My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Raekwon	5	2.85	+2.15
Brown Sugar D'Angelo	5	2.92	+2.08
Heavy Weather Weather Report	5	2.98	+2.02
Exile In Guyville Liz Phair	5	3.02	+1.98
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned Liars	4	2.11	+1.89
Beautiful Freak Eels	5	3.27	+1.73
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	5	3.32	+1.68
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs Marty Robbins	5	3.33	+1.67
Joan Armatrading Joan Armatrading	5	3.34	+1.66
Hot Rats Frank Zappa	5	3.36	+1.64

Album	You	Global	Diff
Boston Boston	1	3.71	-2.71
Out Of The Blue Electric Light Orchestra	1	3.64	-2.64
Elvis Presley Elvis Presley	1	3.38	-2.38
Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel	2	3.96	-1.96
69 Love Songs The Magnetic Fields	1	2.85	-1.85
Life Thru A Lens Robbie Williams	1	2.73	-1.73
Atomizer Big Black	1	2.72	-1.72
The Cars The Cars	2	3.67	-1.67
Live At The Regal B.B. King	2	3.67	-1.67
Bookends Simon & Garfunkel	2	3.56	-1.56

Artist	Albums	Average
Radiohead	4	4.75
David Bowie	3	4.67
Prince	2	5
Black Sabbath	2	5
Nick Drake	3	4.33

Pixies

4/5

First time I've listened to it in its entirety; I was only familiar with a few tracks. Loved the dual panned guitars. Nice cheap thin guitar sound on some tracks which I loved. Also enjoyed the thicker more saturated sounds. It sounds like a bridge between new wave B52s and the punkier end of grunge. Also reminded me of Clinic in places. Bass lines absolutely rock solid throughout. Like the ringing snares gated heavily. Simplicity, energy, rough. Loved it.

The White Album

Beatles

4/5

I like it but not my favourite Beatles. But too bloated maybe? And maybe less coherent as a result. The standout tracks are fantastic though- While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Glass Onion, Helter Skelter, Happiness is a Warm Gun. Didn't rate (or understand?) the lyrics on a number of them and the faux USA bits are a bit weird.

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Loved it. Fretless bass.

Blue

Joni Mitchell

3/5

Love the tone of her voice and the instrumentation. My favourites are the guitar and vocal tracks. The guitar is recorded really nicely with a natural stereo spread but Joni's voice seems off to the left in those tracks which was a bit jarring. It sounded good but was too words for me and lacked focus - too easy to become background music.

Dookie

Green Day

3/5

Good fun. Antithesis of the previous day's album (Joni Mitchell - Blue). Catchy songs. Simple structures with no solos, nice vocal melodies and harmonies - fun and easy to sing along to. Last track is awful and cheapens the whole thing.

Beautiful Freak

Eels

5/5

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

5/5

Fantastic album, surely one of the best live albums out there. I enjoyed the storytelling in the songs and the connection with the audience throughout, the sense of it taking place in an otherwise ordinary, functioning prison that Cash and co were a part of for that brief moment. Not 100% on the whole romanticising being imprisoned or committing crime aspect but it provides an excellent backdrop for a wonderful performance. It seems like it's from a completely different time. The music is top notch and Cash is a cool as they come.

Boston

1/5

Not for me. Did not grab my attention at all.

Peter Gabriel

2/5

I found the music interesting but didn't necessarily enjoy it. Lots of variety and pockets of things that I liked but as a whole it just didn't do it for me. The photograph on the cover is fantastic though, great use of texture, composition and emotion - my favourite cover so far in this project. 5 stars for the cover, but 2 over all.

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

4/5

I love this album and have had it since I was about 13. Perfectly encapsulates beastie boys for me. Good mix of hip hop, punk, jazzy jams and even some Tibetan monks. I like the distorted mics and the way the three rap together so tightly - the distortion works as sonic glue (but occasionally makes the vocals unclear). Great album from start to finish.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

5/5

This album blew me away. I had never heard of Marty Robbins until today. I'm a big fan of westerns but not the slick, naff John Wayne type ones and I was a.bit worried that I'd encounter some cheese here. I needn't have worried! The songs were classy, well recorded given the 1959 release date, simple instrumentation and filled with familiar western tropes but just great quality! Cowboys were very popular at the time in movies, TV and toys before the space.race took over, now we are approaching a time where these recordings will be closer to the time period they depict than the world we.live in now. I have already listened to the album three times in its entirety and have been singing along even from the first listen with the familiar melodies, repeated phrases and resolutions. I will.be coming back to this album again and again I'm sure.

