Gold

At a concert in October 2002, at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, someone in the audience yelled out a request for "Summer of '69", a hit by the similarly named Bryan Adams. Adams reacted with a stream of expletives, and ordered the house lights turned on, The Tennessean newspaper reported. He eventually found the fan who made the joke request, paid him $30 cash as a refund for the show, ordered him to leave, and said he would not play another note until he had left. He's also a pedophile (alledgedly)

Why'd they keep pushing this cunt?

We have Bruce Springsteen at home

I could see this playing at a suburban white Christian Americans family barbecue XD

How many albums does this nonce have on the list?

“Gold” by Ryan Adams (2001) If you’re in the mood for country/pop/rock that’s smoother than Bruce Springsteen but not as intelligent as Neil Young, this album is worth a try. Ryan Adam’s’ poetry is better than that found in most pop music, but it has its flaws. There’s a nice enough cadence and sound, but he seems to write with limited vocabulary, conceptual depth, and synthesis. Several images are used repetitively (personified ‘night’, ‘breaking glass’), indicating a truncated imagination. Musically, the album is reminiscent of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, with country flavorings, arranged and performed with adequate professionalism, and assisted by a large assembly of session musicians. Adams’ voice lacks control and resonance, but is well matched to the instrumental arrangements, as if producer/instrumentalist Ethan Johns was well aware of the limitations he was working with. And is there any instrument Johns doesn’t play? The album is well enough constructed, building in intensity and variety as it proceeds, stepping out of its initial country mode into the territory of classic and experimental rock. “Nobody Girl”, at over nine minutes, is about five minutes too short. Seriously. This review only covers the album as originally released. I’ll leave the sad and silly dispute over the five tracks of “Side Four” to Adams and Lost Highway Records. Sheesh. It’s not a classic, but it’s easy on the ears, and will help you get through your working day. 3/5

Had to stop in the middle of the 3rd song, because my balls were shrinking. It's like a cocktail of estrogen with radioactive waste

Dull and goes on forever.

The 90 minutes of Gold by Ryan Adams would benefit from silence. Ideally 90 minutes of it. Even the ostensibly quiet songs on this record have this overproduced busyness, never allowing a drop of silence to accentuate the space between two beats, never giving elements room to be whole. There’s always an organ, a muffled rhythm guitar, or a semi-distant string quartet fussing in the background. This is apart from the beginning of that terrible Sylvia Plath song, which would benefit from bringing in Kevin Shields and his fifty guitars for an upfront wall-of-sound treatment to push the song deep, deep into the bayou. Of course, after a minute, the bare piano backing has to be joined by some strings. It was sounding lonely there! For this self-avowedly American record, a splendidly American word fits best: phony. Original ideas are sparse, just this slapped-on faux-Americana, tiresome mopey songs to a nameless girl, or a parade of nameless girls, and eyes-closed busker’s vocal affectations that magnify the triteness of the lines. It’s a box-ticking exercise in homage - here’s a fast-spoken song about New York, here’s a song with “Blues” in the title, look, a song about a street, a song about a bar, oh! 20 songs about a girl or girls. He can write a tune, but it will always look like Boris Karloff, and no make-up will hide the stitches, and he’s still waiting for that lightning bolt to bring that fucking thing to life. (Unlike the otherwise comparable Primal Scream, whose lightning bolt was Andy Weatherall.) Confession: I enjoyed Nobody Girl’s modicum of Coors lite rock until I realised it was longer than Fool’s Gold. From Wikipedia“”New York, New York" became a notable MTV and VH1 favorite following the September 11 attacks.” The chicken and the egg argument went dark. I dislike this record and can only stave off resentment for my 90 minutes with it by being mean, as I hate bearing a grudge. One star! What a dickwash of a cover fronts this album.

Lifeless and soulless, no clever turns of phrase or creative arrangements. Any band or local songwriter would have left this collection unrecorded. No business being on the list. And obligatory slap from beyond the grave from Sylvia Plath for taking her name in vain on such a dull song.

how do I post the meme of that seal yelling gaaaaaayyy?

