I was a little disappointed when this came up at the first album because The Beatles are kind of a dad-music-eye-roll. When I was a teen, I was obsessed with the movie Across the Universe (a musical of only Beatles songs) and many of these songs I already know deeply from that. I tried to push that initial feeling aside because sometimes the Greats are great for a reason.
I cannot say that I have ever heard Maxwell's Silver Hammer before. I had never heard the actual Beatles version of Oh! Darling! - really good
I am trying to put myself in the shoes of someone who has not heard most of these 1 million times and I do think it is impressive and surprising how many hits are on one album.
2/5
Immediately, I don't really know who Steely Dan is and I could not pick a Steely Dan song out of a line-up- so this is something new.
This is not resonating with me at all though, maybe I just don't get it.
I'm more of a lyrical listener and I feel like this is music for people who listen more to the instruments.
Not really feeling like there is anything here for me
Immediately digging it. The woody flute at the end of "Your New Cuckoo" has really sent me. This is a very fun album and I am loving the cheeky, poppy-ness.
I enjoyed this one and could see myself getting more into it with more listens. I found the sounds in the background of the song unexpected and interesting.
Jazz is kind of tough for me. I really don't think I have the ear for music like this. It doesn't find somewhere emotionally to land for me.
I feel like if someone who really appreciated and loved it talked to me about what I should listen then I would like it better.
Maybe it is just that I started listening more intently but "Minor Chant" is a groove for sure. Strong vibes
I don't really have a strong opinion of The Who coming into this album. I think of them as being a "jam band" but I have no idea if that is even accurate.
I am a real sucker for albums that contain a narrative but this style of music doesn't do it for me. Christmas is an interesting track, I really like "how can men who have never seen light be enlightened" and ruminating on the idea of "how can he be saved?
The subject matter here is just weird for me, it is a weird story. A disabled person getting abused by various people in his life.. like why??? It's dark and disturbing. What a bunch of weirdos
This came out in my early teenage years so I feel that I am disposed to like this one.
I wanted more energy, the primary emotion from this album is malaise. I expected to love it but felt like it was pretty middle of the road.
I really liked Intro and Fantasy
I've got high hope for this one going into it.
I really like the sexy energy on this one. "Let's Do It Again" is ultra horny.
The songs I really find myself liking the most are all of the interludes/-ludes.
At the end of the day, I cannot really see myself coming back to this album though. I probably would only ever play it if I was trying to seduce someone.
Running up that Hill is obviously an awesome track, it was a great pull for Stranger Things to bring into the show.
This album has a magical quality. Kate has a really dynamic voice that feels both deep/dark and light/sweet. She feels like a powerful Fae creature.
This album is a really unique creation and executes really well against it's own quirky point of view. I think I will come back to it for another listen and that is high praise.
This album had me saying "Yes bitch, go off" almost every track
Great lyrics, great sound. I had never heard of grime before this and I think I love grime.
I am truly shocked that the average rating on this album is so low.
Mostly very acceptable background music. I put it on an it played in the background and mostly my attention wandered. Non-offensive
Mother is very interesting, I liked the more experimental track.
Synchronicity II is stand-out.
I would put this album into the "Dad rock" category but I do like it significantly more that some of the other "dad rock" albums that I have been served so far.
I like the heavy sound and the vocals. I love a guitar solo.
The hits on this album are WAY over-exposed but are(were?) hits for a reason. One review I read talked about this being music you play while drinking beers in the garage after hitting on a waitress from Applebee's and yeah that's about right.
I don't approve of harassing the waitress but you could catch me listening to this with older relatives on a dock on the fourth of July and I would be happy to be there.
"Life on Mars" is really good.
I am honestly surprised at my lack of opinion on the rest of this album. I want to like it because my opinion of David Bowie is really high but ultimately I don't strongly like or dislike it.
3/5 probably would not listen to again
The sound and vibes on this album are incredible. It transports you to a place and time in your imagination that feels so specific. The point of view here is beautiful. It feels like a really faithful execution of an artist vision.
