1001 Albums Summary

Listening statistics & highlights

38
Albums Rated
3.58
Average Rating
3%
Complete
1051 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1990
Favorite Decade
Rock
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
10
5-Star Albums
0
1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

Top Styles

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Celebrity Skin
Hole
5 3.31 +1.69
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5 3.32 +1.68
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
5 3.35 +1.65
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
5 3.45 +1.55
Tidal
Fiona Apple
5 3.47 +1.53
Queen II
Queen
5 3.48 +1.52
Superunknown
Soundgarden
5 3.64 +1.36
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5 3.68 +1.32
Boston
Boston
5 3.7 +1.3
Alien Lanes
Guided By Voices
4 2.76 +1.24

You Love Less Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Aja
Steely Dan
2 3.48 -1.48
Urban Hymns
The Verve
2 3.37 -1.37
Achtung Baby
U2
2 3.3 -1.3
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
2 3.28 -1.28
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
2 3.08 -1.08

5-Star Albums (10)

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Popular Reviews

Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices

Now this is what this 1,001 Albums project is all about! I would never have listened to this album, but it’s excellent. I take a lot of inspiration from this album. It’s a bunch of short little minimalist songs, some of them less than a minute, and the album as a whole is still excellent, thriving on the power of melody, songwriting, and the performances, rather than production quality or complexity.

Celebrity Skin by Hole

I'm a bit biased, because this album came out when I was 16 and I was crazy for it. I bought it on release. I was *there* for it. But 25 years on, I still think this album is fantastic. There's some elements of it that feel a little "filler" ("Playing Your Song"), but for the most part, this is a wonderfully melodic, brutally personal album from Courtney and Eric (and Billy Corgan).

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Not my very favourite RHCP album, but almost is. I do believe this is their magnum opus. A moment when they reached their maturity. Carved out a new sound that was still very much Chili Peppers. How sad it is for me though to think about the albums that came after this. Californication is surely the template the band used to build everything that has come after. And what came after was a lot of Triple M dad rock.

4-Star Albums (9)

All Ratings (38)

May 04 2023

Not a bad funk album, although that’s not my thing. I found it interestingly mellow at times.

Queen II by Queen
May 05 2023

What an incredible album. I'm a big Queen fan but had never heard most of the songs on this album. Some of them are just the most wonderful Queen songs I've heard. It really justifies my plan to listen to all these albums!

Frank by Amy Winehouse
May 09 2023

Wonderful! Such a great insight to this complex and talented woman. I started to lose track a bit near the end but it was still a great album.

Celebrity Skin by Hole
May 10 2023

I'm a bit biased, because this album came out when I was 16 and I was crazy for it. I bought it on release. I was *there* for it. But 25 years on, I still think this album is fantastic. There's some elements of it that feel a little "filler" ("Playing Your Song"), but for the most part, this is a wonderfully melodic, brutally personal album from Courtney and Eric (and Billy Corgan).

There's A Riot Goin' On by Sly & The Family Stone
May 11 2023

I thought this was really great! There was a couple of tracks I really loved ("Time" and "Just Like a Baby"). It really needs to be heard on good stereo speakers.

Gold by Ryan Adams
May 12 2023

I was going to turn this off around track 8, "Nobody Girl", but then heard the song "Sylvia Plath" which I found really fantastic, so I continued listening. The rest of the album is much more soulful folk than the country vibes of the beginning. I ended up being ok with this album, but it's really not my thing except for a few tracks near the end. "Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd." is also quite wonderful.

Who's Next by The Who
May 15 2023

Yeah. Pretty good album. I mean, I've heard The Who before and their classic tracks, and those are the highlights here. The songs in the middle are neither here nor there. They're ok. Less... I dunno... punchy? But not terrible. In summation; I've never enjoyed The Who and this maybe only slightly makes me think better of them. They're not bad or anything, it's just not my style.

Close To You by Carpenters
May 16 2023

I mean... for the most part, this sounds like the Carpenters. But there's some absolute '70s classics on here, plus a banging cover of "Help", and a really haunting track called "Crescent Noon" that I listened to again. It lifted my score to a 3. I would probably give it a 3.5 if I could.

