Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Look I tried. This album is just so sad. I'm usually a big fan of the harmonica but after the third song in a row started with a depressing harmonica melody I actually wanted to kill myself. Maybe I was just already in a bad mood but Jesus Christ this album made it ten times worse.
A very tender and heartfelt album. Nice blend of softer ballads and some country rock flair. Some of the songs I felt had a little too much going on particularly with the harmonica, but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I just liked country music more. All in all pretty good. Top tracks: Oh My Sweet Carolina, Bartering Lines, Sweet Lil' Gal (23rd/1st)
Favorite Track: Oh My Sweet Carolina
F this guy
Album 533 of 1001 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000) Rating : 4 / 5 I like this album. Gives a few Dylan vibes along the way. Seems he's had some personal stuff that make people hate him but that is new to me. I like the tunes.
Enjoyed more than I fought I would
There’s some pleasant tunes but nothing that rises to great for me. But more egregiously it overstays its welcome with a runtime that’s far too long. 2/5
Not bad.
Not my thing. One Bob Dylan is bad enough.
Fella is clearly a little mixed up. I wanted to share in his heartbreak, but he didn't half make it bloody hard work. The harmonica got on my tits. Just talk to her, mate.
Surprisingly loved this!
I used to like this album a lot, but now it reminds me of someone I really hate AND ryan adams is also a pos. It's still good I just can't enjoy it the same way
The ads on youtube sounded better than some of the tracks. I made it all the way through, but it was insepid to the extreme. Like eating a bowl of dry special k cereal.
Not really a fan of this, but didn't actively hate it. Felt like I was in the car with my mom.
Ryan Adams is most definitely a twat, but this album is great even if he bites Dylan excessively. Shoutout Dave Rawlings for (co)writing the best track on the album. Fuck you, Ryan Adams. Take your 4/5 and pound sand.
Nobody, I mean NOBODY, loves Ryan Adams more than Ryan Adams.
When you're young you get sad, when you're Ryan Adams you whine your ass off well into middle age.
Alright, some good, some bad
Some pretty solid alt-country. I was more into the first half of the record than the second half. I think I could listen and get into this more if I didn't know that Ryan Adams was a sexual predator piece of shit. It's hard for me to separate the art from the artist sometimes. It's not that hard to refrain from being a sexual predator.
Despite how I feel about Ryan Adams as a person and an artist, this is an objectively good singer-songwriter record. He's a clever lyricist. He plays on words, homages in interesting ways and almost always cuts deep. I like almost every song on this record. Something that I value is varied albums with lots of unique sounds, this definitely isn't that. But something else that I love is really clear, competent genre music with good songs and good songwriting. And that's exactly what this is. He set out to make a really good country folk songwriter album and that's exactly what this is.
Quite liked the acoustic guitar to begin with, Ryan Adams has a decent voice, thought I wouldn't mind this. As it went on the cool American persona got ever more annoying until I felt like I was trapped in a party and Ryan had got out his guitar and wouldn't stop trying to show off. Put iTunes back on Ryan, she's not interested! We all know you're not some some of wandering troubadour, you definitely have a massive mansion. So musically its not that bad but the content and themes are irritating.
Set out to make a listenable record. I didn't read too closely into the lyrics, but they felt mild. Music is absolutely alright. Utterly fine, which is not praise.
I was fully expecting to hate this, however it was not what I was expecting and I have subsequently realised that Ryan Adams and Bryan Adams are not the same person! However, unfortunately Ryan seems less than a good egg judging by some of the public reviews.... Art from artist and all that though. I quite enjoyed about half of this. Mostly the less country sounding ones. Really easy to listen to in the background. Not sure I'll be rushing back but I have learnt something today 2.5 but 2 for the bad stuff
A fantastic mid-tempo singer/songwriter album.
3.0
Not this asshat again. Last one got a 2 from me, based on no knowledge of what the fellow gets up to in his spare time. Will this one beat it especially now that I've been armed with that knowledge? I tried by was done by the end of "Amy". Yup, nope.
A pretty good album, I liked My Winding Wheel, Bartering Lines and Shakedown on 9th Street.
I'll be honest, when I got this album I was a tad bit excited, for it was time for me to see what the fuss was about when it came to this and its creator Ryan Adams. And while for the most part this album is good, I was rather disappointed in the sort of monotone nature of it all. It was as if there was very little variety and hardly any ear perking songs here (maybe To Be Young and Shakedown stand out for me). I understand that this is called Heartbreaker and not all things are merry and jolly here, just put a little bit of pep in some of those steps. Favorites: To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High), My Winding Wheel, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Call Me on Your Way Back Home, Damn Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains), Come Pick Me Up, Shakedown on 9th Street, Don't Ask for the Water.
Based on the reviews here, few people actually listened to the album and jumped straight to the Ryan Adams hate. If you can't separate the art from the artist you going to have a bad time in your little time on this sphere. Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams is such a colossal monster of an album. Adams fits perfectly into the lane of singer-songwriter from this period with other greats like Rufus Wainwright, Damien Rice, etc. 3.5/5
It is perfect that when Ryan Adams, all around shitty person, recorded his first album that the first track would be a spoken word argument about another all-around shitty person, Morrissey. The album is still pretty good though.
This album would be nice background music at a hipster coffee bar.
First time really listening to Ryan I think.
I was a big Ryan Adams fan once, I’m firmly On the downside these days but there are some decent tracks here
Indie rock Graham Parsons, even down to the Emmylou Harris collaboration. Its so easy to be tedious and dull in this folksy acoustic introspective singer songwriter country genre, and there are a couple of plodding duds on this album that fall into the trap, but the handful of really incredible songs, the wide open heartbroken songwriting, the spare, spacious very pretty arrangements, classic Americana instrumentation and the vital tender thrilling performances make this an alt country great.
He sounds like a bad Dylan imitator and assaults women… otherwise it had its good moments.
