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.

Oh no. Just found out this is over two hours long. That’s a problem for me right from jump. I mean it’s a problem with George Harrison’s All Things and Stevie’s Songs. And those would be damn near perfect albums in my book if they weren’t going toward two hours in Stevie’s case or over two hours in George’s case. I start to get fidgety at over an HOUR. Two is asking too much of my sonic attention. The interesting thing here is that my tolerance for this side of “folk” is way higher than for its renaissance brethren. Perhaps because I am a Yank? But of course the song types here are all derived from Scottish and Irish folk music. Well… I do appreciate bluegrass without the vocals. Just play the damn music. But still, to appreciate this I HAVE to break it up. And man… I just can’t go over 3 that is trying my patience this much. I do appreciate it, just - couldn’t you edit and give me the highlights? Boolean: yes, I suppose so. But maybe better broken up over many days.

Oh- Frank gets a 5! This album gets a 5. This album is quite a work of art - even if aspects of its production haven’t aged perfectly, perhaps. I… I wish Blond was on the main list. I wish Frank hadn’t disappeared. It makes it hard not to speculate about what might have been, but I believe the man’s a genius and that will never be shaken. Every song on here is amazing. Just an example of Frank’s incredible ability: Pyramids. This has to be one of the greatest songs I know. Perhaps only outdone by his own Nights on Blond. The way he changes the meaning and context of “pyramids” both inside the song and then in the song’s position in the greater progression of the album is so masterful- I could write pages, not just lines about it. 5 Boolean: yes, so very glad to hear Frank Ocean before I die. I love you Frank, wherever you are

Interestingly I really was unsure how to approach this album. I appreciate jazz. As I stated in my review of Coltrane’s Love Supreme, my stepfather was a huge fan who worked to educate me in my youth. But I realized after writing that little review that my stepfather was biased toward horn players. I had no idea who Kieth Jarrett was until this exercise. If his Koln concert was the greatest selling solo piano performance of all time, how did I not know about it, at all, until yesterday? Then when I thought back on Coltrane and A Love Supreme I was hit by something else. Where was Giant Steps? My Stepfather would have been scandalized. Just like he would have been by the absence of Bird. And I realized that I knew Thelonious Monk, knew who he was, because of the album Bird and Diz where I believe he was the pianist. But I don’t think my stepfather had any solo Monk. And I don’t think he talked about him as much. So I am biased. I never got into jazz on my own. Not exactly. Not the way some people do. I mostly go back to what I am familiar with and continue to love it. And when someone introduces me to something new I often ponder it and digest it and then accept it or reject it accordingly. So… this album. I had to listen to it twice. And I will admit I read some blather about it. I realized there were valid reasons I didn’t feel compelled to give it a 5 right off the bat. It seems Thelonious was truly struggling with his band mates and it shows. It’s just not the smooth single take that other classic albums are purported to be. But it IS great. That second listen paid off. I came to appreciate it more and more. So 5. Boolean: yes, absolutely glad I listened and re-listened, and hopefully will listen to yet again before I die.

The Beta Band is a weird one. They definitely do strange things with their sound and mix. I remember when they opened for Radiohead on the Kid A tour. The weirdness even struck me then, way out in an audience of high people waiting for the main band. And it’s weird that they’re on this list until you remember that they’re in the pocket for the editor of “The Book.” Thing is, I continued to listen to the Beta Band here and there over the years and they have grown on me. In a very interesting way. My husband can’t stand the way the vocals often sound like they’re coming from behind a mattress behind the rest of the band. It drives him up a wall. They do come to the foreground at key moments, but it’s only a moment and not enough to keep his attention. Still… I think it’s a feat the way they have worked into me. Despite the weirdness. 4 Boolean: yes, gotta say yes

No idea… that is such roulette. 85. That bodes ill. Yeah. Bad as I feared. Opened with badly used dub. And it didn’t improve. One thing I will say about this exercise is that it has exposed me to A LOT of mediocre and outright bad British pop and soft rock from the turn of the millennium. But so far the exposure to the unknown treasures from the 60s and 70s far outweighs the pain of whatever the editor of “the book” was doing to be relevant. But man… this is… yeah this is getting a 1. Maybe yesterday it was a 2 for effort and production but not today. Today it’s pissing me off. Man anything good about this was ripped directly from MJ. What’s with pop acts in the 80’s thinking it was cool to just imitate MJ? But I guess that continued…I mean God and I have three songs to go… 1 Boolean: no, definitely not

