1001 Albums Summary

Truly masters of treble sadness.

I remember this album! There was a time when its sound was everywhere! The musicianship really is fantastic. That rhythmic section. And the horns. Yeah.

Oh yes!!! Yeah- I obviously had high hopes for this album. But, no. It really wasn’t that good. There was no reason for sex machine to be 13 minutes! No. And I ended up liking the second track the best. Oh well… it’s Sly and the Family so they still get a 3.

Haven’t heard this in awhile. Wow. Neil Peart. All I really want to listen to is him. The rest is far too treble, but if I am giving Sticky Fingers a 4 this definitely deserves a 4 just for Peart. He was truly amazing. I would never just pop this on, but, yeah I don’t throw the Stones on much either. But I am glad I listened.

Well this should be fun. Haven’t heard this yet. What can I say - one should not judge an album by its cover! I actually really liked this. It fully will go into rotation- minus the final track - wtf? But otherwise, great musicianship, everything I want from rock and roll extended play! 4 solid stars.

Haven’t heard this yet! Oh yes I have! This was my dad’s sunny day/ house cleaning album when I was a little kid. He also put it on to keep me quiet, cause the musical transitions at the beginning of the album endlessly fascinated me. I can’t separate my feelings about this album from deep nostalgia. Wow. It gets 4 stars for sure. It’s uneven, but wow. What a trip.

Been a long time… So I am implementing a new rating system in addition to the 5 stars. The Boolean system. Did I need to hear this album before I died? Yes or No. Um, so it’s weird how this reminded me of Zappa’s Hot Rats. Not in sound, exactly, but in the feeling it gave me. Costello’s talent is evident. His piano playing is quite good. Man I wanted him to stop. It wasn’t as bad as Zappa, but… I mean I have to give him 3 stars for talent. But the Boolean rating for this album? No! I could have died never having heard this. It would have been just fine.

Oh, good. Looking forward to this. Not sure I heard it in the day… if I did, it’s been awhile. Oh no. I learned something. I can’t do funk without soul. Man, the musicianship is undeniable. But something was wrong. I just wasn’t enjoying myself. Then I looked up other reviews and the album. And yeah. I give 3 stars to the band and maybe -1 stars for Jay Kay?The best track by far was music of mind where he doesn’t appear as a vocalist. Boolean rating: no. I could definitely have died without hearing this.

Was just thinking of this album… Wow. Didn’t realize I knew just about every song. Crazy. Well that’s a 5. Boolean rating: yes, absolutely. Glad to hear and keep on hearing before I die.

Wow, crazy. I just listened to this again the other day. I like A Space Outta Sound better. George Evelyn is a great dj. I can’t imagine people coming to this cold. I mean it is very easy listening, but rarely do I find people appreciate Evelyn as a dj unless they already know him as a dj. 4 stars. Boolean rating: yes. Glad I knew about Nightmares on Wax before I died.

Don’t know this…. This was totally my bag! Loved it. Completely missed it in the 2000’s on this side of the pond. Listened twice and enjoyed it more on the second listen. 4 stars. Boolean rating: yes! Absolutely glad I heard it before I die.

Wow, not sure I really want more rush… Yeah… always hard with them. Appreciate the musicianship, even appreciate some of the daring prog/ post rock elements, but I still want it to be over. And the vocals… treble just isn’t my thing. The bubbling brook doesn’t make me want it to be over less. And if I feel this way during the 20 minute intro… well… yeah 3 stars. Cause damn can Neil Peart play the drums. Boolean rating: no. I can’t say I needed to hear this before I die.