Not for me
Ruhig und ganz nett
This was a difficult one to review. I listened to Glory a few times back in the day (pre allegations), and it didn't do much for me then either, do I don't feel too bad about this one. There's a few good songs on here, and the backing band are really solid, but honestly a lot of the songs in the second half are quite dull. I believe in separation of art and artist in theory, for example I'm completely fine with listening to Michael Jackson's early albums. But it's difficult when the art in question is meant to make you sympathise with the artist. This is an album mainly concerned with Ryan Adams' own heartbreak, and I find it hard to feel sorry for him, now that we all know how horrible a person he is.
4/5
Too much whiny harmonica
"To be young" reminded me of the opening of Old School. Good song; the rest was just ok and ran out of steam. I've heard much worse folk kind of music on this journey but can't say I was super impressed. 6/10.
Ryan Adams was totally new to me and after hearing the first song (following the studio chatter) I was thinking all right... I can get on board with this. Then what followed was a glut of quiet, low-key songs that were so similar in tone and vibe that they were pretty much indistinguishable from one another. There were only 2 upbeat songs out of 15 and I think this album needed more for a better balance and to make it more interesting. Even so, none of the songs were really bad in and of themselves and this was a pleasant though unmemorable listen.
This dude got another album on here? Such a POS he is.
Классный альбом, есть сильные песни, очень хорошо подходят для медленных танцев. Воодушевляет. Новая версия Дилана. Охото сесть в мустанг, ехать по шоссе проезжая штаты,
I know this from way back. Got me to know RA and explore the rest of his catalog at the time. It's a very slow album with peaks and valleys. I find myself turning it up at times because it's so lo-fi. Really enjoy "Oh My Sweet Carolina" with Emmylou Harris, they sing well together and created a classic track. "Pick Me Up" is instantly catchy and the centerpiece of this album. Would not have made my 1001 List but enjoyable.
I was so not drunk enough to appreciate this. Ryan Adam’s a decent lyricist, but this is pretty similar in it’s melodic composition, and is mostly all slow and acoustic, which I don’t hate, but it all ends up mushing into one big acoustic clump. Maybe it’ll reveal itself more on relistens, but I’m not sure I’ll take the time
this guy has had a messed past with women and he will likely never recover professionally. I don’t think I would feel good ever supporting this guy financially. Again, another album we have to evaluate our feelings about. I think criticism of him is justified. I think he deserves the hardships he seems to be experiencing. But this is obviously a great record and likely influenced a lot of artists.
Deep lyrical folk kinda alt/rock.
This started really strong but petered out a little for me, perhaps a bit too slow and brooding. The duet was lovely. Definite Dylan and Beck vibes.
Well we started in a bar room shooting pool and smoking cigarettes, and we ended on the barstool crying into a glass of whiskey. Turns out the guys a scumbag so I award zero points (1 is the minimum). That being said I still enjoy music from other scumbags so that makes me a hypocrite. Sue me.
Enjoyable listen. A few emotional songs about love leaving that I wasn’t expecting from the album after the opening
Really good singer songwriter album that reminded me of a litany of other artists. The slower songs sound like Zach bryan a bit. There was some Johnny cash and bob dylan as well. It’s a sound that’s becoming more popular now. Roots revival country that is moving away from the big pop country stadium sound that has been dominant. Interesting to discover people had been making similar music as early as 2000
I hadn't heard Ryan Adam's before listening to this. At first I liked the music and songs but as it went on I got bored. The lyrics didn't hold up for me. Then after learning more about Ryan Adams it brings up the conundrum of can you listen to someone's music and disregard the person.
This album has moments. The upbeat tunes are fun although the whole album suffers from lyrics which are, at best, mediocre and often disposable. "To be young is to be sad, is to be be high" ?? But overall the album grinds to a halt for many songs in a row. I found it impossible to keep my attention on them. 2.4
Oh look at me. I'm so sensitive. Yet I abuse women when I'm not recording faux indie tracks that have as much soul as a corpse. What a turd of an album. Not much better human being.
In a nutshell: Ryan, not Bryan There is not much contemporary country I like, so we are already on the back foot. This sounds manufactured and inauthentic. I can't really hear the background music, mostly Ryan. We don't need Tom Petty, Elliott Smith and Gram Parsons hybrid sounding performers. Be you. Oh, and don't be a dick. Overall: 1/10
At the beginning I thought, oh, maybe this one's better than "Gold", to which I listened to just 2 days before, but I was wrong.
Alright album with a real americana/country tinge to it. Most of the album is pretty mellow with the exception of a few tracks, so if that's not your thing, skip this one. If nothing else, check out the track "To Be Young"
-I’m not a huge fan of country / country-adjacent music maybe because I haven’t listened to it much but this was decent. i like the rock and country blending -Favorites are To Be Young, Amy, and Shakedown on 9th Street
A bit meh. After listening to Gold, did we really need another Ryan Adams album.
Ryan shadums what is this arse!
Nope
Generic country pop. Not for me.
After listening recently to Ryan Adams' other album on the 1001 list, I wasn't enthused to listen to this one... but I pushed through... and it wasn't going too bad, then the harmonica hits... meh!
Fantastic album.
Don't like the guy but gave this an honest shot. Some decent tracks but mostly underwhelming/background music.
Great artists can be pretentious as hell and no one ever cares. This sexual predator is not a great artist. He sucks ass and is among the worst ever. And this album sucks too
Meh. If I want to listen to Van Morrison, I'll go listen to Van Morrison. Look everyone knows the guys is a horrendous cunt, so let's leave that to one side. The music is well played etc. The one with Emmylou Harris is alright. The album is probably better than Gold, the banality of which made me actually angry. This one doesn't provoke a similarly visceral response, I tuned out more or less completely around halfway through and ultimately this gets a more banal score as a result.
Nice slow album. Works better than any melatonin
Phenomenal songwriting, Amy is one of my all time faves. It is kinda dark but I like that
This album was insanely good but like hm not sure I can give it 5 since he is who he is.
I really like this album. It’s too bad he turned out to be a turd of a person.
