My 1001 Albums Journey

235

Albums Rated

3.53

Average Rating

22%

Complete

854 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1950s

Favorite Decade

Singer-songwriter

Favorite Genre

other

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5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Picture Book Simply Red	5	2.88	+2.12
The Only Ones The Only Ones	5	2.92	+2.08
Connected Stereo MC's	5	2.94	+2.06
evermore Taylor Swift	5	3.03	+1.97
Central Reservation Beth Orton	5	3.05	+1.95
Oxygène Jean-Michel Jarre	5	3.07	+1.93
Trans Europe Express Kraftwerk	5	3.15	+1.85
Vespertine Björk	5	3.16	+1.84
Mermaid Avenue Billy Bragg	5	3.17	+1.83
Actually Pet Shop Boys	5	3.18	+1.82

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Aqualung Jethro Tull	1	3.44	-2.44
Fragile Yes	1	3.31	-2.31
Being There Wilco	1	3.23	-2.23
Close To The Edge Yes	1	3.19	-2.19
Drunk Thundercat	1	3.12	-2.12
Physical Graffiti Led Zeppelin	2	3.91	-1.91
Giant Steps The Boo Radleys	1	2.88	-1.88
Among The Living Anthrax	1	2.85	-1.85
A Wizard, A True Star Todd Rundgren	1	2.83	-1.83
Vincebus Eruptum Blue Cheer	1	2.8	-1.8

Artists

Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
Pink Floyd	3	5
Beatles	3	4.67
Stevie Wonder	3	4.33
Bob Dylan	3	4.33

Least Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
Yes	2	1

5-Star Albums (51)

View Album Wall

Popular Reviews

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

1/5

Some albums age well, while others remain rooted in the time that they were made. Heaven 17 may well have been significant pioneers of synth-pop, leading the New Wave revolution in the early 80s, but this album is a difficult listen now. Over-pleased with the new technology that enables unnecessarily complex musical patterns, the attempt to be edgy with sixth-form political potshots is simply lost in the mix. How this ends up in any list of great albums is a mystery to me.

17 likes

Franz Ferdinand

5/5

A near-perfect compendium of carefully crafted punchy post-punk tunes, bristling with brio and bravado. There's not a second wasted in the listening experience for this album - every single track chugs its way into your mind and stays there for good. And you knew that they'd be just as good at a gig as they sounded here. An outstanding album, and one for the ages.

14 likes

The Only Ones

5/5

This was a great listen - like the Velvets after taking some happy pills. Excellent.

10 likes

Buena Vista Social Club

5/5

What a way to while away a dark Monday morning. Instantly transported to a cool Cuban bar, with swaying rhythms and cocktails to hand. Perfect.

9 likes

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

4/5

One of the more intriguing albums recommended so far. There was no beginning, middle or end. Just sitar, all the way. Lovely.

5 likes

1-Star Albums (13)

All Ratings

Kid A

Radiohead

5/5

An unforgettable masterpiece, produced by a band at the height of their powers and unconstrained by thoughts of satisfying their legions of fans. Each new release from Radiohead after "OK Computer" seemed designed to reduce the adoration and thin out their audience. "Kid A" saw me still staying on board.

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

3/5

Much as I like the close harmonies and the jangly upbeat tempo of the better-known hits of the Beach Boys, this album could only be described as "pleasing". There are some lovely melodies and catchy hooks, but it rarely raises the pulse while listening. Californian background music at best, in my view.

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

4/5

An album that I would not have listened to without it being suggested, which I guess is the whole point of the platform. At first, I found it to be a little bland and uninvolving, far too preoccupied with samples, microbeats and other musical gimmicks. But then I began to "hear" the pleasing quality of Frank's voice and it became more of an enjoyable listen. By the time I reached "Lost", I realised that I would need to listen to the whole thing a couple more times before I settled on a judgement. Being tenacious in order to experience new music has been rewarded.

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

2/5

For me, Cheap Trick are one of those bands that you've heard of, without really knowing why. I recall "The Flame" catching my attention in the late '80s, but I wouldn't be able to name another of their tracks. So, I was keen to find out what their earlier work sounded like, but the experience was quite disappointing. The kindest thing to say was that it sounded like the crowd present at this live gig were enjoying themselves a great deal. As for me, I've heard better performances from pub bands in Camden or at one of the smaller stages at Glastonbury. Perhaps the quality of the recording played a part, but most of the tracks were basic, formulaic and unimaginative, with the exception of "Surrender" and "I Want You To Want Me". I'd hoped for more.

