Album Reviews

almost walked in front of a bus while listening to this. a trauma album for me.

View Author

Voice like Nico, atmosphere and sensibility like Air. Also reminiscent of Cortex. Uncoincidental that all are French except Nico (German). This is a difficult rating because I dig the psychedelic dream pop vibes but the musical motifs in the songs are a little too flat and repetitive for my tastes, so it’s a 3.5 rounded down.

View Author

Funky soulful anti-establishment rock.

View Author

People can say whatever they want about this album. But it fires on all cylinders and checks all of the same boxes as the prior albums. Front to back great songs with plenty of thrash. Sets a high bar for this genre

View Author

Iconic LP.

View Author

I don't mind some of these, some of the tracks have a cool sound to them. Love that Tony Allen is involved, but don't expect this to sound anything like Fela Kuti. It's a high 3 for me, but I liked it and will probably go back, so could see it bumping to a 4 for me in the future.

View Author

It reminds me of Yes on some parts, making the experience really nice for roughly half of the album. The other half... Didn't really stick much to me.

View Author

Bloated and derivative (Pink Floyd, Young, among others), but this dream rock works for them. They deserve their 15 minutes.

View Author

This is my second Beck album and I am once again annoyed at the list for giving certain (usually male) artists so many albums while women artists are left off completely or only have one album. Beck is fine, but not good enough to warrant the number of albums on this list. I love a good breakup album, and I have been known to love the “sad guy with a guitar” trope but Beck misses the mark. There are a few songs that break the dreary, samey mold- Lonesome Tears especially. But overall, this is incredibly boring.

View Author

I liked it. Mix of early punk and early new wave. The first song was really good. I may have to give it another listen as I was distracted for a lot of it. Pleasant surprise.

View Author

Dzień 3 - Green Day - Dookie Album który najmniej mnie zaskoczyl/ zostawil na mnie najmniejsze wrażenie z powodu tego że dobrze znam zespół i wiedziałem czego miałem się spodziewać Jest to też piereszy album z tej strony który jest mniejwiecej w moim guscie i z którego jakiś kawałek znalem Natomiast nie zmienia to faktu ze jest to ABSOLUTNIE SWIETNY album Gatunek to punk rock / pop punk Jest naprawdę przyjemny i jest taki jak ja dosłownie ja album XDDD Taki rozpierdol, mega fun, naprawdę mega zajebsity album Spodobał mi się od pierwszej piosenki bo to czysta taka mega energia i mega relatable teksty Coś czego bym słuchał na codzień przed rozpoczęciem tej strony Najlepszy kawałek - She Najgorszy- All by myself Poraz trzeci daje 4 gwiazdki XDDD Album trwa 40min ma 15kawalkow Wczorajszy album mocniej ze mną został ale tutaj to już czysto moje klimaty co nie zmienia faktu że wczorajszy mimo wszystko mi się bardziej podobał przesłuchałem go już chyba z 5razy 😭😭 Mega fun album oraz plusik za feministyczne i woke pro lgbt przesłania oraz za to że green day obecnie tępi trumpa Nie jest to album wybitny ale genialny w swojej prostocie Cant wait do jutra

View Author

Fine Not a patch on Exodus

View Author

Aerosmith is a top 5 fave band for me. Own this album, one of the first I bought when I started the collection. Have listened multiple times. Title track could be better. But it’s got a great guitar, good lyrics and the classic Steven Tyler vocals. The guitar solo with the bass back track is awesome. I like uncle salty a lot. Simple but awesome guitar. Great writing again. Adams Apple is another one that’s good not great, at least as far as Aerosmith goes. It’s not a bad song by any means there’s just better to come. I like the production a lot tho. Cool sounds. Really nice musical solo too. Followed by an absolute banger in walk this way. This song is way ahead of its time. I like the Run DMC version better, but either way it’s a great song. Awesome guitar riff. Super catchy chorus. Wish the guitar solo at the end kept going. Major switch up with big ten inch. This one is very 70s production wise but it works. Good piano and horns. Awesome harmonica solo too. And then followed by a top 25 song all time. This and dream on are 1a/1b for Aerosmith. The slow open, the awesome guitar riff, the guitar solo, the catchy chorus (even tho it’s literally just 2 words), the playback ability it just has it all. I will never get sick of this song. Listen to the live version if you haven’t before. Hard to follow that up. Definitely makes no more forgettable. This one has a really good guitar and piano tho. Good writing in this one too. I wish the piano was louder during the solo. Way overshadowed by an average (for Aerosmith) guitar solo. Opening to round and round is so cool. This is another change of pace but in the opposite direction. This one is what I’d consider heavy metal. This one is really catchy too. The end is just as cool as the beginning. Feel like this should’ve been the last song. Love how it fades right into you see me cryin. Great piano on this one. Works well with the guitar. I love a good Steven Tyler ballad. Flip the last two songs around and this album is pushing 5/5. Again, another album with no outright bad songs. It’s a great ride, not too long not too short. A couple of all timers on there. It’s an easy 4.7/5 stars for me.