The answer to “we have Dylan and Springsteen at home.” Occasionally interesting, mostly derivative.
I think it's fair to say that singer/songwriter is pretty solidly down there amongst my least favourite genres. Probably second to country and third to shoegaze. So when I see a description of singer songwriter doing country-ish songs, my heart veritably sinks. And it was not lifted at all by this. The best one can hope for from this genre is that you won't want to physically hurt yourself in favour of having to listen to it. And - I'll be fair to him - I actually didn't. But that doesn't make it something I actively want to listen to.
Correct
Not my cup of tea except first one
Way too sleepy and way too much harmonica.
I don’t hate it - My wife 7/10
If I would like to design an album that would be a mix of all tropes that I don't like in popular music, Heartbreaker would be very, very close to perfection. It's not a bad record by any meaning, I guess, but I just hated every second of it.
Really enjoyed this.
Album os pretty mid. Never heard of Ryan Adams and will not be returning. 2/5
15 songs about losing love did not have me optimistic about this album. Thankfully it wasn't droning and had the banger To Be Young. Exceeded expectations.
To think that people made sure they made a distinction between this guy and Bryan Adams. Both I suppose should be on such a list. A lot of people like them and they sold exceptionally well. And god bless both of them. I don’t like either man’s music much. But I’m clearly in the minority.
His voice works for me. and the gentle guitar. As does his playful willingness to do very different stuff from U2 to Taylor Swift's 1989. Curious as to why I like his music despite the 'country' sound. Pure enough. Interesting enough lyrics. open to more. at least a 4. on the 'definitely listen to more' pile.
I first heard Ryan Adams on a series of those cd’s that come free with music mags. He seemed to be prolific & I suppose I assumed he wasn’t selling well & that’s why those tracks were turning up gratis. One of my favourites was To Be Young, the opening track here on his debut album, & it still sounds wonderful almost 25 years later. I eventually collected several of his cd’s, including Heartbreaker. And it still sounds fresh. No wonder, with personnel like David Rawlings, Gillian Welsh & the great Emmylou Harris. A good listen.
Well, Ryan Adams, eh? yet another example of the age-old conundrum: can we enjoy the Art regardless of the behavior of the Artist? Judy Mills, owner of Mills Record Company record store in Kansas City, was quoted in a article in Pitchfork (https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/what-does-a-canceled-ryan-adams-album-mean-for-record-stores/): “As I was a pulling a Ryan Adams box set off the floor, I also pulled his artist card from the racks, and I thought to myself: What do I do with the other artists out here, filling my sales floor, who are alleged to be sexual molesters, offenders, rapists, misogynists, and plain ol’ assholes? It’s easy to stop stocking those artists going forward, but what about now that I own them?” With Adams and R. Kelly in the news, Mills says it’s easy to choose not to stock them, new or used. “But then John Lennon, Jimmy Page, and Phil Spector, because they’re not in the news, it’s OK to carry them?” she wonders. “Not gonna stock the Beatles? Led Zep?” Very complicated. And for me, it comes down to ick factor. Does what I know create a feeling of ickiness in me that prevents me from listening to the music? And sorry, Mr Adams, you have crossed that line. Your Mr Sensitive Artist persona feels like wolf-in-sheep's-clothing camouflage that you use to manipulate and exploit young women. And that has a deleterious effect on the music industry, discouraging women from creating art that we might all enjoy, and society as a whole by discouraging women from, you know, enjoying their daily lives. It's just shitty behavior, dude, and you don't really seem that aware or apologetic. But what, I hear you ask, is the album actually like? Well, it's pretty solid. He's got a great voice and a crack band (notably featuring David Rawlings and Gillian Welch), and he can craft a pretty great country tune. It was a very pleasant surprise to hear Emmylou Harris turn up of 'Oh My Sweet Carolina". She always makes everything better, but it did make me wonder why I was listening to this instead of one of her records (or even a Gram Parsons LP). My favourite song is 'Bartering Lines'. But I think I'm going to have to rate this one pretty low, based on 1) Ryan Adams seems like an arsehole, and 2) there are plenty of other examples of this type of thing that I can happily listen to instead (for example, let's listen to Phoebe Bridgers record, that would be cool!). "Oh no!" I hear you say "Cancel culture run amok!" Well, settle down, there buddy, or as Ryan himself would say "Easy, tiger". The accusations against Ryan delayed the release of a record or two, but have you seen how many albums he has released since then? At least six, or more depending on what you count. And the first show back on his apology tour was a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. He is living proof that a Me Too scandal may tap the brakes for a little bit, but, barring incarceration, it's hardly career threatening. I just can't listen to this record without my mind being flooded with distracting thoughts of Ryan Adams manipulating and exploiting women. Which kind of kills the vibe, you know? He's not Marilyn Manson level evil, but still pretty creepy, so he gets two stars at best.
Day180 - highly enjoyable album and i don’t think it’s his best album. i never get tired of “to be young”
I'm not sure what I think about this. I wanted to like it, but it felt like he was trying too hard.
El primer álbum en solitario de Ryan Adams tiene el sabor de los clásicos del folk-rock americano, fronterizo con la música country. Tiene también un cierto aroma alternativo desde el mismo arranque del disco con "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)", un tema sobre la angustia propia de la juventud, con sonidos dylanianos. Me gusta mucho la tranquila y emotiva "Oh My Sweet Carolina", cantada a dúo con Emmylou Harris, y sus arreglos bluegrass. También la exitosa canción de desamor "Come Pick Me Up" y la stoniana "Shakedown on 9th Street".
Don't get me wrong, Ryan Adams is a vile, vile piece of shit. Unfortunately, and to my surprise, this album is right up my alley? I actually think I've heard a lot of this album before. I think in college friends would play it in their car, because a lot of these songs are sounding vaguely familiar to me.
4/5
Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.
