1001 Albums Generator
Gold by Ryan Adams

Gold

Ryan Adams

2001
2.82
Rating
22842
Votes
1
12%
2
25%
3
38%
4
20%
5
6%
Distribution
Genres: Country, Rock Styles: Singer Songwriter, Alternative Rock, Folk Rock, Americana

Reviews (page 3 of 8)

Slightly emo Bruce Springsteen

It's OK, nothing too special. Too long at 70 minutes .

it's fine. he has a good voice and I like the nostalgia of early 2000s calm rock. it's cool it was released jan 1st

Bob Dylan Vibe to these Ryan Adams Songs Pleasant to listen to but not shooting out the lights

Ryan Adams invokes images of Midwest America in his music. He has found a place in my music appreciation spectrum. This album is one of his best! Love Sylvia Plath, as it leads to existential angst recuperation!!

On the whole not too offensive considering it had the word country in the genre description.

Not as bad as I initially thought, but it’s not something I’d ever choose to listen to

The album flies between good and awful. It's too long and needed pruning. It's not all Gold

Eh, it's fine. Americana (or whatever genre this is) isn't really my cup of tea, but his voice sounds nice, and the music is pleasant.

Occasionally sounds like it is about to get really good, but never does. Fine as far as it goes but nothing special.

En problematisk artist minst sagt. Jag vet att detta album fick goda betyg när det kom men jag tycker det är ganska tråkigt. Alldeles för långt till att börja med och samma rakt igenom. Vissa låtar är absolut helt ok men trist. Bäst är New York, New York.

Not sure I really liked this one. 2 stars

This was my first Ryan Adams album. I picked it up at a used records store back in 2009, before any allegations against him. It still hits the feels listening to this album all these years later.

Nope, really pretentious somehow. I know a 100s local artists like this that made it. Ones who made it does pretty much the same thing, average albums. I just can't look at this seriously :(. 1.3

He’s a douche canoe

This list has so much Bruce Springsteen, way more than it should, and you also have this motherfucker??? I didn't know about him but it's the most boring country thing I've heard. All of those fucking shitheads that made this list, FUCK YOU!! THIS IS SHIT! I really would have lived better without listening to this.

Rock medio country bien yankee. No te digo que está mal pero no me gusta esa onda. Iba a ponerle un tres porque me sonaba mal puntuarlo dos pero fuck it. Es un 2.5.

Ryan Adams is a grade A piece of shit, but it unfair to judge him on his behavior while ignoring the behavior of the other bags of shit and pedos on this list just because their music was more impactful on a historical or popular scale. I love this album. It’s nostalgic for me but I always seemed to find my way back to it. It’s fun, and sad, and a great mix of Americana. That said, fuck Ryan Adams and I refuse to give him the streaming numbers….except when I’m sad and I put on Prisoner or Jacksonville City Nights, but still…fuck that guy.

Such a good album! I love Ryan adams a lot lol and this was a great album!

It just kept on going. Ryan Adams has no need for a nine-minute song.

Slow country alternative with some pop elements. It is way to sad sappy for me. People seem to love Nobody Girl, I couldn't stand his vocal changes on that song. Part of the problem I have with this album, his voice fits well with some songs but on others it is just terrible. The music overall is okay, the songwriting is basic. It is way to long and becomes a slough to get through. Not sure why this is included on the list, other better bands doing this music. Oh yeah, the album cover sucks too

This was such a weird album. It's growing in me a bit but there's a lot in here that I just can't do. I might give it a few more listens, for now it's a 3.

Insufferable. A sappy crybaby dirge.

Billie Joe Armstrong se fosse ruim a primeira música tocaria naqueles programas da MTV que as músicas boas já passaram, e eles deixam qualquer merda - ou seja, uma música básica logo, não irei ouvir o resto - 1 seg já dá pra ver que tem country e rock básico além de parecer coisa de estadunidense racista me espanta nessa lista ter dois álbuns relacionados a pedofilia como não é confirmada a pedofilia e o álbum só é chato, 2/10

Country folk. Like a modern bob dylan. No thanks.

One of my favorite albums from my youth. Listened to this multiple times during and it still is good today. 8.75/10 Top song... Gonna make you love me

Ugh, my first RA album back in the day. It's fine but he's a awful turd. 💩 out of 5

I know Ryan is a little problematic, but this album is close to the pinnacle of the alt country movement of the early aughts. Not something I’d listened to in a while.

“I’m appreciating what this music did for me, independent of who made it.” (Advice from ChatGPT when asked “how do I separate the art from the artist?”)

Not terrible but mostly forgettable and seemed to drag on forever

Ryan Adams is an asshole, let's make that clear, although I've separated art from artist so far so just rating on the music I can't go to 5* because this is pretty bloated but I do like Adams' writing. He has a nice turn of phrase and there are some evocative lyrics. When The Stars Go Blue is a beautiful tune in particular and I found the first 3 tracks are a strong opening too. Just not quite enough killer to be 5 for me

Liked this a bit more than I was expecting to. I'm not sure it's an album I had to listen to before I died (especially 90 minutes worth of it), but it was fine, bordering on good-ish. I (embarrassingly) have a soft spot for the New York song - probably (definitely) something to do with when it was released.

M'n 6e Bruce Springsteen alweer. Oh wacht, dit is iemand anders. Nouja, gelukkig blijven de opnametechnieken uit de jaren 80 daardoor in ieder geval achterwege. Ik heb hier vandaag weinig tot geen geduld voor, dat merk ik al bij track 1 en 2. Ik trek dat Nashville-achtige geluid wat slecht, heb er simpelweg geen zin in. Het klinkt allemaal als één groot cliché, een formule. De nummers waar die geforceerde countrymaniertjes en twang wat achterwege blijven zijn beter te doen, al wordt het dan weer een beetje reli-rock. Het is nooit goed bij mij, zeker niet op maandag. Hij zingt niet slecht (wat je niet over elke artiest in deze lijst kunt zeggen), en qua teksten zal het allemaal een stuk beter zijn dan menig kinderachtig rap-versje, maar ik hou er helemaal niet van. En man wat is het dan met 70 minuten schoon aan de haak een vervelend lang album. Als het korter was had ik er 3 sterren van gemaakt, nu moet ik er één op zak houden.

Wonderful day doing dishes and cleaning with the girls on a snowy blizzard march day

Fuck this. It aint worth the 90 minutes.

This album oozes 2001, and I should know, I was actually there. It's a style that would later become a cliche, probably not that much later to be fair. But it's remarkable for it's simplicity, and effectiveness. This is from the era when Coldplay were good, when we'd all narrowly survived the much touted Millenium bug, and importantly from the era just before home studio equipment became affordable and accessible, Youtube made music production education accessible online, and even a simple record like this, required a team and studio of equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ryan Adams has since become a master the slow, emotionally devastating ballad, but at this moment you can still hear his youth and optimism. I love his later work, but listening to this is like waking up and realising it's a summer Saturday morning, and you're 13 again, just about to start honing your teenage angst. Or at least thats what the first half of the record feels like. The first indications of that talent for intimate emotional devastation are in the most played song of the album When The Stars Go Blue. Serving a style of ballad that Paolo Nutini would make his own a few years later on the other side of the Atlantic. The second half develops a musical maturity that will take you by surprise if you have no context on Ryan Adams. The uncommonly curious introspection in Sylvia Plath, ripping solos in Enemy Fire, the timeless ensemble storytelling in Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues. They demonstrate a scope to the artist that you'd never have guessed from the easy floating drone strum that kicks off the album in New York, New York. When it closes out with Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd. it's easy to see why this mammoth album (16 tracks!) made an impact.

