1001 Albums Summary

Was disappointed to see this pop up as my first album. Then “Immigrant Song” started and I was like, “Hell yeah!” It went downhill until the end of Side A (“Out of the Tiles”), and then got better again. I like the rock stuff better than the folkier and bluesier stuff. But Bron-Y-Aur Stomp had me tapping my toes. Highlights: -Immigrant Song - Out on the Tiles - Gallows Pole - Bron-Y-Aur Stomp “Since I’ve Been Loving You” was an interminable slog. Album closer “Hats off to (Roy) Harper” - I like the experimental nature of it but it’s not fun to listen to. Love the cover art. Crazy how much Jack White took from all this!

Chrissie Hynde’s voice and swagger are amazing. This album rocks harder than I was expecting by a band whose biggest single is “I’ll Stand By You.” I was surprised by how much of this album I already knew, even songs that weren’t singles. “Precious,” the first song, is a one of my favorites and “Mystery Achievement” is such a cool way to end it. What an amazing pair of songs to bookend the album. I also really liked the punky-experimenting on “The Phone Call”; “Tattooed Love Boys,” and of course “Brass in Pocket”’is a classic. I was surprised that I didn’t really know their cover of “Stop Your Sobbing” - I know the Kinks version well and didn’t care for the version on “The Pretenders.” Also, “Private Life,” their take on reggae, really wasn’t for me but Hynde’s voice is gorgeous on it. I knew at least half the tracks on this album but had never listened to it before. I’m glad I did, I wouldn’t mind coming back to it.

It’s ok for what it is. It’s not one of the 1001 albums I needed to hear. Some perfectly fine radio singles that appeal to angsty teens and a bunch of other songs that sound just like them, only worse. 3/10

I love Cat Stevens’s voice, and the songwriting is great. A nostalgic listen that still holds up. Favorites: Wild World Father and Son Longer Boats (mostly because it was a surprise - never heard it before and it was different from the rest) I’ll listen to this one again.

A very pleasant surprise. I knew only the biggest Siouxie hits before this. But after Juju was assigned to me for this project, I listened to it three times in the past 24 hours. Side A is near-perfect. It’s full of songs that are fun listens but also interesting and complicated. “Spellbound” is basically a song made to dance to at goth clubs, but sounds like it has acoustic guitars in it? Which is apparently all guitar trickery by absolute master John McGeogh? Incredible. 4 goth masterpieces in a row and then, to keep you from getting complacent they hit you with straight-up rock banger “Monitor.” This is an album that demands your attention. Side B is more diverse, and weirder. It’s a tougher listen but so interesting. Album closer “Voodoo Dolly” starts as a haunting, ethereal piece and then picks up the pace, getting darker, faster, and scarier. There are some poppy bits on the album but “Voodoo Dolly,” playing with tempo, getting bigger and smaller, using both deep, quiet and then shrieking vocals, ending in a cacophony over which Siouxie hisses “Listen!”, it gives the message that this band WILL be taken seriously. And makes you want to push play again and start over at “Spellbound.” Side A - 5/5 Side B - 4/5

What a waste of time. The title song “Hearts and Bones” was lovely, but the rest of the album ranged from boring to laughably silly. “Allergies,” “Song About the Moon,” “Cars are Cars”… the same person who wrote that drivel wrote “The Boxer”? “Bridge over Troubled Water”? Knowing what Paul Simon is capable of takes this album from bad to truly disappointing.

“Green Onions” is fun and funky. The rest of the album vacillates between that, and sounding like you’re at a baseball game listening to the organist banging out 60s classics. Pleasant background music and a worthy addition to the list for the musicianship and the band’s place in music history.

The guitar-playing is insane. The lyrics try to be edgy but come off a little silly (like Dave Mustaine is deliberately trolling suburban conservatives). Overall this album is more fun than I'd anticipated. This is the music a teenager in the 80s turns up to 11 in their bedroom after stomping upstairs, shouting to their parents "You don't understand me!" and slamming the door.

I put this on as I was doing work outside, and it was perfect for that. It's pretty funky. 6.5/10

You know how when you're listening to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and you're grooving along, thinking how great it is, and then you get to that part where she sings, "Here's a man that makes me, then takes me / and delivers me to a destiny / To infinity and beyond" and you're totally taken out of the moment, and you have to scratch you head and wonder how something so dumb ended up in the song? Yeah, that's the whole "Survivor" album. The girls sound AMAZING together, but the lyrics seem as if they were written by a middle-schooler who still dots her i's with hearts.

