1001 Albums Summary

First Radiohead album and largely the first true trip into alternative rock taken. I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this, likely due to my unfamiliarity with the genre. As I listen more and gain a greater understanding of this style, I imagine my rating of this album will slip, on the other hand, with it being the the first venture into it, it may remain a monolith I compare everything to and stay a strong 5. I love those drums on 15 Step and the way the instrumentals reach a climax on All I Need.

I enjoyed it as an easy album to listen to, but didn’t make a remarkable impression upon me. Will not likely revisit.

I liked those more than I expected, and the lead singers vocals were awesome. I really love the way the first song’s melody drops off for a half second before continuing, that was really cool. Some slower and less memorable songs throughout there, but the highlights are really good.

I want so badly to be a jazz guy but I’m not. I enjoy listening to Kind of Blue but this one is a drag. 2/5 for me. If I am in the jazziest mood possible I may enjoy this but the lack of rhythm (perceivable to me, at least) makes it a difficult groove to get into. I have tried hard to get into 'real' jazz, but I enjoy jazz-adjacent music much more.

Excellent album, I am a big fan of Aretha Franklin. I love the shorter runtime of this record, 10 songs with no filler. Each song is memorable and Aretha's performances on each is astounding. My only complaint would be that just when I feel a song reaches a satisfying climax and is riding that high it abruptly fades out and moves on. If the worst I can say about the album is that each song left me wanting more, then we are in good hands.

After my first listen, I learned I was apparently a hard-rock guy. The guitar riffs and hooks here are addictive and foresee myself revisiting this record for a long time to come. The stretch from Superunknown to The Day I Tried to Live is excellent, as are the first three songs, as well. At 70 minutes I feel as though the record could have been trimmed down a bit, but as I listen more I imagine that opinion will change. 4/5, all I need is a V-twin cruiser to go with it now.