1001 Albums Summary

Sounds like a response to Phil Collins at times, and a mess at others. Technically sound, but all over the place. I guess after 20 years of performing, Paul said “idc anymore”. ⭐️⭐️

Actually pretty solid listen. Very reminiscent of Bob Dylan. Nothing I’d add to a playlist, but cohesive and easy to listen to. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

18 straight songs of jig and polka that sound exactly the same. Absolute trash ⭐️

Not sure why this is considered a classic. It’s full of half baked ideas and drunken noodling from the greatest period of sly’s drug and alcohol use that killed the band. Easy to see why. ⭐️⭐️

I see what he’s going for. And I see the influence on trip hop. 1971 is an early period for concept albums, and making it spoken word is a different use of the medium- basically storytelling with a light musical background. It’s creative. Points for that. I don’t think it’s super great or would recommend it, but probably one of those “important” albums with an outsized influence. And, it’s short ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fair bit to say about this one: Alanis, off a couple of folksier/softer albums took a different path with new production towards an edgier alternative rock/pop sound for Jagged Little Pill. The album title is drenched in irony, as is most of the album: describing both her, and the situation she’s in. She also follows a bit of a journey throughout the tracklist; the first few are very bitter breakup songs, later she sings about finding love again, ending on a happier if perhaps bittersweet note. It’s a well constructed album, not super front loaded, and not a ton of fat either. Maybe 1-2 filler songs. It’s sexual, it’s charged. It’s cathartic, emotive in a way that was a new expression for female singer songwriters of the time. You can draw a line of confessional pop from Joni Mitchell in the 60s to Alanis in the 90s, who then paved the way for your adult contemporary pop singers like Michelle Branch a bit later, and following the line even to the 2010s with Tove Lo- who really brought confessional pop back after the very dance centric 2000s. The album was a smash hit immediately also- universal praise, 17 million sales, 5 Grammies and diamond status cement it in the pop canon, and deservedly so. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A few decent songs I know from the radio but mostly a slog of 80s synth piano. ⭐️⭐️

Another canonical rock album- the problem is, the first half is this sparse, spacey, occasional burbling synth and guitar noodling. Very backend heavy with the two songs I think are decent- time and money. It was designed to be non commercial- a listening experience from start to finish, and it crossfades each track into the next throughout, which was a novel idea. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not bad. Reminds me of music from the skate games. The title track is easily the best on the album ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The John Lennon cover is a wildly arrogant thing to do, but the album itself is fairly listenable, if a bit repetitive, especially on vocals. Guy has one flow, and he stays there. The music itself is fairly varied- everything from reggae to mariachi, to polka and to more soft rock kind of sounds. “El Aadyene” is probably the best song on the album. It’s also oddly backloaded, the flow gets a lot better about halfway through. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I said yesterday that Khaled only had one flow- Motörhead made a career out of having a very defined, instantly recognizable sound, even if that meant every song sounded a bit like the last. A lot like the last, even. I would go so far even as to say that Slayer stole Motörhead’s formula: make a classic album, then just keep making that same thing over and over. As long as people keep buying it (Motörhead 25m record sales) and keep going to shows (toured until the death of Lemmy in 2015) then you’re doing something right. Ride it to the grave. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Definitely not an album for everyone, but it’s a great blend of what’s basically elevator music, some trance, trip hop, and downtempo. It’s not dancy, but it is easy to listen to, atmospheric, and pleasant. There’s some essence of daft punk and some others in here as well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Creative, melodic, energetic, and varied- but a bit inaccessible. Some of the songs are 9+ minutes and feature no vocals- not a negative, but hard to say it became a favorite song when the titles mean nothing for recall. There’s elements of jazz, funk, rock, and all kinds of stuff in here. Zappa was definitely on his most avant garde here. Apparently this was also one of the first records recorded with 16 track equipment, allowing for more overdubbing, and eliminating the need for many musicians to be playing at once. Important for that, I suppose. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bla’s Feels like an REM album but perhaps more aimless and less cohesive. There’s a lot of filler, and it’s propped up by one huge single “there she goes”. I did like “failure” off the back half. ⭐️⭐️

Maybe I like dream pop, or maybe this elevated adult contemporary style just works. Apparently this album, and the Cocteau Twins, ushered in the era of shoegaze and dream pop. If that’s true, you can certainly hear the influence in everything to come later, even elements of things like the Smashing Pumpkins. One element that adds a lot to the dreamy nature of it is the glossolalia- nonsense lyrics. The vocal processing with heavy reverb and delay also generate this trance-like effect that really sells it. If you were into doing some drugz, this would probably sound amazing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Every song seems like a response to Metallica, bigger, harder, faster. Many start with a little solo, and all of the solos are Dave sounding like he’s got something to prove. This is a hard one to rate. I think it’s still a little raw and unpolished compared to what comes later- but it exists as a gauntlet thrown down at Metallica for kicking Dave out. He had a bone to pick and something to prove, and largely does so. I want to give it a 5 because it’s music I know and love, but when I consider what’s to come later and that it’s kind of a one trick album, it’s hard to do so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Produced by Bowie, Lou reed’s second solo album definitely shows the influence. The vocal production is very Bowie with the dreamy overdubbed delay sound, and the mixture of piano and rock is too. “Hangin around”, “perfect day”, and “satellite of love” also particularly sound like Bowie songs from both production and lyrical standpoints. Lou will show up again later I’m sure with the velvet underground, but this is a very accessible 70s pop cut that I hear lots of later influence in. Its funny, clever, weird, and sexual all at the same time, I get why it’s remembered fondly. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If this 1001 albums journey is about highlighting talented songwriters, it’s hard to be greater than Bobby D. He’s quite prolific (Bob was already on his 15th album here), so the hits are spread across a lot of albums, but thankfully this one starts out with a banger: tangled up in blue. Bob alternates between his usual jangly folk tunes to near-country, to soft pop. Though he’s never hard, he is varied in what he can present. Get acquainted with the harmonica. “Meet me in the morning” was a favorite also. Tangled up in blue feels like the blueprint for 90s alt/ adult contemporary. Your blues traveler or sister hazel types. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you don’t love Radiohead and The Fray at their most boring, sad sack worst, you won’t like this. ⭐️

