1001 Albums Summary

Interesting! Very atmospheric, not much singing. The synth felt very 70s/80s in a mysterious and whimsical way, but also sort of eerie and ominous. I haven't seen Labyrinth, but I noticed myself imagining that kind of high-concept fantasy landscape. Sad undertones made me wonder what was up in his life at this point. Ask Max what he thinks!

Fun and funky! Lots of beeps and boops, but a bit gloomy. Don’t love David Byrnes’ voice but I got over it.

Awesome!!!!!!!!!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!

Oooooh I felt the funk alright. Fried ice cream is a reality.

Some good stuff here, but a little underwhelming. Still enjoyable!

Ugh this was so cool???? Wiped my feet REALLY good on the rhythm rug and didn’t want this to end. Point off for uhhh vague misogyny vibes I guess?

While I would never choose to listen to this of my own free will, it did put me in a trance long enough to finish most of the chores I needed to do… meditative I guess?

Holy crap. I tried being open minded and understanding, but this album was shockingly bad. I laughed out loud several times in spite of myself. Actually, there are some strong instrumental moments, but those are immediately ruined by the most dramatic and extra vocals and lyrics you could imagine. Absolute solid 1/5.

Enjoyable but not memorable. Tbh reminded me of Fingertips a little bit at the beginning?

Shockingly nice to jog to! No glaring objections, no passionate highs either.

good lord. So much flute??? I don’t enjoy his voice, so the super extra instrumentation feels like too much frosting on a mud cake. Get it away from me!

I like this more than I expected. I was impressed by nearly everything about it. I’m not super into his voice, but I got over it. I see how it’s a classic album.

Pretty fun!! Kinda dancey sometimes too! Those Brits, god luv um.

I genuinely don’t know what to make of this. I never would’ve guessed that the most horrifying part of the album is NOT the part sampled as a horror theme (cue ghoulish screaming)

Bob and I are not friends and will never be friends unless I hear him actually hit whatever note he’s attempting to sing. Credit where it’s due for his poetic prowess, but I have no interest in hearing his voice or harmonica at this point.

This was really good!! Obviously I’m ideologically anti-Kanye, but I hear the early Kanye influence here and it’s unfortunately cool. I love the bookend songs and found the lyricism to be really clever.

Spooky Halloween vibes!! I had no idea what to expect from this and it surprised me, both in good and bad ways. Ultimately, I didn’t love this, but I could tell that it’s iconic.

I liked it!! Staring at the Sun was the standout but the rest was fun. I’d listen to more like this!

High 3, very fun and technically impressive but not quite my style!

Bro clear your throat. Stars for the jazz instrumentals only.

I enjoyed this more than I thought! I got used to his nasally voice enough to feel nostalgia. Solid!

More of this in my life please!!!

So many goodies, so much fun!!!

Pleasant and ponderous

Oh Fiona, the world did you dirty…

I don’t think I can be a woman and rate this higher than a two. Even if the lyrics didn’t suck, it wouldn’t have scored higher than a three.

Better than expected!

Ok this swung wildly between meh and awesome. Did not like the first song but some others kind of rocked.

I can’t tell if I’m biased by a lifetime of exposure, but I was just really impressed by the execution of this album. Extremely solid.

This is exactly what I expected it to be, unfortunately. Some interesting stuff on here, but mostly just obnoxious.

Wait what??? Why did I like this???

I enjoyed this but had a hard time giving an unbiased review so we’re going with a safe 3.

“Stop Your Sobbing” completely cracked me up, and overall I thought this was fine but not anything super special.

I wanted to hate this, truly, but couldn’t really find much to be offended by…

Tbh I accidentally missed a ton of songs because Spotify didn't have them, but the ones I did listen to were fun and energetic.

Praise You is the obvious standout of the album, and the rest isn’t bad at all.

I actually enjoyed this a lot, and it was perfect to listen to while driving in rush hour traffic on the interstate. Great rage outlet and fun sounds

Pretty much exactly what I thought it would be; truly average, not offensive but not amazing. Pretty goofy all the way through. Don't forget to wipe your ass!