I can definitely see myself putting this on to capture the vibes. People in other reviews talk about this being the music played at a hostel and maybe that's right but that is also a feeling I want sometimes. Not for everyone but yes for me.
5/5
ah jazz
I simply do not connect with you
I believe that once you were an innovative sound
radically different from other music around.
but now
you have become elevator music
back ground music for a waiting room
you all sound the same to me
3/5
for the right person, I am sure this is great. I am not that person, I don't like this album
It is not that I think this album is bad but I don't find it gripping and I will likely not return to it. I can see this really resonating with a lot of people. I believe it was influential but it is just isn't my jam
3/5
I like folk punk. My favorite band AJJ is a folk punk band.
I don't like this.
It doesn't knows what it is and I don't know either.
Does this album slap on an all-time level? I don't really think so
Will it destroy rock & roll? doubtful
Will it likely make it into my "I am working on my computer and need a little music to help me focus" rotation? ABSOLUTELY
I am happy to have been exposed to it. It is bright and happy and has me dancing at my desk. It is dynamic enough to keep me entertained but not so engaging that I can't focus on something else.
I think the 1001album community skews towards electronic music haters and towards classic rock lovers but I am the opposite so this is great to me!
Of course it is punk music but it really gave me the feeling of being AT a punk show. I can see myself screaming these lyrics amongst the sweaty masses crammed into a venue. Jostling and jumping and throwing elbows.
Punk music really accesses a part of myself that I like to visit. I love an angry lyric, bonus points for the more posh eyebrows it raises. The general refrain of "isn't this all so fucked?" resonates with me.
Not an album that plugs all the way into my soul but solid.
Top tracks: Reuters, Surgeon's girl, Mr. Suit, Strange, 1 2 X U
It is weird to have the opening track "Everything in it's right place" to be a common TikTok sound right now. Short form, vertical video has really done some weird things to music.
I like what I am hearing so far, atmospheric and experimental. Not too weird. Interesting emotional exploration.
Very solid album and I can see how it has influenced more recent music.
Automatic +1 star for "Alright" which is a perfect song. Otherwise perfectly inoffensive but generic
It gives No Doubt. sounds like something that would be in a rom-com from my tweens/teens. Neither of these are bad things. Solid Album
This is amazing and weird. I feel like shit today and this made it a bit better
Not for me but she does have a killer voice.
Was it intentional that when I squint at "Pearl" on the album cover it looks like it says "Dead!"
Blister in the Sun is an amazing song. Timeless bop for the ages. I can't imagine being the creator of such a top-tier song.
Not every song on this album reaches the same transcendent level but this is a 10/5 listening experience. This 1001 Albums experience is really showing me that I love punk music.
Top Tracks: Blister in the Sun, Add it Up, Confessions, Promise, Gone Daddy Gone, Good Feeling
Folky and enjoyable. Easy to listen to and reminds me of my grandparents.
The opening track "My, my, Hey, Hey" stands out as the best track on the album.
"Welfare Mothers" was a big surprise after the gentleness of the first half of the album. I like the weird turn on the B side to a heavier sound.
I have tried several times to listen to this album. It has come to the point where I dread having to come back to it. I take that as a low score and I will move on...
This is a weird album with A LOT of variety in the style of music offered. Almost like a sampler platter.
Good but not life changing and I doubt I will come back to it
I like this album and would maybe listen to it while trying to get work done.
Upbeat and dancy enough to keep my brain engaged without the distraction of understanding the words.
Not earth shattering and probably not one I will actually revisit much in the future
My folks are big Nirvana fans so this album is very familiar to me. Like "Dumb" and "Heart-shaped Box" but overall this is not really for me.
Very enjoyable, a good album that I may or not may come back to.
I think I like Black Sabbath based on this and other music of theirs that I have heard but it is more of a "sometimes" snack than an "everyday" flavor for me.
This is like the music they play at a spa or when you are getting a massage. In that context it is really perfect and facilitates the extremely calm and meditative environment where you can just zone out and exist.
I think trying to deeply listen to music like this an think critically about it is difficult- that's true for a lot of ambient music and I think it succeeds in cultivating a vibe.
