1001 Albums Summary

A lot of the tracks sounded very similar. Strong vocals. Really enjoyed the drums. Guitar was pretty power chord heavy.

Great record

One of my favorite 90s records. So fun top to bottom. Standout tracks for me are 1) live forever 2) cigarettes and alcohol 3) supersonic. Record has a special spot in my music zeitgeist as I was listening to it a lot when my son was born.

Very good record. Not a huge Queen fan but this listen was a lot of fun. Lots of diverse music genres in here. Loved track 3 - I’m just not a huge Freddie vocals guy. Rhapsody is another clear standout (obviously)

Great vocal performance but I have a hard time wrapping my head around music that predates the Beatles. Just not really my vibe

Fun listen. Not as many standout tracks as some of their later releases but solid. Not really a crowd pleaser album but I dig the heavy stuff on occasion as long as there is melody and the singer isn’t screaming 100% of the time. Solid.

Fun hip-hop record - generally not my style but closer to this than most

Title and album artwork are offensive to music as art but there’s some high points here. I see why they were so popular for a brief period despite some pretty questionable lyrics.

This project is right in my wheelhouse. Heads will roll is an all time track for me. Awesome vocals. Great synth. Easy 4.

Pretty average rock record. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing bad. Probably won’t ever listen again.

That was love making music. Good shit. South Park voice actor for chef lol.

This is not for me. Not necessarily a BAD album but definitely not for me. 2 stars.

Strong first half. I feel this is the kind of album that needs multiple listens. Fell off in the second half and got a bit repetitive for me.

Fun pop tracks. Falls off a bit in the second half. Needs a second listen to truly appreciate.

Different from what I would normally listen to but see the appeal.

Some classic tracks here early - money for nothing, walk of life. Kind of got bored in the middle. Money for nothing has some pretty dated lyrics.

Music is pretty good. Lyrics - I am not the target demographic here lol but a fun listen nonetheless.

Great record. Some Beatles vibes. Some folk vibes. Fell off a little at the end but was a ton of fun throughout.

Hard to evaluate techno but it’s pretty relaxed and has some solid beats

One of the defining albums of my 20s. Masterpiece. Hard to name a favorite track but top 3 - Sprawl II, We Used to Wait, Modern Man

Really fun 80s rock album. Really enjoyed it.

Really enjoyed the instrumentation here. Fun, easy listening album.

As classic as classic rock gets. Some unreal riffs including 1 everyone who has ever picked up a guitar can play. Really fun stuff.

Very interesting record. Can see shades of Radiohead on later tracks. Lots of interesting overlapping sounds.

Really enjoyed the vocals on some of these songs. Very cool French language track. Will likely revisit

In the context of music history this album fascinates me but I can’t make it through 3.5 hours of jazz tunes. The gap between this and Wish You Were Here less than 20 years later is bonkers.

A lot of fun. Would buy. Listened with headphones and loved the production on some of the horn parts. Soul music is becoming a new favorite genre!

Sympathy for the Devil does a lot of the heavy lifting here but it’s an all time rock song. Tons of fun even after hearing it 1000 times. The back half of the track list is great.

This is about as fun as a rock and roll album gets. Amazing vocal performances.

Not much to say here. Folksy bluegrass tunes. Reminds me of my grandfather which lands it at a 3 on that alone.

Some awesome grooves, particularly on the back half. Debated a 5. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Great vocal performance but a bit low energy for everyday listening

Groooooovy stuff but 40 minutes of funky jazz with no lyrics is a bit much for md

This was really fun. Probably as much as I’ll enjoy a metal album. Would even consider purchasing if I came across at the record store. High energy and fast tempos! Definitely a place for this in the rotation.

Strong vocally although the themes of the album don’t resonate with me. It’s a bit bloated. Fighter is a banger. Beautiful, although thematically similar to some other tracks feels out of place tonally.