I don't think this needed to be over an hour long... and what was up with the ska! I actually liked Guns of Brixton decently, but I wouldn't listen to the rest again. Not objectively "bad" though

This was a high 2. I can respect that this was a new type of sound and that Nick Cave has an insane legacy, but I just didn't enjoy listening to it. And that's that!

I'm rounding up because the lyricism on this is crazy. So woke in the best way. I'd def listen again!!

This reminded me of others I've heard... the B-52s a little, Heart a little, I don't know what else... but it was milder and not as good as any of those others. I find this vocal style extremely grating and that strongly influences my rating.

Absolutely insanely artful and a joy to listen to

I thought this was going in a cool direction at the beginning, but right around “Country Comfort” I realized my hope was in vain.

I feel like she would be an aunt who encourages you to try things your mom doesn't let you try, in a bad way. Also, I do not trust white singers who sound black without any acknowledgement or collaboration from actual black artists!

I can actually handle some Green Day in small doses, but this was too much for me. Since it’s such a stylized sound, it ends up blending together after only a few songs.

WE ARE DEVO! I guess?

This was a very specific experience, and I have to give Tom Waits credit for dreaming up and executing that specific experience. Was it for me? No, but it was still clearly borne out of talent and vision. Vocally, I was confused and unsettled, but lyrically, there was some good storytelling and vivid imagery. Honestly, if he had a more tolerable voice, this would've been a 4!

Let me down a little bit but still cool. But why sing about how great of a rapper you are instead of just rapping?

Wuf, this was not so fun for me. I'm committed to listening to the entirety of every album, but I wanted to put this on 2x speed to get it over with more quickly. I was hysterically entertained by the intro of You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, but I definitely would not offer my throat to the wolf with the red roses... I wouldn't offer anything to this album or to the good Mr. Loaf. No thanks.

I liked this more than I thought, but I can't really say why? I liked the energy and really went back and forth on the vocals. Low 3.

Wait, you’re telling me these AREN’T the Beatles? Huh?? Fun and weird but not quite a 4.

I mostly really enjoyed this! I could tell he was very talented and unique, but most of the album blended together after I finished it. Also, I got weird vibes anytime he sang about women.

Oh Cee-Lo... your little elfin voice just does not sound tuff, and I'd much rather hear you belting a ballad on a dramatic stage than doing whatever this was. Like, someone get this man a role in a Shakespeare production or something. Really low 2, almost a 1, so painful to listen to and almost a DNF.

I unapologetically love a solid third to half of this album, and I'm really okay with the rest, too. Very nostalgic, almost a five for me.

I love Frank Sinatra's voice and I equally love the instrumentation on these old albums, but this one unfortunately drags. It maintains the same mood and same message for 16 songs, which was too heavy-handed for me.

I really like Joni Mitchell, particularly her voice and lyricism, and this was almost a four for me. I have a feeling I'll like some of her other music even more.

Gorgeous vocals, compelling instrumentation. If this was an album of originals, it would be a 5 for me, but since it's covers, I'm restraining myself with a 4.

I think I liked this better than Court and Spark and am going to be lazy and give it a 4 because I liked it and can't think of a reason not to!

I LOVE Sting's voice and was just okay with the reggae vibe of this album. I'd listen to several songs again, so it's almost a 4, but I'm rounding down.

URGH! I could not decide on a rating for this one because the end of this album is def better than the beginning. Especially at the beginning, every time I thought, "okay, this is actually cool," it was IMMEDIATELY counterbalanced by something extremely annoying. Overall vibe was like music theater if it was even MORE obnoxious, though I will not deny that there were a few moments of cool instrumentals or harmonies. I ultimately have to give this a 2 because of my strong negative reaction to the first half, but the second half is def closer to a 3.

This was nice! Consistent, enjoyable, but nothing necessarily to write home about.

Tbh i listened to this in a loud car but it seemed perfectly average and fine to me?

Oh wow, how did I never realize that this is so… not great??? I’ve always liked 19 and 21 best, but I think I Stockholm syndromed myself into thinking 25 was almost on their level. It’s not! Absolutely mid, with allowances for my own nostalgia.

