1001 Albums Summary

So this album makes me feel dirty. I mean it all starts with the album cover - yeesh. But I can’t help being a Stones fan. It’s like a dirty secret. So…

I can not believe this was the first time I’ve heard this album as an album! I am impressed. Not that Robert Smith cares what I think. But wow. This one deserves a 5. It’s fully composed! I have to listen again- but I know it. Ending with 17 seconds was powerful.

Oh, I feel like I have to apologize, but this is a 5. I love this album. The boys at their best. 4 for the album itself and 1 for pure nostalgia. And isn’t that part of the power of music?

Wow. I guess I’m a metal fan. Who knew? I mean this album is awesome. Truly. I’m giving it 5 stars. It’s going into rotation. I can’t wait to freak out my brother and tell him I’m a full on Black Sabbath fan!

Ohhhh… looking forward to this. I love Johnny. Old and new. Well… I love the concept. I love Johnny’s attitude. But musically - this just isn’t that good an album. I can’t go higher than 3. Boolean rating: yes, yes I am glad I heard this before I died.

Wow, my brother and I were just talking about this album… So crazy that I was looking forward to a metal album as a palate cleanser from Blur, but yeah, I definitely was. And at first it was delivering! I mean I love drums. But somehow this album failed to live up to its promise. It’s too long. It’s too fast. And the mix is wrong? Still. I gave blur a 3 I almost want to give it a 4 just to differentiate. But… no it’s a 3. And the honest Boolean rating is: no. I could have died without out hearing it.

Yeah. Haven’t heard it yet. So I have an admission: I have more than one of these projects going. I mean one album a day just isn’t enough for me, and the whole reason I am here is the AI playlist generator on Spotify that I had fetching albums for me locked me out. What kind of shit is that? Anyway, when I found this website, I was like, oh yes! This is great. But like I said, 1 album a day is not doing it for me. So I’ve been going about 2 weeks generating like 5 unique albums a day, and that has been great. But I knew at some point I would have overlap. But I figured that would be fine too! I mean if I stick with this then I’ll listen to them all, potentially, 5 times. If I really hated an album then I’d let myself off the hook, maybe, but maybe I’d make myself listen when it came up again. Music changes for you with repetition. What I didn’t consider was that the EXACT same, unknown to me, album would be generated in the same day. So I listened twice, with some space, and I have to say, what a lovely album. I gave it 4 stars before, and I give it the same now. But Joan’s definitely becoming a part of my rotation now. Part of me. Boolean rating: yes, grateful to have had the opportunity to hear Joan Armatrading before I die.

Ohhhh thank you. I needed the answer to Ice Cube’s Predator. Yeah, this is a 5 for me. Maybe not the best composed album, though it does have its amazing moments, actually, but it is honestly a bit uneven. But I love it. I really do. I loved it as a teenager. So it’s a 4 star album that gets a bump for nostalgia. And for honestly aging well. It’s like 70’s classic rock, of a moment but for all time. Boolean rating: yes! So glad I get to hear tribe before I die.

Ah Bjork. Always a question with Bjork. Let’s see how I feel today… So Bjork reminds me of Bowie. Seriously. Both are undeniably creative and the production value of their respective projects is often second to none, both are admittedly very influential, and I always feel listening to their albums is somehow “required” of any “true” music lover. But IRL - I skip. Both. Almost invariably. Actually Bowie is better. Some Bowie is listenable- but Bjork- I just… don’t… feel her. This album should be a 4. But it was painful to listen to. So 3. Boolean rating: yes, I suppose I should hear Bjork before I die. I know I’m going to have to hear a lot more. Sugar Cubes and is Homogenic on this list? Well…

Yeah, wish we could skip some of this with the Beatles… Yeah, I really dislike early period Beatles. This is kinda horrible stuff. I want to give it a 1 just to be that person. But… 2 because everyone argues with me like I am condoning murder or something when I voice this opinion. So they get +1 for moving the masses. But Boolean rating: HARD NO. The only reason anyone thinks I need to hear this is because it’s the Beatles, otherwise there are dozens of more important jazz and blues albums from this period that didn’t make the list.