Another groovy jazz album. The rhythm section here was really prominent and I enjoyed it. I still prefer music with lyrics as I resonate the most with words in a song. Fun background music but I couldn’t differentiate jazz tracks from one another easily.

No Spotify no stars

Steely Dan is probably my biggest discovery so far doing this. Really enjoyed all the tracks on here but especially track 2 and the title track

Not awful but I didn’t love it. Fast guitars and vocals that reminded me of a lite version of muse.

This was unlike anything I’ve listened to before but was a lot of fun.

Very good folk music. Loved it.

Electronic is hard for me to evaluate but studio album not on Spotify makes it even harder. Listened to a collection of different releases making up the original track list. Lots of energy in the songs. Fun but unlikely to revisit.

Some really high points on here but felt it tapered off a bit near the end. One I Love is an all timer, end of the world is just a fun time and there’s some bangers on the front end. Love Michael’s vocals as always.

A great album that is only slightly overshadowed by Funeral and The Suburbs. The instrumentation here is so different it really stands out the band recorded the album in a cathedral. Regine’s backing vocals are a high point as always. Despite probably 75-100 plays, Intervention is a track I found a new appreciation for after this listen having not listened to Neon Bible in full for years.

This was a really interesting album, especially the first half of the track list. Parts of it reminded me of Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend. Love the album artwork. Would definitely add to my collection if I came across.

I never fully dove into the Pearl Jam discography aside from the odd track here or there, but this is a top 10 album of mine. Did not first discover the album until high school (2008) but really dove deep in undergrad and the songs always bring me right back to campus. The first half is incredible. Only critic is it falls off slightly in the back half. Eddies vocals are among the best I’ve heard. Black might be my favorite song of all time. Certainly a contender.

Energy was a bit low for me despite some high parts instrumentally

Sonically this was a stellar listen, but with a lot of instrumental records the replayability just isn’t there for me.

Fantastic listen. Had never heard any of Elliot smiths projects before this. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rio and hungry like the wolf alone propel this to a 4. A ton of fun. The front 2/3 is very strong but fades in the final 2-3 tracks.

Karen Ohs vocals take some getting used to here but the instrumentals are incredible. Especially the guitars. Rewards multiple visits and maps is an all time track for me.

A fun listen. Reminded me of Zach Bryan at certain points. Very Americana vibes. Easy car driving music.

Instrumentally very strong. I love Tom Morello’s guitar work. Drums were great. Base on track 3 was exceptional. I find I’m in a stage of my life where lyrically this album doesn’t resonate at all anymore although I certainly see the appeal to its target demographic.

Fun record although generally not my style.

Tons of fun. A+ vocals.

Had never heard any Iggy pop or the stooges before. Enjoyed this. Title track and sixteen were high points for me.

This was a very new style for me but I enjoyed it. Pretty consistent all the way through with some strong sax parts. Hard to carry an album with a saxophone but this made it work.

This was a pretty heavy listen. I think to fully ‘get’ this album I need to listen to it while I’m not driving as it is so lyrically dense. Music was somber but interesting. Will have to revisit.

This is my grandfathers bluegrass music. It’s a good history listen but I can’t see myself revisiting any of it away from this project.

Had never heard of this band before. Was lukewarm toward the lead singer on the first pass but really enjoyed the instrumentation. Warmed up to the vocals on my second visit.

Falls into the trap a lot of 90s radio rock fell into. Lots of cymbals. Cool it on the cymbals boys. If not for Drive this would have been completely skippable - but Drive is an all timer (and coincidentally soft on drums….) so it gets a 2

This was a ton of fun for the first half. Fell off at and after poem 58. That next track was horrific. An hour and 16 minutes is too long. First half alone may have been a 5 but we settle on a 3.

One of the truly great album intros with Hells Bells. Top to bottom this has few weak spots. I can’t imagine being 14-18 years old in 1980 and hearing this on release day. Phenomenal stuff.

This was a wild ride. First track had some disco vibes, last track had a killer guitar solo and everything in between. I thought it dipped a bit in the middle despite the strong finish. Reading about it afterward - what an impressive achievement for someone formerly homeless and addicted to heroin.

