1001 Albums Summary

Good rock album but not an all timer album at this stage for me, some great songs, 3/4 that I could happily never hear again, You're Crazy and Anything Goes sound so mid coming between Sweet Child and Rocket Queen. 7/10

Great in parts, some really moving renditions, bit front loaded, and ultimately it's pretty samey, although if you played it in the right mood, probably a higher score. 6/10

Super, good songs, arrangements production. Has aged great, main complaint is that Horses in my Dreams should have been the album closer. 9/10

One of the best solo Beatles records, every song is good. Title track, Let Me Roll It, 1985, Bluebird, Jet...all McCartney at his best, would never tire of listening to this. 10/10

Great album, although Blood on the Tracks is probably my fave Dylan record. Like A Rolling Stone is all time, some other great songs but Tombstone Blues drags a fair bit and can take or leave From a Buick which knocks it off a perfect score. 8/10

Singles are the obvious best tunes, outside of My Love, My Life, none of the album tracks really come close to matching it. Instrumental closer is very different ABBA song. Dancing Queen remains of the greatest pop songs all all time, When I Kissed The Teacher though, WTF, of it's time lyrically! 6/10

She has beautiful phrasing, coupled with unexpected and surprising melodic movements, haven't listened to this album in full before but it's great. One of my favourite singers, her 70s run is absurd good. 8/10

Singles are good, plenty of middle of the road blues elsewhere, hard to fathom the big reputation. Rubber Soul was released the same year and clears this by a fucking distance. Will probably never listen to this record again in full. 4/10

Surprisingly enjoyable to listen to, chill enough for a drum n bass record, albeit it's a bit samey, awful long album if you were going to listen in full. Preferred disc 1 to disc 2. Would listen to it again no problem but not going to put this into major rotation either. 6/10

Aged well, good balance between pop hooks and mad experimental sounds. Hangs together as a coherent album, first 4 tracks hit a peak that it can't sustain for the whole record but I don't hate any song. Brother Sport as a closer, mental track, love it. My Girls remains an all time banger, unreal. 8/10

She is technically great singer but this is completely generic pop-RnB with the worst of that early 00s, smooth production. Way too long, should be half the length, could easily cut 10 songs out of the 20, bloated beyond belief, you'd weep at the money this album probably cost to make, I was losing the will to live way before the end. Soar is some pile of self empowerment shite. Nothing interesting, no melodic surprises, no risks, completely forgettable songs. Genie in a Bottle is a million times better than anything here. Beautiful is saccharine but catchy enough tune in fairness, Impossible was ok, that's it really, Dirrty has aged like milk. 2/10

Amazing singer, has to be said. Nothing terrible here, happy to listen to it but very much of its time in terms of arrangements and orchestration, it can get repetitive to the ears, and the schmaltzy, overly sentimental style of the arrangements, starts to drain having to listen to this in its totality. If a song popped up on shuffle it would be a nice change of pace but hard to take this in one bout of active listening when you are familiar with recorded music since 1959… I'm not the target audience for this but can appreciate that this has an all time voice backed by top musicians. 4/10

First two tracks, very enjoyable. Época...what ad was this in?! Killing me. The style is South America instrumentation and melodies with trip hop beats. It's way too long for what is similar enough style from track to track but there's nothing terrible here, would throw this on while reading or cooking as ambient music no bother. Poolside bar abroad with a drink in hand would be the ideal for this. 6/10

Sounds like an album that needs to be listened to more than once, played through twice and got a lot more out of the 2nd listen, could be a grower. Less immediate than the likes of Solid Air that has some great songs on it and I am fairly familiar with. Never heard any of these songs, this has a dub style production, in places with murky vocals, singing is reverbed all over the place. Couldn't Love You More and Certain Surprise go with a more straightforward approach though. Score could rise in the future with more listening. 6/10