Who's Next

The Who

5/5

A well-regarded classic, peppered with epoch-making tunes, and a lighter touch than I remembered. Great to hear it again.

Franz Ferdinand

5/5

The Predator

Ice Cube

2/5

I wish I could say that I enjoyed this album, but I didn't.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

4/5

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

3/5

Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits

2/5

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

4/5

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

3/5

Trans Europe Express

Kraftwerk

5/5

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

5/5

The Message

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

5/5

Rock Bottom

Robert Wyatt

3/5

Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg

5/5

What a wonderful album. Soulful, significant and spirit-raising, all at the same time.

Roots

Sepultura

3/5

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

3/5

Whatever

Aimee Mann

4/5

An ethereal, entrancing album, packed to the gills with pleasing tunes and a voice to match.

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse

Faces

4/5

A very enjoyable bluesy romp.

Moondance

Van Morrison

4/5

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

3/5

Not one of my favourite genres, but this is one of the best that I've heard. "Run To The Hills" is a classic, of course.

The xx

4/5

Make Yourself

Incubus

3/5

Not bad, almost reminding me of Faith No More at times, but just a bit over-produced for my liking.

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

5/5

The master of sweet soul music, smoothness defined.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Two of the finest tracks of all time, plus some others that are a little less memorable.

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

5/5

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

1/5

Vincebus Eruptum

Blue Cheer

1/5

A difficult and tedious listen. I actually considered doing the hoovering as a more pleasing alternative.

Sweet Baby James

James Taylor

5/5

A true treasure of an album, an aural comfort blanket that lifts the soul and warms the heart. James Taylor could sing the phone book and it would still be worth a listen. "Country Road" has a special place in my heart, featuring as it does in one of my most favourite films. Not one wasted second in this album, and one that I will listen to again and again.

The Score

Fugees

4/5

An all-time classic.

American Pie

Don McLean

4/5

Rubber Soul

Beatles

4/5

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

4/5

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

5/5

Violent Femmes

3/5

Reasonably entertaining American punk, although Gano's voice becomes grating after a few tracks.

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

3/5

You're led to believe that Miles Davis is a genius, the primal exponent of a musical form and the template for a generation of artists to follow. But I must be missing something, as this felt like the B-side of the soundtrack to a forgettable Steve McQueen film. 38 minutes felt like much longer, and not in a good way.

A Wizard, A True Star

Todd Rundgren

1/5

Truly awful.

Oxygène

Jean-Michel Jarre

5/5

The Wall

Pink Floyd

5/5

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Killing Joke

3/5

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

4/5

Outstandingly funky, but of course it would be. Entertaining, eclectic and electrifying.

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

3/5

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

5/5

Now this is the sort of jazz that I like to hear. Tremendous, a tour de force of syncopation and effortless style. Amazing!

Abraxas

Santana

3/5

Buena Vista Social Club

5/5

What a way to while away a dark Monday morning. Instantly transported to a cool Cuban bar, with swaying rhythms and cocktails to hand. Perfect.

White Ladder

David Gray

4/5

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

Arctic Monkeys

2/5

I'm still not on board the Arctic Monkeys train.

Architecture And Morality

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

3/5

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

5/5

Genius. Copper-bottomed, top-tier, 24-carat genius.

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

4/5

One of the more intriguing albums recommended so far. There was no beginning, middle or end. Just sitar, all the way. Lovely.

Wild Is The Wind

Nina Simone

5/5

Siembra

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades

3/5

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

4/5

Dear Science

TV On The Radio

3/5

Much as I like TV On The Radio, I found this to be a rather mundane listening experience, with few stand-out tracks to make it memorable.

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

2/5

There are albums that stand the test of time and sound as good now as when they were first released. This is not one of them.

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

2/5

Background music, to be expected in a cocktail bar or an up-market hotel lobby.

The Only Ones

5/5

This was a great listen - like the Velvets after taking some happy pills. Excellent.

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

3/5

Copper Blue

Sugar

3/5

An entertaining slice of indie rock from a band that passed me by at the time.

Done By The Forces Of Nature

Jungle Brothers

3/5

No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)

Motörhead

2/5

Darkdancer

Les Rythmes Digitales

3/5

An intriguing album filled with high-energy synth-pop, ranging from the catchy to the slightly irritating. M83 it's not, but it's worth a listen.