I’m about two weeks into the project, and this is the first album that I already knew very well all the way through. I’m not sure if nostalgia is affecting my review, but this was such an enjoyable listen for me. The songs really hold up. U2 were already a really tight band here, the drumming especially stands out. The three singles – New Year’s Day, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Two Hearts Beat as One – stand out as favorites. Refugee and 40, too. A couple of songs in the middle take this from a 5-star to a 4-star but overall I’m happy with how it holds up.

I liked the album, but didn't love it. It was pretty much what I expected, knowing their singles from other albums. But it didn't reach the heights of any of those singles. A pretty solid 3-star album that I might go back to - I think it would make a good listen if I were taking a walk around the neighborhood on a drizzly day.

I loved, loved, loved the funkier soul stuff like “Chain of Fools,” “Come Back Baby,” and “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone.” Also, of course, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” I liked the slower songs, but on a second listen I found myself skipping ahead on some of them when they were half-done. Still, what a voice she had! Must have been amazing to see live.

Very cool album! I love that it tells a story from beginning to end. A lot of them sound like songs you’d sing around a campfire, real Americana-sounding stuff. I can see myself coming back to this one.

What a wonderful album! It starts off so strong with "Wanted Man" and keeps up that energy throughout. In fact, the album is so good I feel like I need to defend my not giving it 5 stars. The real problem I have is that there isn't enough of it. Only 10 tracks, but one song is played twice and one of the highlights - "Folsom Prison Blues" - cuts off at the one-minute mark. So it's really only 8 and a half songs. I think if I had listened to the "Legacy" 2-disc version, it would be an easy 5 stars, but that's not the nature of this project. In any case, "At San Quentin" is a real hoot (I love the banter in between songs), interesting, easy to listen to, and fun to sing along with.

Meh. I think I owned this in the 90s when I was going through a Britpop phase but never listened all the way through before. (Probably because it’s not Britpop!) I liked some songs as background music but wouldn’t think to put this on again.

“Crash and Carry” sounds like some Leftfield or Chemical Brothers I used to listen to while getting ready for a big night out in the 90s. “Quality Seconds” reminds me a little of the Prodigy; it might have been fun to dance to at a club. And unlike the rest of the songs, it is blissfully quite short. Other songs are background music with no hook and so forgettable. 2.5/10

Nothing groundbreaking, but a solid pop-rock album with some really strong singles.

This was really not for me.

I’d never heard a Prog Rock album from beginning to end before. But I liked this so much. It’s way before my time, but I think if I had been in college in the early 1970s, this would’ve been on in my dorm room all the time and I would’ve made all my friends listen to it while we were hanging out. This album is full of constant surprises. You never know what you’re going to hear next. Will it be futuristic sounding synthesizers or will it be jazzy piano accompanied by upright bass? Who knows? A song slowing down and down and getting lower and lower so it reminds you of a vehicle coming to a stop? Fun. Spaceship sounds out of Star Trek? All of the audio cutting out of your right ear so that for 30 seconds the sound is only in the left? Sure, why not. Poppy harmonies that sound like The Who? Sometimes. It’s experimental but accessible and was a nice surprise from a band that I thought I wasn’t going to like.

Like every good indie kid in the early 2000s, I ran to hear this album after Pitchfork rated it a 9.7. It was worth the hype. I still find it so moving to this day. “Funeral” was written and recorded soon after the passing of several people the bandmates were close to. It’s an album inspired by, and therefore a great listen for, tough times. But it isn’t sunshine on a rainy day. It’s a loud, dark thunderstorm that you can scream your frustrations to, followed by a rainbow that bursts from the clouds. This is most apparent on my favorite song, “Rebellion (Lies)”. When things are bad, you can choose to distract yourself, or “sleep.”You can dream. You can get away from it all in your mind. In fact, that’s probably the easiest thing to do. But this song warns: “Sleeping is giving in / No matter what the time is…. People say that you’ll die / Faster than without water / But we know it’s just a lie / Scare your son, scare your daughter.” The song builds in intensity and finally explodes at the end with: “Now here’s the sun, it’s alright (Lies! Lies!) Now here’s the moon, it’s alright (Lies! Lies!)” Stay awake. You have to feel your feelings. It’s alright. It’s a cliche to say “the only way out is through,” but that’s the message of this song, and the album as a whole. And with the beautiful compositions on the album, it’s an easier pill to swallow.