Although largely overshadowed by his more famous, Canadian homonym, I was aware of Ryan Adams before this album, but I had no idea what style of music he sings. I enjoyed this album. Very relaxing, accessible. I played it while packing up my room, after learning I was returning to my school, so perhaps I was in a great state of mind. The opening track is a fun, pop-y reworking of Dylan's Maggie's Farm or Subterranean Homesick Blues. At other times he sounds like John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls. Perhaps my views have been manipulated by a colleague, but I have heard this is his best. If others are worse, I'm uncertain how much stage time I'll give other albums before I give him the hook. This album, however, will certainly get more spins.
I loved this one in my late teens, as a bumpkin who grew up resenting country music & Americana slowly getting over it. I'd seen him play a total disaster show at a festival where it was clear he sang effortlessly, mostly otherwise bad except a deranged version of To Be Young stuck with me. To Be Young and Come Pick Me Up definitely don't hit the way they did now, but I think very nice music for an immature teen figuring out the world in the timeframe they came out. That first festival listen ends up as a good summary, a lot of talent, a lot more terrible trainwreck decisions and bad taste. I have a mean opinion about Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, which is that they haven't done anything better than on Heartbreaker. One day I may change my mind on that. music industry creeps: hated. (⌐■_■)
Enjoyed this quite a lot as a youth. Lots not to like about Adams over the years, both as a guy who is pretty bad, and a musician who ultimately has more misses than hits. Now, I suppose I would call it a good baseline for alt-country or whatever. The good songs are great, but there’s a lot that’s a bit weak too.
Another day, another three star album
Meh
I like some Ryan Adams, but not this album
talented dude but def not my type of music
It was good, I'd enjoy seeing him play at a live music festival, but it's not an album that I'm going to pull up of my own volition.
I liked it but didn't love. solid 3
Really good, I want to hear more
A friend of mine is a big fan. I never understood why. Still don't. Most of this record is boring, but it has some good parts. Good background music. Favorite song: Amy
Content
Don't know anything about Ryan Adams's personal life, but most of the reviewers on this site write how shitty he is. But I'm here to listen to somewhat significant musical œuvres of modern age and rank them, not to ramble about how shitty as a person the artist is. This is a good country-rock album, and I had a great time listening to it.
My rating isn't because of this guy's terrible history, I actually just hated the music. It was boring and I couldn't even tell the tracks apart.
Folk rock? Country Rock? lots of harmonica .... I understand why there's an audience for this type of music and I don't want to hate on it but I didn't enjoy it. I enjoyed the sad songs, particularly the ones near the end like In my Time of Need. I respect this as a record, but I don't think it's tremendous by any means. It's like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan Beta ... is that too harsh?
RA is one of my favorite all-time artists. This album starts out with on of my top 5 songs in his catalogue. I do think it suffers a bit from slowing down too much on the second staff, but it is still a killer in total. 5/5
Great voice. Clean. High 3.
It's got the rawness of a debut release, which is what's great about this album. Maybe it was the drugs and alcohol. I guess if you can include Michael Jackson is this list, then maybe you can also filter out the things Mr. Adams is accused of.
I like his singer/songwriter style and the songs themselves see well crafted and sung. For the most part, quiet simple musical arrangement, with a convincingly heartfelt delivery. The first half of the album is really strong, with Oh My Sweet Carolina being my favorite. Still there's enough strong songs that keep the album interesting.
This is another you must separate the art from the artist album. This album is beautiful start to finish. You may not like the man, but the music deserves a listen.
Ok
Enjoyed this one a lot
Love me some Ryan adams
Ugh. More alt-country I’ve been recommended a ton of times and never enjoyed. To Be Young is an okay song, but the rest of this kinda just keeps happening without much of a point to its existence. I truly loathe this where it goes more country and merely tolerate it where it’s fairly generic rock. There’s nothing remarkable about the lyrics and the pacing on many of the songs is nothing short of tedious. There’s a group of people who love Ryan Adams, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, etc. that I tend to have a lot of shared musical taste with, but this stuff just never does it for me.
Pretty basic ‘white man with a guitar’ music, but slightly better than most
Honestly it's a decent album. Full of passion and commitment. High tempo. 3.5/5.
It was ok
Never heard of this artist. The album was meh, okay background music for work. Reading the wiki about the artist, okay, that explains a lot.
One of my favorite songwriters of the past 20 years. Too bad he got caught up in some cancel culture hype. Is he a saint, nope. But I still enjoy his music. And is releasing tons of music... although the media will not mention it. Good stuff... just stay away from the recent singles of live covers.
Ok so I know this guy turned it to be a douche. But I also remember SO MUCH HYPE about him when he first came in the scene. Somehow I never took the time to check out any of his stuff. Dude this is BORING. It must have been a slow year for music in 2000 if this debut got so much praise. Also, his vocal style is pretentious AF. These lyrics aren’t as deep as he seems to want them to be. I was looking for originality and did not find it.
My review of the previous Ryan Adams album we got still holds here ("Tuneful and easy to listen to, but completely unmemorable"); at least this one is a more reasonable length.
Some good country-style pieces but being slightly different, folksy in some songs like 'Amy'.
Fun time. Sort of right on the edge between the country that I listen to and the one that I don't.
Don't really remember the album...
Really liked 'Oh My Sweet Carolina' and 'Sweet Little Gal' with the piano. Relaxing album.
Fucking... nah, I'm good.
1 - When the first song started, I thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but bleh!!!! It's boring and tonally repetitive and long. And that last song, which might have been my least favourite, was such a downer way to end an album. It ends with a whimper, but I guess it wasn't that good of an album anyway, so who cares. I just don't care about country, for the most part, and this album isn't one of the exceptions to that statement. I am not excited to listen to his other album on the list.
So good, if slightly too lugubrious at times, and slightly inclined to longeurs. Who else wrote songs as good as “Come Pick Me Up” and “To Be Young"? The latter is just a stunning debut annoucnements, side 1, track 1 as Cusack character in High Fidelity would say. These were one's personal fave songs of the decade, to be sure. Often gorgeous, frequently heartbreaking. One hates that he was a baddie to Phoebe Bridgers, but the musical output has been at such a high standard for so long.