Some good tunes, relatively standard enough post punk rock though for me, not sure where the rep as an all time classic debut is coming from. It's fine, happy to stick this on again for a listen but it's nothing unbelievable amazing either. Brass In Pocket sticks out a mile although Up the Neck, Kid are other standouts. 6/10

Short, sharp, rocky punk. Loved the first two tracks, a generally good album, hadn't heard any of it before. 6/10

Unironically really liked this, great singing, perfectly pleasant songs, only a few 80s production quirks letting the side down really. RIP Dolly but Linda Ronstadt has the voice of an angel, unbelievable singer ❤️ 7/10

Listening to this since I'm 11 so know it like the back of my hand. Wouldn't put it on much these days but it's a landmark in hard rock/metal, some classic tracks which have crossed over into the mainstream. Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, Unforgiven, Sad but True all hold up still. Few songs which don't hit the same heights and I've never been a huge fan of the closing track but the album hangs together as a coherent end to end listen. The slicker Bob Rock production was a departure at the time but it suits the songs. Plus you can actually hear the bass on this compared to Justice. Hard to mark it down as anything bar a classic. 9/10

Good pop album, Time of the Season is one of the best tunes of the era. This Will be Our Year and Care of Cell the other high points. Lead vocals are a bit much over the course of a full album, doesn't have the difference in range and tone that would elevate it, it's a bit too posh English tbh. Nice harmonies, like an Edwardian Beach Boys. Image wise the biggest bunch of absolute nerds as well but can hardly dock them for that. 7/10

Sweet Jesus this is 80s production writ large, no mistaking when this was made and it's aged as a result. It was the biggest song from this but I'm not a fan of Pour Some Sugar, Animal is catchy as fuck in fairness. It's fine but really this is of its time and place, and designed to be super commercial for the era. If I was coked off my head looking to pull in the late 80s I'm sure this would sound amazing. Don't Shoot Shot Gun is fucking atrocious. Pure hair metal, really overdoes the gated reverb drum sound and I'm not a fan of it used in this style, drummer sounds like he is playing with one hand tied behind his back 👀 4/10

Green Light is best thing here by a good bit. Supercut and Perfect Places probably next best. Randy Marsh isn't the best singer but it's not terrible, it's generally fine but it's a bit boring, the songs run into one another. There's so little dynamics on modern pop music, you could swap the underlying backing tracks around from song to song and wouldn't notice much difference. Same production techniques, same surge stuff, all the choruses are similar. 5/10

Not much to say here, a great pop album with loads of hits that have stood the test of time backed by album tracks that stand alongside them no problem. Purple Rain is the greatest song he ever wrote and one of the best tunes of all time. 9/10

Haven't listened to this album before, nice opening track. Any listener would peg this as 90s record no problem given the production and overall sound but I liked contrast between downbeat, intimate vocals and the more dance oriented and trip hop style beats. Todd Terry didn't strike gold twice with the Wrong remix however, the Omni Trio remix of Wounded is superior. Liked this way more than I would have expected tbh. 7/10

No idea what they are singing about. Tunes sound good though. 7/10

First track is boogie woogie shit. Second track is a more organ led groove, but it's still shit. Sweet Surrender is the first song approaching decent. Nighhawkin' returns us to the mire, a bland, bar boogie. Devil Eyes somehow even worse. Last two tracks are fairly ok, but only in comparison to the rest of the album. Lyrics are uniformly wretched, big ol' hot mamas to beat the band. If this was a just a regular band playing in the corner of a bar I'd genuinely leave. On top of all this, given his naturally staggering vocal capacity and range, the choices that Buckley makes in terms of phrasing and delivery are disappointing, often too showy for it's own sake and not best serving the songs (in as much as they could be served). What a waste of a great voice. Would never listen to this crap again. 2/10

Great memories associated with this record, first 4 tracks explode out the speakers, just great stuff. First half is raw, rockets by and it's hard to dislike anything. Basically perfect for what it is. Second half of the album just slightly dips a bit on a couple of tunes and drags the score down from perfect. This is a great record and after 25 years it's aging well. 9/10