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

4/5

Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

3/5

I was aware of WoD but have never listened to a full album until now. There are moments that I really enjoyed - bits that sound like New Order, hints of Bob Dylan on the vocals and LCD in places. I liked the lush multi-layered sound more than I expected and there are some interesting production choices. Overall though, I found it too drawn out and I lost interest in nearly every song as they dragged on.

Arise

Sepultura

2/5

Did not like the start to the album but got more into it as it played through. Lacks my favourite elements from Roots.

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus

3/5

Nice but bass too low in mix. Another 'not my favourite album by this artist' pick!

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

4/5

I like this one but don't love it. Very familiar with it and have listened to it lots in the past. Musicianship is excellent throughout; I particularly like the bass, percussion (incl glockenspiel), backing vocals, flute. My least favourite element of the production is Gaye himself. I'm not that keen on his voice and although he's singing about worthy causes it just comes across as a bit naff. I'd rather hear some sleaze or blaxploitation lyrics to be honest! Nice to spot the hip hop samples throughout and I'll still score it well because the music is so good.

On The Beach

Neil Young

2/5

I found this boring, didn't make it to the end. I will go back and have another listen but for now I'm not a fan.

Scream, Dracula, Scream

Rocket From The Crypt

3/5

This one took me back to my teenage years. Wonder how many times I've danced to On a Rope? Enjoyed the doubled guitars and it was better than I expected. Plenty of energy. Only thing I didn't really like is the singers voice - bit too California Man for me... He also sounds a lot like the guy from Less Than Jake but I'm sure they're from Florida 🤔

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The Residents

2/5

Reminds me of Primus but not in a good way. Some interesting elements but I'm baffled as to how this got on the list. What am I missing?

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

2/5

Would probably sound great if you were stoned and lying down with headphones on. But I wasn't.

Imagine

John Lennon

3/5

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

3/5

She has a beautiful voice and I found this album a soothing listen. I remember this being a big hit at the time of release and it was played quite a lot in my house - it blew my mind when I learned that she is Ravi Shankar's daughter. It is very well done but this pop-jazz style is not really for me, though I much prefer her to Diana Krall or Corinne Bailey Rae, maybe because I don't find Norah Jones annoying, I guess it's smooth but not annoyingly smooth.

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

2/5

I remember listening to this a bit when it was released and I went to see them a couple of times (pretty sure one was a new-rave NME tour with Hadouken and someone else...) I don't remember ever particularly liking it though, think I was just in the habit of listening to indie bands and this was the current marketed indie stuff. Listening to it now, it's not completely awful. The weakest element for me is the vocals: contrived would-be indie disco anthem type stuff and I guess it was for a while. Nothing to excite or inspire though and I think it can stay consigned to the history books. There were some good bands of this time and of the same ilk (CSS, Young Knives) but this is not great. Infinitely better than Hard-Fi, though!

Zombie

Fela Kuti

5/5

Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera

3/5

This is definitely NOT back to basics. It's a very ambitious album with loads going on. I think she's got a great voice (but would like to hear more calm) and I enjoyed this more than I expected. The main problem for me is just that it is far too long, lacks a bit of cohesion or direction, and she repeats a lot of the lyrical themes so much throughout. I reckon you could make a great 35 min album from this but 78mins? Nah.

Dire Straits

4/5

Enjoyable. Great hi-fi sound!

Sea Change

Beck

4/5

I like Beck but there are so many of his albums I haven't listened to. This one is mature and manages to sound pared-back and lush at the same time. He is a talented songwriter and performer - love the vocal melodies and sometimes wonky, multi-layered acoustic guitar parts the most.

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

3/5

Not a huge fan but a few of the songs made me realise how he has achieved such success. I enjoyed the start of the album more and liked it less as it went on - maybe fatigue caused by his voice, although he was still young enough to not have turned into a caricature of himself at this point.

Closer

Joy Division

4/5

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

4/5

I like this. I guess it's heartbreak you can dance to. His voice is like an extra horn and is so saturated when he wants it to be. I'll be coming back for more.

Marquee Moon

Television

4/5

Initially it didn't seem too special but then we got to the masterpiece that is title track. This was possibly the only track I was already familiar with and I think it's the reason this album made the cut. From that point onward I enjoyed the album much more; I really liked Prove it and the theatrical drama of Torn Curtain was a strong finish.

