My 1001 Albums Journey

Albums Rated

3.19

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1062 albums remaining

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1980s

Favorite Decade

Rock

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Wordsmith

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5-Star Albums

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Raising Hell Run-D.M.C.	5	3.51	+1.49
Space Ritual Hawkwind	4	2.69	+1.31
Graceland Paul Simon	5	3.74	+1.26
In Rainbows Radiohead	5	3.84	+1.16
Damaged Black Flag	4	2.86	+1.14
Gentlemen The Afghan Whigs	4	2.9	+1.1
Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby Terence Trent D'Arby	4	2.98	+1.02

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
The Queen Is Dead The Smiths	1	3.66	-2.66
Play Moby	1	3.47	-2.47
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	1	3.39	-2.39
Urban Hymns The Verve	1	3.36	-2.36
With The Beatles Beatles	2	3.66	-1.66
2112 Rush	2	3.39	-1.39
Pretenders Pretenders	2	3.35	-1.35
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Beatles	3	4.26	-1.26

5-Star Albums (4)

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Popular Reviews

Urban Hymns

The Verve

1/5

I think it's really telling that the most popular song from this album, 'Bittersweet Symphony' is based off a repeated 4 bar loop from a 1965 Rolling Stones song. I don't understand the appeal of this kind of alternative brit-pop. The album makes no statements, takes no risk, and is unmistakably bland and boring. I actually had to do some research to find out what makes this album so respected, and I still didn't get a solid answer. I don't understand who the target audience is, who searches for music where you can't tell one four-chord progression pop song from another in the same album? I felt like I could fall asleep halfway through, wake up, and not even realize I'm five more songs into the album.

1 likes

1-Star Albums (4)

All Ratings

In Rainbows

Radiohead

5/5

Amazing album with an incredible focus on dynamics and experimentation.

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

5/5

An iconic album that had an immense influence on all rap and hip-hop moving forward. It's difficult to give all that credit to a single album, but it's truly impressive just how far-reaching it's impacts have been.

Pretenders

2/5

Another album that makes me really wish I could enjoy 80s new wave... but I still can't get there. There are so many tracks that are close, but don't step over the edge. It almost feels like incomplete thoughts, or like when you need to sneeze but then you just can't. I found myself enjoying beats and themes, but then disappointed at how none of them fully develop. Incredible debut album, but it isn't for me.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

3/5

I don't feel like I have the right to say anything about this album, as it's all been said before. I'm not a fan. I feel like if there was a default music for people born after 1950 this would be it.

2112

Rush

2/5

Progressive music has come so far. As someone that is truly in love with the genre, I'm still not a big fan of this album. I can take or leave the first half, and the second half resonates well for me.

Green

R.E.M.

4/5

I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed this album. It's difficult to appreciate music that inspired so many other artists you enjoy, because it feels like you've heard their sound already. This wasn't the case for this album, since sonically it is so well put-together.

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

1/5

I've never particularly enjoyed a lot of indie music. It was always hard to put my finger on what I didn't like about it. Now I know. This album is exactly what I hate in indie music. I didn't think I would legitmately hate anything on this list, but I just can't stand this album. Somewhere between the whiny vocal style, lazy instrumentation, and sheer boredom I just can't be seen having a good time.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

1/5

Okay, let me preface this with the fact that I will always rock out to 'American Girl'. It's a certified banger. But, unfortunately, Tom Petty is one of those vocalists that I can't enjoy. His style has never really jived with me. I'm saying that subjectively because I understand the importance of this album, but I really don't have fun with him as a frontman. He lacks energy and prescence.

Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds

4/5

This album, while overall a bit underwhelming, still holds up well as a sample of R&B transition into rock and roll. A few classic Jeff Beck tracks are always a pleasure.

Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby

4/5

An incredible debut album with some excellent soul and funk R&B. I thoroughly enjoyed listening with only one real complaint: Many of the tracks get repetitive to the point of annoyance. It's personal preference but I feel like there was so much room to get creative that was missed.

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

4/5

Now this is a solid jam. I can get down with some bossa-nova style and solid funk. Some tracks and effects were a bit off-putting for my ear, but others had such a strong foundation they were irresitable.

