My 1001 Albums Journey

136

Albums Rated

3.71

Average Rating

12%

Complete

953 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

2010s

Favorite Decade

Metal

Favorite Genre

other

Top Origin

Enthusiast

Rater Style ?

5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Tragic Songs of Life The Louvin Brothers	5	2.57	+2.43
Snivilisation Orbital	5	2.71	+2.29
Arular M.I.A.	5	2.83	+2.17
Songs The Lord Taught Us The Cramps	5	2.84	+2.16
Gris Gris Dr. John	5	2.88	+2.12
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession Laura Nyro	5	2.94	+2.06
Call of the Valley Shivkumar Sharma	5	2.95	+2.05
Reign In Blood Slayer	5	2.96	+2.04
Bert Jansch Bert Jansch	5	3	+2
Electric The Cult	5	3.02	+1.98

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Ambient 1/Music For Airports Brian Eno	1	3.07	-2.07
A Night At The Opera Queen	2	3.96	-1.96
I Am a Bird Now Antony and the Johnsons	1	2.84	-1.84
A Wizard, A True Star Todd Rundgren	1	2.83	-1.83
Da Capo Love	1	2.81	-1.81
A Grand Don't Come For Free The Streets	1	2.67	-1.67
Born To Run Bruce Springsteen	2	3.64	-1.64
Bummed Happy Mondays	1	2.64	-1.64
good kid, m.A.A.d city Kendrick Lamar	2	3.61	-1.61
Straight Outta Compton N.W.A.	2	3.51	-1.51

Artists

Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
R.E.M.	3	4.67
Beatles	2	5

Controversial

Artist	Ratings
Peter Gabriel	5, 2

5-Star Albums (44)

View Album Wall

Popular Reviews

Arular

M.I.A.

5/5

I had only heard Paper Planes by M.I.A., and this album is a radical departure from that. I like that song, and I also really enjoyed this album. The musical range that M.I.A. shows is cool and fun to listen to. The uptempo energy carries the album. Great stuff!

2 likes

Peter Gabriel

5/5

Whispy vocals, cool rhythms. Very indie sound. Not the kind of music I normally gravitate towards, but overall a pretty enjoyable album.

1 likes

Music Has The Right To Children

Boards of Canada

4/5

Overall a really fun listen. Ambient electronica but with enough interesting bits to keep it moving.

1 likes

1-Star Albums (6)

All Ratings

Amnesiac

Radiohead

2/5

It started really strong, but became sort of generic over the course of the album. The high pitched vocals weren't my favorite

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

3/5

Soaring vocals, electronic tracks underneath. There are a few bangers on the album. Overall it's enjoyable but I wouldn't listen to the whole thing again. I'd pick the singles and listen to them.

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

4/5

Sinatra's voice is smooth and really quite amazing. Great compositions by Jobim. Overall a very enjoyable album.

Bossanova

Pixies

5/5

Good album. Diverse vocals and a cool musical style

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

5/5

Absolutely awesome album!

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

4/5

Seems like a great example of the genre; late-sixties Brit-Pop. Overall an enjoyable listen.

Fleet Foxes

4/5

Interesting sound. Very 2000's indie rock

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

5/5

Great album! I had never really listened to this kind of old timey country before, but the minimalist sound (one guitar, one mandolin, two singers in harmony) made for a really catchy, beautiful album. The duality of the voices, one twangy and high, the other in a lower key, made for an Appalachia meets Simon and Garfunkel vibe.

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

4/5

Whispy vocals, cool rhythms. Very indie sound. Not the kind of music I normally gravitate towards, but overall a pretty enjoyable album.

Peter Gabriel

5/5

Whispy vocals, cool rhythms. Very indie sound. Not the kind of music I normally gravitate towards, but overall a pretty enjoyable album.

A Wizard, A True Star

Todd Rundgren

1/5

Not the kind of music for me. Very '70's prog but not in a fun way, just in a Frank Zappa or Mr Bungle kinda way. I had a hard time getting through this one.

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

4/5

Funktastic

Crazysexycool

TLC

5/5

I am a straight man in my 40's, so I almost skipped listening to this one just because I didn't think it was going to be for me. But in all honesty, this was a pretty good album! The beats were solid and the vocals were on point. TLC's radio hits don't do them justice.

Peter Gabriel

2/5

It was ok. Solsbury Hill is a classic, but the rest of the album was kinda forgettable

Da Capo

Love

1/5

Being on drugs doesn't make your music good to people who aren't on drugs. Exhibit A: this album.

Document

R.E.M.

5/5

R.E.M. at the height of their powers. This album shows a lot of musical chops. The bass is forward and obviously heavily influenced by funk music. The sax solo is a nice touch. And Michael Stipe's haunting voice is perfect. Overall a very enjoyable album!

