1001 Albums Summary

Pretty solid album. A great start, strong ending but a bit weak in the middle. Still a really good listen.

As a general rule, I'm not a fan of blues - but damn, this album absolutely slaps. Terrific musicianship, plenty of energy and so much soul. Everything in its right place, the production is superb and it just sounds great. Blew me away.

I'm not a big fan of live albums in general - live music is incredible to experience, however to just listen I'd prefer to hear the original recordings. I'm not a huge blues fan either, although I really dug the previous Muddy Waters offering. This one is a bit more samey to me.

It's R.E.M., all right. Seems they've had a distinctive sound from the start. Nothing here stood out to me; it sounded like a list of album tracks. Not bad, not great either.

Absolutely storming debut. One of the first albums I listened to all the way through; luckily, it's pretty much killer from soup to nuts. An easy 5.

So, I've heard Lou Reed did a lot of drugs around the time of this record. That figures. It's fine - some classic tracks in here, but sometimes I was losing the vocals in the mix, and a lot of the lyrics were just odd for the sake of it, which I found offputting. Good to have heard it all the way through, though.

I couldn't be bothered to plough through the whole thing - there's great musicianship on show, but jazz just isn't my thing. I'm also not big on live albums.

I'm probably missing something, but I just found this wearing after a while. Master of Puppets is great, but I found a lot of the tracks very samey. Orion was nice as a change of pace/tone near the end, however Damage, Inc took us straight back to where we were. Disappointed.

I'd never listened to this before. Pretty good, and unmistakeably Zeppelin from the outset - it's a really strong style. That said, several of the tracks don't justify their length, and I wouldn't listen to it over and over.

I'm sure it was groundbreaking at the time but, out of context, it just sounds like a weird 80s experiment. Not sure what parts of this Malcolm McLaren was actually responsible for; seems to me he just coerced a bunch of regional musicians into a recording studio and mashed it together with modern music of the day.

Based purely off the music, I really quite enjoyed this. Somewhere between punk rock and boogie-woogie, but plenty going on. I'm not really listening to the lyrics while I'm listening at work, and based off what others are saying that's probably for the best. The same goes for the fact I listen on headphones in the office. Sheesh.

It was OK. Aside from the songs I knew, it felt mostly like Beatles-lite, which is probably to be expected. Fine, but not something I'd be returning to in a hurry.

I'm probably missing something, but I can't join the 5-star club on this one. It's good, and gets a bonus point for Starman alone which is one of my all-time favourite songs - but I think it gets a bit bland in the middle.

50 percent great, 50 percent meh. The great stuff really is great, though.

Some absolutely classic Stevie tracks in here. The sound is very dated now, but such a brilliant musician and singer.

Good fun to listen to, and a couple of classics on here. A bit long for my taste: I would prefer to lose the skits, although I get they're part of the character of the whole piece.

A really nice record. Several memorable, hummable tunes, and lots of fun pop songs in between. Very good.

Yeah, pretty good. Kevin Rowland's voice is definitely idiosyncratic, and his style gets a bit much at times, but it's also distinctive and fits some of the songs very well. Would listen again.

ah come on now, this is a belter. A couple of all-time classics backed up by strong riffs through the rest. Planet Caravan is an odd one but I dug it. Great work.

Not offensively bad, but I'm just not a fan of this style. And I think the production contributes to that - it's all guitar, snare / hi-hat and vocals, there's no punch to the bass. After a while, it just sounds like a wasp in a jar - all anger and buzz, no real punch. Not going to come back to this one.

It was fine. A bit less funk-oriented than I expected in places, given the band and album name. I'm not a big fan of long tracks, and I zoned out for the most part.

Not as good as I remember, on the whole. Four absolute bangers (Another Part Of Me, Man In The Mirror, Smooth Criminal, Leave Me Alone), a few middling entries (Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Speed Demon, Dirty Diana), and some absolute guff (Liberian Girl, Just Good Friends). Regardless how uncomfortable the artist makes _me_ feel, those better songs are all-timers and justify a strong mark by themselves.

Eight generic Elton album tracks, and a bonus point for Tiny Dancer being incredible. 3.

