Album Reviews

More a product than actual music. And that goes for Beyoncé herself, too, because her image, her "art" and her private life are so perfectly staged that I can't even believe the "personal" lyrics with their feminism and empowerment. This is supposed to be modern soul music, but to me it feels completely soulless and dead.

View Author

Starts out dogshit Then gets less bad Never gets good

View Author

No esperaba para nada como era este álbum viendo la portada, pero Irlanda I guess

View Author

Decent enough - no real standouts - prefer some of their other stuff from 90s

View Author

Interesting mix. Some songs were amazing, Cash totally reinvented them with his passion. Others were almost cringy.

View Author

In lots of ways right up my street and the sort of thing I should really love. But something about it left me not ever getting in to it as much as I might have liked to. Maybe its the live nature, which is odd as I tend to enjoy live albums. Maybe there was just a bit too much fiddling around? So, this was fine with some nice bits and pieces on it.

View Author

Fun but a bit forgettable. 6/10 Pretty Good

View Author

6.5 / 10

View Author

1. The Cisco Kid 2. Beetles In The Bog 3. City, Country, City

View Author

Enjoyable enough, although I never really got in to it in the sort of way I hoped. Good length and I might well enjoy it more with repeated listenings.

View Author

Piss poor guitar playing, songs that go out of tempo, songs that go out of tune, songs that were never IN tune, nonsensical lyrics, random dialogue in between songs, and some of the worst vocals I’ve ever heard. When they said it had polyrhythm and polytonality what they meant was “these guys can’t fucking play”

View Author

хороший альбом, но мне не очень нравится вокалист группы. музыка очень крутая, но вокалист для меня как будто поет очень одинаково что ли, голос со временем надоедает. в целом альбом хороший, но не мое. 6/10 для меня

View Author

Sandy Denny’s voice really carries this for me — there’s something very natural about it that fits the songs perfectly. The fiddle helps a lot too, giving everything that traditional feel without it coming across as stiff or old-fashioned. It’s very folk-focused, but the band keeps it from getting dull. Not every track sticks, but as a whole it works really well for me.

View Author

I think they eat poopies. The music is sloppy.

View Author

Historically and politically massively important, and there are some belting tracks on here, particularly the ones that use Xhosa or isiZulu. That's right up my street though, and are exactly the sort of thing I'd listen to time and time again. To my mind, as an album it's let down by the English tracks which tend to be slower and more crooning. I understand why they needed to be included back when this was produced, and although I hope we'd be braver today with something like this, I'm not sure everyone would be. That's the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars. An easy 4 though.

View Author

whoa a birthday album whewww that voice highlights: son of a preacher man, i don't want to hear it anymore 3.5/5

View Author

Used to love this CD. Still enjoy it quite a bit. 4/5

View Author

This album is incredibly ahead of its time. The synth use combined with the great artistic choice of panning go incredibly throughout the whole record. A lot of the songs go on for way too long however, and even though the length of the album isn't that long, I quickly felt pretty bored of the looping keys. Great ideas, but I just wish they were executed more fully. As the songs drone on, they begin to feel empty. Nevertheless, this record is super groovy, and if you're looking for something to dance a bit to and enjoy the futuristic sounds that the 70s somehow achieved, this is a wonderful listen for the most part.

View Author

No one needs to listen to this record who hasn’t already.

View Author

I love this album. Staggering reach, treating melancholy like a cut gem that reflects a different shade with each facet. One of the albums on this list I have actually foisted onto people.

View Author

Hm at first I didn't like it, but listening to it 13 hours later made me miss USA🤣 The type of music that’d play in the main character’s van during a road trip. Like it, it’s light, not noisy, positive, gives off sunset vibes. Not my style tho because I couldn’t like it at first, and I listened to only 3 the most popular songs. Somewhere about mid but since it’s very niche it goes a bit above mid

View Author

i often think about how my life would have turned out if only we could fly limp bizkit style

View Author

Hell yeah. So fun. Everything sounds awesome. Made me feel like Neo from The Matrix. 3.5

View Author

Are ALL of these dudes having a hard time getting a girlfriend or something??