View Author

ну фе вообще не мое

View Author

nice and moody, but a little slow paced for me. really relaxing

View Author

To misquote another of his songs, "They said you were high class, and they were right." His death was a great loss to all music lovers but a mercy to all toilets.

View Author

I had to see what all the hubbub was about. First off, don't like the album cover. First track- "okay weird intro" Seond track- "Double intro?" Fourth track- "Finally, music!...?" and then I skimmed through the rest of it... what the fuck is this? Apparently as long as you were a group of blokes in the 70s this fool thinks it's worth a listen?

View Author

Not sure if living in Southern California has giving me a new appreciation but really enjoyed this lively album.

View Author

Björk is best listened to when in an altered state of mind

View Author

Yes! Absolutely amazing! I loved this album. Bangers!

View Author

Fairly disappointing. I could see this growing on me with more familiarity but on a first listen, it just feels kind of flaccid. The end of the album (beautiful child to the end) was the highlight.

View Author

I was never a big fan of the Beatles, but I have to say that listening to this all the way through really made me appreciate them. Hard to place oneself in their time and get a sense of what was revolutionary at the time but now de rigeur. I always like Eleanor Rigby and maybe that alone makes this album notable. But the rest of the songs are also surprisingly good. Favorite that I did not really know before: Here, There, and Everywhere. I get the impression that this is probably the first (chronologically) Beatles album that I would appreciate - you can hear some of the transition from Brit Wave drivel to real artistry and the first (?) hints of their eventual fascination with Indian music. But you get Yellow Submarine as a vestige of their earlier drivel. I still will not likely listen to this again, so I am giving it a 3. Maybe it deserves a 4, but I reserve that for albums I am looking forward to listening to again.

View Author

I liked a lot about this album. It maybe got a little boring at times, but it was good.

View Author

Really good live album!

View Author

I feel like this is the type of music that is improved by where you first hear it. I'd probably like it more if I was at some '03 indie basement party. Still love Maps though

View Author

The greatest moments of one of the most iconic supergroups in music history. It really does shine and showcase each of their strengths individually. 10/10 [KEEP]

View Author

I think this is pleasant enough but it does kind of fade into the background after awhile. I'm not crazy about the vocals throughout this record. Sometimes Mayfield's falsetto sounds appropriate for the mood of the song, but he doesn't have much vocal strength in that register and it can often sound faltering and flat as he struggles to hold the notes. It can even get a bit grating, like on "Jesus" where he just keeps hammering this particular note over and over until it kind of gave me a headache (but I was already on edge from being unexpectedly transported to church against my will). That's also the point in the record when I got bored and checked out, although Hard Times almost brought me back on board. I think, unfortunately, the vocals distracts me from the great musicianship going on behind it. The brass section in "So in Love" sounds especially good, and I like the saxophone in Love to the People.

View Author

This is The Police's last album, made when they were at their most popular. It is a very good gateway into The Police, but Ghost In the Machine and Outlandos D'Amour are better albums.

View Author

Sounded cool but nothing really stuck out.

View Author

Yesterday I went into the Cantina at the new Star Wars land at Disneyland and the bartender leans over, sneakily gives me this, and whispers, “It’s not often we get a Resistance General in here. Thank you for your service.” I almost cried.