It's an excellent album - a really good listen, feels cohesive, and bookended by some really strong tracks. I think it loses its way a little bit in the middle, but I'd happily listen the whole way through regardless. Definitely one for the long-term list.

Yeah, this album is a stone-cold beast. Two or three all-timers on here, and very little filler even towards the end where many albums run out of puff. Not sure it's a 10/10 but definitely enough for 5 stars.

It's dad rock, and has dated pretty badly, but it's about as good as dad rock gets. One thing that's struck me recently about some of these super-popular albums is the production; this one is clear as a bell.

Lot of people hating on this album. I own it, I've always liked it and I never particularly noticed the horniness others have commented on - oops. I like early Kings of Leon as the sound is a lot more raw than their later more polished (and chart-friendly) work. This to me is an album that's here for a good time, not a long time, and I'll pick it up again occasionally. Great for a car journey.

Great flow, and some terrific beats (especially Hola' Hovito, which is an absolute banger). Most of the lyrics are Jay celebrating himself - or denigrating others - so that starts to get a bit tiring after a while, but there's enough variety to lift it. Could have ended with Renegade and it would have been a nice tight 12 tracks; the last three aren't adding much in terms of content. I can still see why it's considered a classic.

This one really surprised me. I'd forgotten that I knew and kind of liked the biggest track on this album ("Default")...and it turns out I liked lots more of the album, too. Definitely one I'll come back to in future - if I remember!

A few of the classics are on here. Loses half a mark for a 13-minute track in the middle.

Surprised to find that I loved this straight away. Excellent.

I'm on a bit of a downer today and this was not what I needed to listen to. I knew some of it from the first time round, however listening to it again it's pretty depressing stuff.

Pretty good despite a weak ending.

I mostly know later Queen, so some of this came as a surprise. Not really my cup of tea.

It's quite nice, but I won't remember any of it, and won't be coming back.

Relax and Two Tribes are great, however I found quite a lot of this album to be self-indulgent twaddle, and I'm not a fan of his vocal style either. Not for me.

I could always take or leave the White Stripes - I liked a few of their songs, but wouldn't have listened to an album. This one surprised me, then: really enjoyed it, pretty cohesive and strong throughout.

Half this album is absolute classics. Most of the rest are strong, too. Perhaps one or two let it down, but this is definitely peak MJ.

I love this album. Another from my younger days, so nostalgia scores a point, but there are some excellent tunes on here. Doesn't outstay its welcome, either.

It's fine. I might come back to it as background music while I work, but would I _listen_ to it? Nope.

Left me cold.

Brilliant album. Strong and memorable pretty much the whole way through. Excellent production, loads of emotion and heart in the songs. Absolutely classic.

More rock-y than I expected, it was a pretty good listen.

I found the bluesier songs interminable, the others were fine. Blues really isn't my cup of tea.

Prog folk? It's weird, but for some reason I really dug it. A nice surprise.

The kind of album I could imagine wannabe lotharios throwing on in the background while they try to seduce a laydee. Have to wonder whether Marvin was really happy recording this stuff. Track 4 is basically "wasn't Get It On great, let's have some more". Weak.

Yawn.

Not a big fan. Songs were OK, but the vocals were too much on the screamy side for me. A little screaming goes a long way in my opinion, and this was wearing me out.

The only distinguishing thing I could say about this album is that it was unmistakeably the Beach Boys. Nothing grabbed my ear.

Enjoying this a lot more than the last few. It's a bit out there, but it's distinctive at least. Waking the Witch is just a really weird song. Not sure where it would feel in place.

This is a kind of soft-rock that I think is now pejoratively termed "yacht rock". My Dad loves Steely Dan; all I could think about while listening to it was "oh, where have I heard that before?"

Enjoyed this. Quite a few catchy enough to make it into my permanent library.

Certainly a change of pace, and some nice musical motifs, but I couldn't see myself getting into it as a genre.

Not bad, saved a few songs for my long-term library, but wouldn't go back and listen to the whole thing. Why'd Ya Do It caught my attention a few times.