For this long of an album it is pretty consistently good. 4 stars or B.

# Album Name: Gold # Artist: Ryan Adams # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Couple of alright tracks. Plenty of average fillers on here. It hasnt aged well. Very 2000s vibe. Not the good kind. # Top Tunes: NY NY / Answering bell / When the stars go blue / Nobody girl # Would I listen to it again? No

Vähän väsynyttä musiikkia, nykykorvaan kuulostaa tekoälyn tekemältä geneerisyydeltä.

296/1001. Just after John Elton I get Ryan Adams, first I didn't even notice the album changed, or I thought Elton was changing his instrumentation a bit. Not my favourite Ryan album, but enough to provide mushy music for mellow moods.

It would be 2 stars if it was 30 minutes shorter

This is a pretty decent album from him but he has better ones later. Too long though.

I did not know When the Stars Go Blue was a Ryan Adams song. I liked this quite a bit for the first half but it went on too long for anything higher than 3 stars.

It's fine. Early 2000's starbucks vibes.

This is very standard rock, pretty uninspiring and not interesting but not offensive either. It's also way too long, by about 5-6 songs...

I wasn’t really feeling this. Kind of generic sounding.

No way should this be on this list.

The last time we got a Ryan Adams album I boycotted on principle, but this time I actually listened. I used to hear him all the time on my aging-hipster radio stations but it has been quite a while since anyone would play him, which is as it should be, but now I remember just how bland and soporific this is. (I actually gave up when I got to a song called Sylvia Plath--that's just heresy.)

Pretty dull and dreary, and this album feels like it goes on forever. Wild Flowers wasn't awful, though.

есть норм песни, но в целом 3.

Thank God this isn't a double disc

I can almost always separate the art from the artist, but to quote John C. McGinley, this guy is a Bastard Coated Bastard with Bastard Filling, from grooming women to fights with other artists and fans, you could've afforded to get help before it got to any of that. I will not stoop to giving him a low rating for his personal baggage, but would rather listen to Tweedy, who does it all way better anyway.

I quite enjoyed this album. Ryan’s songwriting and performance are wonderful. As someone who has never heard of Ryan Adams’s, each song feels familiar and new at the same time. He effortlessly mixes pop, country, and alternative rock elements to create songs that gap each of those genres.

I like some of the Ryan Adams songs, what the fuck does he know about making a consistently enjoyable record? Also this album cover really highlights how much of a dick he is in real life. I feel like when Ryan Adams writes songs, he tells himself "yeah, you go man, you're the best! this is going to be your masterpiece". Then he kisses a picture of his own face. Don't get me wrong, some of these songs I would not mind hearing if they came on a shuffle. It's just that my only question is "what does one get from listening to an entire project by singer-songwriter Ryan Adams?" Do you get more genuinely well-written and played tunes or more reminders that Ryan Adams is one of the lamest musicians you could ever come across? So much for inventing a classic (5/10, 2/5 on this scale)

Too long for what it is

Starts off strong with New York, New York but by the halfway point I was over it. This isn't the kind of music that does well with sprawling 70 minute albums.

The man may be a humourless, self-important prick, but I can’t hate the music. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s well executed and nice enough to listen to. The album is way too long, though.

Middle of the middle of the road. No surprises anywhere 2.4

Favorite Track: Enemy Fire

Too long, but surprisingly didnt hate as much as i thought i would, didn’t like it either though.

Meh. Boring album. Not a single song to get excited about. Not terrible music, just…generic.

Este disco me encantaba antes de saber que Ryan Adams era un mierda

Why is this so long Jesus Christ

How does this completely milk toast music make this list? There are 100 albums I could name that would be better than this nonesense.

Overly long, parts of it were alright but I doubt I'd ever choose to listen to this again

This is a weird one. Well I was werid for this one. Sometimes I end up with a record on a day where I finish a book like 10 minutes before I start the music and that was today. I was distracted by the stranger by Albert camus. Good book but not the music. So generally I liked the record. I didnt save much but a single track but the whole thing was fun to listen to. I really did like alot of it. I was very scared at the outset when I thought id got Bruce Springsteen. But that was just the cover. This was much better than that. Just super solid singer songwriter stuff. Im not a huge songwriter nerd but I got the feeling in every case of what he was going for. I'll have to come back to this again someday cause it might get even higher

He's not breaking any new ground here but that's not always the right criteria. This is just plain and simple heartland alt country adjacent indie singer songwriter stuff ripping off/extending the narrow band of Americana from exile on main St to Springsteen to Mellancamp. Beyond being a dickhead, he provokes strong reactions because of the unstable mix of earnestness and pretense, the cringe self seriousness and ludicrous affectation. He really over uses some annoying writing tricks (naming specific places especially) and there's a lot of mid tempo low inspiration filler on the bum, BUT, goddamn if the good bits (5 of the first 7 songs basically) don't hit hard if you let them.

some good stuff in there but ultimately felt quite 1-note and overlong

Really... I just don't understand why this kind of music is held in such high regard. 70 minutes too !!! Nope, 4 tracks and several skipped. Dreadful shit. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ some Revisit ❌️ Boring ★☆☆☆☆ (2/10) Total reviewed : 239 Already owned : 54 Purchased : 12 To buy list : 3 Nope : 170

Day 193 One I hadn’t heard before, really enjoyed it , will be checking out more. Highlights Nobody Girl Sylvia Plath Goodbye Hollywood Blvd

I don’t even like Bruce Springsteen and I think his albums are better than this

Like the ones with a country twang, the rest are mid

I didn’t warm to this. After the first three songs it became repetitive and insipid. Not something I’ll revisit.

Can’t tell if listening to this album while waiting 7.5 hours in an ER helped or hurt my listening experience.

I remember when this album came out my senior year of college. I had been a big fan of Heartbreaker, to the embarrassing extent of writing quotes from it on the walls of my windowless bedroom. But even an easy mark like me could see Gold for the calculated play for mainstream superstardom that it was. From the sickly sweet ballads full of dime store hooks, to the Tommy Hilfiger-wannabe cover art to the overly affected vocals, Gold is an exercise in fake feelings from an egomaniac who was convinced he could bend the world to his charms. This album is most at home on the adult contemporary radio station of a budget airline.

Типичный Американ альбом для какого нибудь фильма про ностальгию о Нью-Йорке

This guy used to have a relationship with a girl I went to high school with, wrote an album about her - Amy I think. He also covered wasted years by maiden. Just looking at the cover and knowing he was so public about a break up I’m worried this will be whiney as hell but knowing he likes metal gives me some hope. Wasn’t bad at all. Had some upbeat things here. I liked it I don’t think rounding up to 4 is warranted. Need half stars.

I don’t know why I was reluctant to listen to this album. It is a little Springsteen-ish with a nice variety of tempos and styles.

I have listened to and liked a lot of Ryan Adams’ stuff before, but apparently none of it was on this particular album. Underwhelming.