View Author

Je pense qu'une des choses à laquelle on voit que Robert Dimery est un peu paumé, c'est que plus tu avances dans le temps, plus tu sens que la seule mesure de l'importance d'un album sur laquelle il arrive à se baser, c'est le nombre de ventes. Combien d'artistes féminins ayant sorti un album en 2020 sont passées à la trappe pour qu'on place... Taylor Swift ? C'est un gros morceau, Taylor Swift. Je pourrais en parler des heures alors que fondamentalement, la seule fois où j'ai écouté sa musique, c'est aujourd'hui, pour les besoins de cette liste. Mais j'en ai entendu parler. Plein de fois. Et rarement en bien. Essentiellement, Taylor Swift est une milliardaire (ce qui est déjà très louche en soi) qui doit le succès de sa carrière musicale à ses privilèges et à l'investissement de ses parents (nuance importante : ça ne veut pas forcément dire que ce qu'elle fait est mauvais, mais c'est un fait). Et pendant ce temps, d'autres artistes de milieux moins favorisés ou de pays moins exposés ne pourront jamais espérer figurer dans le livre de Robert Dimery (ça doit leur manquer beaucoup, à n'en pas douter). Je ne vais pas m'étaler sur ses bords politiques douteux, sur ses pratiques mercantiles parfois abusées (alors qu'elle n'a pas besoin de ça pour vivre, contrairement à des petits artistes). Ses fréquentations sont louches, ses silences très parlants (se taire quand on a un tel impact culturel, ça n'est pas neutre, loin de là, surtout quand on est milliardaire et qu'on peut se permettre de froisser certaines personnes). Si on part dans ce terrier de lapin, on n'en sortira pas. Je blablate, je blablate, mais la musique, alors ? Oui, je parle de tout ça parce que selon moi, ce contexte éclaire largement la façon dont on peut envisager cet album et pourquoi j'en pense ce que j'en pense. Cet album est passable. Très passable. Ce n'est pas nul, c'est très pro, très propre et coup de bol, si j'en crois les avis en ligne, c'est probablement son meilleur album. Mais voilà, c'est très plat. Il y a souvent de très belles mélodies, Taylor Swift est tout sauf une mauvaise chanteuse (encore qu'elle n'est guère démonstrative sur cet album qui est somme toute assez posé), mais c'est à peu près tout. Cet album, c'est de la musique sans surprise, sans rien de particulier, pas hyper mémorable. Si je me souviens bien, il n'y a que 4 albums des années 2020 dans la liste. Et c'est tout ce que Robert Dimery a trouvé ? Charli XCX ? clipping. ? Ulcerate ? Kaatayra ? Non, vraiment, tout ça c'est moins inspiré que Taylor Swift ? Alors oui, je mets deux parce que je ne vois pas pourquoi Taylor Swift, sauf si on considère que les 1001 albums à écouter avant de mourir doivent représenter les artistes les plus populaires, indépendamment de leur intérêt artistique, de leur capacité à innover (j'exclus volontairement l'influence, ça ne se juge qu'avec beaucoup de recul et la dernière version du livre est sortie en 2021). Et dire que c'est pour Taylor Swift que j'écris mon avis le plus long ! J'espère bien que c'est son seul album dans la liste.

View Author

1.3

View Author

First three tracks remain incredible. Had hoped the rest of the album would grow on me. It hasn't. Standout track: Opening Trio 3.0

View Author

Great album, but not the Husker Du album I'd have picked.

View Author

Listening session: april 22nd, while commuting to internship Listened to before: no Thoughts: groovy, cool, relaxed and interesting. And the guy’s got a great artist name as well! This album is a nice gem to have discovered with this project Favourite tracks: Inspiration Information, Island Letter & Strawberry Letter 23

View Author

This is OK without particularly moving me. Doesn't sound particularly 60s style, which is a bonus.

View Author

Respect is really great Shake is great! reading ratemy music https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/otis-redding/otis-blue-otis-redding-sings-soul/, its fascinating that most of these are covers

View Author

some interesting sounds, but the overall texture stays pretty constant, and the vocals don't exactly help.

View Author

hä nomel eis vo ihne?? bi bi song 3 und sie chönd definitiv en mood überebringe. aber s isch scho au afoch viel reverb. hm ich verlür mich gad au chli und dasch glaub bitz d idee. ich glaub die vier sind uuuuuhuere cool. aber bin etz nöd soo fest dricho und s isch easy churz was ich aber schätze

View Author

Bernie Rhodes' little bitches, a sanctimonious nepo-baby boy-band.

View Author

As manufactured bands go, Spice Girls had more integrity.

View Author

Parasites cosplaying as urban guerilla. Yawn.

View Author

Being a middle age guy and standing in the kitchen and having coffee this morning with my wife of 20 years while Sex on Fire is playing is the height of irony. I was barely competent in the sack when I was in my prime, now the only thing on fire is my lower back pain. I'd be laughing right now if it wasn't so damn depressing. Like my last Kings of Leon album, it's much better later in the day. This cats vocals pre coffee are a no go for me, but it's all good this evening. Jared Followill is a badass bass player. Very tasty bass lines and the highlight of this album in my opinion.