No Spotify no stars!

I had no idea based on the cover what I was in for and I’m not sure I would have guessed rap. I enjoyed the lyrics and the beats but it was a bit too slow paced for me and I didn’t love his actual voice or enunciation.

This was my first experience with Prince and I didn’t love the electric guitar mixed with pop sounds. Also too long!

This was fun. I think with repeated listens it would score a 4. Will have to revisit in the coming days this week.

I had previously never heard of this band but it was an awesome listen. Had spots that reminded me of Radiohead. Spots that sounded like Geese. I would pick this up.

Really classic rock and roll tunes with an all timer in the boys are back in town. Had a lot of fun with this one even if it doesn’t really make you think too much.

I loved Common’s features on so many tracks from the 2005-2015 period but this was a little lukewarm for me. A bit long, although I really enjoyed the last few tracks in particular.

I prefer some of Jack’s later solo work but this is a good entry point after a legendary white stripes career. Jack has such a unique guitar sound it’s hard not to like.

As good as these songs may be lyrically I can’t stand Randy Newman’s voice

I continue to listen to these jazz records and I continue to not get jazz. I’ll keep trying… That said as far as jazz goes this was pretty good. I liked the bongo percusssion and can definitely see myself tossing this on in the background while cooking or something. But therein lies the problem with jazz for me. It’s passive listening and I like active listening music. Anyway. I definitely hear the 60’s spy movie soundtrack.

I really hated the distorted vocals here and almost didn’t make it through the album

Love me some Neil Young. I think I preferred the previous record as a whole but this had some great high points. Really enjoyed Old Man and Alabama.

This was rough. Just sounded like a collection of instruments with very little cohesion outside 2-3 minute stretches. Almost sounded like the intent was for different artists to sample the various snippets for use in their own projects. Made it through the first half but couldn’t carry on.

I didn’t care for this. I didn’t particularly like the booming percussion in particular.

I really enjoy Beck’s voice. I think this album set the stage for what he would record with morning phase which is a phenomenal record.

More background jazz. It all sounds so similar. It’s not bad per se it just doesn’t move the musical needle for me at all.

I had never heard of The Coral before and it was a unique listen. Probably deserves a revisit because I accidentally had my Spotify on shuffle which is never good.

An awesome look into who Johnny Cash was as a person. A completely enthralling listen and if the tunes weren’t so dated today would be a 5.

Talking Heads are so different from their contemporaries- they remind me of Radiohead in many ways and I can see the influence from them. This album followed my general preference (best track near the end - psycho killer) but was a bit long to be truly effective. I would add to my collection for sure.

I continue to hate jazz and this time I couldn’t even get through it. Very low energy stuff. Elevator music at best. Poo poo.

Two did not finishes in a row. While vocally there was certainly some interesting sections, ultimately I’d rather be listening to something else and just couldn’t make it through some tough jazz instrumental sections.

Really enjoyed the vocals. I think I’d really appreciate this album with repeated listens.

This is the kind of music I’m looking for from this list but I did find the vocals were a bit all over the place.

Really enjoyed the first few tracks but the instrumental back end really dragged on.

Some of the instrumental sections dragged on a bit but overall an enjoyable listen with some good tunes.

Nothing special or offensive here. Easy listening songs for a drive to work.

Started off very strong but the energy faded by track 3 for me. Very impressive guitar playing as expected from Clapton.

First three songs are absolute bangers but falls off so hard after that.

I loved the instrumentals but I really hate these punk/proto punk vocals.

I’m not a huge fan of this early 90s era indie stuff but it isn’t offensive. Vocals were the low point. Some decent instrumentals. Listened at work and was unbothered but not moved.

This is way too instrumental for me. Couldn’t get past track 1.

The original unique voice in rock. Some killer tracks here but some I find the vocals are really distracting from awesome instrumentals. Needs repeated listens but the music is good enough that you want to listen repeatedly.