Plan white bread album. Nothing offensive, but nothing interesting too. Country rock for people who are not interested in good music. Plus the guy can’t really sing, and is apparently a POS in real life. 3.5/10

Good indie pop/ alt country album. I know I saw this a bunch when I was younger but never really listened to it. I liked it more than I thought I would

My impression of Ryan Adams coming into this is that he's a bland country rock guy. Other than the hilarious constant confusion with successful Canadian man Bryan Adams, I couldn't tell you anything interesting about this guy. And I will be honest with you: incredibly mid. Like a neutered John Mellencamp. I don't like the Springsteen comparisons, this does not feel anywhere near politically charged as Bruce nor does this album have a shred of Bruce Springsteen's energy. Well, there's two songs with a beat which are not surprisingly the two most interesting songs which also have the fewest streams on Spotify vs all the other songs on Gold. Probably an indication I'm not going to like any of Ryan Adams's other music. Enemy Fire and Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues. Everything else ranges from boring to incredibly mid. Just listen to Wilco or Calexico/Iron and Wine for alt country of this period.

New York, New York was a good start but there's a LOT of bland after that. Not particularly objectionable, but I guess I really just don't like country music.

Not that great actually.

So I went into this album expecting to hate everything about it just off of the album cover. However this was a pleasant surprise for sure, some really fun things going on. That being said, I don’t see giving this a relisten any time soon

I have very mixed feelings on this one. Especially given the length and cover of this album, I was expecting to hate it. I didn't exactly love it, but overall it wasn't bad and there were even some songs that I quite liked.

So I hate the album cover but I don't mind the music. I feel like in an alternate universe I'd live in North Carolina and my dad would play this in the car because at the end of the day that's kind of the person who'd listen to this. There were a few hits in the first disc that I really liked but it did unfortunately drop off in the second disc. Basically just not as bad as I was expecting.

When an artist's top two songs are a bad cover of Wonderwall followed by an American sounding song name, you know you're in trouble. Annoyingly catchy beats because the lyrics are bad.

Типичный американский рок. Скука убийственная. Не зацепила и не запомнилась ни одна песня. Как будто ИИ писал

Now on to Ryan Adams. Ryan Adams yet no Blind Melon. Ryan Adams yet no Faith No More. Ryan Adams yet no Amigo the Devil Ryan Adams yet no Doors Ryan Adams yet no Dr.Hook. What’s that tell you? It tells you that someone’s opinion sucks. So all of that aside. What do we have. A less lyrically talented Jack Johnson Sort of pop folk. Nothing seems radio ready or a chart topper. It’s been a while but I firmly believe that this suited the year it came out. As in, this is what artists were putting out. Soft rock pop alt music. So as much negative that I’ve thrown at this album. I don’t doubt it served a purpose in its time. And I only don’t like it because it’s not my feel, my jam, my vibe these days. I still don’t hear a chart making hit. I guess La Cienega Just Smiled is decent. I’ll make that my choice cut but I’m not spelling the song title again.

Album No. 0151 on my list. For some reason, Ryan Adams had remained kinda opaque to me, so I didn't really know what I'd get into here. I had a rough concept what kind of music Ryan Adams has been doing, but no actual clues what would expect me on "Gold". Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure what to make of this album. I guess the album certainly has its highlights, especially in its first half. Cool rock-pop songs with a certain intimacy to it; you occasionally also hear the country influences. On the other hand, I found many songs on this rather mediocre. Not necessarily bad in that sense, but also nothing special to me. It kinda felt as a repetition of the same idea multiple times. I'll add my three favorites to my playlist: "New York, New York", "La Cienega Just Smiled" (my personal favorite), and "When The Stars Go Blue". Not surprising, these are also the most-played songs on Spotify. I'm glad to have listened to these songs, but I can happily live without the rest. So in the end, it's a pretty hard decision for me how many stars to award. At the beginning of listening to "Gold", I was optimistic that this would at least be a 4, but at the end I'm not so sure anymore. Sigh... It's a very narrow decision: 3/5 stars.

most boring uninteresting album so far

The stories about RA in the Wiki are hilarious because, of course, he's a self-involved asshole. The released version is an hour and he wanted it to be longer. Fuck you, dude.

Hell, I Still Love You New York 1001 Albums Generator 224 (2/10/2026) I get what Ryan Adams was going for, and I can appreciate the cultural significance a song like New York, New York must have had right after 9/11. But it's a bit boring innit. The first half is alright, but right around the nearly 10 minute Nobody Girl, my eyes started to glaze over (although I actually kind of like the end of that song). There's a lot of ecentricity here, from the piano balladry of Sylvia Plath to the kind of grunge of Enemy Fire, but I think the album ends up as less than the sum of its parts, in spite of some genuine moments of genius, especially in its first half. 2.5/5, rounded down to 2. Favs: New York, New York Answering Bell When The Stars Go Blue Least Fav: Sylvia Plath

Favorite Track: When The Stars Go Blue

This was an album I've enjoyed but its long and I got tired half way through it. Happy to revisit it 3.5

A lot of songs. Some pretty nice ones but overall a bit less interesting than his debut.

I can see the appeal, especially in the early tracks: Rescue Blues and Firecracker. Definitely not for me tho. Imagine one function where you can pull this out and not be the embarrassment of the party.

Did not liked the armónica. But his voice reminded me of Train. I only enjoyed the soft rock songs, not the country ones.

Un album muy US White boy. giving boy nextdoor make it big. Canciones que pegan otras que se disipan, not my cup of tea.

Used to love this album. Too bad he’s a fucking creep.

Decent writer, too bad he is mostly horrible as a person. Wish he would get the help he needs. This album is decent not sure why it has so many ones.

Gold is a rather endearing collection of soft country rock songs. Ryan Adam’s is certainly a songwriting talent, although there isn’t anything super mind blowing about most of these songs. The nearly 10 minute “Nobody Girl” is an obvious standout, and is really strong in spite of its length. All of these songs are pretty safe and pristine—not to say they’re bland, but just don’t expect anything more than 16 songs that could easily be huge radio hits. And honestly, radio hits are usually far from this high quality, so this is appreciated!

Such a curious album; if you cut out 4 or 5 of the more interesting songs, you could still have a 10-11 tracks, mostly plodding, middle of the road and altogether a quite boring album, however, there are some rather interesting tracks, occasioning blues rock, gospel and there’s one track that reminded me of Neil Young/Pearl Jam, with the main guitar riff. Cut some of the filler and maybe it’s halfway to being a decent album but it’s far too long. Since he is supposed to be a bit of a wrong’un, I won’t be returning.

This record was definitely not for me. The tracks here mainly me of bland pop-rock. Favourite Track(s): Touch, Feel & Lose Least Favourite Track(s): The Rescue Blues

It was better than I thought it'd be. The first 3 songs really hooked me and it lulled a bit from there. Alright album, no takeaways from me.

The lyrics are corny as hell and the super bright and clean production does nothing to make the sentiments feel genuine. I've heard better lines on a Lenny Kravitz record. Honestly I've heard better lines on a Taylor Swift record! Listen to Lucinda Williams if you want some cozy Americana, not this Billy Joel for hipsters crap.

Forget Whiskeytown and Heartbreaker, the hill that I will die on is that this is Ryan Adams' masterpiece - an utterly fantastic album that ranks as one of the best of the 00s. It's excessively long*, consistently threatening to fall under the weight of itself, but there's not a dud song on the whole disc. Adams effortlessly weaves from country to rock, Eltonesque ballad to Jagger swagger, and everything in-between. This tightrope act and sheer diversity keep things interesting, the backing band is tight, the production immaculate. *In a rare case of record company intervention being a good thing, Adams was forced to reduce the album to a single disc, excising 25% of the intended songs onto a bonus disc. None of them are essential and the album is undoubtedly better off without them. Adams is a real piece of shit, but this remains a wonderful time capsule of how talented and promising he was out of the gate before he squandered it all.