Überbewertet in allen Belangen.

I liked this! Bluesy rocky Americana stuff. This is all upbeat (except Sylvia Plath). Would go great on a roadtrip playlist or something. This album is the kind of album that makes me glad this list exists. I never would have even given that cover a second glance! Never would have heard it. Is it 5 stars? No. Is it 4? Probably not, but considering how much I've been liberal with my 3 stars this year, I'll have to give it a 4. Really enjoyed "When the Stars Go Blue", "Nobody Girl", "Sylvia Plath", "Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues", and "Rosalie Come and Go"

Not bad for an arrogant dickhead.

according to "meet me in the bathroom" Ryan Adams knowingly got Albert Hammond Jr. (from the strokes) back on heroin. in fact everything I've ever heard about him is that he is a douche. but I've never met the guy. so i dunno. as far as music, he's got a nice voice, but the album isn't interesting. lyrics are pandering; music is predictable. If they had to change this from 1001 to 1000 albums to listen to, this should be the one that goes.

Can't really go wrong with Ryan Adams. He reminds me a lot of the singer/songwriters from the 90s but more contemporary.

According to Wikipedia, "Ryan Adams; Not to be confused with Bryan Adams." Also, the anecdote about "Summer of '69" made me laugh. As for the album, too long, uninteresting and I've reached a point in the 1001 albums that I definitely have a problem with the harmonica. Make it stop!

He's a great writer. And it all SOUNDS great. But even before I knew how much of a tool he was, there was always somewhat of a disconnect. He never resonated with me. I recognized the quality, but it didn't speak to me. It still doesn't. I do my best to separate the art from the artist, but I can't pretend I'm not turned off by Ryan right now. And it definitely isn't helping me connect with this any more at the moment. A very generous... 3.5/5

I can't be bothered to compose a full review, so here are my notes: familiar and anonymous jack and diane on repeat for an hour cannot sing, awful voice would be a relief to hear summer of 69 [flips coin disinterestedly]: 1

this was surprisingly good - I'm a little bit bummed it has a low global rating

It's rare that I can't finish an album but an hour and a half of this shite was just too much. Terrible, just terrible.

One of my favorite assholes in the business. This is a pretty fantastic album, but it does go on too long; it's not like Adams has ever known to not overdo it with his output. Yes he's pretty terrible, he always has been. I don't listen to music to make friends with the artists. 4 star album getting a 5 for all the community hate.

Fine album, some good stuff on there!

Around the time of this album’s release was when I first encountered Ryan Adams. I was struck by the songwriting on this album and listening again today still am. Some great love songs and breakup tunes. Quite a bit of variety on his vocals here as well. Excellent!

Incredible album from the days that everything Ryan Adams touched turned into .. yes Gold. Take the epic Nobody girl and find out that this is soon followed by the heartbreaking duo Wild flowers and Harder now that it's over. And whether they are rock, country, gospel or whatever, weak songs are not remotely in sight.

Love, love, love this album. More rocking than his first solo LP, Heartbreaker, but perhaps not as pretty. Great Americana.

Very good

A mix of Bruce Springsteen, and John Mayer? I like this a lot. From all the comments, it seems like at the time this wasn't a big hit and Ryan Adams might not be the best person, but in 2025, this is a nice breath of fresh air. I'm glad his producers cut out five songs though. Not sure I could do a full double album. I mean this in the most respectful way possible, but Ryan Adams looks like a poster child for autism in this cover art.

This is a great record, polished, mature and beautifully bittersweet. One allows for accusations of excessive personal attachment and the risk of overrating because one lived in NYC when this record came out, and listened to it somewhere between religiously and routinely, often whilst walking the very streets he name-drops. But what's not to like – the commitment to surviving and transcending heartache/heartbreak, the youthful energy, the historically informed, yet not fawning and still original homages to country/folk-rock gods. Not many better outings in early Americana than this. The opener, "La Cienega" "When the Stars Go Blue," "Sylvia Plath" and "Harder Now" are all standouts, but every cut offers something of interest. What a pleasure to hear this again to but also substantive, begging the usual question with RA, which is how did he ever write so many good songs so fast?