London Calling

The Clash

5/5

Oh yeah! Instant 5 stars for the greatest punk album of all time in my book - maybe Rancid equal it with '...and out come the wolves' but they would not have even existed without the influence of The Clash. Every song is a hit and covers such a breadth of style yet every track is unmistakably Clash. It's 'punk' perfection from start to finish: singalong lyrics, great melodies, deep dubby bass lines from Paul Simonon, immortalised in one of rock n rolls most iconic images on the sleeve. Probably my favourite album of this project lt so far. *****

Elvis Presley

1/5

I've never listened to an Elvis album in it's entirety before and I hope never to again. Devoid of substance. This guy was good looking and likely the right face at the right time but not a musical talent as far as I'm concerned.

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

2/5

I liked the music but the lyrics and vocals were a turn-off. Far too immature really. If it was an instrumental album I'd rate it much higher.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

5/5

Wonderful

The Cars

2/5

I like some of the sounds but overall this falls far short of the best that New Wave had to offer in my opinion. Seems like the grandfather of pop punk from the early 2000s

Life Thru A Lens

Robbie Williams

1/5

Can't stand it.

I'm Your Man

Leonard Cohen

4/5

This is one of my favourite Leonard Cohen albums. I think the 80s pop synths work well in contrast to his gravelly voice and the songs and lessons are so strong.

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

4/5

Arrival

ABBA

2/5

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

3/5

I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. I'd forgotten the 'shock' side of Eminem having not heard him in so long. The hits from this album are overplayed but actually decent songs when you give them the time. I think he's at his best when telling stories and he's so good at creating that cartoon-horror imagery. Ultimately, it's very juvenile and I doubt I'll listen again anytime soon. Could have done without the skits.

Dance Mania

Tito Puente

4/5

Enjoyable listen. Nothing really grabbed me but the whole thing was very pleasant. It may be something about not being able to tune in to the vocals but for me this is high quality background music.

Strange Cargo III

William Orbit

3/5

Until now, the only William Orbit stuff I was familiar with was Ray of Light, Pieces in a Modern Style and some Blur remixes. As the album started the sounds took me back to the early 90s and I loved. You can tell that Orbit is a 'proper' musician and I like how his compositions on this album unfold. As it went on it became more ambient and my attention began to wander.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

4/5

The College Dropout

Kanye West

4/5

The only Kanye album I've ever owned or listened to in it's entirety. This has some great songs on it and I like the lyrical content. Few too many skits but they work on the whole. I do not need the auto tune but other than that the production is fantastic. I remember having a hard time thinking of Kanye as a rapper when I first heard this and I still do. His verses are stitched together so obviously from multiple takes and I can only imagine it's a stylistic choice in search of perfection, but a proper rapper would surely perfect the verse before recording, or at least give the illusion of that. Is it because Kanye is consciously using his own voice like the samples he uses to construct the rest of the tracks? The result is good but I still find it somewhat jarring. Having listened to this I'd be interested to try some of his other albums out of curiosity. The last track is too self-indulgent.

The Who Sell Out

The Who

2/5

Franz Ferdinand

3/5

Better than I remembered but I dislike the vocals quite a lot.

Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby

Girls Against Boys

3/5

I'd never heard this before but I liked it. It reminded me a bit of bands like Nada Surf and Rival Schools who I really like, but didn't really have many stand out moments.

Blackstar

David Bowie

4/5

It's beautiful, heartbreaking and I love it. A proper wallowing album for me.

Dummy

Portishead

5/5

Great album and it's been one I've listened to regularly for at least 25 years. I love the sounds, pace, Beth's voice. To me it still sounds timeless, where other trip hop albums from the same period very much take me back to the early 90s.

25

Adele

2/5

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

4/5

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

5/5

This is such an incredible album and so significant in the history of music in the 20th Century. Zappa is a genius and this is him at the genesis of fusion, multi-track recording and is probably his most accessible. Hard to believe he released this and crafted Trout Mask Replica in the same year! Every second of every track is pure wonder and I never tire of hearing it.

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liars

4/5

My initial thought during the first track was 'oh no, not sure I can manage this today', but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. Quite weird and reminded me of some Flying Lotus, Melt Banana and even Radiohead in places. This is sort of thing that can sound fantastic when you are in the mood for it or horrendous when you're not.

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

3/5

Blunderbuss

Jack White

4/5

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

2/5

There are a couple of standout tracks and I accept that the songs are well written (not sure about that cornflake lyric though) but it just passed me by in general and didn't really grab my attention.

Boy In Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal

4/5

I like the raw energy and the DIY sound of this album. Dizzee is so young and hyped up, I don't think he can ever recapture that. Great artwork, too.