Whatever

Good songs

The milkiest of toast.

Pretty solid album. Nice to have as background noise

Yank shite.

Ryan Adams can be a musical genius. Some of his albums are incredibly poignant and stand up to some of the best country/rock/america/folk/etc songs of all time. Like all geniuses he is also a troubled human being. His modern behavior and music are really disappointing, and this album is too. In retrospect it is a microcosm of Ryan. Starts out with an example of his songwriting at its best, a firecracker ready to blow. When stars go blue is up There too. But you get pretentious Ryan, over-produced Ryan, petulant Ryan, rushed Ryan and I want to be a Rolling Stone sometimes Ryan. It fizzles and misses the mark overall. Glimmers of genius and valleys of eye rolls, much like the man.

Not really my style for music. It made me sleepy.

Fuck this sex pest

Setting aside feelings of the artist, this album is really good. It’s longer than it has to be, but there are a lot of great tracks, in particular “Wild Flowers”, “Nobody Girl”, and “When the Stars Go Blue.” 4/5

This was just about as bad as I expected. Clinical, professional lowest common denominator stuff. There are no failed attempts because nothing has been attempted. It's not unlistenable but there's nothing worth listening to. The last song was a bit stripped back, showed he had a decent voice and I didn't mind it. Otherwise it's the platonic ideal of beige.

The chap has a nice voice, quite liked some of When The Stars Go Blue, but the whole album is so boring and bland otherwise. Middle-of-the-road to the point of being maddening.

Found this fairly bland. It's so middle of the road, which I don't always mind, but this is so middle of the road it detracts. But, there are bits that are quite good, there just isn't enough of them. I can't give it more than 2 though I don't think. The best tracks were the opening track and "La Cienega just smiled". I found most of the rest of it a bit of a slog. It's too long. I feel that the target demographic is American girls, which I am safely outside of. 2.5

This gave me Nora Jones/Jon Mayer era vibes - not really the sound I like though. I can appreciate the artistry of this album, but this album really dragged for me.

mag ich iwie echt gerne, ein bisschen country, ein bisschen belle and sebastian, nice

Fine album however every song sounds similar. Kind of sleepy.

Generica Americana. Sounds a bit like folk music. Isn't. I think the record company did us all a favour by omitting "side 4". I couldn't be bothered by then anyway.

A bit too long for my liking, the vocals are alright and I didn't mind the country rock style. Some songs did sound a bit boring but I really enjoyed "New York, New York", "Wild Flowers" and my favourite is definitely "The Rescue Blues". It's a good album, not bad, not unique, just good. Probably the most 3/5 I've heard by now.

I don't want to listen to C&W and as such chose not to.

Day753 - new york, new york and when the stars turn blue are already two of my favorites. the rest of the album is very chill and i especially like adam duritz’ backing vocals on la cienega just smiled

Adam Duritz's roommate.

I enjoyed this.

I hate this

A massive guilty pleasure, honestly. This white boy got soul.

This dude’s abuse of the English language is concerning. Nobody Girl rocks but a lot of these tunes feel contrived, and Adams’ voice is a bit weak for the grandiosity of the tunes. Just made me feel more cringey than touched or excited. The rocking stuff is a better fit for him. Enemy Fire is pretty good, feels spontaneous and kind of post-grunge with a Byrdsy harmony and a nice thick snare sound. More of that and you really got something. The more country sounding stuff doesn’t hit the high bar I have for the genre. Self-centered.

Odd, I'm pretty sure I like Ryan Adams but this album is not it.

The whole time I was thinking it was Bryan Adams 2.5

First half of the album is fairly generic country rock and the back half is slow ballads. And to be honest, I wasn’t huge on either. Not bad by any means but not exciting either.

Double albums are generally ambitious - obviously, the double length allows for more of a deep dive into an album’s themes, and normally that results in some “extra” bits: extra long songs, short contextual pieces, and so on. Gold is essentially a double album with no ambition - cut the tracks in half, and you have a bonafide good record! But as-is, it feels more like a deluxe edition with all the B-sides included, and that’s not a good thing. There are some nice songs here, though - New York and Sylvia Plath were highlights for me.

Nope! Who is this music for?! I think I owe Neil Young an apology, at least Crazy Horse plays good music.

Outstanding singer/songwriter stuff. I can't find any reason to deduct stars from this even though it's not music I would normally listen to.

It is listenable

Commercial radio fodder.

Kind of a boring Bruce Springsteen coded album. In no way shape or form did this need to be a double album.

Really solid album. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

So, I love Strangers Almanac by Whiskeytown, and I expected to like this, too. But I didn’t. Maybe if I had listened to it in my early 20’s? I just didn’t connect with it, it was uninspiring, and he just seemed too earnest here. And I listened without knowledge of Ryan Adams’ personal life, allegations of misconduct, etc. I was not aware of any of that until after I listened to the whole thing and read a couple other reviews here. But separate the art from the artist, anyway. I kind of liked Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd. And I’m going to go listen to Strangers Almanac again. Yep, Whiskeytown still holds up. That’s five stars. Go for that instead of this.

la cover molto emo mi ha cringiato non poco. boh se è del XXI secolo allora in questo momento non mi va. l'ho ascoltato e ci sta, però non me lo riascolterei più. niente contro ma artista archiviato per ora

Hmm - it is definitely not as good as I had thought. I guess it’s some of his other stuff that’s good. It reminds me of Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison or Bob Dylan, but the jam version

As a fan of great songwriting, I'm gonna go ahead and just give this a 5. This cat can write a song. There are plenty of arguments for why this album's not quite a 5, but it just hit me in the right mood on the right day. I really enjoyed the listen. And New York, New York by itself almost makes it worthy of a 5 anyhow. Great song. If you haven't seen the video for that, recorded in NYC on September 7th, 2001, it's worth checking out.

I did not much like this album.

I had heard him back in the day and spent maybe 15 minutes listening to him one year at Lollapalooza, but this is the first time I really tried listening - twice to the album. He has a talent for vocal hooks without a doubt. I think his voice is good, too. If I was grading purely on his ability to write vocal melodies, this would no doubt get a 4 or 5. I just can't get away from the fact that I'm not sure I got surprised by a single thing on this album - lyrics, song structure, production, etc. It is kind of just of maddeningly normal.

Johnny Cash aside, there hasn't been enough Americana / alt-country on this list so far. What a welcome addition. Ryan Adams is someone I've known *of* way more than I've actually listened to, but that will change. This album hit me really strong right from the gate, and I think it will improve on re-listening.

3/5 - New York, New York is a good tune, but the rest of this was pretty flat for me. I may give it another try or maybe not.

It was nice to reacquaint myself with this one - a good, solid album of Stonesy, Eltony heartbreakers. I played it a lot when it came out and enjoyed it, but it's nothing special. It's pretty formulaic Americana rock/pop, but done well. The many allegations against him over the last few years make it hard to really enjoy it these days, but yeah, the songs are holding up well.

At the time I was a little surprised at the heaps of praise that seemed to be lavished on Ryan Adams, I really enjoyed his first album (apart from the slightly odd conversation about Morrissey that was on it for some reason.) Here I particularly like Wild Flowers, but given his reported treatment of several women Nobody Girl feels a little uncomfortable. Aside from this it's a fairly good listen, just not very exciting. A decent singer songwriter doing his thing...

More into Heartbreaker & Love is Hell, but this is good if you're in the mood for it.