View Author

Oh fuck yeah. Oh hell yeah. As much as I love the Beastie Boys, I don't believe them when they say they were making fun of "frat boys and party bros" when they performed "Fight For Your Right." It's not like they grew up right away on Paul's Boutique...there's still a lot of hilarious shit and braggadocio on that album, too...they just had an ear for immaculate sounds and producing by the Dust Brothers. I don't think they really grew up and out of the immature phase until Check Your Head. But it sounds good for them to distance themselves from Fight For Your Right and Girls as quickly as they possibly could. This album is awesome...always has been, always will be. I keep seeing mentions about how it hasn't aged well, etc...but whatever, fuck that. This past weekend, I read an article on the DMV rap scene that was on Pitchfork...because I'm from the area, I was curious. And then I listened to some of the music from that article. All that shit makes Licensed To Ill look like nursery rhymes. The production here is immaculate. The bass is awesome. Sonically, it's a masterpiece. What a great album. Fun, hilarious, quotable...just great.

View Author

Once upon a time, there was a beast named Muhammad Who legalized rape, polygamy, pedophilia, and shamelessness The beast Muhammad wrote the Quran, the Muslims' book of hate A manual of terror, wrath, and pedophilia First-degree murderers, terrorists in a world like no other

View Author

to the guy who said "Me and my girlfriend did interesting things in the back of my car to this" it's MY GIRLFRIEND AND I dumbass

View Author

Quintessential slop

View Author

"California Dreamin'" is the highlight here. That opening acoustic guitar is immaculate. For me it is in the pantheon of songs of the Mythological California of which there are many. California loomed large in the psyche of 20th century America and beyond. I love the song. The remainder of the album is quite pleasant in its own right. Right in the wheel house of that 1960s folk rock sound. These tracks are full of harmonies and the right blend of pop sensibilities. Mama Cass and Mama Michelle outshine the guys for sure, in my opinion. In the end though it does all come together for a light 35 minutes. Just stay here though, stay with the music here on this album. There is tragedy on the horizon for this band. Their run was short but sweet. Don't go reading on how the story ends. The music is pleasant enough. Let's let the music be enough. Just keep dreaming of California. We'll get there one day. Promise. 3/5

View Author

I remember this one being a HUGE album until it wasn't. I remember the song (and that Prince wrote it), and I remember the tearing of the picture and the backlash afterward, but I'd honestly never had an opportunity to hear the rest of the album, and was a little flummoxed when it came up on this list. And when I listened to it, I was a whole other kind of surprised. This is a good album. Maybe not a damn good album or a wonderful album, but much different and more interesting than I'd expected. Way more Tori Amos/Fiona Apple/Bjork adjacent and less Dolores O'Riordan than anticipated (and I am at least a casual fan of all of the above). It may not be a blind 5, but it does round up to a 4/5, and intrigued me enough to search out some of her later work to see where she went creatively after her public ostricism.

View Author

To quote Willie Nelson "There are two kinds of men; those who are in love with Emmylou Harris, and those who haven't met her." I only know Emmylou Harris through her records, but that's enough to be madly infatuated. Emmylou Harris has built an incredible body of work as a harmony singer, collaborator and interpreter of songs. But this is one of her rare albums of original songs. Spaciously recorded by Malcolm Burn using a crack band and a host of A-list guests with that atmospheric Lanois-style production, it is spooky and spacious and hard to pigeonhole exactly. It's not the classic country-folk sound of most of her output, but it's classy and sophisticated. But there is no mistaking that Emmylou is the star of the show here. I would listen to her sing the phone book, but this is even better.

View Author

Nina Persson’s cool, almost innocent delivery, the bright melodies, the elegant arrangements, the polished pop shape. Underneath that, a lot of these songs are sour, passive-aggressive, wounded, or emotionally evasive. That contrast is the whole trick. The album sounds sweet without actually being naive.

View Author

I played in a local (and staggeringly unsuccessful) industrial band during the 90s. Don't bother trying to look it up, it has been consigned to the memory hole. We played on the edge of a number of local scenes, but never really fit anywhere. The metal guys didn't like that we didn't have a real drummer. The goths thought we dressed in too many bright colours. The indie/alt scenesters thought it was just a horrible noise. In many ways the electronic/dance people were the most welcoming, although they did look askance at the long hair, guitars and Marshalls. But we played quite a few shows at warehouse dance parties and electronic nights and they were amongst the best shows we played. I hung out with a few people from the Clan Analogue collective (look them up, they are still active https://www.clananalogue.org/), and so was familiar with what was influential in the scene in th eearly 90s. Orbital were certainly big amongst that crowd, but frankly, it wasn't _that_ different from many of those Clan Analogue acts. This type of electronic dance music sounds awesomely great played through a big PA accompanied by flashing lights in a dark warehouse at 2am in a crowd of dancers, potentially while chemically enhanced. But out of that context, I find it all a bit dull. I just don't travel in those circles anymore. Orbital is rightfully one of the great 90s dance acts -- their stuff is clearly head and shoulders above the average, and the appearance of Alison Goldfrapp is always welcome -- but it doesn't feel relevant to me these days. I quite like 'Sad But True', 'Crash and Carry' and 'Are We Here?' and (PS - What is with that terrible cover art?)