4.0

Enjoyable Americana, shame it came from a shitwad.

Middle of the road bar music

Generic pop country leads into vibey rock (Nobody Girl is a banger). The whole album is a very easy listen, so it's a shame Ryan Adams is kind of a gross human being (some of those allegations are a big deal)

Not horrible but not great either. A couple of good songs but sounds like middle-of-the-road tunes that are easily forgettable.

Look, I know that this was probably recorded before 9/11, but the fact that this was released a week after 9/11 in 2001 with an American flag cover, and songs titled "New York, New York" and "The Rescue Blues" really makes you think... Feels like he either jumped on the 9/11 grift wave, or he knew about the attacks on the World Trade Center ahead of time. I guess he didn't pop off much anyway, I thought this was the guy from Fall Out Boy when I saw the album cover lol.

Good album! Another artist I wasn't familiar with by name, but I know I've heard Rescue Blues before. I feel like this album is a great representation of singer-songwriter rock in the early 00s. I can hear sounds that remind me of other artists I'm more familiar with from the era. I also hear some strong elements of 70s era singer-songwriting. I can certainly hear the the influence of Dylan, Young, and Springsteen throughout the album. Favorite Songs: The Rescue Blues

Today I learned there is a Ryan Adams and a Bryan Adams. It's not bad, just a tad too generic for my taste

It is difficult, at times, to separate the person and the music. It has been documented many times in the press with direct quotes from those affected about what an emotionally abusive and controlling partner he is to women. He even wrote an apology for his “past” behavior. He has also sent nudes and explicit texts to underage females. That, on top of disrespecting his audience by storming off stage. All of that aside…..his music is ok. Some decent pop songs. That’s it.

Some ok pop songwriting that's well produced.  If Gold was a colour it would be beige.  I'm not into it and it seemed to go on for 6 hours.

A fairly mediocre and forgettable album.

"eyes-closed busker’s vocal affectations" about sums up my thoughts. Pretty unremarkable stuff.

Well, Ryan Adams, eh? yet another example of the age-old conundrum: can we enjoy the Art regardless of the behavior of the Artist? 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, I don't care, because I've had it up to here with unrepentant arseholes. I'm going to have to rate this one pretty low, based on: 1) Ryan Adams seems like an arsehole. 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? , 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 a Phoebe Bridgers record, that would be cool!).

I have no clue why this album is included on this list. Its so unremarkable. I can hear this same stuff from a handful of other artists/bands. 2/5.

feels souless. theres good country and theres bad country yo.

Exactly as it was in 2001. 10-15 minutes of going. Wow - this is great. Then an hour of wondering. Wow - this is shit; please end now. 2.1

Early 2000s schlock. Very dull and way too long.

Yeah I find it washes over me leaving very little. There's nothing intrinsically awful about it ..... I'm just surprised he's 23 albums into his career. Stephen King reckon he's the best songwriter since Neil Young. I think Stephen King should just write novels. Massive Meh. 2.

Fine. Long, a bit boring in places. I think his influences are too obvious - usually people like Dylan. Laura Marling liked him when she was young but changed her mind when she got older and various allegations about him emerged. Apparently he also did a full cover of a Taylor swift album which is lame. I dunno, I think maybe he's just lame? I thought about giving a 3 but downgraded to a 2. #me2

Feels like he tried taking five different artist's sound and did it worse than every single one on every single track… 2000's indie/romcom movie core (derogatory) Way too bloated, filled end to end with ad music.

I was doing ok on this album until "Sylvia plath" which I thought "oh this song is awful it must be the album closer" but nope! Still 40 minutes of music to go... Entire back half was a slog. Album seems devoid of originality and I can't really imagine why it's on a list of stuff that we "must" listen to before we die

It mostly wasn't painful to listen to, but it was also completely uninteresting.