I think this is relaxing music but as I am trying to listen deeply it feels more like music to slit your wrists to. It is meant to fade into the background and it better when it does that.
Chill. I like the songs with low, almost whispered vocal performance.
Heat Miser fucking slaps and is a complete stand-out song from the rest of the album. The rest I found pretty meh.
generic, not very exciting, boring even
i don't want to keep listening
This is a pretty formative album for me. I drank the indie/hipster/Williamsburg Brooklyn kool-aid of the 2000s and 2010s.
I don't think this is an album that will remain legible through the ages. I think it is really of it's time.
I love this album and would relisten on my own absolutely.
For me, the top three are "Weekend Wars", "The Youth" and "Kids". It is a fair criticism to say the back half doesn't hold up to the first half.
This album is a great listen, especially for the mode I am in today.
It has so much that I love in other albums and artists.
I like electronic and poppy instrumentals under a sad, poetic, plaintive vocal. I like weird like samples in the background. This album feels connected to the Talking Heads on one side and Sufjan Stevens on the other. This is the type of album that has lots of depth available for future lists to continue to deepen the meaning and my relationship to the work. I figure myself putting a thumbs up on every new track as it comes through.
I have had exposure before to "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence" but the rest of this album blew me away. The only exposure knowledge I had to Depreche Mode as an artist is the podcast name "Depresh Mode" that clearly riffs on the band name.
I am about to listen on repeat for the rest of the day.
I feel truly neutral about this album. Nothing to keep me here and nothing to make me walk away.
Just OK
So we know why Tenacious D thought there would be an audience for their work.
This album is just goofy and fun. Coming to it with hard rocker expectations will lead you astray but if you come to it expecting Rocky Horror/Glee campy delight then you will get it hear. Fun, dramatic, earnest, cheesy. Not what I expected from the cover. It does run a little long and I found myself ready for it to be done before the end of the last track.
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a great song.
Absolutely dripping in 90s-ness. Sweet, soft with R&B under current.
This album launched a super impactful star but I don't connect with it in any meaningful way. Many of these songs, I would not have been able to identify as Brittany Spears.
Just OK
My immediate reaction to seeing a 40 minutes album with 4 tracks is "Oh no.."
There are elements here that I really like. Parts of it sound like the weird sound options my childhood electric keyboard had. I am brought back to my sister and I hitting random sounds on the "bass" setting over the pre-generated electric beat. I hadn't thought about that in a long time so I appreciate that it evoked a memory for me.
Not for me at the end of the day.
This album fucking rocks. Hype energy. A bit "same-y"
Kersosene feels like the origin story for pop punk songs "IN MYY ToWN" trope.
The sound is unpolished and noisy. I can picture a mom in the 80s saying "turn off that horrible noise" but there is a lot more depth here- Big Black shows us that when all the noise melts away there are solid musical chops underneath. The noise is a very intentional choice.
With all that praise, this is a bit too intense for me except in a rare mood.
Familiar like slipping into a former favorite shoe that got lost in the back of the closet. Reminds me of my mom, who loves Rot Hot Chili Peppers.
"Suck my Kiss", "Give it Away", and "Under the Bridge" standout to me. The vocal delivery from Anthony Kiedis is so unique to Red Hot Chili Peppers. I think Californication is a stronger album overall.
It never occurred to me how close Red Hot Chili Peppers are to crossing over into rap/hip-hop music.
I LOVE ELECTRONIC MUSIC.
That is one of the bigger things that 1001 albums has shown me- if it is an electronic album or has a lot of electronic elements then I probably love it.
Right out of the gate, the opening track sat me back into my seat. Grooving and dancing along right away.
Solid album, I will probably return to it. I would say it had a really strong start and strong finish with some weaker tracks in the middle. Pretty good, I liked it.
The vocal performance here was SHOCKING to me. This is not what I expect Bob Dylan to sound like.
"Standing in the Doorway" reflects more of what I expect from Bob Dylan. I had no idea "Make you feel my love" wasn't an Adele original- a beautiful song.
This album feels like more like something I would expect from Tom Waits than Bob Dylan. It is non-offensive but really not anything special to me.
back to back Bob Dylan albums from 1001 generator. About 30 years separate, "Bring It All Back Home" and "Time Out of Mind"- that is the length of my life.