Wild Gift by X
May 17 2023

I didn’t actively listen to this too much. I have to say, I’m not too into early punk. I make an exception for DK, but even then it took a lot for me to get my head around their stuff. In any case, “Wild Gift” by X is a decent listen. I can hear how this album was ahead of its time. For the most part, it’s not really my thing, but I did particularly love the song “White Girl”

Another Green World by Brian Eno
May 18 2023

It's pretty crazy that this album was recorded in 1975. There's a lot of modern ideas here. For the most part I found it pleasant to listen to, but there was nothing really that grabbed me except for the track "Everything Merges With the Night" which I really loved. I can see a lot of influence on Smashing Pumpkins in that track.

She's So Unusual by Cyndi Lauper
May 19 2023

When I first saw that this was today's album, I wasn't too happy. "How could this be one of the illustrious 1,001?" I thought. But I see why. This is a great example of why the '80s was a great time for pop music, with honest lyrics and groovy instrumentation. I quite enjoyed it. 3 stars.

The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails
May 22 2023

It’s an amazing coincidence. I had just 2 days earlier wondered what I would do if an album I knew really well came up in this project “like The Downward Spiral”, I thought. Crazy that it happened 2 days later. This is is one of three albums that were the soundtrack to my late teens (the other 2 being both Smashing Pumpkins albums; “Siamese Dream” and “Mellon Collie…”). I can’t overstate enough how much I love this album. 27 (!) years on since I first heard it, it still sounds as exciting, dramatic, powerful, and intriguing as it did when I was 14 years old. I didn’t need to listen to it again, but I chose to listen to it in one stretch on my AirPods Pro with noise cancellation on. This is an album that made synths heavy. It made the pain of longing cool. It reignited the goth movement for millions of kids. It’s so full sounding that it sounds like it was recorded on the floor of a huge chasm. It’s the angriest album I’ve ever heard. It’s the saddest album. It’s the deepest album. I feel it in my chest, and heart, and my head, and my gut, and in my pants. Stand-out Tracks: Eraser, Reptile, Heresy

Blue by Joni Mitchell
May 23 2023

This is what this project is all about. I would never in my life choose to listen to Joni Mitchell. In fact, apart from “Big Yellow Taxi”, I don’t know if I’ve ever listened to her. But here I am, thinking this won’t be the last time I choose to throw on Joni Mitchell’s “Blue”. This album is so beautiful. Some of the most wonderful silky vocals I’ve ever heard. I really love it Standout tracks: “River” and “This Flight Tonight”

The New Tango by Astor Piazzolla
May 24 2023

This album is obviously not in my wheelhouse, but I enjoyed listening to this. I really appreciated the dramatic feel, complexity, and occasional odd-meter. Even though I’m not a fan of Argentinian accordion, I recognised the talent that went into this performance.

Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices
May 25 2023

Now this is what this 1,001 Albums project is all about! I would never have listened to this album, but it’s excellent. I take a lot of inspiration from this album. It’s a bunch of short little minimalist songs, some of them less than a minute, and the album as a whole is still excellent, thriving on the power of melody, songwriting, and the performances, rather than production quality or complexity.

Achtung Baby by U2
May 26 2023

Bloody boring. I give it a point because "One" is a masterpiece. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" was decent too. Otherwise this is the definition of milquetoast to me.

All Mod Cons by The Jam
May 29 2023

I listened to a remaster of this I know, but the recording is excellent. Every instrument is so crisp, and I was glad to be listening on my decent speakers. I enjoyed this quite a lot. I haven’t listened to a lot of new wave so I enjoyed the experience. Stand out track is “Fly” which I thought was great

At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers Band
May 30 2023

I’d never heard The Allman Brothers Band before so I was keen to hear what they were all about. I dug it. A lot of great jamming on this album and a fantastic live recording. I will admit that I didn’t quite listen to all of it, but almost an hour. I felt like I had got the idea. It’s good. A solid 3.

Modern Kosmology by Jane Weaver
May 31 2023

This is a cute little album. I didn’t mind listening to it too much, but I didn’t find it anything terribly unique or impactful. Kinda wondering why it appears on this list. It’s not like it’s bad… it’s just not that good.

Joan Baez by Joan Baez
Jun 01 2023

This is all very lovely to listen to, but I’ll admit, I turned it off half way through. It’s very repetitive. If you’re a sweet old bird that loves to sit and crochet to the sound of tweeting budgies and Joan Baez, I feel you. But that is not me.

