My 1001 Albums Journey

Albums Rated

3.41

Average Rating

Complete

1018 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

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1980s

Favorite Decade

Funk

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other

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Wordsmith

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5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Devotional Songs Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	5	2.58	+2.42
Under Construction Missy Elliott	5	3.14	+1.86
Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears	5	3.17	+1.83
The World is a Ghetto War	5	3.35	+1.65
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below OutKast	5	3.45	+1.55
Sign 'O' The Times Prince	5	3.45	+1.55
Zombie Fela Kuti	5	3.47	+1.53
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Ray Charles	5	3.49	+1.51
Calenture The Triffids	4	2.55	+1.45
1999 Prince	5	3.6	+1.4

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye West	1	3.42	-2.42
The Soft Bulletin The Flaming Lips	1	3.28	-2.28
Selected Ambient Works 85-92 Aphex Twin	1	3.21	-2.21
Dookie Green Day	2	3.79	-1.79
Yeezus Kanye West	1	2.77	-1.77
Talking Book Stevie Wonder	2	3.72	-1.72
The Velvet Underground & Nico The Velvet Underground	2	3.62	-1.62
Fulfillingness' First Finale Stevie Wonder	2	3.56	-1.56
Definitely Maybe Oasis	2	3.52	-1.52
Sound of Silver LCD Soundsystem	2	3.42	-1.42

Artists

Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
Prince	2	5

Least Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
Kanye West	2	1

Controversial

Artist	Ratings
Oasis	2, 5

5-Star Albums (17)

View Album Wall

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Popular Reviews

High Violet

The National

2/5

Drab, sad and most offensively of all - deathly dull.

13 likes

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

5/5

I closed my eyes and thought “hell yes!” when this popped up. One of my favourite Prince albums. It begins with some of Prince’s greatest lyrics in Sign o’ The Times and ends on the highest of notes with the incredible “Adore”. The album is beautiful, sweet, sexy, wild and funky. Most of all it’s great! Honourable mention to the popping Housequake. I’ll give these low score reviewers a line for the road - shut up already, damn!

6 likes

Devotional Songs

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

5/5

This is a wonderful album, every song had me tuned in. I feel sorry for people who can’t appreciate this kind of thing. I’ve found that listening to something outside of your own language lets you connect on a deeper level to the music. I loved listening to this and will be back for more!

4 likes

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

2/5

This album gets interesting when Nico isn’t bogging along in her god awful drone. By interesting I mean somewhat endurable.

4 likes

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

2/5

Decidedly uncool, it feels too self conscious and try hard. There are parts that threaten to tickle my fancy but ultimately I just feel bleh about this album. Someone needs to tell this bloke he ain’t Prince.

3 likes

4-Star Albums (18)

1-Star Albums (4)

All Ratings

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

2/5

This is supposed to be one of their best? Boring, repetitive and uninspired.

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix

3/5

An enjoyable, if unfocused, electric blues dream but very much the average Hendrix fare. Carrying a lot of weight at the end of the album are Voodoo Child (Slight Return) and Hendrix’s cover of All Along The Watchtower - one of only a few covers to become the definitive version. Hearing Watchtower again was quite incredible, it really is a beast of a cover although it’s quality does stand in stark contrast to the rest of the album. I don’t think I’d listen to this again but I’m glad I’ve heard it.

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

4/5

Ha! What an album. The drums coming in on Let’s Get It On after those three sexy wahs is so satisfying and perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the album. It’s stunning in its lush arrangements and vocals, creating a dreamy space of all encompassing sensuality and tenderness. Beautiful.

Station To Station

David Bowie

5/5

I don’t want to waffle on too much about Station To Station other than to say it’s a delightful listen that doesn’t outstay its welcome. A perfect little album and a definite fast favourite.

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

3/5

Wonderful voice and the band is on it but I really didn’t vibe with this album. It all started to sound the same and I’m sorry to say that I might be a heathen but I just could not finish it.

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

4/5

Loved this album! Reminds me of warm summer nights. This is one I will love to revisit.

B-52's

The B-52's

4/5

Great album with a few stand outs - my favourite being Dance This Mess Around. What an awesome song that is. Cindy Wilson’s voice gives the B-52’s such a distinct flavour, it’s chronically underrated in general. Great album.