How is a record this loud, with some pretty technically impressive guitar solos, so… boring? It’s all so repetitive. This is my 2nd thrash metal album I’ve gotten for this challenge and the first (Megadeth’s “Peace Sells…”) had me smiling throughout and even laughing a couple of times. This record, I was anxious for each song to end.

I thought this album was smart, interesting, and innovative. I appreciate how different it was from most R&B that came before it, and how it opened up the world of "alternative R&B." I'd heard tracks from "Blonde" before but not this one, and I think I like "Blonde" better. But I'm glad that I sat down and listened to this one (I even listened to "Pyramids" twice!).

Exactly what I expected an AC/DC album to sound like. Solid rock songs. I won't be returning to this one, but I didn't skip any songs as I was listening. I can see why people like it.

Wow. Amazing. It’s not just a music album; it’s basically performance art. The hype man in the beginning announcing all the songs the audience is about to hear, the crowd screaming, the musical interludes… all of that combined with some damn fine music, and you have one of the most electric live albums ever recorded.

Boring bluesy dad-rock. “Layla” is worth hearing and the guitar-playing is very good on many of the songs. But Clayton’s voice can’t handle a lot of what he’s trying to do (I know from “Unplugged” that it eventually will). I think he’s going for a kind of soulful rasp but it just sounds weak and untrained. Not easy to listen to. This is not something I’ll ever put on again.

Rap-metal isn’t usually my thing but damn, this band makes it interesting.

My Talking Heads knowledge before this was mostly limited to "Remain in Light," "Stop Making Sense" and their various singles that got radio airplay, all of which I like a lot. So listening to the first couple of tracks on this album, I was disappointed. They were pretty good, but it wasn't *weird* enough. Give me strange poetic lyrics, instruments not normally found in Western music, syncopated rhythms, words in other languages. That's what I want in my Talking Heads! Then "The Girl Wants to Be with the Girls" started and I was hooked. It's weird! Funky and weird. Right after that was "Found a Job," a song that takes us on a journey with Bob and Judy, a couple bored with each other and bored of what's on TV. So they write some scripts, scout locations, engage their friends and family and make their own shows, having so much fun that it saves their relationship. And it's funky. Yes! This is what I want in a Talking Heads album. All this plus "Take Me to the River" and brilliant album closer "The Big Country". I'm happy to have heard this album and I'll be listening to it more.

Pleasant enough but pretty banal mid-90s Britpop. It sounds like hundreds of other albums that came out at the same time. Not bad background music, and their hit single “Something 4 the weekend” is definitely an earworm.

T. Rex really only know how to make a few types of songs, but they do it very, very well. "Metal Guru" is a blast of an opener and lets you know what a rock-n-roll good time you're in for. The lyrics to "Baby Boomerang" sound like stream of consciousness nonsense, but it sure is fun. "Telegram Sam" is basically "Bang a Gong (Get it On)" Part 2, but hey, if you're gonna imitate something, copy from the best. I also liked the kind of ethereal, spacey songs like "Spaceball Ricochet," "Mystic Lady," and especially "Ballrooms of Mars." I first listened to this album at night as I was falling asleep and those songs in particular were great for that. This was a great album and I'll come back for more listens.

Some really, really strong songs especially the singles and the more bluesy numbers. Also some filler. I like a lot of songs on this album but this isn’t one of the White Stripes albums I’d want to listen to all the way through again.

Some fun songs, especially the singles I already knew. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work is of course impressive.

I love this album. I love the classic pop/rock songs, especially “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “I Will,” “Dear Prudence,” and “Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da“. But this album gets WEIRD and you know what? I love the weirdness too. “Happiness is a Warm Gun” changes melody every 45 seconds or so and they’re all good. But it’s a weird choice for a pop album. “Bungalow Bill” with its random people singing the chorus and then ending in them all applauding themselves? Weird. And endearing. “Rocky Raccoon” had a girl named Magill, who calls herself Lil but everyone knew her as Nancy? What? Love it. There might be some songs on sides C and D that aren’t as strong as the first half. But will I still give this album 5 stars based on the strength of all the rest? I Will.