I know most of U2's hits, and I like most of them, but never listened to an album before. Nothing here stuck with me that I hadn't heard before. Won't be rushing to listen to it again.

Nice enough, and perhaps if I listened to it really hard, a lot, I might quite get into it (although the jazz parts turned me off a bit). Not sure I'd bother to put the effort in, though.

Generally I would say I like drum & bass - although far from an enthusiast - however I wouldn't listen to this except as background music while doing something else (for which it's fine). I found myself checking the length of nearly every track on this one, which isn't a good sign.

Not my kind of thing, and I can never escape the knowledge of what a douchebag Mick Hucknall is. Holding Back The Years is absolutely terrific, though.

I didn't know White Rabbit, but it stood out massively while listening to this in the background. Superb. And I already knew Somebody To Love, which is also great and I didn't know who the original artist was. Definitely enjoyed this one.

It was fine. One or two stuck out for me and have made it onto playlists - a sure sign of quality.

Not bad. Lively and characterful.

12-bar blues, mash the piano keyboard, repeat x7. I'm sure it was electrifying to see live at the time, but doesn't make for a great listen.

It might be sacrilege to criticise Bob Dylan, but...most of the songs here seem pretty vague and meandering to me. Not melodic or punchy enough to get my attention. Fine as background music, but I won't remember any of the ones I haven't heard a hundred times already.

Some of the attitudes and sentiments in this album weren't OK at the time and totally unacceptable now, but there's no denying his ability. Some classics on here.

I'm coming into this one biased: I really like Duran Duran, I'm a sucker for 80s new wave generally, and I've heard this album before. Nonetheless, I think this is a pretty strong album - the main singles are excellent, and most of the remaining tracks are pretty decent. New Religion I think is the only track on here I'd call weak.

Funny one, this. It's unmistakeably Tina Turner, and it's also unmistakeably mid-80s. She has got a terrific voice, but I've never been a big fan either - and the two covers I specifically recognise, Let's Stay Together and Help, are just plain weird. While I'm not a fan of recording covers that are identical to the original, I don't like these arrangements at all. Won't be bothering to listen again.

I thought I'd quite like this when it started, but I think I was perhaps anticipating something more proggy. I think it's the amount of horn section I was finding too much after a while. The track lengths are pretty punishing, too

A nice enough pop record (except the American Pie cover, which can naff right off). One or two that stuck out to me enough to save for later. And I'm a sucker for Don't Tell Me.

It was fine, but forgettable.

Not the sort of thing I'd normally listen to. I'd like it if I was at a themed restaurant, but I wouldn't listen again.

A bit weird. One track on here I knew well but didn't realise was them. It was fine, but not quite my cuppa tea.

Pretty one-paced, but a great listen. Full of energy without getting too much.

meh. Some good tracks on here, but got a bit boring.

Too off-the-wall for me. Wouldn't listen again

A handful of absolute classics on here. Great to hear it again.

I never listened much to Biggie in my younger days - probably a bit early for my time - but it's clear why he's considered one of the greatest ever. The flow is infectious, and there are some great beats here. It got a bit long, and I could do without the skits, but a good listen.

There's only one Neil Young - his voice is unmistakeable. One or two sounded out of his range, to the extent they sounded like awful karaoke.

Some classics, but a bit of bland filler. Still, those classics are all-timers.

I don't really listen to Dylan and didn't enjoy Freewheelin' very much, so I was surprised how much this one chimed with me. One or two all-timers and plenty of foot-tapping stuff besides.

Also in my permanent collection. Some great tunes on here, but it's very long and gets a bit wearing.

One I have fond memories of from my younger days. Still a good listen, although FiH is offputting quite quickly.

Really didn't like this one. Nasty production, sounded like there was background noise throughout. Offputting.

Bloody weird. Strange guy.

I like 60s psychedelia, so this kind of rang a bell for me. Some of the songs missed the mark, but there were a good few I liked. Not bad.

A couple of keepers and a few I didn't really like. Sledgehammer is an all-timer, though.

Beautiful voice, but the songs descended from quite nice to very forgettable. Wouldn't go back to it.