Oh, I love this album. But damn is it long. Even Stevie in Songs in the key of Life gets tiring after an hour and a half. But I’m happy to go in again… Yeah. Isn’t it a pity this album isn’t shorter? I mean it would be an easy 5, 6, 7 if at least 1/2 were cut. And put on a different album. You know, people do that. You don’t have to include EVERYTHING in one place. Leave them wanting more. And, yes the material here, like much of McCartney’s solo work, is stuff I would rather listen to than any Beatles album any day. But not all at once. No, not all at once. A frustrating 4 stars. Boolean rating: yes, yes I am glad to hear this before I die. But it’s better broken up. A continuous listen makes me appreciate it less, not more.

Um? Oh no. I found out Whitney Houston’s debut isn’t on the list but this is? Wtf? I mean Norah can sing, I guess, there’s some production value here, good choices, I guess it deserves a 2 for the session musicians. But did I need to hear this? Boolean rating: HARD NO

Wow. Well this gets a 5. I’m sorry I am a 1% Radiohead fan. I listen to a lot of music and over the years, Radiohead ends up being at the top. They just do. This was the album that introduced me. I loved it the first time I heard it. Almost 30 years later (!) and I know every moment. This doesn’t make me love it less. Some albums don’t age well. Sometimes I go through a re-listen of music I was intensely into at an earlier point and quickly grow fatigued wondering what I was enamored with all those years ago. Not so here. But, I will say, I have realized in the silly “who is your favorite Radiohead” inquiry, in the midst of the moaning about Thom’s moaning and comments about Johnny’s neurodivergence, it is, and always be: Phil Selway! My god the man is a genius! Rock on Phil! Boolean rating: YES, I am very glad to listen and keep on listening until I can listen no more.

Ahhh. Actually love this album. Well… maybe not. Synchronicity I is a jarring intro. And it all feels too rushed from there. This isn’t the album I thought it was. Like the horns but they aren’t given room. Admittedly I have always loved Mother. British Pop icons having psychotherapy sessions for our listening pleasure can be quite amusing. And obviously Sting has psychological problems - the hits Every Breath and King of Pain are cases in point. But honestly, the second half of the album was truly beloved by my 8 year old self. Tea in the Sahara and Murder by Numbers were songs I knew! I knew the lyrics. Hard to deny that… 4 stars for old times sake. Boolean rating: yes, glad I heard Police as a child so I could think about them as an adult, before I die.

Oh fun! Never heard this before! That album cover is really quite cool. Wow. Well first off, that album cover is false advertising. My first thought was that David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen had a Frankenstein baby. But this is so much worse than that. And what’s with Brit’s feeling compelled to explore their mother issues in the studio? The truly Springsteen-esque tracks 2 and 3 were alright, but then enter the barbershop quartet, and David Lynch’s sound director, jazz piano, tinkling bells, space sounds, some of the worst lyrics I have ever encountered emphasized with dramatic pauses and then, then FULL cinematic orchestration! I mean there is experimentation and then there is this. What’s the excuse for this? I can only conceive it was a lot of indiscriminate drug use all around. I wanted to give it 2 stars for tracks 2 and 3, but by the end, I had to admit this is awful. Truly. 1 star. Boolean rating: no. Really. No one needs to hear this. I find it hard to believe any one would want to hear it. But I looked at the other reviews and apparently many do, or are at least are glad they did. Well - no accounting

Ha! Just listened to this again a little while ago. When my brother was 10 or 11 this and Tribe’s Low End Theory were a couple of the first cds he legitimately bought for himself. Most of his music collection until this point had been copied from other’s copies and consisted of Misfits, Descendants, Minor Treat and other bands that were coming out when he was a baby. For my part, I was ruminating in my locked room over the initial releases from Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. He played this endlessly. At a certain point it seeped in through osmosis. We were able to bond over it. Run into each other in the kitchen? “Hey boiiiii, that peanut butter needs some flavor!” Somehow he was always Flavor Flav and I was Chuck D by default. Didn’t matter that we were two alienated middle class white kids. Public Enemy spoke our language. 5+, the rating can’t possibly be separated from nostalgia. Isn’t that the real power of music? Boolean rating: yes absolutely, very glad to hear and hear again before I die.

