My 1001 Albums Journey

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1006 albums remaining

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1960s

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
The Specials The Specials	5	3.3	+1.7
Guero Beck	5	3.46	+1.54
Blonde On Blonde Bob Dylan	5	3.5	+1.5
Surfer Rosa Pixies	5	3.51	+1.49
So Peter Gabriel	5	3.55	+1.45
Funeral Arcade Fire	5	3.57	+1.43
Ramones Ramones	5	3.58	+1.42
The Joshua Tree U2	5	3.67	+1.33
21 Adele	5	3.69	+1.31
Born In The U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen	5	3.7	+1.3

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
In The Court Of The Crimson King King Crimson	1	3.6	-2.6
Gorillaz Gorillaz	1	3.53	-2.53
Blue Lines Massive Attack	1	3.38	-2.38
Siembra Willie Colón & Rubén Blades	1	3.29	-2.29
Bongo Rock Incredible Bongo Band	1	3.26	-2.26
Clandestino Manu Chao	1	3.21	-2.21
...The Dandy Warhols Come Down The Dandy Warhols	1	3.13	-2.13
Reign In Blood Slayer	1	2.96	-1.96
Connected Stereo MC's	1	2.94	-1.94
Arc Of A Diver Steve Winwood	1	2.88	-1.88

5-Star Albums (12)

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4-Star Albums (18)

1-Star Albums (11)

All Ratings

Foo Fighters

3/5

This Is a Call is such a great album opener. I think it's easy to rag on Foo Fighters for becoming such a formulaic arena rock band over the years, but that first 10 years was, mostly, very good. I came to this album late as was a little too young at release but with the wider context of knowing where Dave was and what he had experienced I think this is a really great little solo project. Not sure many would have predicted it growing into the biggest rock band in the world.

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

3/5

I knew more of this than I thought. It was better than I expected, usually thinking of Thin Lizzy as a bit dad-rock. Dragged a bit through the back half.

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

4/5

Am I putting this at a four? Maybe......... It's not my favourite Led Zeppelin album but I really enjoyed it and Kashmir elevates anything. Fuck it, FOUR STARS!

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

5/5

Fantastic. Energetic. Unique. Just bloody brilliant.

Rio

Duran Duran

2/5

Hmmmm. I liked what I knew already, the rest didn't do a ton for me. A bit samey in places.

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

1/5

I struggled with this. Prog is not my thing at all and I didn't really particularly enjoy anything here.

Amnesiac

Radiohead

3/5

I am putting this at a four as I enjoyed it without ever really getting hooked. I do plan to return to this though and I feel like it's an album that is likely to grow on me more over time.

Clandestino

Manu Chao

1/5

Just not my thing. I got through the album but nothing really grabbed me.

Kenya

Machito

4/5

Never heard of the songs, the album or the artist. Not a genre I am really familiar with either, but I loved this. Enough so that I listened to it four times and then left spotify on auto play for similar content the rest of my work day. I think the scoring system makes it hard to go above a 3 without intimately knowing an album, but I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna bloody do it.

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

3/5

So I didn't include the egregious final four tracks in my listens or rating. It's not my taste but it was uber fucking funky. The bass and those disco drums make it impossible not to tap along at your desk.

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

2/5

Tough. It's good at what it does but a little samey for my liking, even some of the songs themselves. This feels a bit harsh but going with a 2 as it just doesn't feel like something I'd reach for again.

Fragile

Yes

2/5

Me and prog. A never ending rivalry. It wasn't terrible.

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

4/5

Trying very hard to be objective and not let recent events cloud my rating. Not a massive Sabbath fan but this album is great. Riffs all over the place, opening with probably the best Sabbath song (maybe the best Ozzy song).

Bongo Rock

Incredible Bongo Band

1/5

There is only so many bongo covers I can take in a way before seriously questioning my state of mind and how I got here.

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

4/5

That stereo mix dates this so much. Really good song writing though.

Reign In Blood

Slayer

1/5

I found this tough. I can take thrash metal in small doses but an entire album is too much for me.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

2/5

Decent music, very fun lyrically

Guero

Beck

5/5

Absolutely fantastic

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

4/5

Going in I thought this was an immediate 5 star but the length of the double album was a bit much at times and I didn't love everything as much as I remembered. The highlights are very high though.

