Reviews by syrinx

#3 from the Kinks so far on this list. I don't feel like the Kinks were important enough to merit more than one record. Maybe I'm wrong about that, we shall see.
Yeah I mean this album is fine but unremarkable. Standard 60s brit pop/light psych pop. Waterloo Sunset sounds like a song the Beatles rejected and that's the best on this album. There isn't really anything else to comment on, it was an album I listened to today and it is not one I will likely come back to. 2.5/5

I've never been a fan of country music, though this is much better than the new pop country that has existed for the past 20 years or so. These songs are simple, the lyrics are cheesy, the twang is grating, and I hate the steel guitar in this kind of music. I would not come back to this or want to explore anything else from him, it's totally not my kind of thing. I get why some people like this though. 2/5

So the whole time listening to this I kept thinking, "if this was not Morrissey would I like it better?" and I think the answer was yes pretty much every time. But the guy's just such a self important dick. I’m calling this a 3.5/5 but rounding down because Morrissey.

Is this considered the first trip hop album? I think it is. The first I know of anyway. I don't think I've ever heard this album all the way through in one sitting. It's not bad. Mezzanine is much better. But it's interesting to hear the start of an entire genre like this, albeit a short lived one. I don't think there are really any new trip hop bands are there? It's not exactly a genre I keep up with.
Apparently this album and Protection are on the list but not Mezzanine? What the hell? Why not just put Mezzanine on here and cut the other two? Oh well. This album is fine but I wouldn't really come back to it often if at all. 3/5 and a petition to replace this with a better album from Massive Attack.

It doesn't matter if you like this album or not, you can't deny that it is one of the most legendary records ever made. The story of the Sex Pistols is absolutely wild and the fact that this album was even finished with the sheer chaos of it's recording is amazing so hats off to Malcolm McLaren for that part of it.
The Sex Pistols were like the stereotype of a punk band - young kids, some with questionable musical ability, form a band because they're pissed off and need an outlet. And to get girls of course. But damn if they didn't make one of the most important records of all time.
The music is fairly simple, but harsh and biting. There is no one that delivers lyrics like John Lydon. Not a good singer (at this time) by any means but it was exactly what the music needed. So much energy. Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen inspired so many musicians that came after but the whole album is great. This is a vastly important record and it is still brilliant 50 years later. 5/5

I know the Zombies of course, but not well. Outside Time of the Season and She's Not There I remember them being vaguely Beatles-esque and pretty much what you would think of for late 60s psychedelic rock. We'll see if that holds true listening to a whole album.
Yeah it pretty much does. You could play anything from this album and pinpoint exactly when are where it came from. That whole era and style had such a specific sound. But as for the whole album - Time of the Season is great, the rest is mostly just standard 60s psych pop. 3/5

There is nothing remarkable about this album at all. It's totally fine, nothing really wrong with it, but it isn't something I would want to listen to again. I can't imagine that this album has made it in every version of the 1001 Albums book. Should it be in the list? Probably not. 2.5/5

Ok so I love Nick Cave. I love the melancholy vibe he always has. I like the kind of downer/dark tinge to his music. This album is a little too much though. I mean the circumstances of it's creation are tough, that's clear. But I think this is such a personal album that it is hard for most people to relate to. If you've ever lost a child or someone that close, I'm sure this would just be tears the whole time. I thankfully haven't had that experience so this album is a little too out of my zone. It's not bad by any means, if any of these songs randomly came up on a playlist or something I would absolutely listen. But over an hour of this is a little hard to get through. It's basically a spoken word album, pretty much like him reading his diary set to music.
Hard to rate, would I listen again? No. But it is worth listening once for sure. Not my favorite from Nick Cave. 3/5

I tend dread the hip hop records that were pre-1996 much less than the more recent ones. While I still would not consider them good music or particularly enjoy them even a little, at least they aren't (usually...) so bad that I can't stand to listen to them. And there was no AutoTune then so that's always a plus. The lyrics are usually much less offensive and every now and then there might even be something in one song that approaches real music. This album falls into that category. I don't like it but it isn't full of misogyny, homophobia, abject violence, rape, and all other manner of things that for some reason are just standard for most hip hop from the late 90s on. I wouldn't listen to this again, I didn't really enjoy listening to it today, but at least as far as hip hop goes it wasn't too bad. Much too long but +1 star for being the only hip hop album I know of to stick in a Star Trek reference. 2/5

Yeah this is not what I was hoping for today. M.I.A. gets two albums on the list? Why? This is not an improvement over the first one I had and shows all the same problems - poorly recorded, boring electronic beats, irritating vocals. I was ready to move on after about ten minutes. It took a lot of willpower to finish the whole album, even short as it is. Not for me. 1/5

A great example of a record that was obviously made without the thought of radio airtime in mind. Three songs, the shortest of which is 9 minutes? Yeah they made this one because this is the music they wanted to make. This is definitely not for everyone and I get that. But for those of us who like complicated prog and high pitch vocals, it's a masterpiece. A side-long opening track with multiple movements and masterful playing? Count me in. Some of the best instrumentation of all time on this record. Chris Squire was such a beast of a bass player, his tone and playing on this record are just absolutely perfect. Yes gets compared to Rush a lot and while I think that's a fair comparison I feel like they are actually quite different. I much prefer Rush but listening to this record again makes me realize that I need to come back to Yes more often. I'm not sure if I like this one or Fragile better, I'll have to listen to them back to back today to decide. Either way both would be 5/5