Not a bad album at all and it was nice to listen to but many of the songs just weren't hitting. Vocals were nice and I love Adams' range and differentiation in his voice which added a lot of flair to the songs. 4/10, Favorite song: Tina Toledo's Street Walking blues'

Love this album

I can’t think of a creative and unique way to say that I really enjoyed this album. It was long. But the songs were pleasant. And sometimes that’s all you want. Pleasant. Comfortable. Low drama.

Completely meh. Felt lacking in sound for me,

Didn’t start or end great for me. The middle though was so good 3.5 stars

I’d listen to som of these again

I have never understood the hype around this guy to the point of being a little embarrassed for Gillian Welch and David Rawlings that they hung out with him so much. They are head and shoulders above him. The three star review describing him as like a smooth Springsteen not as intelligent as Neil Young made me chuckle. The definition of faint praise.

No man, no. His most popular song is a cover, 20 year sentence to the dungeon Will I listen to again: 0%

2/5 I mean it was okay, I did somewhat enjoy listening through it but nothing really stood out to me.

Hated his voice. Album cover corny as hell.

Very middle of the road and at least twice as long as it needs to be. Don’t see how or why this is considered at all essential.

Meh Americana rock. Very derivative of Bruce Springsteen, but doesn't really tread new ground. The album art really encompasses the feel of the whole album. A blatant nod to 'Born in the USA', but without the same weight and energy.

Genuinely enjoyed this album!

His voice reminds of Bob Dylan sometimes. I can see why he is popular. It was OK to listen to but wouldn't want a steady diet of Ryan Adams.

DNF. I tried. I got to maybe track 4. Springsteen Lite. And I couldn't find anything to latch onto. I heard no authenticity.

Not Listening to country

Why. Is. It. 70. Minutes. Long.

A lot of this album sounded like it was trying to get used in a montage/narration section in Scrubs. There’s some good songs amongst the chaff but it is very long. I feel I missed the boat with Ryan Adams, and then unfortunately he surrounded himself with controversy. So I never gave him a fair try. having a double album as your second album is ballsy, I will say. 2.7/5.0 Best Song: Nobody Girl/When The Stars Go Blue

FUCK RYAN ADAMS

So Ryan Adams is pretty well known to be an asshole. He was always rough around the edges and kind of a turd in interviews and such. Still, when the #metoo allegations from Phoebe Bridgers came out as well as his mistreatment of ex-wife Mandy Moore came out it was pretty crushing to me, as he has long been one of my favorite artists. He has several incredible albums, particularly (in my opinion) Heartbreaker, Love Is Hell, Ryan Adam’s, and Prisoner. That said, I think Gold is pretty mid and a weird choice from his catalog for this list. Outside of When The Stars Turn Blue, which I think is one of his best songs, I think this album kind of sucks. His vocals are weirdly mixed and sound janky on most tracks, and I just think many of the songs are weak. It’s a big step backwards from Heartbreaker, which preceded it. I dunno… as a fan of his music (not a fan of the person as far as I can tell) I think it’s a poop album.

This is another album that greatly overstates the importance of all of the songs on it. There are one or two songs that are reasonably fun and catchy to listen to, however, most of the songs just have melodies or other elements that make you wish you were listening to a better song. There were multiple times, listening to this album where I thought of a different song or album that I’d like to be listening to because of a song that was currently playing. I don’t mean that in a positive way, it feels like this album is watered down versions of songs that you might like. I can’t recommend it, and probably won’t listen to it again.

Would not buy

Started strong but began to drag. Horrible man.

Before Listening: I haven’t heard of this album or artist so we’ll see! The cover has an upside down flag so I’m expecting it will be political. After Listening: meh

Started a bit bland but alright enough. After the third song however I audibly sighed at the prospect of yet another hour of Wal-Mart Wilco.

Douchebag emotional abuser writes songs about emotions. Listened to it drunk enough times. One star. However La Cienega is a great fucking song

Better than I expected! I quite enjoyed this...

Such a good album

this is fine.

Just amazing Ryan Adams

Good 80s rock esque album

Pretty unremarkable for me.

Not a huge fan. I definitely got more into the songs as the album progressed

Lots of reviewers seem to be reviewing Ryan Adams as a person, rather than the album. I don't think that's an issue per se, but be consistent - there are plenty of artists on the list who have done things far worse who haven't received the same treatment. Personally, I think this is a quite lovely album, and my favorite from Adams (although admittedly I haven't listened to any of his recent albums). A bit long and a bit overproduced though.

Disc 1 - 2.5/5 New York, New York - 3/5 Firecracker - 2/5 Answering Bell - 2.5/5 La Cienega Just Smiled - 3/5 The Rescue Blues - 3.5/5 When The Stars Go Blue - 3.5/5 Nobody Girl - 3/5 Sylvia Plath - 2/5 Enemy Fire - 2.5/5 Gonna Make You Love Me - 3/5 Wild Flowers - 2/5 Harder Now That It's Over - 2/5 Touch, Feel & Lose - 2.5/5 Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues - 3/5 Goodnight, Holly Blvd. - 2/5 Disc 2 - 4/5 Rosalie Come And Go - 4/5

Meh. The big shiny classic-rock-esque pop rock sound has already worn off me a bit, and hearing 70 minutes of it from this guy did nothing to warm me up to it. I liked enough of the songs decently enough that I was considering a 6/10, but as a full album experience I couldn't countenance anything more than a 5/10, and I'm demoting it to 4/10 purely because of the ick some of these lyrics give me in light of recent allegations against the guy. Eugh, next.

Listening to this while shaking my head the whole time so people in public know I disagree with Ryan Adams’s personal life. Pretty easy listening for the most part. Nothing really stood out as being amazing; more good songs than bad. Some catchy riffs here and there. But it had no business being as long as it was.

Heartbreaking: some of this sounds *really* good. It's way diluted down by the runtime though, and knowing what I know now about Ryan Adams makes it much less tempting to revisit. Standouts: New York, New York • Firecracker • Nobody Girl

There is a solid album in here somewhere but this is just too long. The first half is just not very interesting and they wasted Gillian Welch. There are some good, long, experimental tracks on the second half and they could've just made the album like that. Also, this guy sounds like a huge piece of shit anyway.

Not a fan.

Oh look at that, the internet confirmed that this dude is exactly what he looks like in the album cover. Listened until nobody girl and then realized what a twat this dude is. No thanks.

pretty good, i saved some songs from this one

Regardless of Ryan Adams’s reputation as a real-life asshole, I enjoyed this album far more than many of its highest-rated lowest starred reviews would suggest. On Gold, Adams channels clear shades of the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison across much of the record. And while it may have been his original intention to release it as a double album, a 70-minute runtime feels more than sufficient to convey his artistic vision to his audience.

I don't really have anything bad to say about this album. It's middle of the road rock.

2.5- fine album

In my opinion, whether is Tom Petty, Steve Earl or others, it feels like there are other artists that do it better, or in a way that resonates more strongly with me than Ryan Interestingly, the most played Ryan song on Spotify is a cover of Oasis' Wonderwall - that sums it up for me Nothing I need to revist here

Son, we have Radiohead, Rolling Stones, Natalie Merchant, AND Dido at home…couldn’t wait for this one to be over.