Looking forward to this… I think I missed this album. I believe this is the first time I’ve ever heard it. I know Murmur, Green, Automatic for the People… this one was lost in the shuffle? I was glad to hear it! Boolean rating: yes, definitely worth a listen

Actually just listened to this. Not as good as Paranoid, but truly solid. 4 stars. Boolean rating: yes, for sure

The production on this is truly terrible. But old school Johnny Cash, the feeling of it, well, it still gets a 4. Boolean: yes. Glad to hear it.

Wow - ok. So “JT” is super cringe. I want to give him a negative rating. It’s not just the boy band aroma that sticks to him like bad cologne, it’s the MJ impersonation, the lyrics, everything really. But then there is the production. I just can’t fault it. It’s good. And the collaborations that make Timberlake seem like a rotten center in a well done dessert. The Michael Jackson influence is legitimate, it isn’t simply Timberlake’s acting persona. So how do I rate this? Crazy, but I think I’m actually giving it a 3. The production is that good. I really really dislike Justin himself. But I guess if you have a machine behind you… Boolean rating: yes, I suppose it was good to hear this. It was of a moment, that’s for sure. And it does prove that a well oiled studio machine can make manic even with a terrible front man.

This is another album from my father’s collection. I think suite Judy blue eyes was my favorite song when I was four. The thing is, it’s a great album for a child. But as an adult… well I find its treble harmonizations, renaissance imagery, and “folksy” efforts trite. I don’t know what to do. 3 or 4? Well I just have Justin Timberlake a damn 3 which he himself in no way deserved, but I respect production. And nostalgia. So 4 it is. Boolean rating: yes, very glad to hear this again.

Well… this is one of those albums I feel like I have to apologize for rating well. Undeniably disturbing. Kim is a case in point. That’s more than a simple skit. More than homophobic and misogynistic, it’s gleefully unapologetic about its provocative nature. But man it has me laughing out loud at every turn. It’s well done. A horror fest of male fantasy not unlike American Psycho in its own way. After writing American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis came out. I am not the only person to see his struggles with his own sexuality in the novel. It does make one wonder about Mr. Mathers, no? Boolean rating: yes, glad I actually listened to this album. But it would be better at UNDER an hour not almost 15 minutes OVER

First, I have never gotten into Eric Clapton. I have never understood what the hype was about. I don’t really count myself a “guitar” person, but I do appreciate great playing and I consider myself a core fan of “rock and roll.” So I thought this album would be a good introduction to this “great guitarist.” I was wrong. If I listened to it without knowing ANYTHING about it I would toss it as a passable recording of a decent bar band that did an unfortunate cover of I Shot the Sheriff. Why is this here? I was going to give it two stars because it’s decent, but I think I have to take one away for its musical offensiveness. Boolean rating: HARD NO

It has been a really long time… Yeah, I remember wanting to like this album more than I did. And that remains the case. I would actually count myself a Beck fan, I generally enjoy his genre mishmash. But this album doesn’t… flow. Just when I start to dig it, it takes a hard right, or left, and enter in the video game noises. It’s Brechtian. I’m not a fan of Brecht’s plays and I can’t say I enjoy this album. None the less, I do appreciate it. So 3 stars. Boolean rating: yes, I suppose I am glad to have heard it again. But maybe not again after this.

Looking forward to this… Ohhh yessss! Why oh why have I never heard this album before? This is awesome! Obviously familiar, like, idk early Beatles? But this is so awesome and that early Beatles that we have endlessly shoved at us is truly terrible. Wow, yay! Boolean rating: YES, this is why I am here!