Fantastic album but feels a little less cohesive than some of their best stuff. Immigrant Song is such a fantastic opener but I feel it’s a verse short. Tangerine is my favorite tune.

I really enjoy R.E.M. but I find their discography lacks a true 5/5 classic despite some incredible high points. Stand is a great track here. The opener has some awesome lyrics and I love orange crush.

Bruce is pretty palatable under most circumstances. Lots of high points early on this record but it dips in quality just a bit after Born to Run. Last track closes strong.

One of the most musically cohesive albums I have ever heard. I can hear the influence on bands like vampire weekend in various tracks here. An amazing listen.

This is probably closer to 4.5 but I’m rounding up because of how hilariously fun it is. The bands best work by a country mile.

Musically very easy to listen to but a bit low energy for the moment I listened. May need to revisit.

Musically very technical and hard to argue against but I’m not the biggest fan of jam bands. Also on a live album I want some more audience interaction.

Would have been a 3 if not for the second to last track. That was no good.

This was all over the place but tons of fun at times. First track sounded very typical 80s hair band. There were moments that sounded early funky chili peppers. And the HORNS throughout. Didn’t always work but are always welcome.

It’s fun to listen to this stuff to appreciate the history of music contextually but it’s a bit of a bore.

I enjoyed this but way too long

First track is ubiquitous with some truly high points throughout the track listing. Lulled a bit in the middle and outside a group setting I probably wouldn’t revisit

Some classic tunes on here everyone will recognize even if they don’t know it’s The Isley Brothers. A fun listen and would fit at most gatherings. Would listen again.

Absolutely zero skips

Unique voice. Unique tracks. Very good.

Some of the vocal performances reminded me of the vocals on ‘Ants From Up There’ by Black Country, New Road. The first two tracks in particular I really enjoyed. This was fun listen with very ‘large’ vocal performances.

First track was extremely promising but the energy fell off after that despite some high points instrumentally.

This is how a live album should sound. Intimate crowd interactions and reactions. Johnnys music is just so great and his voice is just as good.

The instrumental high points are absolutely electric. Some lulls during some of the longer tracks but it’s a 4 for the All Along the Watchtower cover alone.

Interesting album with ‘Big’ vocals

Awesome front to back. The three track run to end the album is amazing. The sound mixing is astounding - especially for its time. Loved every minute.

Disco isn’t really for me but Le Freak is a ubiquitous track that everyone has heard and has an absolutely awesome groove to it

This was good. Not fussy. Standard country folksy rock tunes. I’d buy it and add to the collection but wouldn’t go out of my way.

Elton’s hits speak for themselves and are awesome. This was my first Elton album experience and it was a little all over the map. A bit long. Opening track was literally electric and I loved it. Some of his hangers on here with yellow brick road, Saturday night, and candle in the wind. Vocals and piano are strong as always.

Lots of highs here - purple haze and fire are my favorites. Guitar work speaks for itself but the bass and drums are also awesome throughout. I thought it was a bit long, the title track seemed like a natural place to finish and the album would have felt more complete in my opinion.

I love Elvis. What a voice!

There was a lot of cool and interesting sounds on some of these tracks but I wasnt a huge fan of the vocal performances.

Some really really really fun rock and roll music here with big riffs. But an entire song about tv dinners is….non good.

This was likely pioneering at the time but it sounds dated and I can’t help but categorize it as ‘keyboard sounds’. Some pretty good sounds near the back half. I would have thought it was sampled frequently in hip hop but nothing I recognized.

No Spotify no stars!

Nothing really notable here. Not offensive either. 3 stars!

Nevermind is a great record that to me is a touch overrated. The top tracks (smells like teen spirit, lithium, come as you are) do most of the heavy lifting. The deeps cuts aren’t nearly as strong which separates the 4s from the 5s.

Vocals were wild on this. Fast riffs and fast vocals. Pretty fun but nothing spectacular.