'I'll always love you tho New York'; 'So when does the plane go down? / 'Cause I'm gonna ride it 'til it hits the ground'; 'And I hold you close in the back of my mind / And raise my glass 'cause either way I'm dead.' Adams is more than just a convincing assortment of Dylan, Springsteen, Young, and Yoakam, tho that is kinda where it starts and ends w/ him: he has his voice and songwriting knacks, but ultimately he's just an impossibly and seamlessly gifted artist who's apparently absorbed the entire spectrum of the rock, folk, + country world. These songs effortlessly roll off the tongue b/c it feels like he merely rolled outta bed to write them. It's indeed so easy for him that I'm moved to deduct points: his talents approach a robitism.

I didn't love this, but the wife enjoyed it which counts for something

The later half of this album recovered it for me. Wasn't a huge fan of the first half.

Once again, it’s a shame Ryan Adams is kind of an terrible person, because his early albums and Whiskeytown are so great.

Ryan Adams is, and always has been, an insufferable asshole, whose career was sunk after his long history of manipulative behavior with women. He sucks as a human being. I have on occassion, enjoyed his music and saw him live a few times. This is not his strongest album. If he had an editor and some different production choices had been made, this would be a better record. While some songs border on great (Rescue Blues, When the Stars Go Blue, New York, New York), there is a lot of filler here that brings the album into average territory. 3 stars. Also, fuck this guy.

Apparently this album was nominated for several Grammys? I liked it but I didn’t think it was THAT good. I liked “Stars Go Blue” best.

Guitar is cool. His voice is kind of annoying. Took me a while to understand some of the lyrics. Not something I would listen to. Would probably turn off. His voice aggravates me. Some of it is better and more chill (mostly when he isn't singing). Very generic. I thought giving this a one would be harsh but it wouldn't.

It feels like this album is trying really hard to be something where it ultimately shouldn't have ever been, this isn't abhorrent but utterly boring, nothing to latch onto not even mediocrity

This album felt like it had no identity, is it meant to be a rock album? a country album? If so it failed at both. All the songs felt incredibly generic and had no personality as well as not being that great vocally or instrumentally. I don't want to give this one star as I didn't find it egregious, but I certainly didn't find any enjoyment in listening to it so it's a decently low two. I am surprised by the inclusion of this in '1001 albums you must listen to' and even more so that it got three Grammy nominations. 30/100 Score and Rating edited 28/01/26

90 minutes of mediocrity. Not awful, just bland and boring, a bit like American culture I suppose.

515/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

I really wish I didn’t discover Ryan Adam’s music after knowing he’s a shit person. This album 4 stars, Ryan as a person 0 stars

I was daunted by this at first, being over an hour of country. But it's still pop/rock adjacent enough to be bearable for that length, and even then this is the side of country music I actually quite like. I still think this album could do with being a lot shorter, after a while it does start to feel pretty monotonous, but I'm just relieved more than anything that it wasn't a complete slog to get through.

I wish he wasn’t a terrible person

From the same musical playbook of Bruce Springsteen, which I’m sure will have an appeal to many. Indeed, it’s not entirely an unpleasant listen but probably a bit too MOR for my musical palette

not my kind of album

Personal drama aside, I don’t get the hype with this guy.

It’s rare I find something with country sounds I can tolerate, but this is one. All the blues and rock influences helped a lot. Highlights were Nobody Girl, Gonna Make You Love Me, and Touch, Feel, & Lose, but nothing wowed me so much I need to come back to this again. Ultimately it’s very middle of the road, but hey that’s better than shitty so here we are at 3 stars

With the three first songs you get the overall idea of this album. Alt-country tracks that sound all the same. For anyone who likes the record, maybe this album is very good. The production is quite clear, it has a lot of instrumentation and he doesn't have a bad voice, I'll give it that. However, to me, this feels very soulless and dull. Most of the melodies are incredibly predictable and generic, with maybe an exception here an there, like the chorus of the song 'Nobody Girl' which is nice (but it even gets a bit draining after a while...), or the more upbeat "Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues". But the worst offense is the runtime being one hour and ten minutes. I have to listen to 'Mellon Collin and The Infinite Sadness', which lasts two whole hours, and somehow, it feels way shorter than this album. Would give it a higher score if it was 40 minutes shorter.

I used to use this album as a stereo demo among others in rotation for clients. One thing I'll say for it is pretty well recorded and varied. Nice mix of songs. A bit long but I actually found myself succumbing to a bit of nostalgia for it.

Very good listen all the way through. Was very almost like a tom petty style. Didn’t have a real favourite on the album.

I'm getting Bono vibes, but indie style.

Every song was decent, very few stood out at all. It was a collection of decent soft rock songs, varying alot in style. So this is the guy that harassed Phoebe Bridgers?

Beautiful as always sweet prince

I gave it a shot, it's a little cheesy, it's very cliché. Feels like canned 'murica. I attempted to give the extended version a listen, I like going for the vibe the artist wanted. I made it to track 19 before I just gave up. No redeeming historical value or significance as far as I can see. 0.8/5

Great Americana sound. Probably a little too long of an album.

Wow am I glad to be done this.

5/10… singer-songwriter / american / *2001

Ryan tuvo un momento de gloria (si así se puede decir) después del 11-S cuando todas las televisiones y radios ponian su New York, New York a todas horas. Imparable, con un ritmo imposible de sostener, que incluye disco cada año, giras y conciertos, colaboraciones y producciones amén de versiones no ya de canciones ajenas (Wonderwall es un clásico) sino álbumes enteros (1989 o Is this it por ejemplo). De su paso por el heavy metal pues tampoco parecía demasiado apetitoso. Sus escándalos tampoco le han dejado en buen lugar. Este disco, largo, son 16 cortes más 5 bonus, merece la pena porque se escucha del tirón y suena estupendo, sin que le pesen los años. La duda es si este o el anterior (Heartbreaker) es el mejor. El comienzo es arrollador con New York, New York. Answering bell es The band, La Cienega Just Smiled es otro temazo como When the Stars Go Blue, The Rescue Blues Somehow, Someday o especialmente Nobody girl (que está al nivel de los mejores Wilco) que desemboca en la también espléndida When the Stars Go Blue. Nobody girl es una mezcla de Neil Young y psicodelia pop que encaja a la perfección. Sylvia Plath y Enemy Fire cogen fuerza aunque bajando revoluciones llegando al sonido sureño de Sylvia Plath que uno se imagina tocada por los Black Crowes... y sigue la racha con Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues y el cierre de Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd. Un gran disco y eso que aún no hemos hablado del bonus...

Boring. Too long. Didn’t like.

This is the first time I have ever heard of and listened to Ryan Adams. He started in the alternative country group Whiskeytown before launching a successful solo career at the turn of the millennium. In fact, his first two solo albums would appear in the 1001 Albums series, and this album in particular had cultural relevance at the height of post-9/11 America upon its release. Does Gold still hold up decades later? Well, not exactly. For all intents and purposes, this is a rather safe record. The general cadence of "white guy with guitar" throughout these songs lends itself to the easy-listening country-rock hybrid that would have been all over adult alternative radio at the time. Couple that sentiment with Ryan's limited vocal range, and the lyrical content that makes use of New York iconography without much in the way of depth or stakes in the songwriting, and the scope feels rather narrow. That's not to say I hate it; if anything, I'm largely ambivalent towards it. It's fine enough to have played in the background, but without any rich textures or raw emotion, most of these tracks end up coming across as toothless. For me, the only standouts were the opening burst of energy on "New York, New York" and "Firecracker", the admittedly striking ballad "When the Stars Go Blue", the nine-minute multi-movement country-rock of "Nobody Girl", and the passable guitar soloing on "Enemy Fire". The rest ended up going in one ear and out the other, and considering this album is 70 minutes long, the experience ultimately drags. At the end of the day, Gold is a safe record, for better and worse. It just happened to come out at the right time, continuing Ryan Adams' success as a solo artist and later producer. He would also go on to tarnish his own reputation through public antics and other such controversies that I will spare the details of. For now, cherry-pick your favorites and go from there.

