1001 Albums Summary

Homogeneous. The guitar tones are a highlight for me and like 5 songs here are all timers. Would have been stronger with like 5 less songs too (the story of the Clash's career). Rating: 8/10

1. Gonna tell my kids this was Jack Black 2. Bowie's Station to Station for guys that peaked in high school Rating: 6-7/10

I have really overlooked this, such a nice vibe. Definitely not my thing on immediate listen (looks like i gave it a 6 on RYM LOL), but so beautiful and so obviously influential. One of those records that leaves you wanting even more once it ends. Rating: 8/10

Industry plant punk Rating: 4.5/10

Kicking myself for not listening to any Sade sooner. This scratches that same itch that a lot of 80s city pop does for me. Potential grower. Rating: 8/10 (for now)

Reggae is not my genre, but that's ok. I can respect the impact this had on music. Rating: light 7/10

If this was my first time listening it would definitely be lower. But this album was a stepping stone for me in music, and a lot of it's appeal took time for me to appreciate. Nothing is groundbreaking, but all of it is executed very well, especially for piano-driven mainstream alternative rock. Overhated and would be regarded more highly if released by a different artist. Rating: light 8/10

Picking this as the solo Tom Petty album when half of his discog clears it is certainly a choice. A glorified demo tape with American Girl towering over everything else. It's like putting only one Radiohead album on the list and it's Pablo Honey. There's some nice guitar on this, but most of the songs are unremarkable. It's hard to make a 30 minute album drag, but this one does. Rating: 4/10

This feels more like 3 jumbled EPs than an album.

Sorry bud you did not make my cookie crumble Rating: strong 4/10

Great trip hop album, I'm glad this list got me to listen to it. A victim of the Seinfeld effect: seems less impactful than it was because everything after copied its sound. Rating: 9/10

Music for people who think they are smarter than they really are. Rating: light 8/10

This could have been forgotten, yet here we are. Not bad, not good, just boring. And sometimes, that is the worst offense of all. Rating: 4/10

This is a special pop/RnB album. Kicking myself for not listening sooner. First half is strong and immediate, while the second half will take more time to appreciate. At over an hour of runtime, there is a lot to chew on here. Looking forward to getting more familiar with it over time. Five stars here for now. Rating: feeling light 9/10

STEPHEN STILLS MAN ASSES STEPHEN S T I L L S

Dylan is not really my cup of tea, but this is my favorite album of his. Very consistent songwriting and storytelling. You have to encounter Dylan more like an author than a musician. Rating: 8/10

Dripping in 90s aura, even if it drags a bit. Spotify auto-served Screamadelica after this finished, now I gotta go listen to that one instead. Rating: 7/10

kitchen music Rating: 8/10

Quirky little concept album, but the opener blows everything else following it out of the water. Rating: decent 7/10

If I could only remember a song from the B side... Rating: 6/10

The first of seven (!) Morrissey appearances in my listening journey. A few too many if you ask me, plenty of other deserving artists that didn't make the list. The final Smiths album is a nice send-off for the band. Some really underrated tunes here and a sinister energy that is not as prevalent on their other releases. Rating: 9/10

Classic, still holds up nearly 70 years later. Bonus points for Marty looking like a PS1 character model on the cover. Rating: 9/10

The boomer AOR version of britpop. Every song has the pacing of a funeral dirge. The singer sounds totally disinterested. Snoozefest. I'd probably really like this if I hated myself. Rating: 2/10

Consistently good, rarely great. Wednesday Week is a real gem Rating: strong 6/10

Albums with 6 songs or less from the late 60s stay winning. Rating 9/10

Probably my first encounter on this list where the artist's impact is much more significant than the art itself. This is still just a 1960 debut album from a rising star vocalist. Great voice, some interesting African-influenced songs, but destroyed by baffling album sequencing and questionable covers. And that laughing on One More Dance is wild... I appreciate that I learned about Miriam Makeba through this list, and I would be interested in hearing her later career works (particularly from the 1980s). But I did not particularly enjoy this album. Rating: history lesson/10

Nicest sounding Beck, Nigel Godrich producing carries this album (the strings!). The songwriting can drag a bit but a nice vibe overall. Rating: light 8/10

Objectively great guitar playing and tight instrumentation. When it hits it hits. Some of the songs are a little bit noodlely for my taste. Rating: 8/10

If you wanna listen to a German lady warble about whorehouses then boy do I have the album for you. Rating: 2/10

This has grown on me from when I first heard it on release. The percussion and vocals choices are fun and unique for this style of music. The lyrics can sometimes be annoying or deeply unsettling (For Her has not gotten easier to listen to) but they add to Apple's persona. A minor wrinkle in an otherwise well-produced, well-written project from one of the best modern-day singer-songwriters. Rating: light 9/10

Landmark avant-garde jazz album with easy to follow motifs and wild interludes, what's not to like? Not my favorite style, but seriously brilliant stuff. Rating: strong 8/10 (5 here because you haters tanked the rating)