Don’t know. 1983. British. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Um… where to start… so it seems each nation has its own expression of the Devil. For the US, it’s Rick Ruben. Yasi Salek said it on an episode of her podcast Bandsplain: “and here’s the point in the artist’s career where the Devil, Rick Ruben, appears.” After she said that I almost died. It’s soooo true. Struggling, unsure where to turn, “ah hello here I am to help you along my child. You only have to give me…. Well, you know. Let’s call it ‘creative control.’ It sounds so much better.” Now Rick Ruben is subtle. Malcolm McLaren is not. I guess the Devil can be more out in the open across the Atlantic. Interestingly the Devil sees the soul connection between Punk and Rap. And the Devil is given credit for using this connection to bring Rap to a larger, largely white, audience. The Devil makes music of other people’s music. The Devil doesn’t play an instrument, he plays people. And I guess in Great Britain, the Devil can actually put his name to this “product.” Rick Ruben would never dare. But just get him talking about the late Johnny Cash and he’ll tell you who REALLY is responsible for the American series, American IV, and the entire late career of Cash. Cash was the instrument Ruben played and you can bet if he COULD have put his name on it, he would have. Which brings me to the problem of rating this album. There is much about its organization and “world music” interludes that I find soulless. But… the samples of The World’s Famous Supreme Team are historic gold. For anyone interested in the history of hip- hop this right here is an amazing document. Worth the pain of the album. So I guess I’m giving it a 2 but a Boolean of YES. Bad Devil, good hip hop history.

So I have a number of these projects going. Sorry, 1 album a day ain’t doing it for me. I’m a month in and there has been surprisingly little overlap. But here we have one, back to back. Today I listened a second time. I gave this a 4 yesterday. It’s still a 4 today. Drum duet is still the highlight. Still think Ginger Baker is way more awesome drumming with this ensemble than with Cream. Eric Clapton ain’t nothing special as far as I can tell from solo and collaborative works I’ve sat through. So 4. Boolean:yes

Tracks from this album have been with me probably since it was released. But I don’t think I have ever listened to the album. PJ Harvey really was at top form here. This is really quite a work. I just don’t find it consistent. But certainly the whole is worth more attention. 4 Boolean: yes, Beverly glad to have heard before I dir

I have multiple of these projects going and just got this. Sorry, but I love it, it gets a 5. Listening again (and again) after all these years only makes me love it more. Don’t know, guess that’s the trouble with my head. 5 Boolean: yep, again and again

Um… I really wanted to like this. It’s sort of in the pocket for me. But… it was… tedious. I alternated between being into it and being annoyed and ready for it to be over. Not a good look. So it gets a 3. It ended well. 3 Boolean: yes?

Oh hello Mariah. Uhmmm. Let’s see what happens… at least it’s the only one… Um… this one’s actually hard. Mariah has a beautiful voice, no doubt. But… man this is uneven. Does it want to be RnB? Because if it does, it makes some very poor late 90’s choices in production. Her duet with Dru Hill is very strong, but on other tracks that I guess are trying to be more “hip-hop,” boy is it baaad. Cringy bad. At those moments I just want her Christmas album. And really, Mariah on a good day is selling a So Cal lifestyle that I never embraced/ never wanted. So… 2 Btw - I have been informed that I have not been properly using the Boolean. It should be true or false, not yes or no. I say: same difference. My husband says: no, precision matters. So… Boolean for Butterfly: FALSE- there was no need for me to have heard this before I die. I would much rather hear Mariah’s Christmas album