At times it sounds like Bryan Adams, and at others REM. There’s a few decent songs: we’re coming out, black diamond, and Gary’s got a boner, but overall it’s very uneven. ⭐️⭐️.5

It’s jazz. Sax jazz. If that Benny Goodman piano, drum, and woodwind style with occasional vocals isn’t for you, this would be a tough listen. Thankfully, that is for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A lot of this sounds like rip offs of The Cars and BTO instrumentation, but with nonsense lyrics and a slight new wave bent. Definitely backloaded. Artists only and I’m not in love were highlights, definitely more into that new wave area, but now I just want to listen to The Cars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it. Very frontloaded- first track “New York New York” is definitely the best on the album- very Black Crowes. Some decent adult contemporary pop tunes and a bunch of country fried pop, and some whiny junk too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good alt rock album. “All I know”, “dying days”, and “make my mind” were favorites but pretty listenable top to bottom. Dime Western in particular sounds influential on bands like Godsmack- it’s an interesting sound ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tough listen. Extremely folksy and mostly just highlit Dylan’s voice, which is an acquired taste at best. Couldn’t finish. Grating.

So, the story goes this guy “Tricky” left Massive Attack to do his own thing, and this is the result. Seems like he wanted to do a lot more hopping than tripping, as this definitely leans reggae/hip hop of the trip hop I’ve ever heard. Decent listen, nothing special.

The elements of what would solidify later are there- silly songs like DDevil, with Tankian’s pitchy and goofy delivery- as well as more serious efforts like “know” or “suggestion”. The blueprint is here, they showed up fully formed, but it’s hard to shake the idea that they didn’t just steal some of Jonathan Davis’ 1995 equipment and play some coal chamber and sepultura knockoffs. Perhaps the lack of self seriousness engendered a new audience to their particular corner of nu metal. I just don’t really get why this is the album on the list.

I always thought of Bjork as kind of a joke to describe some yoko ono avant garde stuff, but I was wrong- she’s a serious artist with a great voice. I use the term varied a lot when describing some of these albums, but this is a truly eclectic mix. Everything from pop you’d hear on the radio to Disney theater type songs to polka to sparse avant garde live performances- truly a weird album.

I didn’t particularly enjoy this album, but I can hear a lot of the influence on indie rock to come. It’s got that chime-y, ringing guitar borrowed from The Edge (U2) and a multi instrumental approach with strings, flutes and woodwinds that give it a twee or ethereal, chorale sound. It’s probably one of those albums that informed a lot of music after it that improved on the formula, but points for being first. ⭐️⭐️

Should have called it “anything but timeless”. Opening your album with a 21 minute song is nothing short of masturbatory, especially when it’s sparse and terribly repetitive drum and bass. And this is coming from someone who likes drum step and DmB normally. Overwrought underwritten self indulgent garbage. Couldn’t finish. ⭐️

Intensely personal and at the same time relatable, Loretta Lynn was a fantastic lyricist and songwriter, able to simultaneously flip the bird to men trying to hold women down and yet still exist within the confines of country music that wasn’t quite ready for this kind of confessional, confrontational music from a lady. Nowadays it seems quaint, but this was nearly transgressive in the scene at the time. Until Loretta comes along, country music is mostly “stand by your man”. Loretta’s blend of humor and deeply personal, lived experience really sells this album, which alternates between bright and sunny, upbeat 60’s Nashville production and the the twangier cry in your beer downbeat stuff. It’s a tightly written album, 12 songs, 28 minutes, and doesn’t waste a moment of your time. The title track, “Get whatcha got and go”, and “the shoe goes on the other foot tonight” were my favorites- upbeat, catchy, clever, and sassy. Five stars for Loretta. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Before Biggie Before Tupac There was BEASTIE three white boys from NYC just fuckin around end up making an all time classic that defies easy classification. It hip hops. It raps. It rocks. It’s all over the place, but never loses that infectious groove that keeps your head bobbing and if you’re ever in a group, you will get people singing song. The beasties also blended comedy lyrics and party tunes while smartly sampling sabbath, zeppelin, and others- it’s a wonderful production. So many hits off this one- fight for your right, brass monkey, girls, Paul revere, and NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN. Easy 5. Nostalgia, hits, longevity, and still hop hops, rocks, and raps along. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️