Once again rating this on the music not the artist. Great alt country album, not quite as good as Whiskeytown at this point. He starts to expand a little from the alt country formula on a few songs too, as he would continue to do.
This is an example having to separate the art from the artist. Be sure he is a documented a$$hole. But I sure do like this record as much as it pains me to state. I’ll never listen to it again unless it’s for free because I hate that he gets .0000012 cent for my streaming it for this.
Better then i was expecting.
I like this one more than Gold, by quite a bit.
I had never willingly listened to Ryan Adams before. All I knew was that he has a record of being an asshole. I was not looking forward to this. However, I really loved the rockabilly songs. The ballads were meh to me, but I’m not a ballad person. +5 for the rockabilly songs, -1 for the ballads, and -1 for being an asshat.
There are charming moments here but Adams rather trashed his work with his behaviour and its hard not to muse on the disconnect between the image of the lovelorn troubadour he portrays here and the misogynist sex pest he is. Let's hope his apology was sincere and his efforts to overcome his demons succeed.
Can't lie - my heart sank a little bit with this one. I absolutely loved Ryan Adams when he broke onto the scene. Coming from small-town suburban UK, the alt-country-rock vibes were like they came from a different planet, but a planet where I belonged. Saw him live several times and the show was always immense. On the other hand, what an absolute helmet.
vokalisti tämän ratkaisi ja voivoivoivoi....... helvetin lieskat liehuvat ottakaa..... kuulostaa NIIN paskalta.. ja huonolla tavalla... Get over yourselves Wokesters. No crime was committed. It’s life. It’s complicated. (heh...reference to sexual.. kriips kriips käsiliike... olen psykio paattinen) musiikki joskus hyvää.. harmonikka soi.. yrittää olla robert dylan, eipä oikeen onnistunut.Super fedt album. Kan mærke han følelser helt ude gennem højtalerne. God blanding af stille og skaldede numre. MITÄ VELI PUHUU?? VELJENPOJAT.. TUPU HUPU LUPU ASS MF... dogwater .. rokkabilli rokista saa kaks tähteä. olen kirjoittanut tänään 3500+ sanaa pitääkö tähänkin vielä onko ihan pakko tähänkin pistää se sata ei kukaan näitä lue... vai lukeeko.. lähetäppä screenshottia... to be yoyng
This guy was huge, wasn't he? I managed to ignore him at the time, but now the dust has settled it's not bad; shiny, druggy folk pop that could have been recorded in 1975.
i cant believe this dude is on here twice. what the heck am i missing. like bad bob dylan.
Clearly very talented, but the ballads are overwrought and the Bob Dylan homage is waaaay too thick.
#218. You see, when you said Ryan Adams, I thought you said Bryan Adams, and I was expecting something completely different. This was fine though. Very Dylan-esque folk but without as many ear raping harmonica solos. 3/5: acceptable. Song added to playlist: To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
I remember hating Gold, but this was actually quite strong and enjoyable. I know he’s a dick, so I won’t rate it too highly, but that’s another story.
This dude is so cringe. How did it take so long for everyone to realize he was a predator? It's written all over this debut album. Almost every song is some narcissistic, woe is me whine-fest about a dude who hates himself and knows what a piece of crap he is but refuses to do anything about it. And then he asks why women always leave him... Of course this guy is a Morrisey fan. The music is also boring as hell. There are so many better examples of Americana/folk-rock artists from this time period — Andrew Bird, Josh Ritter, and Peter Bradley Adams to name just a few examples. 2/5 — not utterly unlistenable but close
Love the two opening songs. Really digging this album. I knew two of the songs on here already. The rest of these are really good.
It was alright. It was too country and not rock enough.
Not what I thought Ryan Adams sounded like. All felt a bit bland
The second track is decent rockabilly but too over produced for me, but the rest is pretty bland
I kind of wanted to hate this but it's really good
Cunt thinks he’s Bob Dylan
This album had more country vibes than expected. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't blown away either. Average
This is not what I was expecting. I think I have always assumed Bryan Adams and Ryan Adams were the same person. This has a great alternative country feel that I loved. I don't know if it is quite full marks, but is at least a high four stars. Oh My Sweet Carolina was my favorite. After a second listen I think this definitely gets a 5 from me.
Some nice alt-ish country. The best tracks are the more intimare songs that let the soft sound flourish
Trash
Haven't listened to Ryan Adams much, though have heard quite a bit about him. It was alright, but I can't see myself revisiting. Last track, Sweet Lil' gal was my favourite
did not enjoy
I feel like I’ve passively heard this entire album before, in the background, over the past 20 years. And with that I never felt called to seek him out. Still don’t really.
I had no idea I liked Ryan Adams. I honestly just assumed I wouldn’t like him because of South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut. “Now now. The Canadian government has apologized for Ryan Adams on several occasions.” And now I just realized that the above mentioned line is incorrect and Brian Adams and Ryan Adams are two different people. So we’re figuring out a lot this morning.
Another "hey, how did I not listen to this then?" good rock, young love, angry at the man. John Butler Trio in the same race.
I hate that I like Ryan Adams' music, given his alleged creepo stuff. His cover of Swift's 1989 is really awesome, and this record is really great. Check out Dave Rawlings Machine's cover of To Be Young, To Be Sad. 4 album gets a 3 because dude is a creep.
One of my all time favorites
I love “to be young” and it’s an amazing opening track, however from there things slide into a lull, “winding wheel” is an average song and “Amy” is incredibly dull. There’s nothing then to distinguish and of the tracks untill the brilliant “come pick me up” We then slide into another unfortunate lull untill the final track “sweet lil gal” which I don’t particularly love but sounds sonically different enough from the rest to stand out. The writing here is good and Ryan has a nice voice, I think it’s just a bit too sleepy to rate any higher, it’s peaks are great it’s lows are incredibly forgettable.
