My 1001 Albums Journey

Journey Complete!

Finisher # to complete the list

151

Albums Rated

3.3

Average Rating

14%

Complete

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1970s

Favorite Decade

Jazz

Favorite Genre

other

Top Origin

Wordsmith

Rater Style ?

5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Hejira Joni Mitchell	5	3.13	+1.87
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman John Zorn	4	2.22	+1.78
The Soft Bulletin The Flaming Lips	5	3.29	+1.71
Sincere Mj Cole	4	2.38	+1.62
Aja Steely Dan	5	3.46	+1.54
Paul Simon Paul Simon	5	3.51	+1.49
Moss Side Story Barry Adamson	4	2.53	+1.47
Head Hunters Herbie Hancock	5	3.56	+1.44
Born To Be With You Dion	4	2.62	+1.38
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill	5	3.63	+1.37

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
The Number Of The Beast Iron Maiden	1	3.59	-2.59
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols Sex Pistols	1	3.46	-2.46
Fun House The Stooges	1	3.28	-2.28
Billion Dollar Babies Alice Cooper	1	3.11	-2.11
Sticky Fingers The Rolling Stones	2	3.88	-1.88
Californication Red Hot Chili Peppers	2	3.7	-1.7
Born In The U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen	2	3.7	-1.7
Bayou Country Creedence Clearwater Revival	2	3.66	-1.66
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes	2	3.43	-1.43
If I Should Fall From Grace With God The Pogues	2	3.34	-1.34

Artists

Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
Paul Simon	3	4.67

5-Star Albums (12)

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Popular Reviews

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

3/5

It's obvious that she's a good songwriter, and there's not a bad song here, but literally no one wants to listen to 11 crooning ballads in a row. Just set up some drums and hit the snare on 2 & 4 sometimes!

18 likes

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

2/5

I would say my tolerance for corny '80s synth-oriented music is pretty high, but this still exceeded that threshold by a ridiculous amount

7 likes

Fun House

The Stooges

1/5

I don't think so. I would like my 36 mins and 26 secs back.

2 likes

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Probably my favorite album of all time. When I first heard it in 2012, this record changed how i listened to and thought about music. There are so many songwriting and production decisions here that just totally floored me, from the combination of the upbeat accordian grooves with totally programmed drums to the super melodic bass lines. What really made me become obssessed with this album, though, is how conversational and impromptu his vocal delivery is. There are sooo many lyrics on this album, and his phrasing throughout is very cluttered and erratic. It risks sounding clunky and awkward, but instead it makes this whole record feel unpredictable and lively. One of the few albums i wish i could hear again for the first time

2 likes

1-Star Albums (4)

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

All Ratings

Floodland

Sisters Of Mercy

3/5

This album is more interesting to me knowing that one guy played everything and programmed all the drums himself. There's some cool synth stuff but this mostly feels pretty derivative.

Want Two

Rufus Wainwright

4/5

Not what I was expecting at all, but I was surprised to find I really liked this. Ended up listening to it twice in a row.

Fun House

The Stooges

1/5

I don't think so. I would like my 36 mins and 26 secs back.

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

5/5

One of my favorite records, and still probably only the third best Herbie Hancock album imo. I have a poster of this art hanging over my keyboard rig. This actually made me thinking about getting a tattoo of that weird yellow mask thing over Herbie's face

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear

3/5

There wasn't much here that I disliked, but not much that was exciting to me either. The best thing I can say about this album is that it sounds like it was a lot of fun to record - the guitar and synth tones sound very meticulously crafted.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

1/5

It didn't take long for me to turn this off. Not my thing at all.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

3/5

It's interesting how much they talk about each person's role in making their songs. So many references to Dr. Dre making the beats and Ice Cube doing the lyrics. I generally find it difficult to latch onto lyrics, since I'm mostly paying attention to technical aspects of the arrangement, so it's not easy for me to get to into something so oriented around dynamic vocal performances. But the beats were pretty interesting - lots of interesting sampling and arrangement choices. Was there a Steve Miller Band sample?

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

4/5

I've heard so many of these songs before in the background, but I've never listened to them seriously. Glad I did.

