Reviews

Look - I'm sure listening to this makes me 11% more intelligent.

At best, reminded me of Jonathan Richman or Sufjan Stevens or The National. At worst, and at such length (although I respect the commitment to the concept) it drags on and feels dull and repetitive. (2.5 stars)

All right, I'm liking the emo feel here. Still a background-listening one, but a nice variation.

Picture this: 1982 I'm a senior in high school. Prince 1999 is on the charts. With enthusiasm i listen to it. Blank. So I listened again. Some emotions. So I listened again. Ahhh there it is : this shit sucks. 40plus years later. Still sucks

Boooooooring 4/10

I am not normally a fan of the willfully obtuse lo-fi of the 90s. It often fails to rock. The lo-fi thing doesn't concern me; it's the obtuseness for obtuseness' sake. Guided By Voices, I'm looking at you. But this record I enjoyed (much more than, say, Pavement, who I tend to regard as the emperor's new music). It fairly often rocks (eg. Sacred Ambition), the tunes are memorable (eg. Homemade, or Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)), and the album overall is muscular and thought out (eg Soul and Fire). Sometimes it embraces 'weirdness' in a way that reminds me a little of Primus, a very self-aware 'wackiness' (eg. Fantastic Disaster). I am OK with the use of dissonance and/or a failure to tune the guitars (eg. Flood). That's OK, that can rock. A pleasant surprise. Would listen again.

This is one of the lowest rated in the whole project but I've been looking forward to it. This album gets mentioned in the reviews of other albums, usually in the context of, no matter how shitty an album is it's not as bad as Throbbing Gristle. I get it. This is not the type of album that appeals to the masses. I'm 3 listens in and this thing is a creative masterpiece. If more tracks were like AB/7A it would be in regular rotation. I know I'll probably never listen to this again, but today this album is pure brilliance.

Now some guys they just give up living And start dying little by little, piece by piece Some guys come home from work and wash up And go racing in the street

I found myself looking at my watch, wondering when it would be over. It's not _bad_. The gentle Latin vibes make this pleasant background music, but the fact that my Portuguese is terrible and so I don't understand any of the lyrics make it hard to engage with the album. This is hyped as possibly the greatest pop/rock/jazz/insert-genre-here album ever to come out of Brazil, but I reckon it suffers from the same problem as nearly every other double album ever; it would be better as a more tightly edited single LP. I kept waiting for something to leap out and grab my attention. The big fuzz guitar leads in 'Trem de Doido' stand out, but much of the rest of is just... fine. It's fine, Ok, it's really fine. Nothing wrong with it, but I just can't really click with this. It's not you, it's me, OK... You're awesome, Clube de Esquina, I'm just not ready for a committed relationship with Brazilian pop. 2.5 stars, rounding up because it's pleasant.

At the time I received this album, it was the lowest user rated entry out of the 1089 albums on this list--that is absolutely wild to me. I get that this is not melodic at all, but it isn't abrasive or all that challenging. It's honestly incredibly pleasant even as a background record. Subsequent listens are more rewarding as well. I know this isn't for everyone, but it's interesting and unique in the context of the majority of this list. And there is some absolute garbage on here that should not be rated higher than this album.

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".

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??!!?

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.

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

Music for incels to wank furiously by

Most 60's groups had three choices: copy the beatles, copy the beach boys, or sexually abuse minors. These guys changed the game and did all three- Four stars!

5: The moustache that appear on Art if you put your thumb on Pauls face on the album cover. 5: The songs.

This is the 4th Springsteen album I have gotten out of 70, 2nd this week. After listening to the album I ate at a McDonalds, read a Ronald Reagan biography and punch a commie in the dick. MERICA!

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

Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Favorite tracks: Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Album art: Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. 4.5/5

The only reason this is here is because it’s from before streaming, when if you bought a shit album you had to convince yourself you liked it.

My god what will this do to my Spotify recommendations???

Hey, reader! If you can't find the full album anywhere, email me at sodaco3@gmail.com and I'll send a zipped file of the songs. John Zorn. Hmmm.....let's talk about John Zorn. He's a jazz artist (saxophone) who specializes in avant-garde jazz. This alone will turn away quite a few people, and I can't blame them: avant-garde art is inherently pretentious with it's "ooo, look at how I deconstruct certain pervasive elements in art and rearrange them for new experiences". It's pretty anarchist, and anarchists SUCK! Given this, I'm pretty surprised that Zorn is even on this list. I would've went with his much more popular "Naked City", but maybe that was too "jazz-rock" for 1001. Regardless, most people are going to walk away not enjoying John Zorn's work. So, what is he doing with this album? Well, he's got a 5-piece band built of two alto-saxophones, a bass, and TWO DRUMMERS! Neat. Double drummers is always risky but it's avant-garde so we'll let it slide. Cool production note: each saxophone is playing in a different channel (Zorn is in the right; listen for his licks!). Also of note is that everyone playing is improvising, giving a sort of full sound that surrounds the listener like a chaotic hug. Can you feel it? Zorn's compositions are interesting, as he opts to do these much shorter tracks that don't stick around for long before moving on the the next one. Zorn is heavily inspired by the hardcore punk scene in New York, London, and Tokyo at the time, particularly the rise in grindcore (see: Scum by Napalm Death). That sort of quick-and-dirty, attack on the ears is something that was very much inspired from grindcore and can be seen crossing over in jazz through Zorn. Again, most people will not like this, but for what it's worth I think it's a cool approach to jazz. By the 80's, Jazz had pretty well split; smooth jazz was on the rise with the likes of Kenny G, producing the most accessible, commercial music possible. Meanwhile, Jazz was being used more as a prop for other genres, such as acid jazz in the UK being a combination of electronic beats with jazz (great for clubs), or hip-hop producers incorporating jazz samples in their beats, leading to the rise of jazz rap in the late 80's and early 90's. This comes AFTER the prominence of avant-garde jazz actually, so Zorn is late to the party and very much on his own. Regardless, his approach to jazz with the mindset of hardcore punk makes for a fresh and thrilling listening experience. Overall, I think there's a lot one can take from this album, but they'll need to be open to the weirdness of it all. Do not expect structure, melodies, and rhythms that ground most songs. Instead, listen for how each instrument is playing off the others while also being totally independent from the song. There are times in this record where the stars align and you can hear the purposefulness of Zorn's band coming together in creating some really rad shit. But you gotta be open to it, or you'll just walk away thinking it's a total stinker. If you liked this record, consider listening to Ornette Coleman's stuff! I recommend "The Shape of Jazz to Come" and "Free Jazz", both records that did NOT make this list because Coleman ISN'T ANYWHERE ON THE LIST, DESPITE HIS NAME BEING HONORED BY THIS ALBUM. FUCK YOUUUUUUU 1001 ALBUMS!!!!