View Author

(4/5) Rock classic by a legendary band. It's good and I love the hits, but they always struck me as a bunch of hyperactive kids running around yelling "Watch this!". It's fine and it might even be fun (or funny) at times, but I don't have the patience for it *ALL* the time. That level of energy is unsustainable for me. I haven't snorted enough (or any) cocaine to keep up with that pace. It's over as quickly as it started, which makes this a quick 'shot' of rock.

View Author

I really like Mr N'Dour's hat.

View Author

Listened to the whole thing and now I can honestly say, this album is complete ass and Kendrick Lamar deserves zero praise for this lazy edgelord garbage.

View Author

It’s telling that this album appealed to a younger self. But as an adult, the "edgelord" posturing is hard to look past and made this a real struggle. The album leans heavily into an "only joking (or am I?!)" defence to mask its more offensive instincts, obviously exaggerated for shock value. But this isn't the problem - it's the emotional void. The record constantly pivots between a whining, "poor me" narrative about a difficult childhood and the pressures of fame, while simultaneously offering zero empathy to anyone else. It's the emotional depth of an angsty teenager acting out. In hindsight, he seems to lack any self-awareness when he complains about parents worrying he’s a bad influence. Does he ever stop to ask why his material appeals so heavily to children in the first place? (Note: On a relisten, he does actually state that it's for middle schoolers multiple times. But whether he's joking or serious, it's still true.) It feels too "try-hard" and self-absorbed, and it honestly left me with second-hand embarrassment. I'm sure at the time it was outrageous and fun, but by today's standards, it sounds like stuff an incel would say for attention. It's all just too juvenile. The track "Stan" deserves a call-out for its innovative concept and exploration of parasocial relationships, but the nuance and insight there seem almost accidental compared to the rest of the record. That is the real shame. I think there are interesting ideas that could have been explored well if there were less cringey acting out and a bit more maturity. "Stan" proves he is capable of more, which makes the rest of the album feel even more disappointing and performative. Beyond that, while the production is solid and he possesses a distinct style which he's perfected, it’s telling that the standout track was one he wasn't really on. A lot of the featured artists offered a well needed break. In the end I'd rather just listen to Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and enjoy life. 2/5

View Author

(2/5) Thanks. I don't get it, but it was fine as a cultural artifact. The album was an interesting listen. It wasn't aurally offensive, but it didn't ignite anything either. It all kinda felt the same from track to track, but that could be my lack of understanding and I'm not afraid to admit that. I wouldn't mind some more (not a *lot* more) of this in the list. World music is a blind spot for me and I actually expected more of it. Instead, it's endless amounts of electronic/Britpop bullshit. This is -- by my count -- the second truly "World" music album and is likely just a 'check box' (i.e. quota) addition. We're only a hundred or so albums in.. that's 2%.

View Author

Boy, there's a struggle in my head on this one.. Clapton and Baker absolutely slay the guitar and drums, respectively, but damned if I can't stand Bruce as the singer. "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine.." of course are great, but all the other songs aren't great mainly because of Bruce. I'm taking a knee on this one out of respect with to Clapton and Baker and just give it the average treatment. (3/5)

View Author

I can’t believe the top review for this record (as of Dec 2023) is from someone trying to use their PhD in Mathematics as justification for not liking hip-hop. Weak.

Oh fuck yeah, now we're talking. Wait no, I swear I'm not being pretentious. This is the lowest rated album on this site because I guess mostly people aren't very fond of German people smashing metal plates together - who would have guessed. But halle-fucking-lujah, this is something this list needs more of. Albums that make you go "well, that was an experience and now I'm a changed man". Nobody is lying on their deathbed wishing they heard more crappy 80s post-punk or late 60s psychedelic rock. THIS is what we all deserve to be listening to as we embrace eternal oblivion. I'm giving this a high rating not only because I genuinely really love it, but also to help Kid Rock move to his rightful place as the actual worst album on this list. Together we can make a difference. Save the turtles.