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

3/5

Complex, funky, funny and endlessly entertaining.

Bad Company

4/5

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

3/5

Kimono My House

Sparks

3/5

People say they are geniuses, and some say the foundations of synth-pop depend on them, but this is a hard listen.

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

5/5

Incomparably classy.

The Dreaming

Kate Bush

4/5

If I Could Only Remember My Name

David Crosby

3/5

Classic American wistful-cowboy strumming. Better than I thought it might be.

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

4/5

An album I was unfamiliar with before, but now realise is just as important as "Talking Book".

The Stooges

3/5

One classic tune, a stand-out moment in punk, but a very uneven album overall.

For Your Pleasure

Roxy Music

4/5

Vespertine

Björk

5/5

Violator

Depeche Mode

4/5

Rip It Up

Orange Juice

3/5

Good Old Boys

Randy Newman

3/5

Doesn't every Randy Newman album sound like the last one you listened to?

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

4/5

I feared listening to this, based on my perception of Kanye West as a personality. But in truth, the album is intriguing, engaging, and entertaining. Along the way, there are a few moments where the lyrical compositions deter, but the ambition and cinematic scale of the sounds win through. Surprisingly good.

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

4/5

Ray Of Light

Madonna

3/5

Like Water For Chocolate

Common

3/5

Debut

Björk

4/5

New Wave

The Auteurs

4/5

Rather reminded me of Crowded House, and that's always a good thing.

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

5/5

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

4/5

The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan

3/5

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

Imagine

John Lennon

5/5

50 years later, you can hear the genius shining through each song.

Zombie

Fela Kuti

4/5

Out Of The Blue

Electric Light Orchestra

5/5

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

3/5

american dream

LCD Soundsystem

4/5

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

5/5

One of my most favourite albums of all time, and it still sounds brilliant all these years later.

Bert Jansch

2/5

It's like listening to someone tuning a guitar for 45 minutes. I understand that Jansch was an inspiration for Mike Oldfield and others, but that doesn't come across on this album. Tedious twiddling.

Strange Cargo III

William Orbit

3/5

All very pleasing and transcendental, but is it an album or a stream of consciousness?

Golden Hour

Kacey Musgraves

4/5

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

4/5

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

3/5

A cult classic, but difficult to listen to now, knowing how Morrissey has transformed since.

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

2/5

Overblown, pompous, self-obsessed, leaden and at least 50% too long.

Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Spiritualized

3/5

A lovely wallow in late 90s drug-fuelled indie.

Parallel Lines

Blondie

5/5

A stonewall certified all-time classic, with one of the best opening tracks in rock 'n' roll history.

In Utero

Nirvana

4/5

A difficult listen, even after all these years, when you know what was coming next.

Chelsea Girl

Nico

2/5

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

5/5

Absolute heaven. Imagine being there that night.

Giant Steps

The Boo Radleys

1/5

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

4/5

Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith

4/5

Groovy, man.

Before And After Science

Brian Eno

3/5

Not quite what I was expecting from the Father of Ambient Music, but still very entertaining.

In It For The Money

Supergrass

3/5

An entertaining slice of 90s indie.

Elastica

3/5

When Elastica were being hyped as the "Next Big Thing" in the 90s, I thought they were lightweight, derivative and unremarkable. Now, at a distance of more than 25 years, this does sound more substantial and powerful than I perceived at the time.

Everything Must Go

Manic Street Preachers

4/5

Djam Leelii

Baaba Maal

4/5

What a mesmerising experience it is to hear this album again. Extraordinary!

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

5/5

What an extraordinary piece of work, the sort of album that inspires other artists to reach for higher ground themselves.

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

3/5

Close To The Edge

Yes

1/5

Adele

4/5

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

4/5

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

5/5

An absolute classic from the 80s, with three songs that will live long in my memory. Wonderful.

Sea Change

Beck

3/5

Pleasing, meandering, psychedelic noodling.

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

4/5

What a fun album.

Blackstar

David Bowie

3/5

Nevermind

Nirvana

5/5

What a blast from the past, a reminder of the nihilism of the 90s and a time when one band could truly change the face of modern music with just one album.

I See A Darkness

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

3/5

Tracy Chapman

5/5

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

5/5

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

3/5

Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys

2/5

The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow

4/5

Screamadelica

Primal Scream

4/5

A surefire 90s classic album with songs that soundtracked many a summer festival night, but weakend by some lazily constructed album tracks that felt thrown together.