Another one from Velvet Underground that was really far ahead of it's time, or maybe the drugs in the late 60s were just really strong. Or maybe it was just the copious amount of drugs ingested that needs to be taken into consideration. The retrospective reviews being so much more positive than the reviews of the time makes sense though - this would have been absolutely bonkers for an audience in 1968. Like their first record, this one has to be a love it or hate it thing. But I feel like this is an album that a lot of early punk rockers listened to and were inspired to pick up an instrument. I think I Like Velvet Underground an Nico a little better but this is up there. I'd call it like a 3.9/5

Wow this makes #3 from Public Enemy for me. I thought two seemed like too much.
Damn there's a lot of words on this record. I mean this has to be the record on the list with the most words, so far at least. That's impressive to some degree I guess. I still hate this kind of music though. Maybe not as bad as pretty much all of the hip hop that has come more recently. There's a groove to some of this and a little funk mixed in. But it's still bordering on intolerable although I did actually like Bring Tha Noize. 2/5

I'm a little confused about this one. I mean it's fun I guess but to say you need to hear this album before you die? It's one of a few records by a minor figure in this type of music. The inclusion of this album has to be a nostalgic thing on the part of the compiler of the list.
This record was fun but was very low tier Latin jazz/Afro Cuban jazz. I'd give it 2.5/5 but will probably round up because I do like this music in general and there wasn't really anything not to like about this album but I feel there should have been something else swapped in.

Nope, sorry. There are few artists I refuse to listen to for any reason but Kanye is one of them. 1001 albums before you die is one thing but I will be very happy to know that nothing I did in my life helped Kanye West earn any kind of streaming revenue. 0/5 and I'll look forward to a new album tomorrow.

Ah ZZ Top. What is there to say, you know exactly what you're getting. I saw ZZ Top years ago (and they were old then, somehow still touring as of 2026) and Billy Gibbons steps up to the mic and says that he's happy everyone came to see 'the same three guys playing the same three chords'. I've always thought that was hilarious. However, as far as iconic bands go, ZZ Top has to be up there. Yeah they have their schtick but they're fun and still a staple on (dad) rock radio. And goddamn can Billy play guitar.
As for this album specifically, it's pretty much right down the middle for them. I mean the line of their music doesn't really curve much so that's not really saying anything I guess. But it's a fun album, lots of energy, stupid lyrics, great guitar playing. Put this one on during a long stretch in a road trip. Would I make a point to listen to this intentionally? Probably not. But I do feel like it belongs on the list and it's fun to listen to now and again. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it really falls off towards the second half.

Why are there so many Madonna albums on this list? This is 3 for me and the only one so far I feel like actually belongs here.
Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, and Love Song (thanks to Prince) are great, the rest is questionable. I guess I'm not much of a Madonna fan but this is super dated and not in a good way. It's lightyears ahead of the more recent albums I've had from her though. It kind of makes me wonder if she got so popular because of her persona rather than the music she made. There are some good parts on this album and I can totally see why it was so popular in 1989 but it just doesn't hold up. Important? Yes. Enjoyable now? No. 2.5/5 but rounding down.

I've never heard of this one but given that it came out in 2000 and has that cover, it does not bode well for my enjoyment. And I'm sure it's overlong given the year it came out. But who knows, it could be amazing.
Well it's not really what I thought. At least I was right about the overlong part. I think this would have been a lot better at about 45 minutes instead of an hour and ten. I feel like he heard Elliot Smith and Nick Drake and thought he could do the same. He sort of succeeded I guess but this album is not close to approaching anything by either of them. Some interesting parts here and there, some great guitar work for sure. Great lyrically and he delivers it well.
A tough one to rate since I can't give partial stars. This would be like 7/10 but it's not 4/5. So 3/5 it is.

It's funny to me that whenever a punk album comes up, I look at the reviews and there are always a few that rate it poorly, saying that the music is too simple, or that they lack musicality and sound like a bad high school band. I feel like those people missed the point of the entire punk genre. Were the punk rockers claiming to be the best musicians around? No. They were angsty and angry, disenfranchised young people who needed an outlet.
This album, like a lot of early punk albums, features vocals that are going to be tough for some people, closing in on grating. But I feel like the vocal quality here is just another instrument, it blends in with the whole mix so well. I get it, punk is not for everyone. This is a good album and really influential. It may not be one of the best out there, but there's something about this music that just resonates with me for some reason. A short album of fast and quick songs and you can just feel the energy flowing out of this one. It may not be the best punk album ever recorded but I do really like this one. 4/5

It's funny that I got this today when I just had The Stooges yesterday. I haven't (to my knowledge) really heard much of John Cale's solo music but am quite familiar with Velvet Underground and a lot of the various other records he had his hands in.
Starts off a little light and poppy for my taste. And there's that damn organ. I don't know what it is about the organ in pop music but I just hate it for some reason. Even in blues, it just doesn't belong. A few songs in, I never would have guessed that the guy who made this album was one of the original members of Velvet Underground and produced albums for Iggy Pop and Patti Smith. Its' not bad, just not what I expected I guess.
In the end this one was a bit of a let down. I didn't hate it but wouldn't go back to it again. 3/5