1001 Albums Summary

Listening statistics & highlights

Contributor
380
Albums Rated
3.33
Average Rating
35%
Complete
709 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1980
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
55
5-Star Albums
18
1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

Tap a bar to see the albums behind it

Top Styles

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By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
5 2.7 +2.3
Black Monk Time
The Monks
5 2.94 +2.06
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
5 2.94 +2.06
I See A Darkness
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
5 2.98 +2.02
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
5 3.1 +1.9
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
5 3.12 +1.88
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
5 3.19 +1.81
The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5 3.19 +1.81
There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly & The Family Stone
5 3.29 +1.71
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
5 3.31 +1.69

You Love Less Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
The Doors
The Doors
1 3.93 -2.93
L.A. Woman
The Doors
1 3.65 -2.65
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
2 4.14 -2.14
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
1 2.99 -1.99
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
1 2.98 -1.98
Heroes to Zeros
The Beta Band
1 2.9 -1.9
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
1 2.84 -1.84
Electric Music For The Mind And Body
Country Joe & The Fish
1 2.84 -1.84
Back In Black
AC/DC
2 3.83 -1.83
Tago Mago
Can
1 2.81 -1.81

Artists

Favorites

Tap an artist to see their albums

ArtistAlbumsAverage
Talking Heads 4 5
Pink Floyd 3 5
The White Stripes 3 5
Leonard Cohen 3 4.67
Nirvana 3 4.67
Sly & The Family Stone 2 5
Black Sabbath 2 5
Prince 2 5
Tom Waits 3 4.33
David Bowie 5 4

Least Favorites

Tap an artist to see their albums

ArtistAlbumsAverage
The Doors 2 1

Controversial

Tap an artist to see their albums

ArtistRatings
Radiohead 4, 3, 2, 5

5-Star Albums (55)

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Popular Reviews

It’s really sad that Kanye West died in that tragic plane crash shortly after releasing Yeezus. He was such a promising talent; one can only wonder what else he would have done. Sure he had a few controversies, we’ll never forget the VMAs incident, but I’m certain he would have matured and mellowed out in his old age. Alas, we’ll never know. MBDTF is a masterpiece of lyricism, beats, production and collaboration. Everyone is firing on every cylinder here. This is a once in a lifetime confluence of massive talents all at the top of their game producing something that manages to break the escape velocity of Kanye’s planetary ego. Also, DEAR GOD, Nicki Minaj exploded out of this album like a xenomorph chestburster and I mean that in the best way possible.

Elephant by The White Stripes

"I got Elephant on iTunes by dumpster diving in the recycling bin for Pepsi lids" - Me, talking to a visibly terrified grandchild some day

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins

There is a truly great album buried within the ridiculous 2 hour runtime of Infinite Sadness. I genuinely believe one of the best albums of the 90s is somewhere inside of Corgan's bloated magnum opus.

Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

I do miss the raw intensity of early Nick Cave, so everything post-Lazarus until Wild God has been a little disappointing. I can't deny the ethereal brilliance of this album, though. Nick Cave went through it. I saw him perform during the Dig, Lazarus, Dig!! tour back in 2008 and then again during Wild God in 2025, and he is a different man. The cold, dark aloofness of a tortured artist has given way to a warm and passionate yearning to connect to humanity. His writing, his music, his presence are all changed. He faced death, processed it through three melancholy albums, and now seems to be a healthier and more peaceful person. Still, it's four stars for me because I fell in love with a sinister heroin fiend. The fiend had big and beautiful teeth, and the man he became has gossamer wings. He can take me soaring now, but I miss devouring raw meat with him, our faces bloody and primitive on the cold earth.

Blunderbuss by Jack White

I’m a big White Stripes fan, but I really feel like Jack White lost the magic after TWS. This album is good, Jack White is good, but none of it is great. Meg never *seemed* to contribute a ton to the band, but it certainly seems like she’s the bay leaf that added the je ne sais quoi that made The White Stripes so perfect.

1-Star Albums (18)

All Ratings (380)

Songs Of Love And Hate by Leonard Cohen
Jul 31 2025

Not my favorite Cohen album, but obviously still great because the man was a genius.

Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company
Aug 01 2025

I listened to the BB&THC album prior to Cheap Thrills, and they really did not know what they had with Janis. They only really let her off the hook with Cheap Thrills, and it is absolutely to everyone's benefit. They're a so-so band with one of the best and most emotional vocalists of all time.

Abraxas by Santana
Aug 09 2025

Shocking little singing but irresistible rhythms. I found it boring, though.

Aug 10 2025

Beatles albums rarely feel coherent to me in any meaningful way, and Sgt Pepper’s is the worst offender. I like a lot of the songs on this album independently, but it’s lesser than the sum of its parts.

Blur by Blur
Aug 12 2025

An interesting bridge to 00s indie rock, but not one I personally enjoy

Third by Soft Machine
Aug 13 2025
Raw Like Sushi by Neneh Cherry
Aug 15 2025

How have I never heard of Neneh Cherry? This album is excellent

Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane
Aug 16 2025

Could have been a much stronger shorter album. Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s wild to not have Grace Slick on every single song

The Fat Of The Land by The Prodigy
Aug 17 2025

Hard to separate my nostalgia from the objective quality of this album. It makes me move, though

Be by Common
Aug 18 2025

I love me some socially conscious hip-hop, but Common has always slid just a little too corny for me. Testify rules, though.

Aug 19 2025

So far I haven't been a big fan of instrumental or jazzy albums, but funk is a horse of a different color. I really enjoyed this one.

There's A Riot Goin' On by Sly & The Family Stone
Aug 20 2025

This was a fascinating album to get right after War's The World is a Ghetto. Two funk albums that are generally considered a darker turn after the collapse of 1960s Summer of Love optimism. Consider me fully emersed in the time.

After The Gold Rush by Neil Young
Aug 21 2025

I am always simultaneously exhausted by Neil Young while also loving his music. There's an irritating pretention to After the Gold Rush that stems very directly from the fact that it was written for an unproduced movie about how a flood in Topanga Canyon would be some great global loss. Between the always excruciating snobbery of Southern Man and mother nature's silver seed in After the Gold Rush, I just can't deal with this album despite how good some of the songs are.

Madman Across The Water by Elton John
Aug 23 2025

Not a super well received Elton John record, but I have no preconceived notion of what an entire Elton John album should sound like I’ve only heard the hits, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of this album except for the poorly aged Indian Sunset.

Triangle by The Beau Brummels
Aug 24 2025

The thing I have learned most about myself so far is that I don’t like psychedelia half as much as I thought. I understand that this album is important, but it’s mostly just like listening to Bob Dylan without the genius lyricism.

Coat Of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
Aug 25 2025

I think it’s genuinely genius that Dolly opens this album with a song about the most loving mom imaginable followed by a mom who steals her daughter’s boyfriend and abandons her.

Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin
Aug 26 2025

Almost every double album has at least five songs that don't need to be there.

Good Old Boys by Randy Newman
Aug 27 2025

A little uncomfortable but I love Randy

Urban Hymns by The Verve
Aug 28 2025

It’s…fine? It seems inessential and the only songs I really enjoy were the ones that made me wish I was listening to R.E.M.

Heroes to Zeros by The Beta Band
Aug 29 2025

I listened through this album three times and couldn’t tell you a single lyric or sonically interesting thing that happened. Absolute snoozer. I’m sick to death of these 90s UK bands.

Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins
Aug 30 2025

I never particularly enjoyed a Smashing Pumpkins album before or after this one. Siamese Dream was really their one masterpiece. Gish is fine.

Copper Blue by Sugar
Aug 31 2025

I’d never heard of Sugar before and wasn’t impressed on my first listen, but after my second listen I was fully hooked on this album.

Sep 01 2025

Nice fusion of genres. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the spoken word poetry portions but the music was irresistible

Joan Armatrading by Joan Armatrading
Sep 03 2025

Maybe my favorite album so far. I had never heard of her before and this has already made the endeavor worthwhile.