This was fun front to back. Loved the vocals and the piano. I can see why they have had such a long career and are still relevant after 50+ years.

It’s funny to compare 1957 ‘rock’ music with the rock music of today. These crowds would meltdown if they heard Metallica. But it’s a fun historical lesson in where music came from. I liked it a lot more than the jazz of the time.

Really enjoyed this. Loser energy but great instrumentals.

Great instrumentals and some individual high points but the back half drags a bit.

I don’t love punk and I think the title track does most of the heavy lifting here (it is fantastic to be fair)

This was very very good. I particularly enjoyed the first track - Victoria. If their catalogue is as strong as this record I’m shocked they aren’t more ubiquitous.

Did not finish. Not for me.

Tons of fun. Lots of genres represented here.

Lyrically this is a bit intense for me as an adult but there are some absolute classics on here.

Quite different but I did enjoy most of the tracks

Punk music is just fine for me and this sounded similar to all the other punk music I’ve heard. A few standout tracks but I’m not chomping at the bit to add to my collection.

Great album art. Very laid back songs. Really enjoyable.

A few songs drag on but you can see the seeds of what would become one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Love Costello’s voice. So unique.

An amazing rush record with absolutely amazing instrumentals (especially drums!). You can’t beat geddys voice. There’s 2 tracks on here that are a bit on the lengthy side but otherwise this is rush at their best.

Some extremely unique vocals that were quite different track to track. Historically I’m sure very important but I have a hard time revisiting this when more modern music is available. Not bad per se but likely won’t visit again.

I think I liked this the most out of the three Hendrix album. Wasn’t necessarily as many high points but it was consistent across the track list for me.

This early electronic stuff is tough to get through. But I did! That first track at 20 minutes was a slog…

This was pretty solid 90s rock. Nothing crazy but not bad at all.

I loved the first three tracks but it fell off after that

I didn’t particularly care for this. Seemed a bit stuck between rock music and something more abstract.

The instruments were so varied you can tell this guy is a musical genius. The music very ‘ambient’ almost…I enjoyed it

Ray Charles is an exceptional talent. So fun listening to this pre Beatles stuff and contextualizing what they achieved against this style. While the vocals and piano is clearly impressive - I’m not coming back to this over and over and over again like I am to post Beatles sounds.

This was very good!

This reminded me of some later alt rock to come out in the later 80s and even into the 90s. I felt like I could hear bits of REM and Oasis on certain tracks.

I really enjoyed the divine comedy. Both albums I’ve had. Great vocals and lyrical themes. I wonder why less of a household name than other acts of the time

I don’t love Metallica but the hits are the hits. One is a great track that brings me back to guitar hero days and instantly failing on expert when the solo hits.

This is as 90s rap as it gets and I don’t love 90s rap. Some good beats here and there but mostly a miss for me.

I love Neil Young and I loved this record.

Fogerty vocals are as strong as ever. Probably preferred Cosmo’s Factory slightly but CCR as an album experience is a lot of fun

Def Leppard (and almost all hair metal) is stupid music for stupid people. BUT stupid people certainly have more fun and this music IS fun!

Country/folk with great vocals

Up and down but inoffensive

I really enjoy this style of rap - I was a bit slow on the back end but overall really enjoyable

The first half was really great. Instrumentally dominant but enough vocals for my taste. Back half fell off a bit.

This was a great record outside the classic La Grange (which is GREAT). Lots of fun and great guitar riffs

This was on the longer side but reminded me of Great Big Sea and all the East Coast Kitchen parties I’ve been to. Would be an easy album to throw on during one of these!

Lots of fun. I’d never listened to a full Rod Stewart album before but the tracks hold up and he certainly isn’t just a man of the hits. That said, Maggie May is a track that speaks for itself and it’s famous for a reason.

Solid throughout but nothing really jumped out until the outro on the final track.

Strong vocals but outside a few tracks near the end the instrumentation wasn’t particularly memorable

This was probably the most unique band I’ve ever listened to. Indie/blues/folk sounding riffs with African lyrics wow. fell off in the last 2-3 tracks but otherwise very enjoyable and unique.

