1001 Albums Summary

Classic and important all-timer. Peters off toward the end.

An excellent overal album and the reason Pink Floyd went on to become of one the most overrated bands. Great Gig in the Sky is among the top vocal performances in rock history.

I can’t see any reason this album would be on this list beyond the curator being such a Bowie acolyte. Generally uninteresting sound experiment.

Fats is one of the best of the first (or any) generation of rock and roll, and one of the best of New Orleans music. What a combo. This is a fantastic compilation that doesn't even have many of his greatest songs. The only ding is that it is a little short coming in at around 27 minutes.

Metallica has some undeniably good metal riffs but, man, they don’t know when to end a song and their “ballads” flat out suck. If metal is your thing I’m sure this is a 4 or 5. I gave it as high as a 3 because I get that it’s good for what it is but James Hetfield takes his junior high level lyrics seriously enough that I certainly don’t have to.

It’s the Beatles. Not much more needs to be said.

A very mediocre and disappointing album. The usual melodies that you expect from this band simply are not there.

Cloying lyrics and harmonies with a couple of decent tracks.

A few standouts among mostly decent songs sung by one of the best voices in popular music.

Catchy, guitar-driven riff-rock. Like a heavier Lemonheads.

Big Star gets a little more introspective than their usual power pop reputation with mixed results. Nothing terrible but nothing amazing.

Oof. They sound like your high school’s second best band. Plodding and repetitive with a couple of good hooks if you’re being generous. These songs should never have left whoever’s basement they used for practice.

A watershed album for Oasis and Brit-rock that still holds up 30 years later.

70’s soul/funk at its best. Curtis Mayfield is one of America’s most underrated songwriters.

Where to begin? A bland collection of Sufjan-esque duds that sound like the cast recording of a musical no one asked for. A musical, mind you, where all of the songs are from Act I because absolutely nothing happens. This album might work if it was presented as a collection of lullabies but even then the risk of irreversible coma would not be insignificant. They try to ratchet it up to mid-tempo with the last track that I assume is sarcastically labeled a “stomp” but by then it’s way too late. NME named this the album of the year in 1998 which is a surprising way to find out that someone from Mercury Rev’s grandma worked for NME.

I still can’t get onboard with Joni Mitchell’s (often sudden) burst of soprano vocals but the strength of the songwriting is undeniable. It’s easy to see why this a widely beloved and respected album.

18 year old me might have been more tolerant of whatever it is that Zappa is trying to do here but the current version found in it a lot more eye-roll inducing than interesting.

I have always had a thorough dislike for R.E.M. but perhaps that stance has softened a bit over the years. A bit. But this album reminded exactly why I never could stand them. Michael Stipe’s inane lyrics and quavering whine are on full display here. Hard pass.

A good blues-y rock album. The best songs have great hooks. It meanders toward the end but a worthwhile listen. Rounding a 3.5 up to 4.

Her eighth studio album at 25 years old! A very easy album to listen to. It bounces back and forth from naive religious optimism and songs of hurt and scandal…each an example of why Dolly is one of America’s best songwriters.

A fun album that I normally wouldn’t listen to on my own simply because I’d rather hear Stones albums of originals. All but one song here is a cover. Still some fantastic vocals and harp playing by Mick and great blues guitar by Keith.

I don’t know who “the girl” is that is referenced in the band’s title but she should consider herself lucky to be excluded from this dreck. The album is full of very thin production and snoozy instrumentation. Each track sounds so much like doctors office waiting room music that I would be surprised if the initial release didn’t include an outdated issue of Reader’s Digest. The only saving graces are the charming lyrics of “Oxford Street” and the poignantly heart-tugging “Apron Strings”, which benefits greatly from the wispy drum machine mercifully being turned off.

My mileage varies on the Beastie Boys in general but an undeniably fun album that sort of drifts off toward the end.

A decent collection of songs. Not really a bad one in the bunch but not as mant stand outs as I expected either.