Purple Rain

Prince

4/5

Brilliant pop music. I never want to be friends with a person who does not sing along to Purple Rain.

Kick Out The Jams (Live)

MC5

3/5

I should love MC5. They are loved by many of my favourite artists. They have just enough chaos in their sound to sit amongst similar artists that I love. Instead I just kinda think they are fine.

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

4/5

I have always hated Aerosmith and thought of them as a terribly cheesy act. I guess that is strongly influenced by my age and mostly knowing their latter output. This was really good though.

Gorillaz

1/5

Critical darlings but this just passed me by. Listened a few times over the weekend but nothing really grabbed me outside of the singles I already knew.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

2/5

Didn't hate it but a bit cheesy in places

The Specials

5/5

Just wonderful music

Led Zeppelin

4/5

Just a really good rock album. It's not Led Zep 2 though.

LP1

FKA twigs

2/5

This feels harsh, and I suspect with more listens this would definitely increase. The song writing and production were really unique and fascinating BUT it didn't really hook me.

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

4/5

I've never listened to as much Dylan as I probably should. Really, really enjoyed this though. Will be returning to this one.

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear

2/5

It was alright in places but I often found it just kinda filling the background.

Raw Power

The Stooges

2/5

This should have been my thing but it just really didn't work for me at all.

Parachutes

Coldplay

4/5

One of those bands where it has become really boring to build your personality around stating that they suck. When actually their first 4/5 albums were really solid. This wasn't their peak but is a really strong debut that hinted at what they would do on the next album which is a 5. Some wonderful basslines on this album.

The Wall

Pink Floyd

3/5

It's tough, I acknowledge this is amazing for a lot of people but I struggle to engage greatly with it.

Adele

5/5

Brilliant. Just absolutely brilliant. Writing something this strong at age 21, the strength of her vocals. Someone Like You ranks somewhere in my favourite, most powerful songs of all time. Flawless.

Blunderbuss

Jack White

4/5

This was really great

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

2/5

Just a bit bland

Suzanne Vega

2/5

This is really hard. Clearly a great song writer, a really unique style and voice that is recognisable BUT when listening to the album it just drifted into the background of what I was doing. I feel like this is an album that greatly suffers from the setup of this, an album like this isn't going to work in a single day of two listens whilst working. I expect if you come back to me in twelve months time this will have grown on me greatly.

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

1/5

Not really for me

Connected

Stereo MC's

1/5

It's not been a great week for albums has it?

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

5/5

Yeah, this was pretty brilliant.

C'est Chic

CHIC

2/5

A bit bland and forgettable

The Poet

Bobby Womack

2/5

Just didn't grab me at all

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

1/5

Very 80s

Funeral

Arcade Fire

5/5

So good, but not their best album. I really hope The Suburbs is on this list at some point.

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

4/5

Urban Hymns

The Verve

2/5

I always thought of The Verve as brit-pop for your Dad, this didn't particularly change my mind. Some good moments but not for me really.

System Of A Down

4/5

The freneticism of System of a Down is so enjoyable. I think Toxicity is their most listenable album but this is still really damn good.

A Walk Across The Rooftops

The Blue Nile

3/5

This was a really pleasant surprise. Entirely unfamiliar with the artist but will seek out more.

The La's

3/5

Never listened beyond There She Goes which is an all timer. This was good though, will return.

Brothers

The Black Keys

2/5

I'm supposed to like this because I know so many other folks that do and have similar tastes to me, but every time I try with The Black Keys I come away thinking it was fine.

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

4/5

I don't love this as much as a lot of critics do but it is really good. The only thing that would improve it would be sitting in a Range Rover and singing along with Rob Brydon on a Spanish country road.

Tracy Chapman

3/5

All that I really know about Tracy Chapman is that I cannot stand Fast Car. It's not a bad song, it's a very good song, but I can't stand it. Too many open mics, too many boring and samey cover versions, too many times on the radio, too many times on my tv. Any potential for that song to ever move me in any way has been eroded from over exposure. Decent album though and I found out a Reel Big Fish song that I like is actually a cover.

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

The Dandy Warhols

1/5

This was so samey that to be honest at the end of my second listen I just came away feeling tired. Not for me at all.

Ramones

5/5

This was the first album I ever owned, it influenced so much.