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

Apocalypse Dudes

Turbonegro

2/5

Apparently this band almost called themselves "Nazipenis". I wish this music was provocative, but this is just pretty lame glam rock

The Undertones

3/5

Into it

Van Halen

4/5

Lots of fun

Blood And Chocolate

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

4/5

Love it

Slanted And Enchanted

Pavement

3/5

Not my fav pavement album. There are hints of what they'd become here, but it's missing some of the cohesion and cleverness of an album like Brighten the Corners

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

4/5

Yes very good

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

4/5

I'm not sure how I feel about the reprises from the earlier songs that punctuate the latter half of this record. Otherwise, this is full of great moments that remind me why I love PM

NEU! 75

Neu!

3/5

Pretty cool, but didn't dig the change of vibes on the second half. Cool synth stuff though

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

2/5

I do not like this band. This album did not change my mind.

The Specials

3/5

Really cheesy lyrics. I've certainly heard worse ska albums though

Real Life

Magazine

4/5

Cool artwork, even cooler arrangements and songwriting. Don't love the vocals though. I feel like this album would reward some repeated listens.

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

3/5

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

5/5

This album made me want to turn on my keyboards and play some soul/r&b all day. Excellent arrangements and vocals

Like A Prayer

Madonna

4/5

A great window onto a very particular kind of intricate pop arrangement and production

Trans Europe Express

Kraftwerk

4/5

I could see why this wouldn't be for everyone, but i loved it. The second half was particularly good. The vocals were hit or miss for me, but i loved these sparse, iterative electronic arrangements throughout

Another Green World

Brian Eno

4/5

On the surface, this album verges on feeling unfocused and directionless, but Eno somehow makes this collection of songs feel purposeful and coherent. I'm really interested in the "oblique strategies" cards he uses to construct songs

Grace

Jeff Buckley

3/5

I get it - it's fine.

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

2/5

This band is comically over-rated. I don't get it at all.

Nowhere

Ride

3/5

That is some jangly guitar

A Date With The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

3/5

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

3/5

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

3/5

This was cool - I liked the production, but I'm not super into the songwriting

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

3/5

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

3/5

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

When i first got really into the Beatles, i couldn't get into this album. I've since come around, but there are still some real stinkers on here. "Dr. Robert" might be the worst Beatles song. I almost demoted this to 4 stars just because of that song

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

4/5

R u talkin talking heads 2 my talkin head? I generally prefer these early TH albums to the obvious mid-career ones. This and 77 feel the most frantic and paranoid, as if everything was done in a take or two. Also, the Al Green cover rules.

The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan

4/5

Very cool. Love this early electronic/synth stuff

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

4/5

A Girl Called Dusty

Dusty Springfield

3/5

Tapestry

Carole King

4/5

Really liked this. Really smart songwriting and solid playing throughout

The Wall

Pink Floyd

3/5

Not my favorite PF album - lots of filler here in my opinion. Still has some incredible moments

Heartattack And Vine

Tom Waits

3/5

Moss Side Story

Barry Adamson

4/5

I found this really exciting and ambitious

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

This album is what comes to mind when I think about musicians in the '80s adding synthesizers to their music simply because it was the thing to do at the time and having it just fail miserably. I don't like Bruce in general, but the production on these songs makes this whole record feel particularly disingenuous and superficial.

Selling England By The Pound

Genesis

3/5

Bossanova

Pixies

3/5

Pretty cool. Can definitely hear how this has shaped a lot of recent things

Sincere

Mj Cole

4/5

One of my favorite new finds so far. Some really dynamic sampling and amazing vocal performances throughout.

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

3/5

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

5/5

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

3/5

Parachutes

Coldplay

3/5

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

3/5

Mothership Connection

Parliament

4/5

It's kind of silly how little i've listened to this band. Loved it

Phrenology

The Roots

4/5

Hard to not love The Roots

Live Through This

Hole

3/5

Diamond Life

Sade

3/5

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

1/5

Nope

Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

3/5

This was boring

Hearts And Bones

Paul Simon

4/5

I can see why this album didn't do well at the time, but these are pretty solid songs throughout. He just seems like a such mature and confident songwriter here. On the other hand, I'm also grateful that this album failed, since Graceland wouldn't have emerged otherwise. You can definitely hear him starting to flex the kind of muscles here that he explores later on in Graceland

Pictures At An Exhibition

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

2/5

i don't think live albums really belong on a list like this

Fleet Foxes

2/5

Rarely gets interesting enough for me to want to keep listening. They spend so much time crafting these meticulous arrangements for what are really incredibly boring songs

Dub Housing

Pere Ubu

2/5

Two Dancers

Wild Beasts

3/5

Kind of cool and surprising. I liked how theatric it was

Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter

3/5

Interesting production but kind of bland songwriting

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

4/5

Miles is probably my least favorite of the iconic jazz giants, but this is him at his best.