Some high points instrumentally but I don’t love rap/rock fusions and the Beastie Boys have never really been for me

I loved this. Super fun. Super fun instrumentals and awesome vocals.

Interesting vocals that I could get behind for a song or a verse but got tiring for an entire album.

I enjoyed this more than any other Doors album I’ve listened to so far. Vocals sounded a bit different than Jim Morrison usually sounds but I actually liked it a bit more.

Tiny Dancer is Tiny Dancer but this was great all the way through. Elton’s piano is awesome as always but this had a touch of rock to it which I loved.

I don’t really know how I feel about Brit rap. On the one hand I’m into the actual lyrical content and rhymes but on the other hand I hate how it sounds…

Not a ton of deep thinking substance but the riffs are awesome and it’s a ton of fun to drive to work to on a sunny day

Thoroughly enjoyed this album from a band I’d never heard before. The 60s as a narrative is very BEATLES BEATLES BEATLES but the other stuff I’ve been discovering from that time is very good as well. Instruments were solid. Vocals were good. Lyrics a bit up and down but overall I would add to my collection.

I always get nervous with 90s albums - especially ones with artwork as horrific as this one. Sonically it was a little all over the place but it was decent. Really needs a new cover…

awesome stuff and an iconic cover (top 5 all time for me). I don’t really know what Nico was doing but oh well I guess

I probably wouldn’t listen to this routinely but I really enjoyed it.

Sonically was a bit all over the place. Looking into it - it was about nuclear bombs! I need to listen again with this insight - the final Oppenheimer quotes of ‘that book I can’t remember the name of’ were chilling.

I really enjoyed my first foray into Bjork - I can see needing a couple passes to fully get it but I thought track 2 was exceptional and the vocals overall were A+

A Bollywood film soundtrack is….not for me

Roundabout!!!! Yes!!!! Those first few notes. What a tune. Whatever that was that came next was a bit of a dud. Overall great album. YES rules. A few spots throughout that were a bit low energy but I loved it overall.

This was fantastic. I have never listened to any of the tracks outside of Starman but I really enjoyed how cohesive it was. Amazing stuff.

This is fine but nothing really stood out to me. Easy to zone out to but also not particularly offensive. The unseasoned chicken of music if you will

This was weird holy smokes. Weird isn’t bad. It can sometimes be fantastic (Kid A). This wasn’t really either of them….

I’m not the biggest fan of Tom Petty’s voice but his music feels great at this time of the year when the sun is out and the weather is great.

Probably the ‘worst’ Radiohead project that will be on this list but that says a lot about Radiohead… some classics on here. I love this record and I love this band!

Whatever this albums niche may be, I’m not sure it’s one that you MUST hear before you die…

I knew I was going to love this before I hit play. Kings of Leon are so underrated. Even their latest album (can we please have fun) is excellent - mustang - what a track! I haven’t listened to any of the pre only by the night stuff and this was everything that makes them great but more raw. Great album.

What an album! So many high points on here and the slower tracks balance it out perfectly. Great riffs. Amazing vocals. Probably the ‘best’ album on the list so far…

There was a couple tracks in here I turned the volume up for but mostly it was just good ol fashion radio rock. Nothing to really knock your socks off.

WE ARE THE PRIESTTTTSSSSSSSSS……!!! What a ‘song’! More like a side. Phenomenal stuff. Second half is a bit hit and miss but wow that first side blows your socks off every time.

Ah the classic ‘Dave played all the instruments’ album. Maybe Dave should have continued playing all the instruments. Most Foo Fighters records stink but I liked this one a lot.

My first experience with the smiths although I’ve known of them for a long long time. I knew I was going to like this given all the other bands I like that reference the smiths and the people whose global music tastes align with my own but holy smokes it was great. That second last track was the high point for me and if you know what I love in an album it’s a penultimate track high point.