1001 Albums Summary

A seminal album in the punk space, I can hear so much of what the punk genre would later go on to be in this album. Unfortunately, most of those later bands do it better. The instrumentation, while basic at times, is still a fun listen albeit repetitive. The moments that stand out most musically are I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend and Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue. The lyrics, however, never rise above a mediocre level even on my favorite tracks from the album, even making some tracks that are great musically unlistenable, like I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend and Havana Affair. I would not be caught dead listening to Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World in public even if it is satire. Ramones is an album that has all of the pieces to be great but can’t but them together.

An album with a great atmosphere that defined the sounds of 80s new wave. The foreboding guitars sound straight off of Black Sabbath’s debut at times and when they become more energetic it makes for some of the best tracks on the record. The laser sounds in Insight did not age well and are incredibly jarring on the first listen. Ian Curtis has a very distinct voice that sends itself amazingly to the sound of Joy Division.

Rage Against the Machine’s self titled album is one of the best debut albums of all time. The bass is super funky, the guitars have such a unique and amazing tone, and Zach De La Rocha’s lyrical style fits the music so well. His lyrics draw attention to many important social issues and call the listeners to action and to rebel against the oppressive system of the American government. I think this is particularly poignant when quoting actual lines from FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and the vile things he said and did. Overall a great album and political statement.

This debut album has an atmospheric feel that is a blend of American West county music and 70s British rock. Mark Knopfler puts in a legendary guitar performance on almost every track and Sultans of Swing sits solidly as one of the best rock and roll songs of all time. After an atmospheric slow opening it kicks off with Down to the Waterline and keeps it up until a great finale in Lions. Southbound Again and Wild West End stand out as some other great songs on one of the best debut albums of all time.