This one was a bit hard to rate. It's such a mixed bag of genres and styles that I don't really know how to classify it. Standouts The Rescue Blues Somehow, Someday Wild Flowers Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd. 3/5

He's a misogynistic jerk.... but dang this is a good album.

A slight step in the wrong direction after a masterpiece of a debut. Still has some lovely tracks though.

An hour and half of boring really. Kinda bob dylan folk esque but kinda fizzles out after a couple songs into bland and generic. Had high hopes after the first song but just downhill. Not a bad album just not a good one either

Sorry, this is just utter crud

I liked this album fine. It definitely didn’t blow me away but I will say it sounded like pleasant and wholesome music that made for a pleasant listening experience overall. I don’t know if I would seek this album out again but I enjoyed my time listening to it.

Genre: Alt-Country Man… 70 minutes of this felt like 5 hours. Maybe this coming out right after 9/11 made this a pick for the book, with its Americana vibes and the American flag (upside down) cover, and its Springsteen-esque vibes. But… for real? This album is just fine, but too long. Nobody Girl was almost 10 minutes, I couldn’t believe that song was still going. Ryan seems like a nice guy, but I don’t know… this seems about as superfluous as it gets. Days of Future Passed is not in this book, mind you. 2/5

#22 Better wait for tomorrow to listen to interesting music 'cause it ain't today...

Quite fun but forgettable 3/5

Super mid album, but my wife digs it.

I listened to a few tracks, and honestly it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. It’s not bad at all, pleasant enough, but easy to tune out. This is only my first impression, though, and maybe it reveals more with a deeper listen.

Vibes: 3/5 Instruments: 2/5 Production: 2/5 Emotional Value: 3/5 Storytelling: 4/5 Album Cover: 0.5 Stand Outs: La Cienega Just Smiled, Sylvia Plath Overall Rating: 2.9

Gold is one of those albums that clearly wants to be a big, sprawling Americana statement, but it ends up feeling more like a collection of well-intentioned sketches than something truly cohesive. There is a polished, rootsy charm to the production and Adams slips easily between styles, but the album often feels more like imitation than inspiration. You can hear the influences in almost every track, and sometimes a little too clearly. There are moments that work. A few songs have a nice looseness to them, and the melodic instincts are solid when he is not trying too hard to sound like someone else. But the album is long, and a lot of it blends together into pleasant but forgettable background music. The emotional weight Adams aims for never really lands, partly because so much of the record feels like it is chasing a classic vibe rather than finding its own. Overall, Gold is listenable and occasionally enjoyable, but not something that sticks. It feels safe when it wants to feel timeless, and broad when it wants to feel intimate. A nice enough album to have on, but not one that leaves much behind once it is over.

Good but definitely suffers from album bloat. Could easily trim about 20 minutes off and have a great record from start to finish.

Of all the albums on this list, Ryan Adams Gold is one of them. For some reason. Apologies to Mr. Adams, you're a fine writer. I just didn't find much to latch onto. Is it me? It's probably just me.

Most certainly too long, but it's not terrible. Not a fan or Ryan Adams though. Some pretty decent songs, not the solely country ones.

Country or not country? It’s close enough to country music…blah.

Solid album but way too long. There's a lot going on in every track and the musicianship is stellar. Very Rolling Stones and Van Morrison, it's Americana folk rock done well. I don't listen to a lot of this style anymore, if you're in the mood it's pretty strong. The cover looks like a Green Day single.

Nicht mein Genre... Pop - Rock

One of my top albums by one of my top artists. He really shows off his songmanship on this one. Really torn overall on Adams given his surly (at best) demeanor but man can he write great tunes. 5/5

Before looking at other users' reviews, I assumed I'd liked this less than most. Turns out I liked it more than most. But...that's not saying much.

Gentrification coffeeshop final boss music. It takes about 9 months for a human to gestate, considering what happened 9 months after this album came out well, looks like Ryan impregnated Bin Laden with a hate baby.

I thought this was alright. It's pretty standard alt rock in my mind.

Five stars for the album, one star for the human behind it. Split the difference.

I couldn’t hardly understand a word, but I liked the vibe! The songs were upbeat and lively.

A good album, I liked New York New York, Somehow Someday and Wild Flowers the most.

Yet another artist or art. Guess % of people jut have greater tendencies to be POS, and give them any form of power position…. Haven’t looked into what the story is, believe from reading today FBI didn’t charge as no evidence, but smoke n fire always leaves scars. I have to admit haven’t listened to Ryan since all that shit came out, which listening to this today is for art sake a shame as I do like this brand of Americana. This is for me good music, but there is a but, as the sensitive singer songwriter is some kind of POS guy, guess life isn’t simple and black and white. Musically it’s easy on the ear, it wouldn’t be my example as the best of the genre as leans too much into the pop rock side for my preference, which others do better. 3 Star ( would have been 4 but just can’t)

Nice album to listen to

This album reminds me of driving in the car with my dad when I was a kid. New York, New York is an absolute banger. Don't know if it's actually perfect but it's perfect to me

This was alright. It started off strong and ended strong, but the middle was just kinda meh. I'd never really heard of Ryan Adams before, so I really didn't know what to expect. I thought it was kinda country at first, but then there was a healthy dab of bluesiness to his voice and sound that I kinda liked. But in the end, the whininess of his voice kinda got to me and I didn't love it. Instrumentally and production-wise it was pretty good, but the writing and arranging was just kinda okay. I probably wouldn't listen again. Three stars.

4.5 stars. Really cool blend of rock/country/soul

Un álbum extremádamente genérico e intrascendente. El estilo musical abarca una mezcla de country, pop y rock bien ejecutado y producido, pero carente de impacto, sobre todo en el trabajo vocal lírico y compositivo. El cantante tiene un rango tímbrico muy reducido y suave. Las partes más enérgicas del álbum pierden fuerza en la voz. Además el álbum es largo, aburrido y olvidable. De hecho lo interesante es que iba a ser un álbum doble, aún más largo, pero la discográfica lo redujo a uno solo (por suerte). Supongo que en parte la popularidad del álbum en su momento tiene su raíz en ser un álbum que se publicó apenas unos días después del atentado a las Torres Gemelas. Es una música amena, generalmente positiva, con mucha identidad norteamericana y con un arte de tapa que ni más ni menos tiene la bandera estadounidense. Rescato nuevamente la calidad en la ejecución de los músicos y del sonido general, pero por lo demás un disco bastante mediocre.