Was looking forward to this, haven't listened to it previously but know of it's reputation. Disappointing to be honest, a fine singer but mostly everything here sounds like a show tune from a musical, which isn't great because the accompanying vocal inflections get annoying quickly. Woman's Blues was great for a minute and then... She might have been hugely influencial but this isn't for me and definitely wouldn't bother listening to this again, twice was enough. 3/10

Great record, the title track and Shine On are keystone 70s rock songs, the definition of classics. Have A Cigar is the only song that might be considered slightly below par here, everything else is top notch although can see how some might complain it's a bit noodly and long in parts. 9/10

It's fine, definitely not the best Springsteen album. Hits are the highlights. 80s synthy production in places really dates much of the album, isn't ideal for the type of songs he writes so hasn't held up as well as his early 80s records. Never a massive fan of Glory Days either. 5/10

What is this cod reggae nonsense to start? Small Talk is catchy enough and Absolute continues, this is fairly straight, drum machine backed, highly produced 80s pop. No need to put 85 in the title of the album, a two minute listen would peg this as exactly smack in the middle of the 80's. It's not for me. 3/10

It's.....not as bad as I expected. Had written off Yes as a prog rock abomination band along the lines of ELP, and to a certain extent this album is that...but...while full of prog rock excess, this is fairly enjoyable to listen to, I have to say. I wouldn't be the biggest fan of Jon Anderson as a singer but the style suits these songs, obviously all technically great musicians involved. A pleasant surprise as I thought this would be brutal rubbish. 6/10

Very much on the fence with Zappa, veers from "nice tune" to "what the fuck is this shit", often within the same song. Good opening track and Green Genes is also a good one. Gumbo Variations, it's just too long. This gets a bit too guitar and other instruments wanky but given that this album is nearly all instrumental that's preferable to Zappa's singing in all honesty. 5/10

Their own unique, glorious music, is this is probably their best overall collection of songs as an album. Everything hangs together beautifully, it flows as a distinct, coherent album. Ten tracks in 37 minutes, nothing overstays it's welcome on these dream pop soundscapes. What is Liz Fraser singing about? Who knows and who cares if it's incomprehensible when it sounds this beautiful and great. Peak 4AD. 10/10

Sounds good, really easy to listen to, well played and produced, nothing objectionable whatsoever. I just wish I was on holiday abroad at the poolside or beach listening to it with a cool drink in hand, best atmosphere for this I think. 6/10

The 80s hangover slick production and sound of a lot of songs on this record. Yuck. She's a good singer and slide player, hard to get mad into the songs, it's not blowing me away in any respect, fairly standard mainstream radio aimed stuff. Of it's time. 4/10

Some nice songs, well sung and performed. Homeward Bound is the highlight, great song. Cloudy and the opening track other standouts. Didn't expect a Dylan piss take, fair play. Silent Night/7 O'clock News, is just meh, it's a way to on the nose "clever" and isn't a great closer. Album certainly doesn't overstay it's welcome at 29 minutes, an enjoyable enough spin. 6/10

Firstly...what a singer. RIP Chris Cornell. The breakthrough record for Soundgarden, Fell on Black Days, Spoonman, Black Hole Sun, Day I Tried to Live, 4th of July, these are 90s rock classics, grunge but with a heavier, more classic rock approach. The record is well produced and sounds huge through the speakers, vocals, drums, guitars are perfectly in unison to suit the songs, Brendan O'Brien nailed mixing all those big 90s records he worked on. With CDs increasing album length up to 80 minute capacity and becoming the primary format of this era, in the 90s artists started to make the classic mistake that just because there is space it needs to be filled with songs regardless of whether they are up to the standard, and a few weaker tracks that could have easily been cut drag this down a bit. Still a good listen though. 7/10