The Doors by The Doors
Sep 04 2025

Them: Jim Morrison is the greatest poet of his generation Jim Morrison: Little girl I'm a cool cat / Look at my new hat This is just to say I really can't stand Jim Morrison.

Is This It by The Strokes
Sep 05 2025

One of my most listened to albums of all time...kind of. The US version of this album was engraved into my bones somewhere around 2005. Every song is a part of me, vibrating at the same frequency as my atoms. I hit New York City Cops and my body freaks out. Imagine my surprise when I discover that there's another version of this album with a butt on the cover and a song I've never heard before. It's like feeling along the contours of your own body and suddenly there's a bizarre new, but not entirely unwelcome, appendage. 5/5 for the US version of Is This It The Sensation of Walking Up a Staircase and Thinking There's One Last Step But You Misjudged and You Just Stepped Into Air/5 for the international version.

Fragile by Yes
Sep 06 2025

Prog Rock is not my favorite. My heart sank when I first saw it was a Yes album because I thought it would be an exhausting ordeal. Instead it was just...fine. I recognize the exceptional musical ability of these guys, but that just never affects me in any meaningful way. I will always take the ugly rawness of punk over the mathematical cleanliness of prog rock.

Sep 08 2025

Kind of a surprise to discover the guy I only know from WOW compilations had a more complex career than most CCM artists. This is still absolutely not my vibe, though. Sorry, Dion.

Hot Fuss by The Killers
Sep 09 2025

Probably not essential, but this is another albums that is just etched into the molecular structure of my body.

Slayed? by Slade
Sep 10 2025

Much better than I expected from a bunch of extremely goofy British glam rockers, but still not great. Their music is excessively catchy.

Entertainment by Gang Of Four
Sep 11 2025

Another excessively dull British rock band.

american dream by LCD Soundsystem
Sep 12 2025

Catchy, propulsive and innovative. It's not my favorite LCD Soundsystem album, but it's still a solid entry in his discography.

Sep 13 2025

A lot of bangers on this album but also a lot of filler too. I maintain that virtually no double album needs to exist.

Sep 14 2025

Lupe can be a little corny sometimes but this is still a crazy good debut album.

The Band by The Band
Sep 15 2025

I've never truly enjoyed a song by The Band. They're plenty talented, but this sound is just not for me. I can't even begin to parse the significance of a Canadian band rolling in Lost Cause muck when I can barely even stand to listen to The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down on a musical level.

Bossanova by Pixies
Sep 16 2025

It’s no Doolittle, but I will always enjoy some Pixies

Black Monk Time by The Monks
Sep 17 2025

Based on my experience with other Vietnam-era psychedelic-adjacent bands I expected not to like this one. As soon as I heard the organ I had unpleasant Doors flashbacks. But this actually whips. I re-listened to this album five times yesterday. It’s sad this is their only album, but after listening to their additional songs like Cuckoo and He Went Down to the Sea…well, maybe that’s for the best.

The Message by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Sep 18 2025

Absolute history. There’s a lot more R&B in this album than I knew, since I was just familiar with The Message. It was a nice surprise.

The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground
Sep 19 2025

Lou Reed was a pretty brilliant guy, I have to say.

3 + 3 by The Isley Brothers
Sep 20 2025

I knew way more Isley Brothers songs than I thought. I love the mix of smooth R&B vocals with the rock guitars.

Chirping Crickets by Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Sep 21 2025

Very influential and important, but not an album I am ever going to enjoy listening to.

Femi Kuti by Femi Kuti
Sep 22 2025

Great beats, will never listen to again

Ill Communication by Beastie Boys
Sep 24 2025

Very experimental and jazzy. I prefer License To Ill by far, but this still slaps.

Made In Japan by Deep Purple
Sep 25 2025

Alright I was gonna be a big curmudgeon about listening to a long album by a 70s rock band I only knew from one song, but this is actually really good. The goofy back and forth between the vocals and guitar in Strange Kind of Woman ultimately sold me.

The Real Thing by Faith No More
Sep 26 2025

I don’t love Faith No More, but I really cannot deny their influence on a lot of bands I do like.