7/10 very vibey album that was fairly solid
To Be Young My winding Wheel Amy Oh My Sweet Carolina Bartering Lines Call Me On Your Way Back Home Come Pick Me Up Why Do They Leave Shakedown on 9th Street In My Time of Need Dare I say a master piece. Banger after banger. Beautiful voice. Beautiful guitar. Can understand the lyrics. Great vibe behind the album.
Not bad but wasn't this the cunt who almost broke up the strokes?
I don’t know much about Ryan Adam’s but his music was ok.
A nice take on the americana singer-songwriter tradition, with beautfull arrangements and a few rockers. It did not carry my attention all the way through, but its still a good album that I'll give a re-listen.
Melancholic slow country pop.
A bitte slow, but nice melodies
3/5. A few great songs. A lot in-between.
This is really, really good. I love the choice timings for harmonies. Occasionally there's some really interesting and great chord choices. The instrumentation and vocals pair together wonderfully. There's not a single miss on the album, and there's some really, really good songs that push it over the top for me.
Pretty dang good. Definitely an alt country kinda thing going on. I'll come back for another listen when my mood is better suited to it. A bit melancholy for my tastes but overall quite well written
Country-influenced pop rock and folk. A bit slow and sleepy. Highlights: "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)" (Stonesy country), "Come Pick Me Up" (nice harmonies, catchy chorus), "Shakedown on 9th Street" (Bo Diddley beat gives it a 50s sound, kind of White Stripes-y)
This album started off pretty strong, but lost steam quickly. The inclusion of speaking lines before songs start comes across as faux-sincerity. Felt like a deliberate move by a producer to make this music feel more genuine. All that being said, it's nice, gentle music. If that's your thing, go nuts. I have a hard time with these hour long lullaby albums.
Something about Ryan Adams that speaks to me. Maybe its that we're from the same hometown and grew up miles apart. Who knows. I do love all his music though!
Apparently this guy’s a molester, so I’m skipping.
It was okay, the beginning was promising but then it got boring🙁‼️
Alt country classic
Powerful songwriting at times, boring tracks at others. A big bunch of hits and misses. I enjoy each track individually, but, altogether, they get lost within each other. Not offensive and I’d say more to like than not. 4/5
I first read Bryan Adams and was horrified... Unfortunately, Ryan Adams is somehow worse
a bit better than the previous one, still pretty unremarkable
I don’t as somewhat familiar with Ryan Adams, I like Americana, Country Singer-songwriter music so I honestly expected to enjoy this more than I did. It felt a bit too overproduced and polished, he’s a good songwriter with a good voice but everything about this felt too clean and got boring bc of that. 3 stars
Absolutely not memorable, but also not bad per se.
meh
Boring album
Favourite songs: To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High), Shakedown on 9th Street, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Come Pick Me Up, My Winding Wheel, Bartering Lines, Damn Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains), To Be The One, In My Time of Need Least favourite songs: Amy 5/5
It’s a 5. Get over yourselves Wokesters. No crime was committed. It’s life. It’s complicated. And you’re hypocrites.
Good music. Seems like a bad person.
He's a terrible person. Album very average.
In terms of singer-songwriter albums this is quite good and I enjoyed the lush instrumentation. Not sure if this really deserves 4 stars in terms of that this album could just as well have been from the early 80's... So definitely nothing groundbreaking or in any way original here. Nonetheless, it's a good album and I enjoyed it.
i guess i like country more than i thought lol
I really like "Oh My Sweet Carolina". The album has a very smooth sound. It was very relaxing while listening to it during work.
So, I have been going into this venture trying to be as objective as possible. This means for me that if I don’t know an artist I have not looked them up or read anything about before listening to the album. I don’t know what others are doing but it has been an interesting approach for me. Ryan Adams is one of those unknowns for me. I have to say, it was great. Country, rock-a-billy, and a touch of angsty Indy to make it modern sounding. He had a good range of songs, which kept it interesting. While I did get a little bit bored with some of the slower songs it was overall a very nice listen. Highlights: “Bartering Lines” and “Shakedown on 9th Street”
Liked it. Liked the opening with a good rock and roll vibe.
I thought this album was bland and unenjoyable
I never heard of this guy. Listened to the album, and tbh it was a bit of a sleeper. Neither his music nor words pulled me in. When it was done, I started reading to understand why he is in this 1001 album collection. I still can't figure out the rationale, but I did learn he's a putz called out in the me too movement and previously for just being a general shit. I also learned he's put out 29 studio albums in his less than 50 years on this planet. 6 between 2000 and 2002 while embroiled in the me too controversy. What? Why? How? If they are as boring as this one, God bless. 2 for the album. Minutes one for the human.
As others have mentioned, beautiful music by a reprehensible human. And, like other case, you're supposed to separate the art from the artists but.... 5 stars for Phoebe Bridgers (and boygenius), and Mandy Moore, and everyone else this monster tried to destroy. 0 stars for him, 3 stars to split the difference
A snooze fest, but a least a competent one.
First Ryan album I bought. Thought it was great. Had another couple then started going downhill to prolific and just releasing everything. This album has some great songs
Nice Bob Dylan vibe
Nice tunes, bit of a player singing about Lucy and Amy though
If this was a cup of tea it would be mine
It isn't bad. Kind of tiring after a while though. 3.5
7/10 I really wanted to love this, but there’s just something that kinda drags this album down it’s still super enjoyable but not as good as I would hope
Country romantic love vibes pretty good. A lot of acoustic but it works well. He has a good voice the guitar is pretty good, slow and romantic Best track: my winding wheel 3.6/5
Ok I liked about 1/2 of it, don't think I will listen to Ryan Adams anymore 3 stars
A North Carolina native!
Weinerlicher Alternative Country.
4 Star album from a 1 star human
Basic singer/ songwriter stuff
I’d never listened before and now I’m hooked. Somewhere in the Venn diagram of Bob Dylan but with diction, a little bit of Tom Petty, a little Neil Young, a fine degree of heart and soul is this wonderment. Glad this got served up!