This surprised me! First of all, totally based on the name of the band (lol), I thought this would be like MCR--more emo I guess? Max schooled me on "shoegaze," and it turns out I can get behind it. Apparently this wasn't even their most iconic album, and I'd be interested to hear their earlier sound.

I wasn't sure of the sequence of this album amidst all the other Pet Shop Boys I knew, and I wasn't surprised that it was a later one because it's very confident and consistent. I didn't know a single song from this album, and none really stood out to me, but it was impressively solid across the board. I'm glad the Pet Shop Boys are out there doing their thing.

Poetic brilliance, though there were so many references that I didn't know so I couldn't fully appreciate the details. Absolutely insane that this was a 20-year-old's debut.

This was so crazy and fun!!! A little scary but I liked that feeling of being scared

Very feminine album--light touches, smooth and gentle beats, delicate vocals, etc. I liked it! I thought I'd like it more, though. It was pretty long. Unlike the rest of the peanut gallery, I didn't think there were too many interludes and thought they added a lot to the album as a work. High 3, almost 4

Ugh, spare me please. I can usually give some credit to cool guitar and drums, but this is so dramatic, tedious, and, in my opinion, deeply uninteresting. Also, the lyrics... come on.

This was actually so cool sometimes! High 3 because I'd come back to a few of these.

This was cool! I liked it a lot better than the other Sonic Youth album we listened to.

Not starting off to a great start with those opening lyrics, but otherwise, I thought this was really consistently good. I really enjoy New Order for their vocals, instrumentals, and lyrics (sometimes...), and I was glad to listen to this album all the way through.

Yeah, it's long, but it's long with NO SKIPS. I can't help but move my body in the funnest coolest ways when I listen to this album. Thank goodness we have it on CD!!!

Yawn. I don't think I got anything out of this, and I reeeeeally dislike his voice. Also, what's with all of these nearly six-minute songs?? Too much, Rod.

I pay particular attention to albums from 1973 because that's the year both of my parents were born. I like to get a fuller picture of what the world was like when they came into it. Unfortunately, so far it's just this album and Tubular Bells. I can only imagine my parents came out screaming. Ok but fr this was fine but boring. Unremarkable, insipid dad rock.

I think this was about what I expected it to be! It really brought the drama in a fun way, but also a way that challenged me at about the 5-minute mark. I wouldn't ask someone to turn this off, but I wouldn't choose to put it on myself. Solid 3.

You know what, I was endeared to these very odd guys despite everything. I never would have listened to this, but I came out feeling more educated on music history.

Mariah Carey is an undeniably talented vocalist, and I was reminded of that continually as I listened to this album. Lyrically, I wasn't impressed, but I also see how it fit into its own time, and I can't fault it for that. Seems like this album was a deviation from her other stuff and is much more hip-hop influenced, and I think it works for her. "The Beautiful Ones" was BIZARRE though???

This was a really high 3 for me, not quite a 4 but close. I was super impressed by most of the songs and respect Bowie's artistry, I just didn't quite connect with everything. It feels unfair to categorize this with my other 3s though, so I might revise this later... I think Max said the same thing?

Every Breath You Take is just... transcendently good imo. Synchronicity II is also really really good, and I enjoyed the whole back half of this album quite a bit. I looooove Sting's voice and that's all I have to say about that!

Wow this was energetic, perhaps a little too much for my menstruating body and mind. I didn't hate it though, and thought a lot of it was creative. I really liked that the tracks were short, that kept everything moving right along.

Oh my freeeeeeeak this is so good. Banger after banger after banger. I'm loosening my inhibitions just enough to go ahead and give this a five... how could I not?? awoooooooo!!!

This was not what I expected--I thought it would be more angry for a band called "Massive Attack." Instead, it was mostly hypnotic, and the four different vocalists gave it a patchwork feel. The album feels so 90s that I was surprised it was only just coming out of the 80s. Overall, I don't have strong feelings in either direction, though I'm skewing more positive thanks mostly to the fun record scratching (is that an original feature or 2012 addition???).

Hoo boy do S&G know how to write a good song. I will be returning to this!

If I'm being generous, this is on the cusp between 2 and 3. It's truthfully not that different from Massive Attack, which I gave a 3, but this just feels... dumber? I don't have a nicer way to say that. Yeah, pass.