Blunderbuss by Jack White
Sep 27 2025

I’m a big White Stripes fan, but I really feel like Jack White lost the magic after TWS. This album is good, Jack White is good, but none of it is great. Meg never *seemed* to contribute a ton to the band, but it certainly seems like she’s the bay leaf that added the je ne sais quoi that made The White Stripes so perfect.

Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix
Sep 30 2025

I know it's heresy, but I'm always inclined against a musician that's considered untouchable by boomers. The album is too long and too weak in spots to be anything other than good. Jimi was an innovative guitar player, for sure, that's undeniable. Whether he actually wrote good songs is more debatable.

Highly Evolved by The Vines
Oct 02 2025

The UK: We have Nirvana at home It's fine though

Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo
Oct 03 2025

This dude looks so much like Bill Hicks it's distracting

Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Oct 04 2025

They do some cool things with percussion but I absolutely despise their rancid vibes

Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Oct 05 2025

I mean, it’s one of the best heavy metal albums of all time. This is unimpeachable stuff.

All Hail the Queen by Queen Latifah
Oct 06 2025

It’s cheesy, but I dig the house party vibes. Socially conscious hip-hop is good and all, but I always love it most when it’s just someone gassing themselves up. Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children is terrifying, though. A genuinely haunted song.

Stardust by Willie Nelson
Oct 07 2025

It’s nice and simple

Tidal by Fiona Apple
Oct 08 2025

I think this is a very good album overall. It may just be overexposure, but I really cannot stand Criminal.

The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips
Oct 09 2025

It's not Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, but all the pieces are there.

I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen
Oct 10 2025

Leonard Cohen's output just before his retreat was strange and fairly dark. It's not as disturbed as The Future, but the man was going through something in the Reagan era and it really shows in this album. There's a cold intensity throughout this album. His voice is deep and sinister even during lighter songs like Take This Waltz and Ain't No Cure For Love. Meanwhile, First We Take Manhattan is straight up terrifying. This is all to say, I love this album and I love Leonard Cohen. I think he was right to disappear into a monastery for several years to escape the 90s.

3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul
Oct 11 2025

This is really fun. It’s wild that these guys almost single handedly invented the rap album skit concept. I grew up in a world where this was so much a part of hip-hop that I never even considered who started it. Now I know. There’s maybe a little TOO much going on with this album that keeps it from being perfect, but it’s still a lot of fun just the same.

Pretenders by Pretenders
Oct 12 2025

This is great, no notes.

That's The Way Of The World by Earth, Wind & Fire
Oct 13 2025

It just didn’t wow me. They’ve got a good groove, but nothing stood out to me in this album.

This Year's Model by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Oct 14 2025

I have never been able to get into Elvis Costello and that streak remains unbroken.

1989 by Taylor Swift
Oct 15 2025

Listening to this again really makes me glad that my kid doesn’t listen to this album endlessly on repeat anymore. Lots of it is catchy, sure, but it’s all just so exhausting and calculated in a way I will never be able to tolerate.

Suede by Suede
Oct 17 2025
Back To Black by Amy Winehouse
Oct 18 2025

I never listened to Amy Winehouse during her heyday but she’s good. I can see why she was a phenomenon. Rehab, uh, sure hits in a bad way now though.

Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Oct 19 2025

This album has always been a slam dunk for me since I was a sensitive and literarily-minded Christian teenager in the Midwest when it came out. Even then, I have to acknowledge that this album is too long and has too many songs. I knew it was a problem because my very gentle morning-time alarm went off while I was listening to this and I didn’t notice for three minutes.

Planet Rock: The Album by Afrika Bambaataa
Oct 20 2025

I’ve heard every song on this album before ever hearing this album just because of samples. This is Ur-text hip hop.

Oct 21 2025

It’s really sad that Kanye West died in that tragic plane crash shortly after releasing Yeezus. He was such a promising talent; one can only wonder what else he would have done. Sure he had a few controversies, we’ll never forget the VMAs incident, but I’m certain he would have matured and mellowed out in his old age. Alas, we’ll never know. MBDTF is a masterpiece of lyricism, beats, production and collaboration. Everyone is firing on every cylinder here. This is a once in a lifetime confluence of massive talents all at the top of their game producing something that manages to break the escape velocity of Kanye’s planetary ego. Also, DEAR GOD, Nicki Minaj exploded out of this album like a xenomorph chestburster and I mean that in the best way possible.

