1001 Albums Summary

Some good songs. Not sure it really holds together as an album...

Surprisingly good! I doubt I would ever choose it, but surely happy to have heard it.

Not completely my cup of tea, but the artistry here is really phenomenal. Patti Smith definitely deserves her iconic status.

Of obvious historical import - I remember when this came out, it was amazingly innovative. But on a listen after 20 years, I don’t think it really holds up. Eminem (for example) one ups them significantly. But there would never have been a Marshall Mathers without the Beastie Boys! 5 stars for impact on music. 3 stars for current listenability.

Best song is definitely Sunday. Love the flute interaction with the guitar and drums. Northern Exposure is also worth a listen. Album is definitely something you should hear once through but the rest of the album did not stand out to me.

This is practically the definition of blues, or at least this is what I am thinking of when I say blues. This album and something from Robert Johnson...

Very nice example of punk from that era. Reminds me of B-52s (but obviously Adam and the Ants are their predecessors). Not a music style I particularly like.

Stylistically, sounds a lot like the Adam and the Ants album I just listened to. Maybe a little reminiscent of The Clash? Sort of Adam and the Ants meet The Clash...

I had never heard of this band before. Strikes me as Tangerine Dream meets MGMT meets Alan Parsons Project. A real find and it grows on you - I ended up listening to the album all the way through four times...

I don't mind having listened to it, but probably won't feel a need to listen to it again. Best songs are Intervention and My Body is a Cage (and both are good enough to put in my playlist - maybe even good enough to bump the whole album up by 1/2 star, but I will round down from 3.5).

Intro is really good - I had heard this before but had no idea who played it (and never heard of XX before). The rest seems almost like easy listening. Background music for a coffeeshop. Interesting sound, but not very daring.

I had never listened to an MGMT album, but knew the most popular songs from the radio. I love Electric Feel and Kids. I find Kids to be one of the most joyful and uplifting songs around. But the rest of the album is significantly less good than these songs. Kids and Electric Feel are 5/5 and the rest of the songs are either 2 or 3. So I am waffling between 3 and 4. But damn, Kids is SO good. F*ck it - I am going with 4.

This is not my thing. Even if the guy was not a pervert and the lyrics were not offensive, I still would not like it. The best song is Feeling Called Love (I refuse to use all the periods). If you insist on listening start there.

I thought XX was pure Muzak. This is even worse. I listened to one of the discs all the way through and was waiting for something interesting to happen. No dice. The irony is that I am a big Tangerine Dream fan, so I am ok with repetition (which this album has in spades). Now I know how my wife feels when I put on TDream…. I cannot bear to finish the second disc.

I saw this was hip hop/sampling and after Avalanches, thought I was in for a big disappointment. After 30 seconds, I realized this is what sampling is SUPPOSED to sound like. Never heard DJ Shadow before and did not even realize instrumental hip-hop was a thing. Artistry here is great and the first song (Building Steam...) was a treat.

Some of my favorite songs are from the Pumpkins, but I never tried to listen to a whole album. So I was looking forward to this, but surprised to find that I REALLY dislike most of their songs. But when they get it right, they really do get it right! Disarm is a standout songs. Soma, Mayonnaise, and Spaceboy are also good.

Fell asleep several times. The lead singer's voice is pretty, but the music is SLOOOOOW. Makes you think of the sloth in Zootopia. Definitely not something I will ever listen to again.

I hate country, but Johnny Cash rocks.

Not for me. I usually like big female voices, but I did not find anything here that was worth putting on a playlist. I guess I would not leave the room if it was playing...

With the sole exception of Hallelujah, this album is a waste of good vinyl. Hallelujah is worth adding to your playlist, but it is not really any better than the Cale or Wainwright covers.

Wow I hated this. Would leave the room if it was playing.

Rap with a British accent is somewhat interesting. But after the initial novelty, I could not wait for this to end. Do not reccomend.

OMG! This album was mind-blowing when I first heard it decades ago. It is still amazing. One of the best albums ever made and prince could never match it, neither before nor after. This is pure art and I am confident it will have the staying power of Mozart or Beethoven. Favorite song: ALL OF THEM. 10/10 if you somehow have not heard this, stop everything you are doing now and find a way to listen to it.

Interesting, especially the narration about various aspects of Indian music. Not really for me, but good for someone who wants to appreciate Indian music more.

Sort of like an update Smoky Robinson with a bit of rap-iness. Not really my schtick, but not bad.

OMG! Have been waiting for this! One of the best albums of all time. Her voice is amazing and the songs are great. Definitely Adele's best work so far.

I thought punk was supposed to be angry? This is just silly. I liked listening to it once. Maybe would listen to it again and pay more attention to the lyrics (which are sometimes hilarious). I guess I would give it an extra half star if that was possible, mostly because it is refreshing to hear music which is pretty clearly more about the musicians having fun than it is about the listening experience.

British pop. Not terrible, but I would never listen to it voluntarily. Reminds me of Pulp, but a tiny bit less annoying.

If you have never listened to Portishead (I had not), do NOT listen to this album first. It is ONLY for people who 1) already like Portishead and 2) are willing to listen to the album at least three times to let it “grow on them.” If you have not listened to Portishead before, go to Dummy as your first exposure. Guaranteed that if you do not like that, you will HATE this one. I started listening to this and it seemed that it was mostly hurting my ears, but every once in a while there was a flash of genius. So I went to Dummy and then listened to Third a few times. Third is really experimental and it is work to listen to it (and try to appreciate it). I am glad I listened to it (but more glad that it prompted me to listen to Dummy which is actually GOOD), but would not recommend it to anyone. On the other hand, it does get better everytime I listen to it - I could see how someone might even rank this as 5 stars after listening to it enough times. Hard for me to know what to put down here - after three listens, it has gone from 1 star to 2 stars... So I am just putting down 2 stars and thinking I might come back and rerate if I keep listening to it. Best songs: The Rip, Machine Gun, Magic Doors, Threads.

Very upbeat and peppy. Of course, I knew Le Freak but not the other songs. This really does stand the test of time - makes you want to get up and dance! :)

This is just not my thing. I like some pop and some punk and lots of grunge. But this is a mixtrue of the three that seems to be the worst of all worlds. Do not recommend.

Sweet Dreams (the title song) is excellent. I was surprised to find this album a little spotty. Liked all of it, but only loved the songs I already knew. Maybe that would change with enough listening.

Sounds very 60's. Nothing really stands out, but it is not bad.

Industrial tangerine dream?? My first impression was that this was just noise - reminding me of Nurses With Wounds (which is NOT a compliment!). But I appreciated it more after listening through a couple of times. I still did not find any flashes of genius. More like flashes of “musicality” embedded in a sea of mildly interesting colored noise.

Surprising to me that piano heavy pop could become popular in the US. There are some good songs here, but also some inane ones (Italian restaurant, movie’ out) but also some good ones (she’s always a woman and everybody has a dream). Ultimately not something I would ever put on, but can appreciate it.

A classic album, but not in the same category as Rumors. Best songs are Sisters of the Moon, Storms, Beautiful Child and Tusk.

Much of this sounded like noise or like a teenage garage band that did not understand musicality. The only song I would listen to without turning off the radio is Desire Lines - that might actually be good, although my ears were so numb after 5 songs that it is hard to know if my definition of good had fallen to "not terrible" by that time.

I hated this. I listened to the whole thing, but I have to say that I would definitely leave the room if I heard it playing again.

Nice as background music. Good soul/jazz. Nothing really grabbed me though.