Kooky, sounded a bit ahead of its time for me; I had Sparks down as early 80s rather than early 70s.

Absolutely dreadful. There's clearly some musical skill, but the music is barely better than noise as far as I'm concerned.

Nice to listen to, but other than the two I knew already not a lot stuck out.

This album was OK, one or two I kinda liked and very much the Smiths - but they lose a point for the dull, indulgent title track, especially dumping it at the end.

Rubbish. I don't even like this version of I Shot The Sheriff, and the rest were really blah. Boring.

Pretty good stuff, would listen again.

Probably has a claim on being the best album ever. Absolutely classic.

I'm not a fan of Nick Cave's style, and this was as tiresome as I expected. An interesting idea, but not my style at all.

Nice enough to listen to; Kevin Rowlands' vocal style is a bit much after a while, though.

It was fine. One or two I'd listen to again, but I don't much like the out-of-tune sound. It was very 1994.

It's showing its age a bit, but a very easy listen. Weather With You is an excellent Sunday morning song. Will come back and listen again.

Apart from the weird first track, I really dug this.

Guessed this might not be my cup of tea, and I was right. Not terrible, but washed over me without leaving an impression

Very generic hair metal. Nothing that really stood out for me.

It was fine, but kind of washed over me. I'd be happy to listen to it again, but wouldn't seek it out.

Just not my cuppa tea.

Some nice stuff early on, but badly ran out of gas later. Didn't need to be a double album. It's a shame.

A really good listen. I don't think I've knowingly heard anything by Sisters of Mercy before; all I know about them is they're Gary King's favourite band. Some keepers on here.

Weird, and did nothing for me.

Very listenable, albeit quite samey. I was pretty familiar with several of the songs already.

I learned this guy performed the original Everybody's Talkin'. Apart from that, I couldn't find much to get along with here.

It was fine - a few I'll keep for longer-term listening - but it went on a bit too long for my liking. 20 tracks is a marathon for any album, I think.

Once again I'll show my unashamed bias for albums I already own and know well. This is great until it runs out of steam somewhere around track 9 - which there's no real excuse for on a 10-track album. Loses a mark for that, but otherwise nostalgia and a great "play while doing other things" album scores well for me.

It was fine. Not as good as I actually hoped, based on the fact I really like several of their later songs. Won't be hurrying to listen again.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, however I really dug it - great beats, great flows, wacky theme. Only complaint is that it overstayed its welcome a bit - even with a few skits thrown in, 20 tracks was quite fatiguing.

I would have _never_ listened to this normally, but I quite liked it. Not sure I would come back to it much, but it was a perfectly nice background listen, and a few toe-tappers in there.

Mildly surprised to discover this wasn't ten clones of Nothing Compares 2 U. There was a decent variety on show, gorgeous vocals as I expected, although the production sounds dated. Not bad.

Dimly aware of the band (or at least, the name), this passed me by when it came out, which is unusual because it came out around my paying-attention-to-new-music peak. The music put me in mind of a cross between My Chemical Romance and, in places, Bloc Party. I quite liked it, although several of the tracks were a length I'd consider over-indulgent. I also found the tone a desperate tone a bit wearing after a while (is this emo?). Would happily listen to a track or two of this among a selection, but not sure I'd listen to the whole album end-to-end again.

I know the title track of this album well after my dad introduced me to the album, and I absolutely love it - but bugger me, the rest of this album was dull as hell.

OK by name, OK by nature. It was fine, but I'll probably never listen to it again.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, given its age and genre. Strong musically, vocally, and lyrically - I'd definitely give it another listen.

Definitely wouldn't have listened to this under any normal circumstances. Almost certainly won't be coming back to it. Clearly it was a groundbreaking record, however I think that's more about its significance as a cultural piece rather than extraordinary musicality. Not horrible to listen to, but to my ears not particularly interesting either.

A beautiful voice, but just not the kind of music I'm into. At least I'm now aware of an artist I'd never heard of.

A pretty strong opening gave way to a mediocre second half. I like the Byrds' sound, and there are a few I've saved to listen to again in future.

Meh - dad rock, to my ears. It's almost offensively inoffensive. Not my taste.

