1001 Albums Summary

Paranoid is one of those songs that I don't know by name or artist, but it was ingrained in my head. Iron Man too. It's clear this album was far ahead of it's time. Not sure I'd listen to this one again as it's not my kind of music, but I can appreciate the significance of it.

The harsh dissonance, particularly in Track A, is something that takes some time to grow on you. I'm not a jazz fan, but I enjoyed the unpredictable nature of this album. You never know what's coming next and it takes you on some wild rides (it also starts and ends with rhythmic farting).

5/10 I think reading about this album and the resulting unrest was perhaps a more profound experience than listening to it. I'm not a fan of the genre but I appreciate this album for it's significance in the history of the Afrobeat genre. Best track: Zombie Would I revisit?: No

6.5/10 Tough to rate an album of covers. Willie's vocal delivery is characteristically laid-back and unhurried throughout, which creates some almost comedic moments - the "still mine" line in Unchained Melody lands completely differently when you're expecting the Righteous Brothers' crescendo and get Willie just being Willie. But that simplicity suits the intention. This is a personal, mellow collection of songs from his childhood, and it delivers exactly that. A relaxing, comforting listen that I quite enjoyed. Best track: Georgia On My Mind Would I revisit?: Maybe

3/10 I found myself constantly zoning out while listening to this one. Most of the songs blurred together in a mess of buzzy, distant vocals and overproduction. There were some momentary highs - I quite liked Unknown Brother and These Days. The rest are not for me. Best track: These Days Will I revisit?: No

8.5/10 Loved this album. Creative, whacky, full of eargasms, just an all around fun time. I didn't think it possible for such clumsy vocals to work so well, but it does. > What was this, I thought, that struck me? > What kind of weapons have they got? > The softest bullet ever shot Best track: A Spoonful Weighs a Ton Will I revisit?: Absolutely

6/10 It feels like the album just serves as a backstory for it's obvious highlight - Pinball Wizard. It's not a bad album by any means. I quite liked '1921', 'Sparks', 'Go To The Mirror!', and 'Sally Simpson'. There's just not much more substance there. I also wish 'Fiddle About' didn't exist, but here we are. Best track: Pinball Wizard Will I revisit? Probably not

6/10 'Don't Know Why' is a stand out here. I like the super clean production and Norah's warm vocals. It's very much playing in the background at a cafe music, which is fine. It's just not overly interesting or profound. Best track: Don't Know Why Will I revisit: No

5/10 Really nice background music at times, but still background music. There was something about 'A Survey' that I enjoyed - the comfort of warm and clean acoustic guitar gently picking over the ambience of crickets in the night. Great track. I didn't connect with the last three tracks at all. Best track: A Survey Will I revisit?: Likely while working or focusing

Not my genre at all.

4/10 Sounds like I'm hallucinating a Beatles album. Some highlights throughout, but a good chunk of the album is erratic snippets of various obscure instruments, and very odd lyrics and vocals. Best track: Koeeoaddi There Will I revisit?: No

8.5/10 Awesome album, particularly considering it's their debut. 'Even Flow' and 'Alive' are brilliant. Jeremy is a track I was less familiar with, but just as good. It's not surprising that this album launched Pearl Jam the way it did. Best track: Alive & Even Flow Will I revisit?: Of course

3.5/10 An album that front-loads its best material and struggles to maintain momentum. The Boomin' System opens strong with a deep kick drum and wide sound stage, and Around The Way Girl has a lo-fi charm. But from there, it's a lot of the same: tight, repetitive beats and lyrics that rarely hit as hard as the delivery suggests. Lines like "your rhymes are cheesy, you found em in a mouse trap" leave you wondering if he's in on the joke. I'd never heard the title track despite its reputation, and it didn't land. Aggressive and repetitive without much substance. There are bright spots, but they're not enough to offset the filler. I kept wanting more variation, and for the lyrics to match the energy of the beats. A few standout moments in an otherwise one-note listen. Best track: Around The Way Girl Will I revisit?: No