Parallel Lines

Blondie

5/5

To put it simply - I would put this album on a Best Albums of All Time list. It almost feels like a Best Of, there’s a bunch of big hitters on this and even the lesser known songs are so damn good. Everyone knows the big hits so I’ll mention a few of my favourites that fly under the radar. Fade away and Radiate is such a weird and beautiful song. Blondie do those big bops with utter perfection but then you get these slower, touching and floaty gems. I love the little splashes of 60’s influences like the Shangri-Las butting up against New Wave. I Know But I Don’t Know, Will Anything Happen, Just Go Away, 11:59. Holy crap this album is incredible. There’s a reason Debbie Harry is an absolute legend. I think she sometimes gets passed off as not being a good singer (hi babe) but I think her voice is kind of magical. I can’t imagine these songs without her.

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

4/5

I only knew of the two hits on this album but the rest are great and often quite beautiful Grace Slick’s voice is so spooky. It doesn’t seem to belong to any time period in particular, it’s like a cosmic ghost warbling through space and time. Whatever that means… it’s awesome. I have no idea who the male singer is but I really enjoyed his singing. The rhythm of the album feels a little off kilter at times - I got whiplash between Somebody To Love and My Best Friend - however I think it maintains equilibrium after that. It’s a strange album but I think I might just love it.

On The Beach

Neil Young

3/5

Not a bad album but it’s definitely not my favourite of Neil Young’s. Well worth a listen but I wouldn’t want to revisit very often.

Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

Public Enemy

4/5

Apparently this was a a leaner production out of necessity and time pressure yet it feels grounded and fully realised. The sound is so evocative you can almost feel the summer heat coming off the city pavement. A stand out for me is By The Time I Get To Arizona - love the chorus in the background, feels very funk/soul-like. I’m not a huge hip hop listener but I do have a soft spot for 90’s hiphop. Makes me feel a little nostalgic but Apocalypse 91 still feels fresh and very alive and perhaps just as relevant today. I need to listen to the previous 3 now.

Walking Wounded

Everything But The Girl

2/5

Songs to listen to while walking down a rainy street thinking about your ex. God god this is a boring album. It feels like listening to slight variations of the same song.

Zombie

Fela Kuti

5/5

I was very excited to see this album come up. There are not many 12+minute songs I can stand to sit through let alone enjoy every second of but Zombie has me grooving through four of them! (Atleast on the reissue version I heard). There’s something so magnetic about Zombie. Learning of the aftermath is heartbreaking and makes this such an important album to absorb.

Take Me Apart

Kelela

3/5

It’s an alright album, not my usual sort of thing but I’m pretty open to anything if it’s good. Not sure I really needed to hear this one before I died though. I will say there are some riffs that remind me of the classic Australian band Bardot and for that I added another star hahaha

Goo

Sonic Youth

4/5

This is a strange one for me as I’ve always struggled to get into Sonic Youth despite loving many SY adjacent bands. I do love their album covers by Raymond Pettibon and Mike Kelley though. I’ve also loved the song Dirty Boots for a while but I wasn’t into this album at all. I could see how it could be great but it was a solid 3 for me until probably half way through when something clicked. Do I love this album? I think I may be a convert!

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

2/5

Well, it has Superstition… that’s about it. I’ve been through a Stevie Wonder stage and eventually realised he isn’t as good as people say he is. Even his hits are ordinary. By the way - worst concert I’ve ever been to. Meh!

Woodface

Crowded House

4/5

A killer first half, second half is not too shabby but stops it short of being a five star album. When Crowded House shine they are brighter than the sun.

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

2/5

This is my second Sonic Youth album in a week and I’m not that impressed. I came around to Goo in the end but Daydream Nation does not do it for me. I just don’t think I get Sonic Youth.

Countdown To Ecstasy

Steely Dan

3/5

Not mind blowing but definitely an enjoyable album!

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

1/5

Mostly naff music, some ok moments like those handfuls of fuzz synth in A Spoonful. Wow, I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel here, huh? This freshly laid dog turd is unforgivably irritating as a whole. Oh and I hate this guy’s voice. Absolutely wretched.

The xx

2/5

Do people actually get something out of this kind of thing? Maybe a good night’s sleep.

