1001 Albums Summary

I’m so glad this was my first album on the list. I’ve heard a few of the songs separately but never the entire album. It was like a religious experience. So many variations of music and genres wrapped in one album. Some sounds we hear every day now that had to have been absolutely mind blowing at the time of release. Hendrix is the number one guitarist in my book. There were notes of The Beatles, R&B and jazz that opens your eyes to so many other things if you’re willing. He makes the guitar sing and talk as if it’s speaking its own mind. I also detected some hints of where RHCP got their sound in Gypsy Eyes. Truly a phenomenal album. One to be glad I’m on Earth as the same time as this masterpiece.

Another classic but toned down some. A moment to take a breather and enjoy the music.

This one doesn’t even need an introduction. It shows the diversity of all of the members. You get the philosophical thought provoking songs with John, the “fun” songs from Paul, the more solemn but thought songs with George and the upbeat country feel with Ringo. You also get a more modern punk feel in some songs. I know most would say this isn’t the “best” album of The Beatles but the amount of popular songs on this album prove that wrong.

Not my favorite. I hear many rhythms or bass lines that could be great or are great but the lyrics and overall flow of the songs are…meh.

This is one of those albums that hit me with that feeling of “I’m so glad I got to listen to this for the first time ever”. I thought I had an idea of what it would sound like but I was so wrong. And I’m glad I was wrong. It really shows the diversity of The Beach Boys and they weren’t just a “surfer boy band”. I listened to it twice just because I loved it that much. And it honestly surprised me how much I loved it. Definitely found some new repeats: “Long Promised Road”, “Student Demonstration Time”, “Lookin’ At Tomorrow” and “A Day In The Life Of A Tree”

I know why this album is on this list because Elvis was groundbreaking for rock music. But…it’s hard to compare it to more modern rock music. The guitar riffs were repetitive, the rhythm simple but steady. Nothing wrong with that because Elvis is how we got to today’s music but I give it a 3.5 star. Why 3.5? Because of how raw and personal each song felt with his voice. The nakedness of the recordings is what makes it, I think. One I had never heard before was “I Love You Because” and the acoustic back porch feel struck me the most and the lyrics are beautiful.

I decided to take this one to the next level and listen to it on cassette and vinyl. The main reason is because the entire album isn’t available on YouTube Music but it also gave me a reason to listen in the way The Eagles intended it. I’m glad I did because I didn’t realize how much I was missing by sitting and listening to it all the way through. I’ve listened to many of the songs separately many, many times. But sitting alone with headphones and a cassette rolling while you actually listen to the lyrics? Can’t beat that. Listening as an adult is totally different for each song. 5 star.