Stacked and concise debut. The poster-child of the early 2000s post-punk rock revival. Not my absolute favorite of the 2000s NYC scene (I prefer Interpol's Turn On the Bright Lights a bit more), but a triumph nonetheless. Rating: 9/10

Came in with my expectations on the floor, but this impressed me. Surprisingly tight performances and interesting blues rock guitar work. Steven Tyler's vocal performance and lyrics were a lowlight. Rating: strong 6/10

Definition of the whole is better than the sum of it's parts. A unique take on the early 90s Madchester/Baggy scene that borrows a lot from 60s psychedelia. A lot of the songs go a little too long (blame the drugs). But Movin' On Up, Slip Inside This House (awesome cover), Higher Than the Sun, Come Together, and Loaded all make the hour long runtime worth it. Rating: 7/10

Probably the last big britpop album before the movement completely lost steam. Beyond the standout tracks everyone knows (Bittersweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work) this album goes in through one ear and out the other, albeit in a pleasant way. Rating 7/10

The most born in the wrong generation album of all time Rating: 8/10

Two good songs on a full movie soundtrack doesn't justify being on the 1001 albums list. Besides the main theme and Do Your Thing, it's all just pleasant soul/jazz meandering. "But it was culturally significant!" Crazy Hits by Crazy Frog was too. Rating: light 5/10

The production and rhymes are there. The lyrics have aged terribly. There's absolutely disgusting behavior detailed all over this project. Maybe it's a character, but it's not a character I care to hear from again. Rating: 5/10

Cultural appropriation of southern rock never sounded so good Rating: 8/10

So many ideas varying from longer, droning pieces (Krautrock) to more accessible song structures (Giggy Smile). It's all steeped in grimey guitar tones and analog synth noises. Jennifer stands tall as a particularly monumental achievement, sounding 20 years ahead of its time. Rating: strong 8/10

Who the heck is Matty Groves Rating 8/10

There's a pretty awesome album in here if you end it right after Under the Bridge. Frusciante's guitar and Flea's bass are definite highlights. Anthony Kiedis's vocals, not so much. Just incredibly uncreative, annoying, vulgar lyrics and bad singing. The Rick Rubin production is a real treat. Rating: strong 7/10

The epitome of mid boomer album picks from Mr. Dimery. Just mildly pleasant pop that goes nowhere interesting. Rating: 6/10

I understand why it's here, but I don't have to like it. Rating: 4/10

Much better than I expected. Pleasant sparse meandering melancholy. Rating: strong 7/10

He peaked with this one Rating: 9/10

That's Me pioneered the rave piano Rating: light 6/10

60s psych pop rock executed excellently Rating: 8/10

A watershed moment in both sampling and conscious rap. Really great stuff that still holds up today even if the aesthetic is dated. Rating: strong 9/10

The guitar tones are everything here, literally. They are the only thing elevating this album from being very mid Springsteen worship. Rating: 6/10

marv g presents sex jamz vol. 1 Rating: strong 6/10

It's hard for me to not like this, influenced a lot of stuff I really enjoy. Good acoustic power pop rock. Rating: 8/10

The bluesy acoustic vibes are fun but run tired apart from the hits. I'm not really a Stones fan but I can see why people are. Rating: strong 6/10

Picking up a lot of s/t Velvet Underground vibes from this one infused with some eastern sitar. Pretty great. Rating: 7/10

oozes early 90s alt-rock greatness Rating: 9/10

The vocals get annoying after a while and some of the lyrics are questionable at best. Still, the seeds for what was to come are there and the B-side goes hard. Rating: 6/10

Wild World is the best gaslight anthem put to tape Rating: 8/10

Putting this on the list when Blackout exists?? C'mon. Rating: 3/10

Like listening to a cheap live show at a smoky casino Rating: 2/10

A nice album to put on, turn your brain off, and pretend it's the 90s all over again. Rating: 7/10

A bit dated compared to its contemporaries but solid nonetheless. Clearly influential. I could see this going hard at the rave. Rating: 6/10

Shocker this is on the list. Harsh and rough but I love what they are trying here. But not my favorite execution of this type of post-punk dissonant sound. Try out both This Heat albums if you want similar ideas more polished and in English or double-down and try out 1/2 Mensch (my personal favorite Einstürzende Neubauten project). Rating: 7/10

Pleasant, paint-by-the-numbers big band. Nothing more. Rating: light 6/10

Lauryn Hill solo carried the group project Rating: strong 7/10

It's a landmark album for a reason. Slow paced and long but the vibes and songwriting keep it fresh and interesting the whole way through. Rating: light 9/10

Good "agreeable" music. Play this for ten different people and I am sure each of them would enjoy at least a song or aspect about this record. Perfectly sits in a liminal space between Alternative Rock and Americana. Rating: 8/10

Due to the hype around this album, I expected better. Two very good songs followed by a lot of mid. Pleasant background music I guess? Rating: 6/10

I prefer Green River. Solid transition album. Rating: strong 6/10

I wouldn't let them date my daughter Rating: 3/10

Great voice, mid songs, bad production Rating: 4/10