Brings back vivid memories of when me and my mate Ray went on a trip to Dresden. We met this rotund goth in a bar, head to toe with tattoos and piercings, real filth and after a while took her into the disabled bogs for a spit roast. We were both pumping away in her with Napalm Death on in the background and her wailing "MEIN GOTT" at the top of her lungs. I remember spaffing all over her back just as Siege of Power kicked in. As i shoot over her, she takes Ray's cock out of her gob and says "do you want fries with that?" in a faux American accent. Anyway, we go outside and there's this gammy little geezer in a wheelchair sitting there furious, giving me daggers, because he's had to wait so long, so I lean into him and I go "I hope you have as much fun in there as we just did you little cunt".

Back when I was in college, there was this dude who would come into the bar I worked at on a Friday night and play fucking 10 Neil Young songs in a row. He would also hit on girls by doing magic tricks. I remember how angry I got every time he made me listen to an hour of Neil Young because I was just trying to have a good time, and he fucking made me listen to this sad, soppy fuck who writes nothing but songs that sound indistinguishable from each other and never seemed to enjoy a happy moment in his entire like. Fuck that guy, and fuck Neil Young. 2/5

Back when I was in college I used to go to a bar and listen to Neil tunes and do magic tricks for women. There was a bartender there, he was the best. I loved that guy. Some of the best years of my life.

Shit like this on the list is both refreshing and infuriating. Refreshing because it is good, fun, interesting, and also not something I would regularly be exposed to! It's why I started this project and keeps me coming back. It's infuriating because the fact that it is included here means that Robert Dimery, the original author of the 1001 albums list is aware that music like this exists. He's clearly aware that there is an entire world of music out there. SO WHY HAVE I LISTENED TO 200 80s BRITISH NEW WAVE ALBUMS AND 200 SCOTTISH ROCK ALBUMS FROM THE 90S??!!?

I really don't get rap, and I am completely aware of why. I'm a STEM guy, specifically a Ph.D. student in mathematics. Although my verbal intelligence is quite high, it's still about a standard deviation below my quantitative intelligence. Therefore, it should not be too surprising that I prefer melodies to lyricism, and that a genre based on the latter doesn't wow me. I know I'm pretty far out of step with public opinion on this one, but that can easily be attributed to the fact that hipsters with humanities degrees (i.e. extremely verbal-dominant people) are considered the ultimate arbiters of taste for some reason. (Side note: this also explains why prog rock is seen as being for losers.) Best song: Be (Intro), which had a decent instrumental part at the beginning. Everything else just sort of ran together.

Rap isn't my preferred genre of music. But I'm a shitty mathematician so I enjoyed this.

Rage In Favor Of The Machine.

Music for incels to wank furiously by

Sorry Boomers/Gen X, I was like 20 when this came out so it's one of the best things to ever happen to me. Sorry it's not King Crimson or whatever.

i ain’t listening to all that i’m happy for u tho or sorry that happened

The only enjoyment I got from this was reading the review about the brothers in Dresden and their lovely and talented tattooed friend.

The beauty of music is that it is subjective. It’s typically great for a certain group of people, though it’s never right for everyone. Some for the masses, some more niche, but it all has its place. Meanwhile, with lists like this, there’s always artists or records that anyone would have put on in place of what actually made it. Personally, I would have included Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime, Live’s Throwing Copper, Joe Satriani’s The Extremist, Sara Bareilles’ Little Voice, or John Mellencamp’s Scarecrow album on a list of must hear records. Others would put totally different albums on and that's awesome. What someone likes vs. dislikes is truly subjective. Again, that's the beauty. With that said, this album objectively sucks. I mean truly horrible. Something had to be the lowest rated album on the list, and this was a place well earned. There is nothing redeemable about this record. To quote my wife, “they should have stopped at 1,000.”

I am definitely not the target demographic for this album, but I still thought it was very good. There's a lot of skill and artistry put into these tracks, so much so that it is almost invisible. 4 stars for me, plus an extra star just to spite the mathematics PHD guy.