The Bones Of What You Believe

CHVRCHES

3/5

Low

David Bowie

5/5

The Doors

4/5

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

2/5

Absolutely awful. Setting this made me question the whole process but I listened dutifully. They do what they do well I guess, but what they do is knucklehead music completely devious of substance. Does Durst consider himself a rapper? He had no good lives whatsoever and the best verse on the record was from Xzibit.

Parklife

Blur

5/5

Instant 5 stars from me. While it's not my favourite Blur album, it's still a masterpiece in my mind. Did it influence or capture British culture at the time? The standout 'overplayed' tracks Girls and Boys and Parklife are both fantastic and English music in the 90s would have been vastly different without them. The rest of the album is all top notch with Damon starting to use characters in his songs more and more. The variety is there with fuzz, disco, and beautiful compositions but it all fits to get her as a coherent record and the songs are so well written they have undoubtedly stood the test of time. I have listened to this album regularly for close to thirty years and have not tired of it yet.

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

3/5

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

4/5

Excellent album with a few classic tracks. Nice to hear Snoop when he was young and had an edge. I love the g funk sound but s couple of tracks are filler and I could do without most of the skits.

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

3/5

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

1/5

This was so bland I could not even get through it. It sounds like a really poor imitation of Belle and Sebastian but with none of the charm.

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

4/5

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

3/5

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

5/5

I really enjoyed this having never heard it before. I particularly liked some of the extended jams - maybe because the music was simple enough for me to feel like I could have jammed with him! Down by the river was the standout track for me and I listened several times. Loved it!

Tonight's The Night

Neil Young

4/5

In Rainbows

Radiohead

5/5

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

4/5

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

3/5

Ambitious and I enjoyed it but it didn't really grab my attention. Don't think I will be listening regularly.

Harvest

Neil Young

5/5

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

5/5

This one is an instant 5* album for me. I'm a big fusion fan and this is such a big record that I've been familiar with since childhood. Everything about is is fantastic: the strong rhythms, exploratory solos and developing arrangements that stay funky all the way through. All of the musicians on the record are superb but Harvey Mason's drums stand out for me - I would love to be able to play like him. Love it.

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

3/5

Scott 2

Scott Walker

3/5

I can appreciate the music and songwriting but there's something about his voice that just doesn't grab my attention. I think it sounds very late-'60s and the music is much like a film score in places. I know it is a highly regarded record but for me it is lacklustre.

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

4/5

Just what I needed on a day where I'm feeling very under the weather. I put my headphones on and let it wash over me. I really like the lush textures and brushed drums. I will be returning to this one. Lovely.

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

3/5

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

3/5

Faust IV

Faust

2/5

Purple Rain

Prince

5/5

What a treat to listen to this. It's flawless as far as I'm concerned and a certified masterpiece of pop. Prince was a true genius and one of the greatest musicians of all time. Taking time out of my day to listen to and appreciate Purple Rain was an absolute joy. I need more Prince in my life!

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

3/5

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

5/5

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

4/5

The Joshua Tree

U2

4/5

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

4/5

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

5/5

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

2/5

I just found this one boring. It didn't engage me at all.

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

Maxwell

4/5

Very

Pet Shop Boys

2/5

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

3/5

Superunknown

Soundgarden

3/5

A Short Album About Love

The Divine Comedy

4/5

The Gilded Palace Of Sin

The Flying Burrito Brothers

3/5

New York Dolls

3/5

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

2/5

São Paulo Confessions

Suba

3/5

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

2/5

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

5/5

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

4/5

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

4/5

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

4/5

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

5/5

Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys

4/5

Vivid

Living Colour

3/5

Raw Like Sushi

Neneh Cherry

4/5

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

4/5

OK Computer

Radiohead

5/5

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

3/5

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

4/5

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

4/5

Brown Sugar

D'Angelo

5/5

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

4/5

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Raekwon

5/5

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

3/5

Get Behind Me Satan

The White Stripes

3/5

Fragile

Yes

2/5

More Specials

The Specials

4/5

Grace

Jeff Buckley

5/5

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Fishscale

Ghostface Killah

4/5

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

3/5

Too many words! The same criticism I have of Joni Mitchell. Beautiful stuff but more music and more space please

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

5/5

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

3/5

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

4/5

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

Bert Jansch

4/5

Step In The Arena

Gang Starr

3/5

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

3/5

Some 5 star songs for sure! I love the concept but some bits were less than good to my ears

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

2/5

1977

Ash

3/5

Greet nostalgia for me - took me back to being 13 again! But... I never liked how Wheeler's vocals are buried in the mix. Maybe he just doesn't have a strong voice. Good but not great!

Take Me Apart

Kelela

2/5

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

3/5

Locust Abortion Technician

Butthole Surfers

2/5

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

5/5