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

4/5

Surprisingly fun and catchy. This was a sleeper hit

Bert Jansch

5/5

Absolutely fantastic album! Bert Jansch's soulful vocals along with his masterful guitar work made for a really wonderful listening experience.

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

5/5

Great overall album. Just really enjoyable throughout. The gravelly voice of John Fogerty along with the catchy tunes carries it through. I could listen to this one over and over again.

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

2/5

This is a rock album for theater kids, as some of the other commenters have said. Honestly, not for me. It felt a little too over-the-top, though I get that that's the point. Meat Loaf's vocals were certainly the highlight of the album, as his range and vocal power is undeniable. If you like Rocky Horror or that kind of thing, I imagine you would really like this album.

Green

R.E.M.

5/5

A great album by R.E.M. Michael Stipe's vocals really drive the album, and his use of layering is unique and haunting. The drums are an omnipresent force. My favorite song was Orange Crush.

Tracy Chapman

5/5

Stardust

Willie Nelson

3/5

This one felt like Willie Nelson doing his best Frank Sinatra impression. Georgia On My Mind was an absolutely perfect cover and I think the best song on the album. Most of the others were forgettable, with a few head scratchers. Some of the songs seemed to be simply Willie singing random notes within a major scale for no apparent reason. Going into this one, I was excited because I generally like Willie Nelson, but this album was a meh for me.

Music Has The Right To Children

Boards of Canada

4/5

Overall a really fun listen. Ambient electronica but with enough interesting bits to keep it moving.

Blackstar

David Bowie

3/5

Never really a Bowie fan, but I liked this album overall

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

5/5

Surprisingly good album. Lauryn Hill's vocals were soulful and soaring, and the beats were solid. The classroom interludes of the teacher and students talking about love were a little corny, but worked to tie the album together in a very '90's way.

Younger Than Yesterday

The Byrds

4/5

Classic Summer of Love album. The musicality was tight even with the psychadelic stuff mixed in. The vocal harmonies were pleasant to listen to. Sort of a Beach Boys meets the Beatles vibe. It felt a little unpolished at times, like they were sort of figuring things out, but as a whole the album was pretty good.

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

4/5

Pretty good! Parsons and Harris make a nice vocal duo, with his rich baritone and her twangy southern twang balancing each other nicely. The lyrics are melancholic and sad, which is about what one would expect from an album called Grievous Angel.

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

3/5

Doesn't sound like what I imagined a Beach Boys album sounding like. I usually think of them as saccharine '50's-early '60's pop or "Good Vibrations" pop-psychadelic rock, but this was a different. Certainly darker in a way, with way less of the falsetto vocals usually associated with the band. Disney Girls and Surf's Up were the highlights for me. Overall not bad.

A Night At The Opera

Queen

2/5

An ok album overall. Most of the album kind of felt like filler except for Bohemian Rhapsody.

Ambient 1/Music For Airports

Brian Eno

1/5

Boring

Electric

The Cult

5/5

Driving vocals, good ol' fashioned in your face rock/punk music. This album was like eating a really good burger. It wasn't trying to be anything more than it was, but it was cooked perfectly, well balanced, and very satisfying. The influences on later pop-punk, new wave, and alternative music were obvious. Great album.

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

It was ok. Kinda cheesy, but in an earnest way. I've never been a big Springsteen fan, and this album didn't change my mind.

Repeater

Fugazi

5/5

Good post-hardcore punk by Fugazi. I enjoyed this album very much!

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

5/5

I had never heard of this artist or really this style of music before. I really dug this album! Monae's musical style draws from funk, soul, electronica, jazz, hip hop, new wave, synth pop... It sounded a bit chaotic at first, but as the album settled in the sound became more composed and Monae's soaring vocals carried the whole thing throughout. Definitely deserves another listen.

Ray Of Light

Madonna

3/5

Marquee Moon

Television

4/5

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

5/5

Great album! Soulful, powerful vocals and catchy tunes.

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

3/5

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

5/5

Funky

Tarkus

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

3/5

Dummy

Portishead

5/5

Great album! Tight grooves, solid vocals, just an overall enjoyable listen.

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

4/5

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

4/5

I've never been a huge fan of Talking Heads, but they're ok. This album exceeded my expectations. The music was innovative and catchy, and the vocal style became less annoying as the album went on.

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

5/5

Fantastic album! I never thought much of Thin Lizzy. Their radio hits always seemed pretty ok, but nothing special. The energy and rock-ness of their live album showcases their talent much more effectively.