5/10 The first few tracks show real promise: the title track has aged beautifully with its slappy synths and groovy guitar licks, and Aht Uh Mi Hed is genuinely creative with its spooky church organs that dissolve right as the lyrics call for something new. Sparkle City is funky and cool but, like a few tracks here, it hovers without ever really going anywhere. The back half loses steam fast. XL-30 feels like it wandered in from a different album entirely, and tracks like Pling! and Not Available are forgettable background filler. The bonus tracks don't add much either, aside from Freedom Flight which builds beautifully from a delicate guitar intro into a sax-driven payoff. Best track: Aht Uh Mi Hed Will I revisit?: No

10/10 The first few notes of Blowin' in the Wind are all it takes to let out a comforting sigh and know you're in for 50 minutes of greatness. This is Dylan at his most essential: an artist whose lyrics and music carry everything in lieu of a traditional singing voice. And yet there's something about that voice that puts more feeling into words than most singers could dream of. The highlights here are towering. Masters of War pairs a relentless, unresolved guitar drone with some of the sharpest protest lyrics ever written. Girl from the North Country paints images so vivid you feel transported. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right are back-to-back proof that Dylan is at his absolute best when he feels passionately about what he's singing. This is an album that makes it impossible to have on in the background. You fixate. The lighter tracks provide welcome breathing room rather than filler. Bob Dylan's Blues is a fun satirical tonal shift, Oxford Town is punchy and deceptively casual in its protest, and Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance radiates the joy of the recording session. Even the weaker moments (Down the Highway, Talkin' World War III Blues) are still good by any normal standard. The easiest possible 5/5. Best track: Blowin' in the Wind Will I revisit?: Obviously.

5/10 Hard for me to rate this one. Nothing particularly bad about it and nothing particularly great. Just smooth, easy listening. Not my preferred genre but I can appreciate it. Best track: Three Little Birds Will I revisit?: No

1/10 This is the first one I didn't manage to get through. Simply not for me.

2/10 I couldn't get into this one at all. Ok at times, but mostly unpleasant to listen to. One positive is that I like the raw, unprocessed sound of the drums. Overall not an enjoyable listen for me. Best track: Where Is My Mind? Will I revisit? No

4/10 Good at times but so very long. So long that I just had to start skipping songs in the second half just to get through this marathon of a listen. There were highlights, and I really like the snippets of conversation peppered throughout, which really take you to the time and add a kind of charm. Best track: Dark As A Dungeon Will I revisit?: No

6/10 There's something quite cool about Sax Punk. I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. It's underproduced, the vocals are simple, the music is repetitive, but there's charm and fun all around which makes for an overall enjoyable listen. Not revolutionary or overly interesting, but solid overall. Best track: Germfree Adolescence Will I revisit?: Probably not

4/10 An album that's less about enjoyment and more about endurance. The production is deliberately abrasive, the subject matter relentlessly bleak, and the experience genuinely stressful. It almost invokes sympathy for its subject as they spiral lower and lower. Moments of relief are scattered sparingly: A Warm Place offers a brief ambient reprieve, Ruiner has the most adventurous production, and The Becoming's strummed guitar arrival is indescribably relieving after the chaos. The Queen-esque segues in March Of The Pigs are oddly comforting before the noise crashes back in. Then there's Hurt, the perfect resolution, unsettling and lyrically brilliant in a completely different way to Cash's cover. An adventure. Not sure it was a good one. Knowing the history of the studio it was recorded in adds weight that the album frankly didn't need. Best track: Hurt Will I revisit?: No

9/10 A love song album, through and through. From cheesy infatuation to full-blown infidelity, it covers the spectrum. The production is meticulous to an impressive degree, and the bass lines are the unsung hero of nearly every track, driving the funk that makes this album so irresistible. Beat It, Billie Jean, and Human Nature might be the greatest three-song stretch on any album ever. Beat It is pure funk with a crisp guitar solo, Billie Jean is neck-and-neck with it for perfection, and Human Nature is a genuinely underrated, dreamy gem that deserves more recognition. You could tap your foot through the entire runtime without stopping. The weaker tracks (Baby Be Mine, PYT) are only weak by Thriller's own ridiculous standards. MJ loves a fade out ending, which does leave you wondering how many tracks could benefit from a more defined close. Minor nitpick on a fantastic, timeless album. Best tracks: Beat It, Billie Jean, Human Nature Will I revisit?: Yep!