Imagine

John Lennon

3/5

This album reminds me of a decent steak with just salt and pepper. Yeah, it tastes good and you can't think of anything 'bad' about it, but it leaves so much to be desired. It sounds bland and doesn't evoke most of the emotions that went into creating the music.

Urban Hymns

The Verve

1/5

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Wow, the fusion on this album and the quality of the songwriting is absolutely stellar. I was expecting some more temperate folk, but this was an excellent and fulfilling experience. Definitely recommend.

Bringing It All Back Home

Bob Dylan

4/5

An iconic folk album, and probably my favorite work by Bob Dylan. His vocal style isn't really for me, and the music isn't quite to my taste, but it is undeniable in it's influence, simplicity, and creativity. There's something really intangibly special about this record, even if it isn't my cup of tea.

Space Ritual

Hawkwind

4/5

This is what I think I would've been listening to at my age, if it was 1973. Call up the plug, drinking cold beers in my garage listening to this on the hi-fi. I'm not a big fan of long jams and less-structured music, but this had an incredible groove to it. I found myself constantly surprised at the instrumentation and timbre, group chemistry, and how the music held my attention. The only thing preventing this album from being a 5/5 for me is the long-form jams and lengthy interludes.

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

4/5

I want to be cliche and say "This is what I wish modern country was like" but truthfully, that would be terrible. Though almost every track is one I wouldn't listen to on a daily basis, or add to any playlists, they are all uniquely impactful. A very enjoyable casual listening experience, frought with so much emotion.

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

3/5

Aerosmith was a band that got me deeper into hard rock growing up, and this was one the pivotal albums for me. I feel that a lot of the artist's tone became weaker as I got older, and it almost drowns in a sea of better performed and written music. Some tracks on this one are stellar, while others feel like they wander aimlessly and crudely.

Gentlemen

The Afghan Whigs

4/5

A decent grunge / post-hardcore album from an artist I wasn't particularly familiar with. I felt positively about the first half, but ended up let down as the rest of the album trailed off. Excellent writing and instrumentation throughout gives this one some interesting tones.

Play

Moby

1/5

I can only accurately describe this album in Latin: ad nauseum. I want to find the artistic merit and understand the critical reception of this album, but I just can't. I know it's in there, and I know what this work has done for the EDM scene, but I can't listen to the same two bars of vocals repeated for an entire five minute piece. It grinds at my ears and I just keep craving something interesting, but it never comes.

Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt

2/5

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

4/5

Soulful, rebellious, and a veritable work of art. The emotional impact of Dolly's vocal range and skill is on full display with this album. Only a few tracks feel uninspired, with all other tracks possessing a rich creativity unique to Dolly's style and songwriting.

With The Beatles

Beatles

2/5

Every time I see that I rolled a Beatles' album I let out an audible groan. And every time I tell myself "Give it a fair chance and stay focused." I'm sure you can guess what happens next. I feel that if I was a more contemporary Beatles' fan, this would've been one of my more highly-regarded albums. But since I wasn't, and I'm not, it isn't.

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

3/5

As an avid fan of avant-garde, classical, and any music that takes a chance to be 'out there', this was not a pleasant listening experience. I mean that in the sonic sense, as a tragic and relevant story holds the album together. I found the constant overexaggerated vibrato vocal-style grating, despite the obvious skill and soulful performance.

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

This one is a freebie. One of the albums I would say off-hand is 5 stars. It sets the standard for innovative, influental, powerful, and creative music. It's impact on the music landscape cannot be understated. This box will never be large enough to say everything I feel about this album, and it would all have been said before.

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

2/5

I came into this hoping the album aged well, especially considering the revival of 90s R&B in pop music lately. However, my low expectations were not low enough. The production on many tracks can only be described as abrasive and downright irritating. Spears' vocal performances shift from 'seriously what are you doing' to excellent, but not enough to carry this album. I can understand why it was so successful at the time, but it doesn't stand up so well now.

Damaged

Black Flag

4/5

Visceral and dissonant, exactly what I would want from an essential punk record.