View Author

John composed and recorded this masterpiece in one take when he was 38 years old. I'm nearly 34, sitting on the toilet, and typing a review to his album that nobody will read. Really humbles a guy. 5/5

View Author

The Good: (spoiler alert) THE LAST LC album I have to listen to on this list!!! The Bad: The fact that I had to listen to THREE of his albums… The Ugly: Mr Dimery’s face all smashed in by my fist—this is my imagination, I don’t condone violence… though at times this journey just pulls the worse out of you… If you own a dusty coffee shop, where 2-3 regulars show up only on rainy Wednesday afternoons, well then this is your album! We all know that LC is a poet… yet, as many have said before me, and I will gladly repeat, he has NO BUSINESS performing his own songs. The only positive thing about this album is that it is now done and I will never have to listen to LC again, unless it is accidentally thrust onto me in a movie or some empty dusty coffee shop on a rainy Wednesday afternoon... 1*

View Author

Music is pure magic. I remember hearing Mountain Song on KNAC when it was new and not liking it. Sometime in early '89 I was hanging with friends, drinking and smoking, and this CD got thrown on. Well I was gobsmacked, Ocean Size, Jane Says and Summertime Rolls floored me, with the latter probably having my favorite lyric of all time, 'if you want a friend feed any animal.' I must have internalized that at some point in my life, considering I have 4 dogs and 6 cats that are either hand me downs from people who weren't responsible for their shit or cast-offs that just showed up at my abode and promptly received food and water, and a name if they stuck around. Throw in the occasional opossum, raccoon, skunk, deer and hummingbird that also show up to eat and I consider myself fantastically lucky that I'm able to help another living being breathe a little easier. Fuck money, that is my definition of being wealthy. But anyway, this one's in the top 25 of the entire list for me. It's too bad Jane's imploded, another what could've been band. If you like this, check out Deconstruction, it's Eric Avery and Dave Navarro's project right after JA. The vocals are pretty deadpan and just ok, but if you can get past that, the music, songs and lyrics are pure brilliance. Another huge thanks to Alex for creating this site, it's been an exquisite Sunday morning listen on the patio. Sunshine, coffee and singing birds are good for the soul. No talking, man, all action.

View Author

Duck Rock? Uh, ok..? the British (UK) slant on this list is on full display here, it seems, after reading the reviews before going in. I've never heard of it or him (even in passing) and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable in music. I've been a good sport, so far, but I hold little hope. I do vaguely recognize "Buffalo Gals", but it's been eons since I've heard it. What the actual f*ck is this? Is this what cocaine does? I've never had the privilege. This clinches it -- I officially know what the soundtrack to cocaine sounds like. What a hyperactive mess. I chuckled at the absurdity of it. It's definitely something, but it's not anything I care for. "Jive My Baby" and "Duck For The Oyster" actually had me rolling around laughing they were so absurd. Not sure that was the intent. (1.5/5) because I laughed (unintentionally), but rounding down because there is nothing redeeming here. It actually felt more like an assault.

View Author

Not gonna lie, after the initial "what the fuck are we doing here," I actually found this one quite fun and refreshing. In fact, I'd have given a much higher rating if it had been fully instrumental, as the singing threw off some of the groove for me (not speaking the language or having a cultural connection can do that, unfortunately). The fusion of jazz, disco, and traditional Indian music must have caught me in the right mood, as it struck a chord I didn't expect to like as much as I did. Still, while I liked it better than a number of other albums we've had on this list, it isn't something I'm likely to revisit (with the exception of Baby Let's Dance Together, which is legitimately going into my rotation) so it hits the ceiling at a 3/5.

View Author

Well, this album kicks ass. Easily the best Buckley album on the list. It's got certified badass Chuck Rainey and groove machine Ed Greene on it, these cats are a couple of all timers locking it down. Now for the elephant in the room, the lyrics are just weird. It sounds to me like Warner Bros. were pushing Tim in a direction to bring up sales. This dudes other albums aren't like this at all lyrically. This comes across like a guy locked in the isolation booth with a few grams of cocaine ad-libbing songs about fucking. If you can get past that, the music on this is funky and way above average, these musicians and backup singers are pros and know how to jam. Spin it a few times and ignore the lyrics and you'll hear what I'm saying.