Great listen, can hear his inspiration in some modern day music.
allegations
I'm feeling very conflicted about enjoying this guy's music. Knowing what I know now, it really puts a damper on the whole experience.
I’ve listened to Ryan Adam’s before but never this album. I like many of the songs on the album. He must have a had a really rough breakup. He’s a little bitter. I think this is an album I need to listen to again. I think this one will really grow on me.
Enjoyed the album. Someone I would listen to again. Not the happiest of albums though.
Good in parts.
I thought I didn't like Ryan Adams but I think I was wrong
Not bad. Not memorable.
Mmh
is ok
Not a big country guy, but this album was worth listening
Good fun and a gorgeous record full of American stylings and good writing. Was always a bit ambivalent about Ryan Adams, but at least his debut is definitely a winner.
Some great tunes
Meh.. heillar ekkert.
A nice little alt-country record. It wasn't a complete wow-fest, and there are other country projects I'll go to first, but I would listen again at some point for sure.
I liked it
This shit was awful
This kept my attention and was pretty good but next morning I couldn't remember a thing about it
I'm not familiar with Ryan Adams, so I checked the reviews... it appears that Mr Adams is a reprehensible human being. Well, that's unfortunate. On the other hand, Rock Star and Reprehensible Human Being go together more often than I'd like to think. I'm not sure starts were better in my youth, but the lack of 24 hr news cycle and no social media provided a level of insulation, and maybe allowed a level of willful ignorance on fans' behalf. Anyway, what about the music? I was pleased that this album from the year 2000 is not all synths, autotune and drum boxes, with no hint of rap or hip hop. The opening song has a rollicking feel, somewhat reminiscent of Dylan's "From A Buick 6". That's a nice start, but also the high point. It doesn't drop off much, at least. This is a pretty relaxed feeling album, with a very "natural" feel. Acoustic guitar, harmonica, a touch of banjo. Un-affected vocals. Very "real". Especially compared to other albums from 2000, like Britney Spears, Eminem, NSYNC. Really, this is the type of sound that I generally like, and that's good. But it's just not especially memorable. Still, a lot better than I expected. Might've been pushing towards a 3.5, but gotta dock a bit for the personal "problems". 3/5
I remember hearing about this artist back in the day, but never listened to it. It was much better than I was expecting. Haunting and well crafted
The only thing I know about this guy is that he's not Bryan Adams, he covered 1989 and I think he's since been cancelled? I don't know. Let's find out together. Hmm the album was mostly boring, a couple of fun points but then I deducted a star for him being trash. Sorry my countdown my rules!
Few good tunes, I much prefer Gold.
funny shit
Zu viel Mundharmonika
I didn’t hate this
Very cool sound.
It was a mixed bag for me. Liked the slower songs more than the upbeat ones.
Really enjoyed. Was not expecting this americana country esque sound but it was a welcome one.
Not a big fan of this earlier work, but then again: not a fan of his recent behaviour either. Let's see how his redemption shot works out.
Better than I thought actually
A few years ago, my mum was very excited because she’d got tickets to see the guitarist from queen perform locally. Imagine her shock and dismay (and my amusement) when he opened the show with Summer Of 69! 2 stars
Not bad! Not exactly a genre I listen to a lot, but it sounded great. 3.5/5
A little like Bob Dylan. How'd I miss this guy before?
Do you know what I think when I hear about Ryan Addams? I think about Bryan Addams. Do you know what I think when I listen to his music? I think about a guy that could be as talented as self-destructive (sometimes POS). I like this record. Good production
I’ve never listened intentionally to anything of Ryan Adams. I was aware of him but whenever I heardhis name I always thought of Robin Hood which apparently and quite rightly pisses this Adams off. So I was quite open to listening to this album to see if I was missing something. I found it on the whole a pleasant way to while away a Saturday morning. A couple of tracks I really liked - Winding Wheel and Amy but nothing else stood out for me. Cannot say that I’m a lover at all of Country Rock or Bluegrass but as a change and as an attempt to widen my musical appreciation it was OK. Prior to listening I had a sneak look at other reviews. It appears that in the USA Adams is a bit of a hate figure due to his admitted harassment allegations. Something I was totally unaware of but also something that bothers me. As I am never going to purchase his music and probably never again listen intentionally to his albums it made no difference to my overall impression of this album.
Note sure if this is a hot take but "Love is Hell" (and "Prisoner", for that matter) is far superior to "Heartbreaker" and that's really all I can think about when I listen to the latter. Even Adams himself agrees, he's quoted as saying that "Love is Hell" is "..alot like Heartbreaker but better and more severe". Exactly. I'll save my love letter to "Prisoner" for that review.
Pretty solid with some clever songs
Good work by Ryan Adams
I was introduced to Ryan Adams by his less lauded Cardinology which has a lot more rock-and-roll sound. Heartbreaker is a little more tender, like a combination of heartland rock and folk rock in the vein of Dylan’s Desire or Nashville Skyline (which despite their different “eras” and sounds, have always seemed thematically similar to me). It also reminds me of Neil Young, specifically Rust Never Sleeps with a mix of electric and softer acoustic-ish tracks. Adams is no Dylan or Young, but this is a pleasant album.
nee, verstehe nichts und nicht meins
beautiful lyrics, relatively soft and gentle for the most part, easy listening and has those blood on the tracks sort of vibes to it
A couple great songs but some weaker Americana pieces that bite at the heels of Springsteen. Or maybe I’m being harsh because he’s a terrible person.
I’m not that familiar with Ryan Adams music, just that he covered wonderwall and is a massive dickhead. So didn’t go into this with high expectations, music alone I was pleasantly surprised. Enjoyable album, but would I recommend folk listen to it before they die? Doubt it.
I absolutely love his ballads. His upbeat stuff is a little bit much for me in the morning. But I like him! That is until Karen told me some things about him. Hopefully he truly has rehabbed and reformed. There’s no doubt but that he’s talented.
