice. I’m not the first and I won’t be the last person to say the sound of his voice and that harmonica make Dylan’s music impenetrable to me. It just sounds like shit.

Bleep bloop I don’t care