The opening track "Subterranean Homesick Blues" sounds a lot like Old Crow Medicine Show- it think Bob Dylan is definitely an influence for that group. This song borders on Bluegrass style-wise. This is also true for "Maggie's Farm"
This album includes both love songs in the quintessential Bob Dylan, "singer-songwriter" sound and more folk/country/bluegrass tracks.
"It's all over now, Baby Blue" is my favorite.
Jazz doesn't really fully connect with me and most of this album passed as acceptable background music..
UNTIL
I GOT MY MOJO WORKING
which is an amazing, high energy performance. +1 just for that.
Pretty good
I like the content of the lyrics. Very 90s vibes here.
Is it a coincidence that I am being given this album right after her death or is 1001 feeding it to me?
I am a fan of Dolly as a person. I am saddened by her not being with us anymore. I feel that she is the type of person that we should emulate in the world, at least to some extent.
There is an attraction called Pirate's Voyage in Myrtle Beach, SC that Dolly owns. It is expensive to go to the show but they do SO MUCH to make it fun and worth it for every member of the family. Then they use the profits to fund the Imagination Library which provide free books for children ages 0-5 mailed directly to their house. It is great work and benefits so many families.
Looking at the album on its own. Dolly's voice is sweet and light- like birdsong. As a collection of songs, I don't find a coherent reason for all these tracks to live together in the same body of work. I doubt I will reach to the album itself.
I am tempted to give it 5 stars because Dolly is the GOAT but in reality I don't think it deserves that musically.
There are a lot of good tracks on this album. Many songs that I know but wouldn't have been able to tell you that they were The White Stripes.
"We're Going to Be Friends" is definitely my favorite. I am partial to this more folk-y sound.
I can tell you right at the outset that this album is too fucking long. An album better be pretty fucking good to justify being as long as a movie.
"Mother Goose" is pretty good.
This album doesn't really speak to me but it was pleasant to have on in the background while I worked.
Love the woodwind instrument on "My God", flute or whatever it is. Vibing.
Kind of like a knock off Beatles.
I do enjoy some of this but just this category of music is really not my style. An instrumental heavy rock sound just do anything for me.
Amazing album art.
Given the band name and album title- irreverence is expected and delivered.
Short and sweet and fucking crazy. Highly experimental and intentionally challenging to "enjoy" but the weirdness makes for a really engaging listen.
I am retroactively coming back and giving this album 5 stars. I keep thinking about it and wanting to listen to it again and that is what makes a 5 star experience to me.
Nothing standing out to me until the "Drive!" in "Look Back and Laugh"
The title track "Out of Step" is great. I love the ad-lib talking. It think that part of what I like about this is the more "pop" or "mass appeal" aspects of the song but it gives some much needed variety to the album. Breaks up the tracks that all sound very similar.
Combined with "Cashing In" as the closing 2 tracks on the album gives the entire experience a strong finish.
I would classify this album as generic Punk, I find myself wanting more variety throughout but can't argue with the last 2 tracks being great.
DNF not that into it
Sweet, plaintive, forlorn. There were many moments listening to this album that I was sat back at the beauty of the songs. "Across the Divide" is a very strong start pulling you into the world of the album. "Whispering Pines" breaks your heart.
"Jemima Surrender" is disappointingly coercive. This album gets lyrically problematic in a few other places and that brings down listenability to me, doesn't come across as cheeky or edgy but just out of touch. While "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a beautiful song- hands down- but I can't get behind a song lamenting the fall of the confederacy??
I am really torn on this album, particularly the first half has some beautiful songs on it that I will likely come back to but I think there is too much love for bad ideas in the lyrics to endorse for posterity. You maybe able to separate the art from the artist but you cannot separate the art from the art, right?
Y2K to the max. Sexy and spicy.
"Walk Away", "Fighter"
I am less than half-way through and I am honestly so bored. I may have to DNF this album THEN "Beautiful" comes on and it is obviously great.
I don't think this album is for me though, I don't want to continue.