Yeah… this is one of those albums I have always felt like I should like. I have not, historically, liked it. I tried to run up that hill. Really I did. Let’s see if time has changed me. It’s the drum machine. It’s the orchestration. I find it incredibly hard to listen to. I LIKE dissonance. But I NEED bass. I actually love her voice. But I find her vocals just… well almost grating the way they’re placed in the mix. I think I might hate this album. Mother Stands for Comfort might save this from a 2. Yeah. That song gives her voice room and puts it forward, where it belongs. And the run until the demonic voice in Waking the Witch is… good? I dive right in Under the ice. That right there is my song. But Satan has to ruin everything. And if it ended with Hello Earth, it would have ended strong. The mood is thoroughly ruined with The Morning Fog. I am down with art and experimentation. Kate undeniably has talent, her voice is amazing in fact and she’s quite a pianist. But… I continue to not like this album. It does not grow on me. I just become more aware of why I don’t like it. So… 3? I guess that’s fair. I gave Taylor Swift a 3. I mean really. Boolean: yes, yes powers that be, I guess I will admit that this is a good album to have heard now multiple times before I die. But hopefully never again.

Aside from the hits on this album it’s surprisingly boring. I thought I would be there for it. But… I wasn’t. The hits from back in the day still hit, and I almost wanted to go 4 just for that, but in the end my boredom won out.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this. I had low expectations, but I think I am giving it a 4. Go new wave! Boolean: yeah, glad I heard before I die.

Never heard of this band or album. At the time this one completely passed by me. Very glad to encounter it here, honestly. At first I was worried that it was another Brit sample from this period that did not belong on this, or any other list, and was better left forgotten. But no. I was wrong. I look forward to listening to this one again. Boolean: yes, glad I got to hear it before I die.

So I really wanted to give this a three because the main tracks are soooo overplayed they…. Drive me a bit down the rabbit hole… Into the void. But I have to admit, it’s decent album. Boolean: yeah, it’s good to hear these full albums before I die.

Man this is good! I forget how f*ing good Al Green is. Another reason to do this exercise. Bring back the albums I haven’t heard in years and knew were good once, but there’s just so much music, it’s easy to lose even the good ones. Boolean: yes, very glad to have heard again before I die.

Ready to not want to rate this well. Ready to feel like sympathy for the devil is overplayed and that it’s all down hill from there. But.. as it generally goes with the stones, I have to admit I really am a fan. I do rock out to their albums and this one is no exception. And sympathy for the devil IS a great song. So this one gets a 4. I think they all get 4s. Boolean: yes, yes I am sure I will hear this at least once more before I die.

So…. Well, it was better than expected. But not good enough to get me to 4 stars. It could be in the background far too easily. 3 Boolean: yes, glad to hear before I kick it

Interesting to me when this album came out I was 13 and by all accounts it should have been my forever favorite. But I was already in love with the long dead Ian Curtis and Robert Smith had nothing on him. Just as I rejected New Order out of hand for not being Joy Division enough, I rejected The Cure for not being… enough. Years on and late to the party though I may be, I am glad to finally have arrived. I think this album is brilliant. It’s atmospherics, it’s foreshadowing. It has hits AND it’s well composed. I gave 17 Seconds a 5. I don’t think I had ever heard it before this exercise. But it is also surprising well composed. Smith really knows his stuff. This album… well I knew I would give it a 5 before hearing it again. But it really deserves higher than that. It’s definitely in my top 50 albums of all time. 5 Boolean: yes, absolutely, and hopefully a good number more times before I die

Haven’t heard this one yet… but it’s Otis, so… This is hard. It’s a 4 maybe. This is not his best work, necessarily. But his best is… scattered -not a full album - actually partly posthumous. Who remembers that Respect is HIS song? Aretha was doing the cover. She transformed it, yes, made it her own. And obviously she did an incredible job. But I keep seeing people claiming Otis is covering her song. It irks me. Otis wrote the damn song people. So for that I think this gets a 5. Because I just found out it’s his only representation on the list. So the 5 is more for the King of Soul and less for this particular album. 5 Boolean: YES, and all Otis Redding’s songs scattered about