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

2/5

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

3/5

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

4/5

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

5/5

incredible arrangements

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

3/5

not really my thing

C'est Chic

CHIC

4/5

Truth And Soul

Fishbone

2/5

O.G. Original Gangster

Ice T

3/5

Nothing's Shocking

Jane's Addiction

2/5

Make Yourself

Incubus

4/5

Never really listened to this band before, but this was super cool

Destroy Rock & Roll

Mylo

4/5

I feel like this isn't actually that amazing but I'm a real sucker for this kind of electronic music

Signing Off

UB40

2/5

Not really my thing

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley

3/5

Funeral

Arcade Fire

3/5

The Velvet Underground

3/5

S&M

Metallica

3/5

Actually a pretty great live record, but I kind of object to live albums being on this list in principle.

Walking Wounded

Everything But The Girl

4/5

I'm into it

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Byrds

3/5

2112

Rush

3/5

The title track is wild but

Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)

Loretta Lynn

3/5

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

2/5

Not really my thing but I get it

Rage Against The Machine

4/5

Clandestino

Manu Chao

3/5

Close To The Edge

Yes

3/5

Hotel California

Eagles

4/5

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

3/5

Red Dirt Girl

Emmylou Harris

3/5

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

3/5

The La's

3/5

Paul Simon

5/5

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

5/5

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

4/5

Not as strong as Soft Bulletin, but this band has perfect production and arrangements

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

4/5

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

4/5

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

4/5

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

3/5

Goo

Sonic Youth

3/5

There are cool individual moments, but overall feels too same-y throughout. Not for me

Sail Away

Randy Newman

4/5

There are some great songs on here, but a few of them feel slightly underdeveloped. I also prefer the more complex arrangements on his later albums to the focus mostly on piano and strings here. Love the Cleveland song!

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

4/5

I do think there's some filler here, but overall this album is bursting with incredible arrangements and complex harmonic structures.

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Chuckie is back

Aja

Steely Dan

5/5

The Band

4/5

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

3/5

Foo Fighters

4/5

Just a solid rock record from start to finish.

This Nation’s Saving Grace

The Fall

2/5

It did not take me long to discover that I don't like this

Remedy

Basement Jaxx

4/5

Fuck yeah, this was cool. One of my favorite parts of doing this list has been discovering these sample-heavy records

Back In Black

AC/DC

4/5

Groovin'

The Young Rascals

3/5

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

4/5

Incredibly pleasant

American Pie

Don McLean

2/5

Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

3/5

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

3/5

Miriam Makeba

4/5

Elastica

2/5

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

2/5

I would say my tolerance for corny '80s synth-oriented music is pretty high, but this still exceeded that threshold by a ridiculous amount

American IV: The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

4/5

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

5/5

Bitte Orca

Dirty Projectors

3/5

Not super into the songwriting or the vocals, but there are some super interesting production and mixing choices here that make it feel more substantial than a generic indie pop record.

Kilimanjaro

The Teardrop Explodes

3/5

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators

2/5

Everything Must Go

Manic Street Preachers

3/5

This was kind of cool - the singer sounds like he needed to be in a hair metal band

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

4/5

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

4/5

This one was really cool

The Predator

Ice Cube

2/5

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

1/5

I would normally object to rating without listening, but I don't need to put this on to know it's garbage

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

4/5

Really liked this one. I would have been obsessed with this band if I had discovered them in like 2013

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

4/5

A Night At The Opera

Queen

4/5

So close to being 5 stars, but the Car song and Sweet Lady really drag this album down.

Master Of Puppets

Metallica

4/5

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

3/5

I appreciate the eclecticism, but this is ultimately not for me

Peggy Suicide

Julian Cope

4/5

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

Talvin Singh

2/5

Seventh Tree

Goldfrapp

2/5

evermore

Taylor Swift

3/5

Fine but way too safe and hardly her most interest album

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

5/5

An important and exciting transition point in Joni Mitchell's career. I love hearing her experiment with these kinds of arrangements where everything feels so open but still remains grounded by her songwriting.

White Denim

3/5

Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman

John Zorn

4/5

This was pretty remarkable - I don't know that I'll listen to it regularly, but it was quite a feat to take one of the most experimental jazz performers and somehow make it even more out there.

Born To Be With You

Dion

4/5

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

4/5

Very good production and arrangements. Pretty into it

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

3/5

The World is a Ghetto

War