Milquetoast

I can do this, too. The road is long, You've got to be crazy to catch a cliché, it ain't easy, and my brother, looking over my shoulder, it's been a long path; and my sister, where has she gone? Where has the time gone, dripping off my watch like syrup, Dali on my mind, Dali on my mind, Dali on my mind, Dah-a-a-ali on myyy miiind. Heavy with the pressure, waking up in a motel and thinking, Dali on my mind, Dali on my mind, Dali on my mind. Ooohh, yeeeaah.

I hate this album. Its as phony and contrived as things can get. 1/5

What is this even doing on this list?

1001 Albums Generator Day 11 At the turn of the millennium, the singer of an up and coming "alt-country" band went solo to make a top-heavy, overlong, yet pleasant album with the kind of guestlist that gives the monthly reviewers butterflies. He was deeply reverent of artists from the past and the wasted genius image they exemplified in a way that invited comparison with them, but he did not possess the lyrical, melodic or vocal gifts of, say, Evan Dando. Later, his musical reputation would be based on his first two solo records and his perceived eccentricity, which meant an apparently voracious taste for speedballs and recording lots of albums no-one wanted to release. The two albums still turn up in lists like this one, but from roughly 2002-07 he was effectively replaced by a younger, prettier, more talented "new new Dylan," Conor Oberst. So, what about this album, Gold? I bought a copy in a charity shop a few years ago, but I had to listen via streaming today as it soon ended up back in the donations pile. The title describes its smooth, expensive sound and anticipated its UK certification for sales. It has the kind of guestlist that gives the monthly reviewers butterflies. It's also characterless and, as for overlong, this fucker is the length of a football match. Both Heartbreaker and Gold are in the book on which this series is based, but if you can't find 1001 albums better than both you aren't trying hard enough.

Well, this is devoid of personality.

Really bad. The blandest thing I've ever heard, not an original note on the album

Brilliant album. Great set of songs!

Surprisingly not what I expected. Bonus: Spotify matched songs very nicely

Rating it a five, not because it's one of the best I've heard, but because it's an album I would've never heard otherwise full of consistent tracks on the first half. Usually this kind of early 2000s pop rock feels a bit samey, but this one kept me listening

Perfect album!

I really enjoyed this album. I've heard of him but have never listened to him before.

Another album that I had to spend some time over. Ultimately I determined that although there are a few tracks on it that I don't like too much, the overall experience is such that it deserves a place in my Tidal library, and an award of five gold stars.

Klasse Album. Eingängige, melodiöse und sparsam instrumentierte Songs! Endlich mal wieder ein Highlight für meine Playlist!

Own

Yes, ryan is a POS. Let's get that out of the way. But separating the art from the artist, this is a great album. Pure American. Makes you want to put on a Jean jacket and hit the road. The first half of the album is incredible. The second half slows a bit so I'd give it 4.5 stars. Rounding up to a 5 though considering how good the first 2 songs are.

This album was my introduction to Ryan Adams. He has gone on to become one of my favorites. Great songwriting, backed by an excellent band. The first 3 songs are all highlights for me: New York, New York, Firecracker and Answering Bell but I love the whole thing!

Another great album from someone I wish was a better person. Ryan Adams covers a lot of sonic territory here. The penultimate track sounds like The Rolling Stones, and Adams similarly dabbles in rock, country, blues, and pop on this album, succeeding in each. The whole band (including backup singers) sound great here. Favorites: "Answering Bell", "When Stars Go Blue", "Nobody Girl".

Brilliant

Classic album! Reminds me of a particular summer I listened to this album non stop

La Cienega Just Smiled. Bastantes canciones preciosas.

Don't really know why, but instant classic. Nice sound, I just really liked it. I listened to the bonus tracks as Adams originally wanted to release it including those as a double LP so they count for me!

Still a classic in my book (9.9) ★★★★½

One of my favorite albums I have listened to that I didn't already. Really enjoyed it all the way through.