Calenture

The Triffids

4/5

There is something very compelling about this album. I’m not even sure how to arrange my thoughts on it. I hear a few dashes of The Smiths and Nick Cave in there and a distinct 80’s whiff at times but it is certainly intriguing. I’d never heard The Triffids before so I looked them up and was surprised to see they’re Australian, cool! Oh, they’re also from my home town, cooler! I may have to spend more time with this one. There’s something really special in there.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

A great album that keeps grooving through even the most hard hitting songs. There were no duds for me, just a wonderfully crafted, cohesive gem.

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

3/5

Not a great start, I was only on track two and waiting for it to be over. The first track seems to be the most popular but I think it sounds like an incredibly dorky 70’s talk show theme and I can’t help but cringe listening to it. However, things get a little more interesting once you slog your way past Birdland. My favourite was probably The Juggler - it sounded like something off of Kate Bush’s Never For Ever, particularly Jaco’s bass slides. Not something I would go out of my way to listen to but it was alright.

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

4/5

I groaned when I saw this album pop up but then listening to it I remembered I was actually really into it a million years ago. I must have blocked that from memory because I do find this band pretty lame but this album is annoyingly good from start to finish. It does have that mid 00’s superficial sheen which I find offputting, however they sure do know how to make a catchy tune. I like the instrumentals especially in Of Birds And Monsters. Overall the album is earcatching, if puddle deep, but that’s ok!

Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera

4/5

Christina Aguilera does pop to perfection so this album does not disappoint on that front. It has that speakeasy flavour that I remember being popular at the time but it doesn’t date the album too badly. The length was daunting and I think it could have been much shorter but it flows well and keeps hitting highs all the way through.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

5/5

Outkast really are in a league (and on a planet) of their own. Dragging old school into the far off future, this is a long ass album that deserves every second to be heard and savoured. In my opinion this is their magnum opus, an incredible feat considering the quality of their previous records.

Yeezus

Kanye West

1/5

The lyrics and rapping are dumb as hell, Bound 2 is ok mainly due to the sampling but guess what - fuck this nazi asshole.

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

2/5

This album gets interesting when Nico isn’t bogging along in her god awful drone. By interesting I mean somewhat endurable.

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

5/5

I’m not sure how Oasis went from the derpy shite of their first album to the Britpop Beatles capturing lightning in a bottle. I’m convinced they met the devil at the crossroads for a one album deal.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

5/5

Wow this one starts off with a kick. Woke me up and got me going! Ray Charles’ take on these Country & Western classics is vibrant, luxuriant and warm. This is life affirming stuff.

Music

Madonna

3/5

I wish the whole album was in the same vein as the two great songs “Music” and “Don’t Tell Me”, I think that would have been awesome. Unfortunately the rest of the album is mostly low energy dance tunes mired in an autotune muck. Mostly uninteresting save for a couple of high notes.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

5/5

Rollicking bass and organ with jazzy horns, the perfect friend to David Clayton-Thomas’ incredible voice. This is my favourite iteration of BS&T and this one is a perfect album, simple as that.

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

5/5

The Smiths at their most mopesome, winsome and best. Funny and terribly romantic as always. I Know It’s Over is a stroke of lyrical perfection, I love the line “Mother I can feel the soil falling over my head”. Really enjoyed this album as a whole, Johnny Marr in particular is incredible, his guitar work injects such magic into these songs.

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

3/5

It's alright, it's got groove but not much bite. Not especially impactful.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

3/5

I did enjoy hearing this one for the first time, some of the songs are a very strange and interesting but I wouldn’t choose to listen again. I think I prefer Radiohead a little rockier and less moany like on OK Computer.

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

4/5

Soulful and tight. Nice short album that has a lot to say in the most beautiful way.

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

5/5

Simply mellifluous! I think I love jazz.

High Violet

The National

2/5

Drab, sad and most offensively of all - deathly dull.

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

2/5

This sounds like all of those forgettable songs you hear in mediocre 80’s movies.

OK Computer

Radiohead

4/5

I first heard this when I was a young 17 year old girl in a band with a bunch of 30 something year old dudes. The guy who taught me to play guitar handed me this album and Ween’s GodWeenSatan. I wasn’t ready for Ween quite yet but I loved OK Computer. This album is so electric. Much better than their moany electronic stuff.

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

3/5

The only Byrds song I’ve ever liked was Eight Miles High. That has not changed after listening to this album.

Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J

3/5

This one’s got some nice funky samples but these lyrics… that one line, you know the one. I definitely enjoyed the beats on this more than the rapping, you can feel this teetering on the line between eras. It’s an ok listen but way too long. Title track is still banging though.