Yes, much better than the early Beatles I just had to listen to. Yes! Just the ticket. The Brothers deliver. Percussion. Funky bass. Vocals. Fairly well placed keyboards and synths. Sometimes too much treble, but it’s 1973, the era of disco. Man, I’d almost give this a 5. But… that treble. 4 solid, really 4.5. Boolean rating: yes, for sure, very glad to hear before I die.

Ohhhh. Well it gets a 5. The interesting thing with this album is that at the time I was not really a Nirvana fan. I associated the In Utero album cover with every careless jeep driving bro I encountered and frankly Nirvana in general represented everything I disliked about the “mainstream.” But now? My god do I love all of it. ❤️ Just like everyone else. And I do, personally, prefer In Utero, but every song on this album is classic. Boolean rating: yes! So glad I listened and listened again before I die. RIP Kurt.

I’m an unapologetic Queen fan. But I’m not sure I’ve ever heard this album… And I hadn’t. But man was it good. Not A Night at the Opera, but so good. I did say I was unapologetic. So 5 it is. Boolean: yes, very glad I got to hear before I die

Ahh Goo. It has taken me so long to appreciate you. But now that I do, I can’t imagine a world without you. This has become a 5 star album for me. Over decades, from disliking it strongly the first time I heard it to now, feeling joy and exhilaration upon listening to it. Amazing how that can happen. Such was the case with Kendrick Lamar. It didn’t take as long for me to appreciate Kendrick, but it took years. Boolean rating: YES- hopefully I have a good number of listens left before I die.

Yeah - this one’s hard for me. I honestly like this album in the way I always have - Radiohead for yoga practitioners. It goes down smoothly. But… well… I suppose everyone says it. It’s maybe too smooth, too easily in the background, too lacking in content that can’t be easily moved from one story line to another at will. So… 3. Boolean: yeah, I do think one should listen to the music that is most listened to for understanding, if nothing else. And, you know, it is easy to listen to.

If this wasn’t a friggin BOXSET this would get a higher rating, but - compilations? Really? The ENTIRE Gershwin song book? I mean, what an education. So important for jazz. And Ella. She really is a marvel. But… the whole friggin BOXSET? I just can’t go higher than 3. Boolean: yes, I do suppose I should have listened to this whole dang thing before I died, but it would have been so, so much better as MULTIPLE albums. Yeah

I’ve loved this album for a very long time. Perhaps from the moment I discovered it, or it was shown to me, at the age of 14. Power to the people! Power to the pussy! It manages to be so sad and pensive and so damn funky and rocking, I’ve always been amazed at its beauty and balance. 5 Boolean: I am always glad I listened to the whole album and not just the amazing opening track.

I love the Kinks. I love how ironic and tongue in cheek they are. They pull it off with such musical competence. They’re able to jump genre and write a catchy and witty song with seeming ease. But it does get tiring. This album is only 40 minutes, but I was ready for it to finish. That’s my only real complaint. Boolean: yes, absolutely glad to hear a Kinks album, generally

Ummmmmm- so, I really WANTED to like this. It was well put together. I could tell SOMEONE somewhere had an idea. But… it was hard to listen to. Really. An odd experience. Dissonant, but… subtly so? Hard to say. I’d have to listen to it again. And I find I don’t want to. Really REALLY don’t want to. So it gets 3. And a Boolean: yes, good to have heard before I died. Maybe again to figure it out? Maybe not.

Um… not sure why this is here? I mean just listening to it is actually hard. It’s good background, bad foreground music. But certainly not an album I needed to hear before I die. So… 3 cause I did like it in the background. Boolean: No, really no. Something else from 95 really could go here instead

Yeah- the thing is I realized I never really listened to early female hip hop artists. Not one. I did listen to Public Enemy and Tribe, OutKast, De la Soul, Wu Tang- well the list goes on- and on. But not one lady among them. I remember when Missy Elliott hit. I avoided her like… well something you’d be ashamed of catching. The thing is, I AM a lady. Shouldn’t she be speaking to me? So I was glad for the opportunity to give her a listen. And it was better than the worst case scenario. But… yeah, she’s not speaking to me. But I do respect her. For going out there doing her thing in a man’s man’s man’s world. Will I ever listen again? No, don’t think so. 3 for effort. Wish she didn’t have speaking interludes. Boolean: yes, I suppose it was good to have listened to this before I die.