2/10 Not for me. The samples and production carry the album, with some creative beats (The Ruler's Back's wind instruments, Heart Of The City), but I struggled with the content throughout. Girls, Girls, Girls has aged terribly, and many tracks lack the flow and substance to hold attention. Renegade is the standout, though mostly because Eminem's verses highlight the gap in delivery. A rough listen. Best track: Renegade Will I revisit?: No

2/10 An album full of weirdness, propped up by the lonesome high that is 'It's a Sin'. Otherwise, it's 45 minutes of wading through sub-par vocals and strange sounds. I was keen to get this one over with. Best track: It's a Sin Will I revisit?: No

5.5/10 Beck throws songwriting and composition standards out the window on this album, which is clearly an artistic release for what was a low point in his life. Most songs have no defined chorus, monotonous delivery, and all of them are particularly sad. It's a good album that is somewhat difficult to get through as there's just so much sad in here without reprieve. The raw acoustic guitar tracks seemed to grab my attention the best. Lost Cause, The Golden Age and Guess I'm Doing Fine were my favourites. Overall it was a nice, albeit sad listen. Best track: Lost Cause Will I revisit?: No

6/10 What a unique surprise. These songs are like puzzles, with each successive listen uncovering more and more until a story or a theme materialises. I've never heard music like this. I'm also not sure if I'm intelligent enough to distinguish between profundity and incoherence, but there's definitely a level of lyricism in here that I haven't come across before. It was hard to rate this one. It's so unlike anything I've heard and I'm not really sure I could say I enjoyed it. These are not songs you can get stuck in your head, but there is a level of intrigue that tempts you to try to uncover hidden meanings and decipher the complex metaphor sprinkled throughout. Best track: Sawdust & Diamonds Will I revisit?: Not sure - possibly?

2/10 This was a painful listen. Not much good here at all. ...Baby One More Time is an undeniable hit that has a huge influence on turn of the century and early 00s pop. The rest is certified cheesy, cringey garbage. Best track: ...Baby One More Time Will I revisit?: No

3/10 Unfortunately I found myself really wanting this one to end so I could move on after about halfway through. There's some good in here - I was particularly fond of 'The Shining' and 'Magic In The Air' - but for the most part it was extremely boring and struggled to keep my attention. 'This Song' might be the worst thing I've ever heard, and I will be returning to it if I ever have a strong desire to give myself a splitting headache. Best track: The Shining Will I revisit?: No

8/10 Every song here has it's own identity, with measured experimentation and genuine quality throughout. McCartney is a unicorn when it comes to fully-rounded musical ability - just about everything he touches turns to gold. 'Band On The Run' is clearly the standout track here, and the entire A-Side is brimming with quality. I will say this record is let down a touch by a comparatively weaker B-Side. 'Picasso's Last Words' missed the mark a bit for me. Best track: Band On The Run Will I revisit?: Yes

1/10 I have no idea why this is on this list. It's somewhere between elevator music, and falling asleep in the 00s with the DVD playing the menu music. I get that it uses samples from NYC, but that doesn't make it good or any more interesting. There's just nothing groundbreaking here at all.

3.5/10 Not my genre at all. 'Down In A Hole' was a highlight, but I think that's because it was the least grungy song on the record. Most of the tracks were very similar. The vocals were strong and the music was fine but there's nothing extraordinary here and this should be a list of extraordinary records. Best track: Down In A Hole Will I revisit?: No

4/10 Smooth, comforting, nice wide sound stage and soft vocals. There's nothing bad in here and the production really makes you feel like you're in a jazz bar. The downside is that this record isn't really adventurous in any way. It just simmers away in a comfortable space without experimenting. I enjoy the retained imperfections which further adds to the live and atmospheric feel, but there's just not a lot of substance so I can't rate this highly. Best track: The Girl From Ipanema Will I revisit?: No

9.5/10 Very hard to top this one. Full of experimentation and quality. Each song has it's own strong identity. Fun, weird at times, beautifully written, Ringo-lead track, the list goes on. A Day In The Life is one of the best songs ever made. Best track: A Day In The Life Will I revisit?: Of course!

4/10 I like the experimental and inventive sounds used, but it's just a bit too weird at times and struggled to keep my attention. Nothing profound here. Best track: Modern Dance Will I revisit?: No