Luke Haines was the sour lemon of Britpop, couldn't mistake the era this album is from, sounds exactly like how you would expect a mid 90s English indie band to. Weak enough vocally so he's an acquired taste in that respect, songs are fine but there's just not enough that stick out with a big chorus or huge hooky part that's unique and memorable. Would stick this on no problem, it's an easy and decent listen to be fair, the lyrics aren't as "smart" as they are trying to be but there's nothing absolutely terrible here either. 5/10

Standard enough rock, easy to listen to, toe tapping enough but nothing jumping out as particularly outstanding or special. The exception to that is American Girl which is a rock classic. 5/10

Probably the best record Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds put out, contrasting styles on both discs, great songwriting, lyrics and performances. Super opening track, haunting closing track and a bunch of excellent songs like Hiding It All Away in between. A record you can put on and bask in a reignited band at the top of their game. 9/10

So seismic and influential it launched a genre. Not going to be for everyone, vocals are standard enough 80s indie and some of music is inaccessible. The music ranges from the face melting riffs of Feed Me With Your Kiss, the "heartbeat" drums of the proto-Loveless All I Need, to the deeply unsettling atmosphere of No More Sorry. There are unexpected shifts and sounds throughout, will surprise those willing to dive in it's waters. This was a game changing record, but is still only a footnote to the absurd genius that Kevin Shields and co would produce next. 8/10

Good record from one of the great 60s rock voices. Backing band do their jobs, can't fault the performances. Me and Bobby McGee is a complete classic and there's some other nice tracks, album is probably stronger taken as a whole together as a few songs aren't as good taken out of this package. 6/10

Clearly one of the most impactful and influential hip hop albums of all time, personal preference for Liquid Swords as the best Wu-Tang record as it hangs together a bit better as an album taken in one sitting. Loads of great rap tracks here, Bring da Ruckus, Protect Ya Neck, Shame On A..., C.R.E.A.M, all hip hop classics. Can take or leave a couple of tracks and rap album skits always age like milk so it's not perfect IMO. 8/10

One of Neil Young's better records, good tunes, hangs together well, perfect album length at 39 minutes. Ramshackle and unpolished band performances but, like Tonight's The Night, that was the point. Title track, See the Sky, Walk On and Ambulance Blues are the highlights. 8/10

Some 90s classics in Devils Haircut, New Pollution, Jack-Ass. Was a bit revolutionary then with it's quirky mashup of country, hip hop, sampling and alternative rock but a bit of it's time at this remove, a few tracks haven't stood the test of time. 7/10

Creep is a banger. Waterfalls still a classic tune. Prince cover is unexpected but a good version. Smooth 90s RnB production throughout, Diggin' On You is the only track that sounds a bit shit production wise, but it's a bit of a drag of a song anyway. The theme of the album is we like sex, let's sing songs about sex. Skits/interludes, always a curse on an album, are uniformly terrible here also, album would be better if all 5 (!) were just jettisoned. It's ok enough if the skits weren't there. 6/10

Great rock album, packed with good tunes and performances. Loads of top tier tracks, London Calling, Rudie Can't Fail, Guns of Brixton, Lost in the Supermarket, Spanish Bombs, Revolution Rock, Train in Vain. Double album in it's day but doesn't feel like it's too long, it's still shorter than some of the bloated with filler CD albums of the 90s onwards. Couple of songs I'm not mad keen on but this is a great record. 9/10

Seven and Seven Is remains a psychedelic rock classic.

A titanic, epic, psychedelic rock album. If you love guitar music, it's hard not to love this. Crosstown Traffic, 1983, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, classic 1960s. Even the longer jams like Voodoo Chile keep the listener engaged. Few tracks that don't hit the highest peaks but to be expected on a double album, taken in the round, it's a great listen. Little Miss Strange the only huge misstep, it's B side level but an understandable gesture to give Redding a song. Finishes strong with maybe the definitive Dylan cover version followed by an all time great album closer. 9/10