Playing With Fire

Spacemen 3

2/5

Country Life

Roxy Music

4/5

An album I knew more from the cover than the music inside, but it was fascinating to hear the burgeoning soundscapes of Eno and Ferry forming into the distinctive Roxy Music style.

Blood And Chocolate

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

Intense, intriguing and very much of its time.

Common

2/5

This album is not meant for me, so I really shouldn't vote on it.

Manassas

Stephen Stills

2/5

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Rapture

Anita Baker

4/5

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

4/5

Much more listenable than I feared it might be! What a turn of phrase that man had.

Drunk

Thundercat

1/5

GREY Area

Little Simz

5/5

Outstanding, significant, meaningful, entrancing. I should have listened to her before.

Brown Sugar

D'Angelo

3/5

B-52's

The B-52's

3/5

Space Ritual

Hawkwind

2/5

Thank goodness for punk.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

Tapestry

Carole King

5/5

Perfect. Who can say any more?

Connected

Stereo MC's

5/5

What an outstanding slice of 90s dance music this is. Listening to it is like time travel to a more carefree time.

Pink Flag

Wire

4/5

Wow, what a fun ride that was. 21 songs in just over half an hour, and each one a joyful vignette of punk simplicity.

Nixon

Lambchop

3/5

Pleasingly pleasant, after expecting something a lot more shouty with that title.

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

3/5

Better than I thought it might be at first, but it quickly became unlistenable. Who wants to hear other people having sex?

Jack Takes the Floor

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

2/5

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

5/5

Illmatic

Nas

3/5

Intriguing.

Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Tortoise

3/5

Strange, unusual and occasionally unsettling.

The Boatman's Call

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

3/5

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

4/5

An unknown artist for me, and what a treat to enjoy the entertaining rhythms from South America! That's what I hoped for when I signed up here.

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

3/5

Second Toughest In The Infants

Underworld

2/5

The White Album

Beatles

5/5

A masterpiece, complete with perfect flaws.

evermore

Taylor Swift

5/5

What a treat this was, the first album that I have ever listened to from Taylor Swift. Hugely impressed and instantly replayed.

Kenza

Khaled

3/5

Night Life

Ray Price

3/5

Quiet Life

Japan

4/5

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

3/5

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

1/5

Unlistenable. Punchable. Terrible.

Celebrity Skin

Hole

4/5

Picture Book

Simply Red

5/5

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

4/5

Armed Forces

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

4/5

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

4/5

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

5/5

Perfect. Their best work by far.

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

3/5

American Idiot

Green Day

4/5

1989

Taylor Swift

3/5

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Pump

Aerosmith

4/5

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

4/5

Club Classics Vol. One

Soul II Soul

3/5

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

2/5

Stardust

Willie Nelson

4/5

Protection

Massive Attack

4/5

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

4/5

Winter In America

Gil Scott-Heron

4/5

Central Reservation

Beth Orton

5/5

Triangle

The Beau Brummels

3/5

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

4/5

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

2/5

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

2/5

Underwhelming

Disraeli Gears

Cream

3/5

Elephant Mountain

The Youngbloods

3/5

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

3/5

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

3/5

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

4/5

Heaven Or Las Vegas

Cocteau Twins

3/5

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

Future Days

Can

2/5

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds

2/5

Remedy

Basement Jaxx

1/5

Odelay

Beck

4/5

Timeless

Goldie

3/5

Metallica

2/5

The same song, repeated again and again.

Opus Dei

Laibach

1/5

Fragile

Yes

1/5

Idlewild

Everything But The Girl

4/5

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

4/5

Doolittle

Pixies

3/5

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

5/5

Rings Around The World

Super Furry Animals

4/5

Play

Moby

5/5

Mama's Gun

Erykah Badu

3/5

Parachutes

Coldplay

4/5

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

2/5

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

3/5

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

4/5

Very entertaining, a splendid listen, a unique voice in every sense

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

2/5

Among The Living

Anthrax

1/5

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

3/5

The Doors

3/5

Grace

Jeff Buckley

4/5

The Healer

John Lee Hooker

3/5

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

4/5

Being There

Wilco

1/5

Sound Affects

The Jam

4/5

Penance Soiree

The Icarus Line

1/5

Songs Of Love And Hate

Leonard Cohen

3/5

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

Modern Life Is Rubbish

Blur

3/5

Brothers

The Black Keys

3/5

Heroes

David Bowie

4/5