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

5/5

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

3/5

Nice instrumental album to have in the background, does remind me of walking into a trendy cafe though. I lost interest in the back half.

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

3/5

Not sure about this one. It’s listenable but not my thing. The singer can be a bit annoying.

1999

Prince

5/5

Prince is such a weirdo and I love him so much. Was he really worried about having enough class for a gal who carries around used Trojans in her pocket? Anyway, this is a banger that I initially wrote off but listening to the whole thing has made me realise just how good it is. I think All The Critics Love U In New York is deeply underappreciated!

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

5/5

Holy shit, this is good. Missy is an all time great and no, not all time great “female rapper”. She’s here to remind you just who she is - she’s funny, sexy, biting and brilliant. Under Construction maintains the fire right to the end.

Back In Black

AC/DC

5/5

I’m always amazed that AC/DC managed to come back with one of the greatest rock albums of all time after losing their original frontman (an absolute legend). How is it that even possible!? This is pure rock at its best. Sometimes you just need something to blow out the cobwebs. My favourite is the closer - Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution. I love it’s slow start with the guitar and the drums cave-manning their way on in. This album is fun as fuck.

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

I hate to just follow the crowd with a fiver, there are songs on this album I just go huh? Outside of his genius Paul has a penchant for some real lame, dorky songs (Her Majesty, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer) that I wish I could remove from certain Beatles albums. Yet, as a whole this album is an absolute triumph. There are so many massive songs on this album, two of the most beautiful written by George Harrison, John’s I Want You is incredible and the Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End medley is immensely stirring. Yeah, this is really up there.

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

2/5

Devotional Songs

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

5/5

Fever Ray

4/5

I listened to this album a lot a few years ago. I love the simplicity of both the lyrics and the music, they somehow combine to touch on something very deep.

British Steel

Judas Priest

4/5

You can hear all the little seeds of future bands being sewn in this album. I can’t not think of Beavis and Butthead when I hear “Breaking The Law” though heh heh heh.

Phaedra

Tangerine Dream

2/5

Ugh! Spacey shit but boring.

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

The Dandy Warhols

4/5

Pleasantly surprised by how good this album is. The Dandy Warhols were never on my radar and I’d never have listened to them on my own accord. This is why I love this project!

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

3/5

I’m not doing this project to talk on the cultural context and significance of an album, that’s been covered. I review these purely through my response to them. I expected this to be cooler than it is. Straight Outta Compton sounds kind of lame sometimes and it’s incredibly homophobic and gross about women. So uh, fuck that. Some nice samples though eg Express Yourself.

Scott 4

Scott Walker

2/5

Painfully dull.

Microshift

Hookworms

2/5

Some of the selections on this list are positively mind boggling. Pedestrian shite!

Kid A

Radiohead

3/5

I think it’s more of a 3.5 but there were quite a few times I thought this is it!?The first half is actually enraging. I flip flopped on it but eventually relaxed into the second half (I was watering the garden so maybe I was just in a good mood by that stage.) Ultimately I think this album is just a tad overrated.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

4/5

Really nice hooks and melodies. I enjoyed it!

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

1/5

I feel I’m wasting hours of my life listening to god awful albums like this one. NEXT!

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

4/5

I love me some Waylon. This one’s a little low key but lovely. I hope there’s some more WJ waiting for me on this list!

Dookie

Green Day

2/5

I was never a fan of Green Day, I find this style mediocre (well more like kinda shit, to be frank). It really does nothing for me. Longview and When I Come Around are ok. Atleast I can draw a line under that and know I’m not missing anything interesting.

evermore

Taylor Swift

3/5

Listenable but soulless. It’s all so perfectly packaged it makes me nauseous.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

1/5

Ananda Shankar

2/5

Nothing really grabbed me here, in fact it got more and more annoying with each passing track.

The World is a Ghetto

War

5/5

Oh how I love War! Just pour ‘em right in my ears. War have that rare ability to make sounds that go right to your human core and this album is pure War.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

Nice samples, unremarkable otherwise.

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Sinead O'Connor

4/5

Sensitive and touching… and that beautiful interpretation of a Prince masterpiece, stunning. I do really regret not fully appreciating her greatness while she was here.

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

2/5

Christ, whatever.