Scott 2 by Scott Walker
Jun 02 2023

This is... so weird. It sounds like the music my grandparents listened to in the car on a rainy evening, while I'm slowly waking up in the backseat having cigarette smoke fill my lungs. I respect Scott's songs about having his "ass slapped like a faggot" and gonorrhea. That must have been bold for 1968.

Superunknown by Soundgarden
Jun 06 2023

I can't believe that I have never listened to this album. Black Hole Sun was one of the first songs I ever really loved. I remember when I started getting more into music, I would look for this album and would usually find "Down on the Upside" and was worried it didn't have Black Hole Sun on it. Maybe I would've been a whole different person if I had taken a leap of faith on Soundgarden and not "Mellon Collie..." Anyway, almost 30 years later, I finally listen to Superunknown, and yes, I love it. There are some moments on here that are a little "Triple M" dad rock (at least now in 2023). What sticks out to me on this album is the performances and the recording. Kim Thayil is an amazing guitarist that really colours this album. And of course what can I say about Chris Cornell. Favourites: Black Hole Sun, The Day I Tried to Live, Limo Wreck, Head Down, Fell on Black Days

Quiet Life by Japan
Jun 07 2023

I really enjoyed this! I'd never heard of Japan before and now I'm glad to have. I found the vocals a little samey, and quite stiff in that deep new wave way, but otherwise the instrumentation was really great. Stand out tracks: All Tomorrow's Parties, The Other Side of Life

Clube Da Esquina by Milton Nascimento
Jun 08 2023

I've never listened to Brazillian music before, and I have to say this was really good. But I also don't think I'd listen to Brazillian music again. Cheers!

The Bends by Radiohead
Jun 09 2023

One of my favourite albums of all time. It's beautiful, punchy, sometimes ahead of it's time, and sometimes of the moment. While there's touches of art rock in here, I've always felt like Radiohead really felt like they had achieved all they could with traditional alt-rock on this album. I've listened to it thousands of times. It doesn't get much better.

Aja by Steely Dan
Jun 12 2023

It is what it is. I didn't expect anything else. Really not my thing.

Boston by Boston
Jun 14 2023

Loved it! I've loved "More Than a Feeling" forever, but never knew the rest of the album is as good. This is the archetype of great rock albums.

The Undertones by The Undertones
Jun 15 2023

Pretty sick. I'm not big on '70s punk but this was a good listen. Nothing really stood out to me, but I didn't hate it.

My Generation by The Who
Jun 16 2023

Yeah look... I liked it more than "Who's Next", but I'm still not feeling The Who all that much. It's garlic and onions being browned in a pan. An essential base, and a wonderful smell, but I don't enjoy eating them as they are.

Tidal by Fiona Apple
Jun 19 2023

This album is incredibly sexy and soulful. I remember when it released and I couldn't get enough of Criminal, but being a grunge kid, didn't really want to give any time to the rest of the album. I'm glad I've heard it now. It's so good and her vocals are amazing.

Urban Hymns by The Verve
Jun 20 2023

I didn't listen to all of this. It was like listening to the colour brown for an hour. I like "Sonnet" and "The Drugs Don't Work" but that's probably because I remember them from when I was an MTV addict in 1997. Probably also why I can't stand "Bitter Sweet Symphony". Look, it's ok. But it just hasn't aged well to me.

Beyond Skin by Nitin Sawhney
Jun 21 2023

This is a fantastic album of many textures, styles, and moods. I really enjoyed it. It was a really wonderful journey, and I'm really glad to have heard it.

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Jun 26 2023

Not my very favourite RHCP album, but almost is. I do believe this is their magnum opus. A moment when they reached their maturity. Carved out a new sound that was still very much Chili Peppers. How sad it is for me though to think about the albums that came after this. Californication is surely the template the band used to build everything that has come after. And what came after was a lot of Triple M dad rock.

The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips
Jun 27 2023

I liked it kinda, but mainly it was very boring and every song sounded the same.

Wordsmith

Reviews written for 92% of albums. Average review length: 295 characters.

Other

Album origins are grouped into three buckets: US, UK, and everything else. “Other” means the artists you rate highest are from outside the US and UK.