Album Reviews

Listening session: april 19th, while flying back home from London Listened to before: heard one song before Thoughts: I’ve never truly understood Pink Floyd and while I appreciate some of their music after listening to two of their albums on this project, I’m still not a fan. I liked The Dark Side of the Moon better than this album, although I like the guitar parts on the starting and ending track of this album Favourite track: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-

View Author

No banque mucho 5/10

View Author

On some level, if the 1001 Albums books were going to touch upon nu metal, then Korn, as one of the biggest bands to come out of that genre, was bound to be mentioned. I can see the logic in them picking the album that launched the group into mainstream success, off singles like "Freak on a Leash" and "Got the Life". In fact, there are more enjoyable songs than just those two. The opening run from "It's On!" to "Dead Bodies Everywhere" was some of the most energetic, hard-hitting grooves I heard in a while, buoyed by Fieldy's thick bass slaps, Munky and Brian "Head" Welch's crunchy guitar riffs, David Silveria's pulse-pounding drums, and Jonathan Davis's harsh tenor with such truly guttural scat-singing. That momentum also carries into later cuts like "B.B.K." and "Reclaim My Place", and even with Jon breaking out the bagpipes for "My Gift For You". There are even some heartfelt moments to be found, like the tribute to a fallen fan on "Justin" or the unfeathered beauty Jon saw in his newborn son on "Seed", even if I'm not as into the pitch-shifted vocals during the scat breakdown of that track. There are points where Follow the Leader was on the cusp of being a solid record. But man, we have to talk about the guest features. It is amazing how the only guest collab that I genuinely enjoyed was Cheech Marin sharing the mic with the band for a goofy nu metal rendition of Cheech & Chong's "Earache My Eye", and that was a hidden track. The actual marketed collaborations don't come close to being as fun or listenable as that. "Cameltosis" with Slimkid3 aka Tre of The Pharcyde was underwhelming in highlighting Jon's struggles to find love after being scarred by a previous relationship. "Children of the Korn” with Ice Cube ended up as an ill-conceived rally anthem for Gen X that couldn't bother to blend the rap and metal sides seamlessly. But probably the worst of all is "All in the Family", where Jon has a staged tongue-in-cheek rap battle with Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit that proved awkward for its time and has horribly aged. In fact, the songs with Ice Cube and Fred Durst are littered with Jonathan calling gay slurs in jest. Considering the man was bullied in high school and called such derogatory names, as brought up in earlier records, for him to use those same words like that is just the wrong lesson to take from that experience. Follow the Leader is truly an album of peaks and valleys. I get that this album and its singles put Korn on the map, but not all of it has aged well or feels truly representative of what this band is capable of.

View Author

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

View Author

Everyone should listen to Typical Girls before they get hit by a bus

View Author

Parasites cosplaying as urban guerilla. Yawn.

View Author

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⠿⣟⢷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢸⣏⡏⠀⠀⠀⢣⢻⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢸⣟⠧⠤⠤⠔⠋⠀⢿⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⡀⢀⣶⠤⠒⠀⢻⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣆⣠⣤⣤⣤⣤⣴⣦⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⢿⢿⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣀⠘⣿⠋⠁⠀⠙⢇⠀⠀⠙⢿⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⢇⡞⠘⣧⠀⢖⡭⠞⢛⡄⠘⣆⠀⠀⠀⠈⢧⠀⠀⠀⠙⢿⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⣠⣿⣛⣥⠤⠤⢿⡄⠀⠀⠈⠉⠀⠀⠹⡄⠀⠀⠀⠈⢧⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⣦⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⣼⡟⡱⠛⠙⠀⠀⠘⢷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⡀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⣧⡀⠀ ⢸⡏⢠⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢳⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢳⡀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣷⡀ ⠸⣧⠘⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢳⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢣⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠇ ⠀⣿⡄⢳⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⡟⠀ ⠀⢹⡇⠘⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠰⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡄⠀⣼⡟⠀⠀ ⠀⢸⡇⠀⢹⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⢳⣼⠟⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠸⣧⣀⠀⢳⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢃⠀⢀⣴⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠈⠙⢷⣄⢳⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢳⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⡿⠟⠛⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⢿⣷⣦⣄⣀⣀⣠⣤⠾⠷⣦⣤⣤⡶⠟⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

View Author

First off, this album kicks major ass. If I had a time machine I would go back to the late 60's in San Francisco. For me, the psychedelic rock scene of that period produced some of the greatest music of all time and you could go see some killer live music every day of the week. Secondly, a bit of a rant. This album starts with a 25 minute version of a Bo Diddley song, but the entirety of this book is devoid of a Bo fucking Diddley album. The most egregious omissions of this book is it's lack of real blues music. By my estimation there are only 5 actual blues records on the list. No Howlin' Wolf, no Buddy Guy, no Big Mama Thornton, no Butterfield Blues Band, no Fred McDowell, no Mississippi John Hurt, no Magic Sam, no Freddie King, No Albert King, no Otis Spann, no James Cotton, and on and on and on. I don't have many soap boxes but this is one of them. But anyway, highly enjoyable listen for me. The recordings of these gigs at the Fillmore West in '68 had the Grateful Dead on the bill also, it must have been jam band heaven.

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

As manufactured bands go, Spice Girls had more integrity.

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

Well what a whole lot of nothing this is. It's like an auditory boiled rice and tofu sandwich. Music you'd hear while you're waiting to have your root canal done. Fuck this shit, I'm putting the new Neurosis album on again

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

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

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

this album is everything that punk pretends to be.

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.

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