On my multiple projects this is the second time this album has come up. The first time I gave it a 4. It was at the beginning of my engagement with this exercise, and I did so because I don’t think it’s their best. Now, after many albums and a solo work by Morrissey that I have found out is one of FOUR (4)… yeah, this gets a 5. It’s awesome. All the way through. The Smiths were awesome. Morrissey is f*ing almost unbearable without Marr. It’s amazing to me. The team of those two men was MAGIC. No one can convince me otherwise. Marr is in top form here. His arrangements are MASTERFUL- end to end. The first three songs are a powerhouse that work because Morrissey’s biting lyrics are highlighted so well by Marr. And then two songs that I have always adored, from the very first time I heard them, Bigmouth Strikes Again and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others- ONLY work because of Marr’s incredible innovation. Without the music both songs are silly at best and possibly annoying. 5- Love The Smiths/ Morrissey can stick it Boolean: TRUE- in fact I plan on listening to it many more times before I die

It wasn’t just Jimi Hendrix. It was the Jimi Hendrix EXPERIENCE. And such an important part of that experience was Mitch Mitchell. I listened to this on headphones… and yeah, that trio really DID create a something amazing. This is one of those top albums of all time. Doesn’t matter that it’s an hour. On this one, I could go longer, perhaps. And that’s saying a lot. I bitch about the double album on The White Album, Songs in the Key of Life, All Things Must Pass. Enough said. 5 Boolean: TRUE

This is the second time this has come up for me and my multiple projects. I didn’t dig it the first time. But I listened a second time. Music can really change for me on the second time through and familiarity can improve my impression immensely. But that’s not the case here. What happened was that I became more aware of what was wrong. Laura has a fear of emptiness. She feels compelled to fill every moment, every instant with sound, with vocalization, with instrumentation. If she could have just let in a little room for breath, I believe there would have been a great improvement. But we’ll never know. And I am not sure I can withstand this a third time. 2 Boolean: true, so I could know

This is the second time for this album. I have the multiple projects going. I gave it a 3 the first time. Except for Ginger Baker I was unimpressed. Let’s see how I feel today… God it has the hits. And Ginger Baker. He’s truly exceptional. The more I listen to him play in different settings, the more impressed I am. So today, it’s a 4. But… yeah, enough Cream for awhile. 4 Boolean:True

Um… The Byrds have 5 albums on the list. Really? Is that really necessary? Interesting, I just listened to the Flying Burrito Bros. That album has some history for me personally. This… is just another album from 68. Oh. I like alt-country. I like folk. But… this is… not good. It’s making me figure out why. It’s like smooth peanut butter. The jangling instruments, the lack of percussive interest. The treble harmonizations. It adds up to… white bread and Jiff stuck in my throat. 2… You Got a Reputation is ok, but man, I am feeling like going to 1. This album is pissing me off. How long is it? Yeah it gets a 1. The contractual disputes destroyed what might have been ok. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Boolean: False. Don’t need 5 albums from the Byrds. They need to fly away to the past and stay there.

Damn. This is a very good album. This might be their 5. Let’s see how I feel… Uh… no. No. This is a shit sandwich. Gimme Shelter- a bunch of shit - You can’t Always get what you want. The album cover even displays it. They knew. 3 Boolean: uhhhh,True?

Um… 😐 what I find befuddling is HOW many people LOVE Maxwells Silver Hammer. 🔨 what??? Its inclusion almost takes this, the absolute best Beatles album, down to a 4 with the rest of their uneven stuff. I agree that this album is best listened to all together. I think the medley and I want you/ she’s so heavy are brilliant. I think Paul’s bass playing is amazing. Truly. I remember when I realized that was him. But Maxwells Silver Hammer is… bang bang not a banger. Anyway- is it possible to not give this album a 5? Despite its flaws. Deep and concussive I guess it is. Because I was just reprimanded for only giving it a 5 because I am supposed to. 4 Boolean: true

Second time through for this. It’s wonderful. Don’t need to know Portuguese. Music is a universal language. 4 Boolean:True

I believe this is a 5. And it is. It has been in rotation since I was introduced sometime in the mid to late nineties. That’s a long time. There’s been long periods where I didn’t reach for it, but honestly, it was always close at hand. This exercise is making me think about WHY Massive Attack and Tricky affected me the way they did. I believe it’s the beats. The sound building experience. And this has aged well for me. I love it today as much, more for all the time it’s been played and played against the developments that were to come. So truly a great album. Along with Mezzanine. A fight for a place on my desert island. 5 Boolean: TRUE