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

3/5

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

5/5

Funky music reminiscent of Herby Hancock. The vocals are all in Portuguese, but the singer is strong and the lyrics are rhythmic. Overall a really enjoyable listen

Faust IV

Faust

4/5

Based on the other reviews, I expected to hate this album. I was pleasantly surprised! Overall, the songs hit a groove and stay there, while the band plays around, sometimes melodically, sometimes with noise or other rhythmic sounds (insects, water dripping, etc.) But the effect is fun and groovy.

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

4/5

Elton John's vocal prowess is obviously well known, and his songs are generally catchy and sometimes powerful. This album started really strong but kinda lost steam halfway through. Overall an enjoyable listen, but the best songs were definitely the hits.

Henry's Dream

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

3/5

Microshift

Hookworms

5/5

Great album!

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

5/5

Great album!

Life Thru A Lens

Robbie Williams

2/5

It felt very generic 90's pop. I've heard that this guy is popular in England, but as an American, I don't see what the fuss is about

The United States Of America

3/5

This album started out a little bit too experimental for my taste, and I almost abandoned it early, but I stuck it out and it got better as it went on. The layering of instruments on top of the main groove felt a little awkward at times, but the vocals were pleasant and the music was interesting and unique. Not one I'd revisit, but glad I listened.

American Idiot

Green Day

5/5

There are some albums that are a collection of songs, the order of which is unimportant and thematically they don't necessarily match. This is not one of those. American Idiot is an album meant to be consumed as such. In a way, the album could be seen as one long song, which, given the popularity of many of the individual songs on the album, is a testament to Green Day's songwriting and craftsmanship. This is very much a time capsule of post-9/11 America. It is a protest album in the most literal sense. It's easy to forget now but Green Day's cultural relevance had faded almost entirely before American Idiot came out and brought them roaring back to the fore. While it isn't a perfect album in a vacuum, it was the perfect album for this band at that time, and its musical snapshot of the time and place it represents is profound.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

2/5

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

1/5

This might be the worst album I've ever heard. Seriously. How did this end up on the 1001 albums list?? The rapping is arrhythmic and the rhyme scheme is awkward. The beats are rudimentary. The story line is childish. What am I missing? What does anyone see in this?

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

1/5

The backing music was pleasant in a semi-melancholy way. Sort of reminiscent of Lana Del Ray. But the vocal style was absolutely brutal and very off putting. I couldn't finish it.

Young Americans

David Bowie

3/5

Bowie is clearly a talented vocalist and songwriter. The title track is a classic. The rest of the album is heavily influenced by the jazz and funk of the 1970's. Overall, a nice album but not really my favorite.

All Directions

The Temptations

5/5

Songs The Lord Taught Us

The Cramps

5/5

Kid A

Radiohead

4/5

Reign In Blood

Slayer

5/5

Metal is a genre best enjoyed live. Much like seeing an action movie in the theater vs seeing it at home, the experience is much best enjoyed when it's big, loud, and overwhelming. My wife doesn't listen to metal recreationally, but she'll go to a live metal show because the thunderous double-bass drum, the shredding guitar, the smell of sweat and beer, the taste of blood, the bruises, and the energy of the mosh pit serve to create the perfect atmosphere for the controlled chaos of the music itself. I imagine ravers who listen to EDM in the car have a similar experience. That said, Reign in Blood is a masterpiece. Raining Blood is an amazing song, but the whole album overall is a master class in thrash metal. If a great grindcore/slasher film were made into an album, this would be it.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

4/5

A lot more twangy and country style than I expected from the Stones, but overall an enjoyable listen

Dire Straits

5/5

Whoever mixed this album deserves a Grammy. Beautiful job. The guitars are clean and bright, and Mark Knopfler's gravelly vocals provide a great counterpoint to the rest of the band. The musicians are world class, and the songwriting, while seemingly straightforward, shows a lot of technical grace without getting in its own way. I really enjoyed this one!

Arular

M.I.A.

5/5

Sweet Baby James

James Taylor

5/5

Great bluesy folk album by James Taylor. The guitar work is superb, and his voice is angelic. Fire and Rain is a classic for a reason, and it still resonates, while many other songs on the album are composed, played, and sung beautifully.

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

4/5

Gris Gris

Dr. John

5/5

Fun album! I saw "psychadelic" and 1968 and thought 'oh god, here we go again.' But this wasn't that at all. It was sludgy, jazzy, voodoo cosplay fun! It felt very underground, and that certainly added to its appeal. This is the kind of weird, fun album that I started this project to find!

The Joshua Tree

3/5

Lam Toro

Baaba Maal

4/5

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

Water From An Ancient Well

Abdullah Ibrahim

3/5

Pretty standard cafe jazz. It's fine background music, but not really exciting or innovative or anything. I don't really see why this album would be included, but I'm also not a jazz guy, so...