I feel so mixed about this, shockingly. I'm shocked at what I liked and shocked at what I didn't? The vocalist really sounds like Peter Gabriel to me (positive), and the Coldplay comparisons are pretty spot-on (neutral). This album has the flavor of late aughts/early teens pop that I find sweet and nostalgic, and I thought the lyrics of several songs were innocently earnest and clever. At the same time, it's not musically innovative at all, and they sound so similar to many other popular groups of that time. I know I just said that the lyrics were earnest sometimes, but there's a general passionless-ness to this album that felt oppressively commercial, and indeed, Wikipedia revealed that several tracks were used in a bunch of different commercials. I don't know how to reconcile all of these things, so I'm landing on a 3.

As someone who loves Max deeply, I've owed him a listen-through of this album, his all-time fave, for a verrrrry long time. I'd heard many of the songs on the album before, but never all together and never in order. I found it to be extremely cohesive, emotionally and sonically, and I enjoyed the instrumentation quite a lot (especially the horns). The lyrics were so clever and moving, and the tracks transitioned seamlessly. Unfortunately, there is a disturbing paradox at the heart of my experience. As much as I recognize Jeff Tweedy's centrality to the identity of Wilco as lyricist and ideas guy, his voice has such a negative effect on me that it alone almost took this down to 3 stars. It's really, really unpleasant to listen to, in my opinion. Part of me wishes he would keep writing and leave the singing to someone else, but I also recognize that he wants to sing his own truths. I get that, but it just sounds so awful. I liked listening to everything else a lot though! I'm sorry, Max and Jeff!!!!

Wow! I had no idea what this would be going into it. I still don't really understand?? It's definitely one of the more bizarre albums so far. I can't say I liked it, but I have a fearful reverence of it and see a faint resemblance to Fingertips. Definitely not an easy listen, but I was a little bit thrilled by how nutso it was.

It's weird to know that a song on this album was dedicated to Richard Ashcroft of The Verve and that a song on A Northern Soul (by The Verve) was dedicated to Noel Gallagher. What are the odds that I'd listen to both albums, and therefore both songs, back-to-back? I'm listening slightly out of order, but still. Anyway, I hate to say this because I know Max HATES Oasis, but I don't really have a problem with this album. I knew several of the songs already, not that that really means anything, but I came in with a neutral-to-positive impression of them that wasn't really tainted by a listen through the whole album. Sorry, Max!

The thing is, I'm not actually a music critic and sometimes don't have the vocabulary, background, or energy to say why something is good. But this is good!

This was highly unenjoyable and I regret spending an hour on it

I'm very happy to inhabit the incredibly normal territory between "I'm racist and this sucks because it's not western dad rock" and "wow this is the best thing that's ever happened to me because the artist is from Africa and I happen to be very woke." My opinion is very normal and nuanced, and I liked this very much but not in a weird way. I swear. Anyway... Wow! What a gem! I listened to this album twice in one day. The first listen through was a delightful discovery full of surprises and variety, and the second listen through had, surprisingly, exactly the same effect. I'd be happy to listen to this album again any time.

I'm detecting notes of Seal?? And Phil Collins, who was apparently his friend?? Actually, I zoned out for a minute and realized this sounds kind of Cameron Winter-y too... I weirdly enjoyed Big Muff and definitely enjoyed Couldn't Love You More. One World was too corny for me. Small Hours was trippy and I loved the geese honking. Overall, some really good moments and some meh, but I'm glad I came across this once.

I love big band!!!! Sue me!!!!!

What the heck, this freaking ROCKED!!!! If someone explained the concept of this album to me verbally, I might have rolled my eyes. I was immediately on board though, and the fact that it's mostly an album of covers only makes this even more silly and endearing. I felt like I was either surfing or wandering around with Napolean Dynamite the whole time, thanks to the synth organ. Gotta love a synth organ. What a precious little gem.

A seminal masterpiece. I considered a four, but this album is iconic with no skips and impeccable vocals and sound, including jazz piano (!!), and truly wonderful storytelling. I may be Joni-pilled, but this is simply the holy and sacred Bible for sad girl music.