View Author

Bjork is a pop music genius and a true artist. She has a strong vision and works well with her carefully chosen collaborators who can fit to her creative process. Her approach to melody and expression is immediately identifiable; surprising and yet still catchy. On Medulla,she extends into some pretty esoteric space. You couldn't accuse her of phoning it in -- she is fully committed to the concept. But it often seems overly cerebral and occasionally untethered -- Ancestors is a particular example of where this comes off the rails. And it drags on. I can admire the thought and craft, but out stays its welcome. I strongly defend her artistic right to do whatever the hell she wants. But I personally can't keep up with this

View Author

I'll admit, I came into this album with some preconceived notions of Elvis Costello and thought I knew what I was getting into, but from the first track I was thrown for a loop. Not so great at first, but by "Tokyo Storm Warning" I'd acquired enough of a taste to settle in. That's when I started to hear so many of the 90s bands that must have been directly influenced by his 33 studio albums. Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Wallflowers, Spoon, Weezer, Wilco, whoever the hell did the Friends theme... Hell, Soul Asylum directly incorporated the skeleton of "Blue Chair" into "Runaway Train," and their singer probably owes him royalties for his stellar impression. There are even hints of Sublime in here, which I'd never have expected to hear. Like most albums, some of it worked better than others, but even when it wasn't great, it was interesting, and I definitely preferred his voice in the calm stuff to the almost punky screaming he'd tear into every so often. But all respect to The Attractions, who pretty well lived up to their names. All in all, it was better than I expected, and while I'm more likely to check out some of his other material than I was before, I'm more inclined to reach for some of those influenced artists I mentioned earlier and show my appreciation that way. It's a solid 3.5/5 that I'll round up in thanks for the legacy.

View Author

This album gets 5 stars for Moving in Stereo being the song playing during the Phoebe Cates swimming pool scene. As the kids say, IYKYK. This is one of the best debut albums of all time. 6 of the 9 songs are straight up classics.

View Author

Any redeeming qualities of this album (and there are very few) are overshadowed by just the slightest modicum of research about this guy. I won't waste my time expounding.

View Author

It's practically impossible to evaluate the title track of this album on its own terms. "Imagine" has been re-performed and re-contextualized endlessly and it's either the "greatest song ever written" (if you're a Boomer) or absolutely cringe naive nonsense if you're younger than 35. For what it's worth, and for better or worse, it's an elegy for the New Left -- by 1971, the 60s were "over" but the US and the UK were still embroiled in Cold War imperial adventures and Nixon was building his political kingship off hippie bashing. The Summer of Love ideals the Beatles represented were no longer popular, but the social/political problems these ideals were meant to address were alive and well (and, more importantly, the backlash against these ideals was gaining strength). Throughout the 1968 protests across Europe, one of the most popular slogans was "Die Phantasie an die Macht," or "All Power to the Imagination!" Lennon (who previously shrugged off the '68 rebellions) was now free to make political claims in his own name so he rushed to plant his flag with the New Left by paling around with the Panthers and throwing money at a bunch of radical underground publications. But it was probably too little too late, so "Imagine" fails to project "what could be" because it's so hung up in "what could have been." This nostalgia (for a time only a few years prior!) is partly why the Boomers are obsessed with its message -- it makes them feel like "we almost had a revolution" (which may or may not actually be true, depending on what they mean). And like so many New Left icons, its message was completely diluted and appropriated by libertarians and gets dragged back into the limelight every few years by the ruling class as an anti-activist "can't we all just get along" sleeping pill (exhibit A is Gal Gadot). To Lennon's credit, "He'S rIcH aNd He'S tElLiNg Us To ImAgInE nO pOsSeSsIoNs!" is an incredibly shallow critique. Yeah dawg, that's why the song is called "Imagine" and not "I'm a perfect role model and you should live exactly like me." In fact, that's the absolute *strength* of this album -- Lennon is brimming with both ego and humility, hypocrisy and sincerity, condemnation and self-effacement, imperfections and redemption. The 2 songs immediately following "Imagine" directly address Lennon's grossest qualities: his history of violence against women, and his nasty tendency to mock people with disabilities. The former is something he's had to account for endlessly (especially after his death), the latter is something he's rarely criticized for but he nevertheless felt the need to apologize for. Elsewhere on the album, he continues to poke holes in the soft utopianism of "Imagine" by addressing his own feelings of hopelessness, uncertainty, depression, anger, pettiness, mania, neediness, etc. He would probably be the first person to acknowledge the worrisome self-righteousness of "Imagine" because the rest of the album is one long apologia for that ego trip. It's almost a shame how strong of a shadow this song casts -- there are so many other killer tracks here: "Jealous Guy," "Gimme Some Truth," and "How" are among the best he ever wrote, and there's no filler anywhere else on the album. If he left off track 1 and gave it a new name it would be, undoubtedly, celebrated (even by younger generations) as one of the best albums of the 1970s. Nevertheless, despite, or because of, its flaws, I think it is.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

Rage In Favor Of The Machine.

Music for incels to wank furiously by

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

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.

this album is everything that punk pretends to be.

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