Blech. I thought I hated Lana Del Rey’s music, and then people whose taste I trust pointed me to songs they thought I’d like. I hated all of them, except for “A&W” (which is heartbreaking and terrifying) and “Mariners Apartment Complex” (great melody, interesting lyrics). Neither is on this album. I went into “Chemtrails over the Country Club” hoping to find something to like, as I did with those two songs. But, nope, this album is especially hateable. There is not a single hummable melody. Spotify says in its song notes that Lana and Jack Antonoff decided to leave in the sounds of her vape to preserve the “rawness of the moment”. Ugh. That fact is about as ridiculous and pretentious as the album as a whole.

Would give it a 3.5 if I could.

You mean to tell me that in 1990, when I was all about MC Hammer and Wilson Phillips, I could have been listening to this? This album rocks so hard. I guess I wasn’t ready.

The band really play around with genres here, the lyrics are sharp, funny, and relatable, and Debbie Harry is a force of nature. What struck me on this listen was just how good Debbie Harry’s voice is. Obviously she’s cool as all hell, but she can SING.

Very nice music. I actually fell asleep to it the first time it was on. I think the originals are better than the covers. Standouts are obviously “Monday, Monday” and “California Dreamin’”. I also liked “Somebody Groovy” and “I Got a Feelin’” - the latter reminded me of the dream-pop I liked a lot in the late 90s/early 2000s.

Beautiful voices, beautiful harmonies.

I knew the hits but not the rest of this album. I was pleasantly surprised at how Glam it starts off. “Vicious” is a fun, rockin’ way to start the album and then “Andy’s Chest” keeps up the momentum. “Perfect Day” is a lovely comedown. “Hangin’ Round” takes us right back to the glam rock, and “Walk on the Wild Side” is so innovative. Side A is perfection. 5/5. Then… I don’t know what to make of Side B. It has a lot of playful bits. “New York Telephone Conversation” should be on a They Might Be Giants album. “Goodnight Ladies” is a fun take on a Broadway number. Both songs seem so out of place, but when you consider how *weird* this album is overall, I kinda get it. Side B is a 3.5/5 for me now but I have a feeling it’ll grow on me when I listen to it more. Overall, I’m happy I got to hear this album.

What an album! Some of the Pixies' most radio-friendly treats are here: "Debaser," "Here Comes Your Man," "Wave of Mutilation," "Monkey Gone to Heaven." But they're interspersed with loud, uncomfortable songs that make use of Frank Black's incredible screams, like "Tame" and "Crackity Jones." You never know what to expect from song to song, or even within single songs. They zig when you think they're going to zag. Rock critics describe Pixies songs as "Loud-Quiet-Loud" but the variability between and within songs is so much more than that. It's interesting, it's great to sing along to, it helps you let out your teenage angst, it gets you strutting when you're walking down the street listening to the cassette in your Walkman.

Some have called this “background music” but I disagree. The first half, anyway, is too interesting for that. Plus, I was listening to the album outside and a neighbor walked by during the “Jezebel” exorcism song, and I quickly turned down the volume so he wouldn’t hear. That’s not background / boring! But… is it good? Is it something I’d want to listen to again? I don’t know. The slower, more ambient songs in the 2nd half really drag it down. I think I can appreciate this album, but I don’t think I *like* it.

If I’d heard this music st a teenage house party, I’d think it was fine. But I’m not sure what it’s doing on a list of 1001 albums I need to hear. Sounds a bit like The Hives, but with more slick production. And the slick production makes the mock-punk, wannabe bad boy lyrics sound especially silly.

What a nice surprise! I'd never heard Joan Armatrading before but I really enjoyed this. Her voice is so smooth and her guitar-playing kept me really interested. Favorites were "Down to Zero," "Water with the Wine," "People," and "Like Fire." Some of the music is 70s-funky, but a lot of it sounds like it's from the 90s or later. Her biggest-ever hit "Love and Affection" is on this album and it's mostly FANTASTIC but she lost me with the sax solo (which, you could argue, was actually pretty ahead of its time because it's several years before sax solos come out in force to ruin perfectly good 80s pop songs). Music discoveries like this are what make me glad that I'm doing this album-a-day challenge.

When the first track “Show Girl” began, I nodded my head along to it. Yep, this is perfectly representative 1993 Britpop Glam, I see why this is here on the list. But as the album went on, it became increasingly hard to listen to. The singer has no vocal range and does the same thing on each song. The drumming is insipid. There are no hooks. For an album inspired by glam, there is no flash; no fun. What a slog to get through.