1001 Albums Summary

a classic for a reason. set the bar for psychedelic music and concept albums. upon another repeat listen, only slight qualm is that the back half of the album doesn’t quite live up to the grandeur and epic was of the first half.

a little psychedelia, some bluesy rock, some smooth jazz licks on bass, and some theatrical over the top playing and singing. but somehow it all works.

if you listen to this earnestly, it’s great. in 2026, this would absolutely not work. but in 1971 this record was something special.

the title track is a tough listen in 2026. some great songs here, and some not so great. when lennon sets aside the tough guy persona and gets introspective, there are some true highlights. but the album unfortunately does not hold up for modern audiences.

no doubt a good album, but just not for me. songs all sounded the same. instrumentation and support was rather flat as well.

what am ambitious record, especially knowing the entire medley was not radio friendly. as a final send off, it’s remarkable. you can see how they played off each other and built each others songs up. something that would go missing from a lot of their solo records.