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

4/5

The album title says it all. It is very Elvis, and it is very Memphis. Overall I enjoyed the album, not really having listened to much Elvis Presley aside from a few of his hits.

Boy In Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal

4/5

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

5/5

Absolute masterpiece. I didn't realize that Changes was a Sabbath song until after I had heard the Big Mouth version. Ozzy performs it beautifully. Snowblind is a classic, and Supernaut is a banger. FX is also a beautiful interlude. Great album!

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

4/5

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

3/5

The album was largely forgettable. Pretty much exactly what one would expect from late '60's pop-rock. Not bad really, but not an album that is transformative or really even that distinguishable from others of its time.

Low

David Bowie

3/5

Iron Maiden

5/5

Iron Maiden without Bruce Dickinson is a different band. The soaring vocals are replaced with a more growled, workmanlike sound. I like it!

Calenture

The Triffids

3/5

The Wall

Pink Floyd

5/5

What a great album! The ultimate concept album, I've listened to this one a hundred times and I'll probably listen to it a hundred more.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

5/5

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

3/5

This album was fine. Not spectacular, but not bad either. Very '60's. I'm realizing that this list leans very heavy on the '60's rock, and I don't think I agree that the cultural relevance of these albums today warrants their outsized influence on it. It's albums like this that make me consider abandoning the project.

Snivilisation

Orbital

5/5

Honky Tonk Masquerade

Joe Ely

3/5

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things

3/5

Tidal

Fiona Apple

4/5

Soulful vocals and lyrics. Less aggressive and subversive than I expected from Fiona Apple, but in a good way.

Who Killed...... The Zutons?

The Zutons

5/5

Closer

Joy Division

3/5

The Sensual World

Kate Bush

2/5

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

5/5

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar

2/5

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

Life's Too Good

The Sugarcubes

4/5

Horses

Patti Smith

2/5

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

4/5

Miriam Makeba

5/5

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

4/5

Aja

Steely Dan

3/5

S&M

Metallica

3/5

I love Metallica. ...And Justice For All, Master of Puppets, and the Black Album are very worthy of this list. S&M, while an interesting concept, just didn't really do it for me. The songs they reimagined were better in their original form. No Leaf Clover is amazing, though. In all, I appreciate the artistic license given to both the SF Symphony and Metallica, and the resulting album gave rise to many better versions/bands/Dethklok parodies. It was an artistic risk that paid off culturally and financially, but at least to my ears not musically.

Junkyard

The Birthday Party

2/5

There is way too much Nick Cave on this list.

Arrival

ABBA

3/5

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

4/5

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

5/5

Fantastic album. Lana Del Rey's voice is perfect yet again, and her range is in full force here. The album starts out with a breathy falsetto, then moves into probably the catchiest song with Chemtrails over the Country Club and her signature moody chest voice. The backing music is haunting and beautiful, and Lana's lyrics and vocals carry the album.

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

The mix of live tracks and studio ones is a bit confusing, but the album overall showcases solid guitar work with Neil Young's signature vocal style. Overall pretty solid, though not world changing.

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

4/5

Darklands

The Jesus And Mary Chain

3/5

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago

4/5

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

3/5

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Call of the Valley

Shivkumar Sharma

5/5

Being There

Wilco

3/5

evermore

Taylor Swift

5/5

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Richard Thompson

5/5

Beautiful! The Irish vocals are evocative and stirring, and the composition is simple yet soulful. My aunt and uncle had shown me some Richard Thompson music a few years ago and I had liked it in a coffee house-earnest sort of way, but listening to this album gave much greater depth and feeling to his/their music. I called my aunt and uncle after having listened to this to tell them I get it now!

Rubber Soul

Beatles

5/5

Probably the best album by the best band of all time. What else needs to be said?

Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo

3/5

Os Mutantes

2/5

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

3/5

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

Faces

3/5

Machine Head

Deep Purple

4/5

Bummed

Happy Mondays

1/5

Murmur

R.E.M.

4/5

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

5/5

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

2/5

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

Maxwell

2/5

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

4/5

The Message

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

4/5

Surprisingly funky. I expected more of an early hip-hop feel like De La Soul or Kid and Play, but this was much more of an R&B/Soul album than that.

Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys

3/5

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

3/5

Immigrés

Youssou N'Dour

3/5

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

2/5

Brothers

The Black Keys

4/5

I like the singles by the Black Keys, though they all kind of sound the same. This album was more enjoyable than I thought it would be, but really all of their songs have a really similar sound. Still, well made and a fun listen.

Sister

Sonic Youth

3/5

A Short Album About Love

The Divine Comedy

3/5

The Stooges

2/5