The Slim Shady LP

Eminem

2/5

I listened to this a lot at middle school and looking back I'm really not sure why. Shock value maybe? This really is not for me, but I can acknowledge that it isn't terrible, it definitely makes me cringe though.

Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter

2/5

This is a tough one and feels like the kind of thing that probably suffers from this format of listening in a day and then judging. I wonder if I would rate this higher had it been a Friday entry? It faded out on me at points but there was some stuff I liked and would like to really properly listen.

The Real Thing

Faith No More

3/5

I'm trying to not be influenced solely by how damn good Epic is. I listened to this album a ton in my late teens and was massively into Faith No More. It doesn't quite do as much for me these days, but they do have a real unique sound. Mike Patton verges on being a musical genius.

Black Sabbath

2/5

The Joshua Tree

5/5

I know we're supposed to hate on U2 but I love this album. Listened to it a ton in the early days of really exploring music as a teenager and thought it also had something really special.

Microshift

Hookworms

4/5

This was really neat, a bit of a Postal Service vibe in places and I've already listened to some other bits. Nice find.

Elvis Presley

3/5

When you already recognise pretty much every song before putting the album on there's already a baseline of this being notable. Some really good stuff on here even if a bit dated.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

2/5

I really want to like PJ Harvey. So many people I know love her but it always is just kind of ok to me. It just doesn't grab me.

Siembra

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades

1/5

I didn't even notice when this ended and went to shuffle. Like Phyl, on a different day I may have taken this in more.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

2/5

Any of these tracks alone would be fun, all of them in a row is a bit much for me though.

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

3/5

I always think of Dolly Parton as a character, or even a caricature, rather than an artist. That is quite unfair of me, and mostly due to never really listening. I liked this.

Either Or

Elliott Smith

2/5

It's not my favourite of his albums. 'Salright?

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

2/5

Decent?

Disraeli Gears

Cream

2/5

It's just not my thing. It's not bad, but it definitely is not for me.

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

3/5

I know the album by reputation, and know a fair amount of the tunes, but oh boy was this long! There was stuff I really liked but the length is really off putting.

Vanishing Point

Primal Scream

1/5

Listened to this whilst working at the shop this morning and it just faded into the background even on a quiet day with no distractions. Nothing for me.

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

I don't think this is actually my favourite Beatles album, but it is entirely possible on any given day that if you asked which it was I may answer Revolver. There are plenty of successful bands who don't put out this many good songs over an entire career, The Beatles did it on this one album condensed into their already short length career. Banger after banger after banger. The greatest band of all time.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

3/5

This ended up on a 3 in the middle because I really liked some stuff, but also found other tracks just did not engage me.

Live Through This

Hole

3/5

It's not the best album that Kurt ever wrote, but it's pretty good

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

It's not really my thing as a whole, but it was perfectly enjoyable. It just doesn't engage me that much....... and then Wish You Were Here starts. There are very few songs this emotionally powerful. It's up amongst the absolute best, especially knowing the story of Syd Barrett. I try hard not to let a single song influence the overall score too much, but this makes every other moment of the album worth it.

Elephant

The White Stripes

4/5

Love it, even if the original has been played to the point where it brings no joy

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

3/5

A bit all over the place, love some stuff, like some stuff, not bothered by some stuff.

Scott 4

Scott Walker

2/5

I remember little of this. It wasn't bad but it did nothing to grab me.

Paris 1919

John Cale

2/5

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

4/5

I know singles but have never listed to a whole album. This was fucking great. I don't think of The Prodigy as a band I would listen to but I have seen them live twice and both times were incredible.

Debut

Björk

3/5

This was good, and would almost certainly score higher is given more time. Not an album to judge on a single listen.

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

It's not my favourite Springsteen movie but it's probably his best in terms of general appeal. Every single track here could be a single. Just fucking brilliant.

Doolittle

Pixies

4/5

Love this album and it's appearance was perfectly timed to improve a bad day. Long live Black Francis and the crew.

Ten

Pearl Jam

3/5

I know so many people that love and adore Pearl Jam. I don't dislike them but I also don't find them particularly engaging. Straight down the middle.

Peter Gabriel

5/5

I loved this. I know Peter Gabriel through singles largely, so a lot of this was new and it was so good. I try to listen to every album on this at least once, and aim for twice. This got four listens yesterday and will likely remain in my rotation.