4.5 - Ryan Adams is really good, such a great song writer. He makes it feel so effortless and natural and this album really is great. I just struggle to separate the art from the artist with this one. Objectively it's so fucking good, and so gonna try to listen to him again

When I saw the 1 hr 30 min playtime I almost skipped this one. I've heard Ryan Adams before and I really do like his music, but dedicating 1:30 to one album felt like a potential slog. But because I've liked what I've heard before I jumped in. An hour and thirty minutes later I'm really glad I did. Adams is such a great singer/songwriter. I joked with my wife that he's like an aphrodisiac for people who like coffee house music. Definitely coming back to songs from this one.

La Cienega Just Smiled. Bastantes canciones preciosas.

I was obsessed with this album in 8th grade. I know we’re not supposed to like him anymore but he is such a great songwriter and I love a lot of his records. Rosalie come and go was on so many of my mix cds

Awesome folk rock with impressive versatility, encompassing everything from rock to bluegrass and Americana. Loved it!

Enjoyed pretty much every song. Easy chill, vibe listening!

Great album. I've been a fan for a long time. Any album you can press play, listen, and enjoy every track you know you've got a winner. I'm sure I'll listen to this many more times in my life.

This album used to be in heavy rotation when I was younger. Every track has something to offer. New York New York, is a great song. The whole album is full of rock blues music. Nobody Girl is a personal favorite of mine

From what I hear he is a pretty big douche bag but this music is decent Americana. Ill give it five stars but actually 3.5 when you take away the curve I grade on.

I see and hear what you're doing there, Adams. A stab at Bryan Adams and an inversion of Born in the U.S.A.. I get you... Personal issues aside, really good album I thoroughly enjoyed. I was expecting this to plod a bit but that was the most striking thing to me about Gold. Even the slower songs had some pep, creating an experience that was very catchy, melodic, and very beautiful in several spots. Anything that makes me want to sing or play along is a winner in my book.

Say what you will about Ryan Adams as a person...this album is soooo good! I love it and it reminds me so much of a snapshot in my life.

The first song came on and I was thinking damn this is some good ol Americana. Classic but not too classic and catchy but not cliche. To my surprise, it more or less continued consistently throughout the whole album. Some songs stood out more, but overall there were no misses. Altogether, since I enjoyed it, there were some great songs and really no duds, and the album flowed together the whole way through, and I'll definitely be coming back to it, I think this deserves a 5

La Cienega Just Smiled. Bastantes canciones preciosas.

One of my go too albums in 2001. Didn't think Ryan could top Heartbreaker. Grows track by track. 6 stars. Rescue blues and nobody girl are in my opinion two of the best songs of 2001.

Classic

La Cienega Just Smiled. Bastantes canciones preciosas.

cool

Blissful 😊

Un artista poco sonado en su momento pero que es una máquina de hacer grandes rolas. Este disco se deja ir solito, sin un momento que me aburra o que me invite a cambiarle. Incluso la rola más depre (Sylvia Plath) es una chulada si le pones atención. Me encanta ese punto que encuentra entre Rock, Pop y Country en el que un montón de las rolas del disco sirven en muchos momentos.

Awesome album

I love Ryan Adams' music. I'm not sure why I don't listen to it more, but it's great. I'm not even really sure why I like it so much - it just seems kinda timeless to me. There is definitely a Neil Young, Bob Dylan vibe, but also like the Stones and a bit of the Beatles. It's blues, but it's folk, but it's also country. He could have performed at Woodstock or at a contemporary music festival and people would dig it. It's somehow genius in its simplicity. I don't know. But - 5.

😀 That was a good one 😀

Ryan Adams is not a pleasant guy. I saw him live this year and it was a bummer to see a guy on stage that was mainly complaining about the audience and making very depressing cynical jokes. Still Heartbreaker and Gold are terrific albums with great songs.

I have a lot of fondness for this album, since it is so linked to a specific time and group of friends. But, if I'm honest, Heartbreaker is a better album and Adams is sort of a garbage human.

Kinda vibe