Un disco ideal para relajarse. Venia teniendo un día muy estresado por mi relato mental y eso desapareció apenas empezó a sonar la 1ra canción. Un álbum que seguro voy a escuchar otra vez, en poco tiempo.
Supposedly romantic
Great album. Most songs have a soothing, relaxing, southern sound with guitar, harmonica, banjo, and piano, with a few more upbeat, foot-stomping tunes.
Good sad boi music.
This felt very rambley. Enjoyed the guitars but the lyrics and singing were very mid. Album kind of put me to sleep, like music you'd hear right before going down with anesthesia.
this is a country/folk album. Mostly generic folk type songs. There were a couple of rock sounding songs that were OK
- The album is fairly repetitive, but manages to still be a fun listen. I ended up adding "Shakedown on the 9th street" to my playlist, which is kind of the opposite of the album mood. - 5/7
En l’écoutant d’une oreille, j’avais trouvé ça vraiment ennuyeux. En y prêtant plus attention, je comprends l’aspect intimiste et je trouve qu’il y a quand même de belles mélodies
Pleasant surprise of an album after never hearing of this singer before. Real good voice, rhythm, and lyrics. It’s not my genre of music at all. A few songs shorter and I could maybe listen to this one again.
Bartering Lines was an interesting tune. Shakedown on 9th had White Stripes vibes
Actually enjoyed this one. Knew he existed, never given him a listen. Left Spotify to play off this album most of the day.
Good folksy alternative album, but once again a lot of the singer-songwriter albums on this list have a problem where the songs blend together to the point where it's hard to differentiate between songs.
3/5 I liked the americana/country elements of the album.
I really loved this album. SORRY YOU HAD TO BE A DICK, RYAN. I hope you figure it out.
Americana 50s vibe on the first track - To be Young. Then it's even more dowhill to a very morose Bob Dylan style for the rest of the album, with one further Americana track thrown in towards the end - just to check if you're asleep. Absolutely totally boring melancholic music. 1 star
Like the art not the artist.
it was pretty good overall, the full band songs much better than the simpler stuff. just got boring about 30 minutes in and then had to kind of slog through the last 20 minutes
3/10 Why is this on the list?
It's a shame Adams turned out to be such a sexual harassing asshole, he made some really good music back in the day. It would be nice if he ditched his harmonica too, but in comparison to my other criticisms that can slide. All in all, good album, bad guy. Separating art from artist it is a 4 star for sure.
When I was at college, I knew a lot of people - mainly girls I had crushes on - who were really into Ryan Adams, so I spent a lot of time trying to understand what people saw in him. Ultimately I just realized I didn’t like his music because it’s a shallower version of stuff I like better, and this is the epitome of that. It’s shallower takes on the kind of alt-country that bands like Wilco were doing much better at the time. The more energetic rock songs hold up better, and suggest he would have had a more fruitful career if he’d embraced that sense of fun rather than trying to be an artist.
I guess I get two chances (and hopefully just two) to say fuck Ryan Adams
7/10. This would have easily been an 8 if he'd cut it down to size a bit more. But, that's not how things worked in the year 2000.
Nothing kills a personal album with a lot of love songs quite like finding out the artist is an abuser. 4/10
Took a few listens, but this is great. I already had 'Carolina' on my playlist, but there are 2 or 3 other tracks that will be added, now. The slow quiet stuff, singer-songwriter 'new folk' is much better than the up-tempo stuff, but it's all a beautiful noise.
Enjoyed this one a lot.
Started strong but quickly became boring. Let's go, Willie
Jotenkin tosi pätevää ja hyvän kuullosta, mut silti ei oikeen vaan lähe.. emt onko liikaa pateeta ja tuottamista vai mikä, mut jotenkin kaikesta hyvästä huolimatta ei vaan oikeen nappaa mukaan.
Very very decent country rock and singer-songwriter tunes! Ryan finds a beautiful melancholy in both the tone and the lyrics of these songs. 8/10
Liked this way more than I expected. I’m not sure if Ryan was an inspiration for Jack White, but I felt like I could hear Jack taking some root in songs like Shakedown on 9th Street. Great lyrics and the kind of guitar playing that really makes you want to pick up an acoustic guitar and struggle through gaining your first calloused fingertips for the sake of learning to play.
Love the song writing, music and overall vide of the album. Never quite got into Ryan Adams but this album has renewed my interest in him as an artist. Remembering the fact that he is a not a great dude.
It seems that Ryan Adams is a garbage human being, but I try to separate the art from the person in my assessments. Sometimes it's difficult. For example, I've listened to at least one recording of a song by Charles Manson, and it's not especially good, but even if it was amazing I think I would still give him one star. I don't think Ryan Adams is that bad, so I'll just consider the music. And the bottom line is, I like it. A lot. 4 stars.
Ganske dritt
Another new album for me that I love! Great story telling great melodies! 5/5
Better by a long chalk than Gold. But it's kind of Elliott Smith lite at its best.
Pretty good. What country could have become rather than Pick Up Trucks and what-not. Slower ones in the latter half dragged. Could have been a 10-track album and easily hit 4*
Liked that. Not cool to say but David Gray and Damien Rice vibes with added country. Also *insert joke about Bryan Adams here*
Great album. Was suprised
I think I subconsciously ignored this guy because I don't like Bryan Adams. But this is so great. Love the songs and the vibe.
2000s country. Blech.
Boring
Would have been an easy 4 if not a 5 but I have issues when people refuse to be actually repentant for actions
I hadn't heard of this artist before, but I did enjoy listening to the album.
Enjoyed
damn i was just gonna write "this sounds like sufjan stevens for straight people" but then i found out this guy actually sucks more than his music does
ryan adams' heartbreaker was a mellow album and unfortunately kind of a boring one. by far from the worst album i've heard, i did enjoy the different kind of country found here. i'm given to understand adams created some early indie folk country sounds, though it's clear to be not my style of music. i did enjoy the lyrics, too, but gosh there was that one song or two that went too heavy on the harmonica.