So strong country rock 304

A couple decent songs here but the album is sooooo long and so dull. Doesn’t help that Ryan Adams himself is awful. Best song: The Rescue Blues

This is really boring Country dancing stuff The songs are acceptable, some good moments of like classic american folk stuff Is this album really an hour long? Stars go blue is like a bad coldplay song, I hate it I get nothing from this The rescue blues was ok I think Harder now thst its over is an alright ballad I skipped a lot of songs after Nobody Girl when they started to annoy me too much, like I get it, this is toooo long

The first album i rate below three stars because it excels in being utterly forgettable. It was far ahead of its time by being the first utter median album without the need for an AI algorithm. Well done Ryan

Was not enjoying this at all but then after the nearly 10 minute Nobody Girl, the track Sylvia Plath came on and stopped me in my tracks, and I enjoyed Enemy Fire too. Then it kind of slipped back into mediocrity for another six or so tracks. A frustrating listen

We have two Ryan Adams albums here? I actually never got to listening to the first one I got, but this seems excessive. To me he’s just the guy whose name sounds like Brian Adams. Let’s give it a whirl. WOW, the drop from this guy’s ego to his actual songwriting skills is huge. This album screams “I Am the new American classic”, from the name, cover art, being 90 minutes long, even naming the first song “New York, New York”. He wants to be the new Springsteen or Petty, sing love songs and working class anthems and be the voice of a generation. It’s just not that. The songs are pretty weak and one note. Adams’ vocals are pretty good but it’s just not enough. This is basically two stars but I’m docking it a star for lack of self awareness. So one star.

Rather than an album review, I feel like a critique of cancel culture is appropriate. The Hypocrisy of Selective Accountability The disproportionate response to Ryan Adams's alleged misconduct, compared to other famous musicians with similar or even more severe allegations against them, exposes a few unsettling truths about how society applies its moral standards: 1. The Role of Genre and Image The "Good Guy" Fallacy: Adams, with his indie-rock/troubadour persona, often fit the mold of the sensitive artist. When his actions were exposed, the cognitive dissonance was jarring, leading to a more intense public reckoning and career collapse (at least for a period). The "Expected Misconduct": For artists in genres often associated with "rebellion" or "bad boy" images, similar allegations can be met with a shrug—as if the misbehavior is already "baked into" their brand and expected, thus mitigating the sense of betrayal. 2. The Power of Public Relations and Scale A-List Shielding: Musicians who are significantly more famous, financially powerful, and have major label backing often possess the resources to control the narrative, employ high-powered legal teams, and weather the storm. Their celebrity status can act as a shield. Ryan Adams's Niche: While famous, Adams occupies a smaller, more critical niche in the music world, making him arguably an easier target for the industry to quietly sideline. 3. The Test of Time and Oversight Historical Privilege: Some older musicians with decades-old allegations continue to tour and profit because their misdeeds happened before the #MeToo movement and the era of instant, global digital scrutiny. Their legacies are largely protected by a pre-internet time of cultural acceptance or willful ignorance. Immediate Consequence: Adams's reckoning happened in the digital age, where consequences are immediate, collective, and often permanent. The Inconsistent Scales of Justice Why does public forgiveness seem to be granted selectively? It suggests that accountability is often less about the severity of the crime and more about the visibility of the individual, the timing of the exposure, and the commercial risk they pose to their corporate backers. If the goal is true justice and cultural change, then the standard for moral and professional conduct must be applied consistently across the board, regardless of an artist's fame, genre, or the depth of their back catalogue. Anything less is not a moral stand—it's just a popularity contest dressed up as activism. Example Case Elvis Presley is a frequently cited example that perfectly illustrates the time-based and cultural shield that protects some famous figures. When discussing Elvis Presley, the key controversy that draws parallels to modern allegations of predatory behavior is his relationship with Priscilla Beaulieu (later Priscilla Presley). Elvis and the Shield of the Past The Core Allegation (Elvis) The Age Gap: Elvis was 24 years old when he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who was 14 years old and in ninth grade. The Narrative: He cultivated a relationship with her over many years, eventually arranging for her to move to Graceland (at age 17) and controlling her appearance and image before they married (when she was 21, he was 32). Biographies also contain allegations of his pursuit of other underage girls. The Modern Lens: In the post-#MeToo era, a relationship started and maintained under these circumstances, involving a massive power imbalance, grooming, and an extreme age difference with a minor, would almost certainly lead to immediate and widespread "cancellation" and potentially criminal investigation for a living celebrity. The Outcome (Elvis vs. Ryan Adams) Elvis Presley Era of Exposure: 1950s/60s (Pre-Internet/Pre-MeToo) The Allegations: Grooming, extreme age-gap relationship with a minor, controlling behavior. Career Consequence: None. He was celebrated. The scandal was minimized as a "romantic" story for decades. His legacy is largely untouched, and his image is globally revered. Ryan Adams Era of Exposure: 2019 (Peak #MeToo/Digital Age) The Allegations: Emotional abuse, manipulation, sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women. Career Consequence: Immediate collapse. Major label contract dissolved, tours canceled, music sales plummeted, and his career was effectively frozen for years. Why the Difference? The "Period Piece" Pass: Elvis is viewed as a product of a different, more permissive time. Many fans and institutions apply a historical lens that says, "That was acceptable then, so we don't judge it now." This excuse is rarely afforded to living artists. Death as Protection: Since Elvis is deceased, he cannot personally profit from new work, nor can he defend himself. This often halts the public appetite for active cancellation that drives digital shaming campaigns. The focus shifts to protecting the brand (Graceland, his estate). Cultural Deity Status: As the "King of Rock and Roll," his cultural significance is so monumental that questioning his moral conduct feels, to some, like questioning the foundation of modern music itself. It’s harder to dethrone a global icon. The public's willingness to condemn Ryan Adams for the manipulation of women while simultaneously celebrating Elvis—who had a relationship built on a significant power imbalance with a child—is a striking example of selective morality that depends heavily on an artist's level of fame and the decade they committed the alleged acts.

I watched a singers' roundtable on BBC with Ryan Adams, Janis Ian, and Neil Finn from Crowded House - just three singer-songwriters jamming and singing each other's songs. Except Adams. He'd signed up for this show and just refused being part of the conversation about songwriting. He became animated when they jammed on his own songs but otherwise nothing. What an unprofessional dick. And I think that sums up everything about this album. It should be good but his ego stands in the way of it all. There are pockets of good songwriting here but it gets buried under the weight of Adams' own self-importance. And the production is incredibly anodyne, btw. Adding one star for When The Stars Go Blue but this is a 1.5 star album for me

Very meh, isn't it?

Dès qu'on voit la pochette de l'album c'est 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅. Les premières chansons sont plutôt bien. La fin s'essouffle rapidement. Et c'est autant sa qualité que son défaut d'être aussi américain (états-uniens ?) que ça.

I liked this one. The album was long but there was decent variety. I liked his voice and I liked the contrast with the more upbeat songs and the slower songs. I’m not sure I would listen to the full thing again but I can definitely see myself listening to some of the songs. Fav song: Answering Bell Least fav: Sylvia Plath

For some reason the arm hair really throws me off the Bruce Springsteen attempt. Decent album actually, not sure I agree with wanting to go out with Sylvia Plath. Specific rating- 4.2 Fav song- Tina Toledo’s street walking blues Least fav- Sylvia Plath

Too long!! And Sylvia Plath is such a weird song- had a performative male vibe to it, I could very much picture this man on the tube reading poetry in the hopes that girls think he's deep. There are some bangers on the album though- american road trip music, just think it needed more editing. Favourite song: Gonna Make You Love Me Least: Sylvia Plath

Another good album that I could do without because of the dude behind it.

I love albums like this. I really had no idea what to expect, but my over-riding feeling was "I'm not going to like this". That turned out to be an unfounded fear. From beginning to end I was hooked. It was fantastic. There were a couple of tracks where the quality dropped, but only slightly, and it immediately stepped back up.

Another "shame he succumbed to farm equipment" guy.

Rating: 5/10 Meh.