Oh, really don’t think I am in the mood for this today. The exercise is teaching me that the 60’s really wasn’t my decade. But I did appreciate their innovative use of both channels AND the flute. 3 Boolean: surprisingly, true

You know, I am tired of this. I will give it a 3. But that’s out of a feeling of obligation. The more I listen, the more I encounter this period in general, the less I like. It’s musically content. And it’s full of shit. 💩 3 Boolean: Yeah

I love TH. But this early? Maybe not as much… 3 Boolean: true?

I seriously NEEDED this. After slogging through what felt like endless 60’s “cannon” offerings- The Band, Crosby,Stills and Nash, BOB, two from Dylan actually, The Who, this album is like hitting land after a long time at sea. I almost want to give it 5. It’s emotional. The second half falls off. I can’t give it a 5. But… I’m having a physical reaction of relief. I guess it’s generational. But this exercise is teaching me that as much as I might appreciate the 60’s, and while there may be artists from that time I revere, overall- I hate the 60’s. Oh album generator- please- tomorrow give me 50’s jazz, 70’s soul, 80’s new wave - anything, except the 60’s. Not even the Beatles. No. And this. This was so, so appreciated. That cover of Public Enemy is awesome. That’s how a cover is done right. 4 Boolean: true

Actually surprised by this album. Thought I was going to listen, digest, and toss as I have been doing lately. I have found myself less excited for the ride and less forgiving. I remember the title track and Annie Lennox from my childhood, but I can’t say I found them impressive. But this album is solid. Straight through to the cover of Satellite of Love, which is done well. 4 Boolean: True

Oh… haven’t been impressed with Declan Patrick MacManus thus far… maybe today? Nope. Today’s no better. I believe among my various projects this is the third time I have encountered Elvis Costello. This is the third of his (6!) album selections I have endured. I have learned: 1. He does not grow on me or get better the more I listen. 2. Six (6) albums is, at least, 4 too many on this list, even if he produced some 24(!) or so thus far in his career. 3. Many consider this - Armed Forces - to be his “best.” Its working title was “Emotional Fascism.” And here’s the thing: I find the constant references to holocaust imagery… for instance from goon squad: You must find the proper place for everything you see But you'll never get to make a lampshade out of me… I find this sort of thing done regularly, not just distasteful and distracting but… lazy. It’s playing with shocking words and ideas without actually putting anything behind them. Yeah. Today was not the day for Declan. 2 Boolean: (this is his best? Well, out of 24, or 6 true I suppose. But if another is selected in its place FALSE)

Oh thank you! My brother was a “skate punk.” This sound dominated our shared wall. This album, in particular, brought me round the corner, to hear the “secret track,” gotta get away, and of course, self esteem. I also found the spoken bits hilarious. Actually, the whole is quite cinematic. I do find the vitriol thrown at Offspring interesting. Even my brother, who was certainly a fan back in the day, throws shade these days. But here, the ONLY thing I’m going to address is today’s listen, I’ve decided. I still love it. It feels too long. The issues people have with lack of melody or guitar, well imao much is being carried by the bass. The bass makes this. It is actually bass driven and bass dominant. The lyrics can be… inane, but also quite… surprising. And as a soundtrack for “bad kids” who -Hey, they don't pay no mind If you're under 18 you won't be doing any time- It’s a great soundtrack. And it’s great to run to. Just in general. No police involved. 4 Boolean: True

Yeah. Undeniably well arranged and well executed. Frank’s the smoothest, swingiest, safest blue eyed songster of them all. It makes me long for Louis and Ella. 3 Boolean: true

What a weird day I am having. Yeah, actually happier to hear this than I thought I would be. I almost gave it a 4. But it’s… thin. I’m glad it’s here and the beats are solid. Latifah’s flow is good, but… she doesn’t ever grip me. I love that she’s not using sex. It’s her and her power. Right on. And there aren’t a bunch of useless skits. But even the production is… somehow lacking. By the end I just can’t go higher than 3. 3 Boolean: true