As horribly dated as you might expect from a band called Stereo MCs. I kind-of liked some of their songs the first time round, and one or two are still catchy, but the whole album is very samey and quite annoying in places.

I'm not sure why this is so highly rated. Perhaps it's because I'm just listening as background music, but all I took away from this was "aggressively weird". Not my thing.

Another one misses the mark. Perhaps I'd like some of this better if I were listening to it closer, but in general very little of it grabbed my attention, and some felt downright indulgent (looking at you, Cop Shot Cop...).

This was pretty nice. Not the kind of thing I would normally go for, but a nice listen. some real toe-tappers particularly at the beginning.

While I'm not the biggest Beatles fan, there are still some excellent songs on here, most of it is pretty catchy, and it _doesn't outstay its welcome_.

There are a few excellent tracks on here - but call me unsophisticated, I just prefer the original versions in most cases. It's good as far as a live album goes, I'd just always rather either (a) witness the performance in person, or failing that (b) hear the originals. Still worth a 4/5.

"A soundtrack to an imaginary film" is a pretty weird concept for an album, and seems a pretty pointless exercise to me. It's quite listenable, and clearly plays like a film score - but do I want to listen to that by itself? Not really.

OK, this was actually a lot better than I expected. It's not really my kind of thing, but it was more musical than I was anticipating. High energy, direct, angry - punk music, really. Not bad at all.

I expected to like this one more than the last, however despite an OK start and some decent musicality, I found it really got a bit much by the end. Perhaps it's just because the Circle Jerks one was so short. I was willing this one to finish before the end.

I've never really listened to the Grateful Dead before, and this was not what I was expecting. Put me in mind of the Byrds more than the Doors-style rock I was anticipating. A nice enough listen, but not much stood out to me.

Nice enough, I'm sure, however I didn't really notice when it ended and Spotify started playing me something else. Probably the sort of album that deserves more than the background listen I've given it. Still, nothing here grabbed my attention.

Yeah, it's pretty bad. Although I think I probably would have quite liked this in my mid-teens, so I don't want to slam it too hard as that would be hypocritical. I quite like most of the beats, however it's overlong and the subject matter and tone of the lyrics is awful. Terribly dated and another example of how this list differs from a "best 1001 albums".

It was...fine. Nice beats, but nothing that jumped out at me.

Call me unsophisticated, but I prefer The Bends. It's still a bloody good album, though.

Yeah, these guys rock. It goes on a bit long, but the sound and style is right up my street. And obvs Chris Cornell's vocals are amazing - RIP.

While I quite like Sheryl Crow generally, this doesn't feel like an example of her best work. Some of the styles here don't really work and sound dated, and while the album has a decent start there's a particularly weak finish. I'd listen again, though.

Pretty decent. More interesting and musical than I expected, plenty of interest and each track sounded different. A pleasant surprise. Would listen again.

Nice enough, not at all something I would have come across. Probably won't be going back.

I know a few of them from younger days, and they're fine, but I really didn't get on with this. I'm not a fan of Tim Walker's vocal delivery, and honestly there didn't seem to be a lot of dynamic to the album. One To Another is enough of a banger to raise it above a 2.

Surprisingly good. I'd never really listened to Sonic Youth before, but would definitely listen to this again. Managed to be appealing despite not a huge amount of variety and being pretty lengthy.

It's...fine. Very 70s country-rock, with some bluesier and even some bluegrass stuff thrown in. Some songs I quite liked, a lot passed me by and one or two caused me to raise an eyebrow. Not sure why it's really necessary for me to have heard this before I expire, but...I guess I have now.

Nice vocals, but mostly really boring.

Nice enough in places, but many tracks are too long and some of the sounds they've used clearly come from a crap early 90s keyboard, and are really jarring to the ear. Also starts and finishes with two completely pointless and annoying sound experiments (if that's a thing), and loses a mark for that. One of many on this list that was probably pushing the boundaries when it came out, but these days doesn't stand out at all.

I had high hopes for this when it started - I was anticipating a nice mixture of medium and low-tempo psychedelic rock, with a few softer songs and a few punchier toe-tappers. Sadly, instead I felt it descended largely into monotony. A lot of the songs felt repetitive, and I'm particularly irked that they indulged in not two, but three different versions of the longest and most repetitive track. Could have scraped a 3 if it wasn't for that, but as it's presented it can only be a 2.

I'm not usually a fan of reggae, and expected to be bored by this album...but it was pretty smooth, varied enough to maintain interest, and not long enough to outstay its welcome.

Had it on in the background, so wasn't paying much attention to the lyrics - but the bits that stuck out to me were the misogynistic or homophobic parts. It was part of the culture at the time - which still doesn't make it OK - but it particularly jars now. Didn't know this previously and probably wouldn't return to it.

Such a weird band, seem to be trying so hard to be clever sometimes that they're outsmarting themselves. Yes it's dated, but the first half of this is superb and contains som classic bangers. Runs out of puff a bit by the end, but I still really enjoyed it.

Nice enough, probably warranted a closer listen than I was able to give it. I found the second half with additional narration a bit offputting.

Pretty silly, but pretty enjoyable hair metal. EVH's playing is out of this world; I can only imagine the impact it had at the time.

Didn't do much for me, and the unnecessarily repetitive and annoying last 30 seconds definitely brings it down to a 2.

Really good. Plenty of variety, some excellent musicianship on show (particularly the virtuoso guitarist), and great energy. Maybe sagged a bit in the middle, but would definitely listen again.

An album I own, which always means I'm a bit biased...but I must say I was disappointed. While I love Rendez-Vu, Red Alert and Bingo Bango, the rest of the album was no better than middling, and in some cases pretty dull.

Enjoyed this one, more than the Raekwon one last week. Not sure what it was - beats, flow, lyrical content - but it landed better with me. Still not my favourite genre to listen to for a whole album, but this was better than most.

Pretty good. I know some stuff by Happy Mondays, but nothing from this album. Felt it was fairly strong all the way through (although I stopped after only a few of the bonus tracks on this Spotify version). I'd listen again.

Pretty bloody stupid. Even the parts that were pleasant musically were overtaken by off-key vocals that, while they might have been pretty amusing and pithy in context, just came across annoying and offputting to me now. And by the end it descended into something not much more than noise.

Another weird offering from the 1960s, and I'm not clear what makes this such an essential listen. Mostly seemed to be what sounds like big-band music to me, with an over-zealous vocalist whose style and sound really aren't to my taste. Plus, an over-indulgent track second-last, and bookended by unnecessary Satie renditions. Hard to understand how this sold four million copies - there was other music around at this time, right?

This was a weird one. Started off pretty strong, but around the midpoint disappeared up its own arse (I'm looking at you, To The Moon's Contractor). I'd never heard of this artist nor the album - while that's not uncommon for this list, it is a bit more unexpected given this came out during a period I was listening to more new music than any time during my life. This album has a ridiculously low number of Spotify plays, and while that's not a surefire indicator of cultural relevance, it does suggest this album has been forgotten by most of those who ever knew it existed. Doesn't surprise me much.

It's...fine. Listenable, seems pretty playful, not too much jumped out at me (although the French and Spanish lyrics washed over me). Nice, not sure I'd go back to it.

Birdland is a great piece of music, however after that this descended into generic lounge jazz - and frankly it wasn't even a killer version of Birdland. It's a bit harsh but I think this can only get a 1 from me

Put off listening to this one for a bit because I expected a Brian Eno record to be weird. And it was, although in a slightly different way to what I thought. It was...fine, I guess. The music was OK, I found myself toe-tapping at times. I felt it was a bit of a weird shift into Middle Eastern and African sounds in the middle, then it kind of fizzled out. I've pretty much already forgotten it.

A fairly long list (noting I listened to the Expanded Edition) of Dusty, singing (presumably mostly) covers. I knew several of them, in any case. Quite a nice record, she does / did have an incredible voice; but essential listening why?

Yeah, this was really good. Love the 90s West Coast beats, and 2Pac's flow is super smooth. Such an easy listen even when the subject material is pretty challenging.