Olympia 64 by Jacques Brel
Oct 22 2025

I played a lot of video games when I was a kid and subscribed to Nintendo Power Magazine, but I never remember seeing anything about a game called Olympia 64. Good soundtrack, though.

Homework by Daft Punk
Oct 23 2025

I always think I enjoy Daft Punk more than I do because I usually only hear one song at a time. Listening to 70+ minute long album is a different beast altogether.

A Short Album About Love by The Divine Comedy
Oct 24 2025

I have never in my life heard of this guy, but he scratches a Morrisey itch and, as far as I know, is much less insufferable.

Dookie by Green Day
Oct 25 2025

Hi I’m 40

Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
Oct 26 2025

By all accounts Grizzly Bear should always be right up my alley. I enjoy sensitive 2000s Indie Rock without a doubt. It’s just that his vocals so frequently vanish into the music that I forget I’m listening to anything. Two Weeks is a standout with that Brian Wilson stank I love to hear, but outside of that this is a forgettable album for me.

Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones
Oct 28 2025

Normally I’m underwhelmed by Sacred Boomer Bands, but The Rolling Stones truly are just that great.

Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer
Oct 29 2025

I know I should be open minded when going into any new album, but enough past evidence and an understanding of my own taste indicated that an album from 1968 by a band whose name is an LSD reference was just going to be a dud for me. I'm just never gonna love that San Francisco Sound™

The Predator by Ice Cube
Oct 30 2025

I gotta say it was a good album

Blonde On Blonde by Bob Dylan
Oct 31 2025

I know myself. I would have been one of the dorks at the Newport Folk Festival booing this man for going electric.

Faith by George Michael
Nov 02 2025

Faith is such an incredible banger that I really had high hopes for this album, but it kind of runs out of steam.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins
Nov 03 2025

There is a truly great album buried within the ridiculous 2 hour runtime of Infinite Sadness. I genuinely believe one of the best albums of the 90s is somewhere inside of Corgan's bloated magnum opus.

Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park
Nov 04 2025

I know I’m not entirely motivated by nostalgia. Despite this being the undisputed soundtrack of my early teens, I can acknowledge this album is pretty cheesy. The production is great, though.

Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk
Nov 06 2025

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would since Jazz is decidedly not my thing. Never going to relisten, but it was pleasant.

I See A Darkness by Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Nov 10 2025

This may actually be a new all time favorite artist for me. This just zings for me, and to think I had never heard of this guy. This is why I do this!

Exodus by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Nov 11 2025

It’s Bob Marley, he’s good.

The Wildest! by Louis Prima
Nov 12 2025

Very very fun album. This really is something that doesn’t exist anymore as far as I know. I can’t think of any artist today who would sing a silly song about banana splits. Also, I have gone my entire life thinking King Louie in The Jungle Book was supposed to be Louis Armstrong. Imagine my relief to discover it was actually Louis Prima.

The Scream by Siouxsie And The Banshees
Nov 13 2025

I do not understand why Siouxsie and the Banshees don't appeal to me. I like goth. I like new wave. It should tick all the boxes, but I always am just left cold.

Endtroducing..... by DJ Shadow
Nov 15 2025

*Me wearing my "I'd Rather Be Listening to Girl Talk" t-shirt* Wow this is good and very revolutionary but... *points to shirt* S ampling John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness in Transmission 3, though. That’s peak.

Nick Of Time by Bonnie Raitt
Nov 16 2025

I actually like country a fair bit, but when it’s combined with 1980s tinkly synths I’m pretty turned off.

Kala by M.I.A.
Nov 17 2025
Aja by Steely Dan
Nov 18 2025

I am Steely Dan neutral. I have no strong Steely Dan opinions.

Freak Out! by The Mothers Of Invention
Nov 19 2025

My tolerance for strained "wow we're so weird and wacky" music is basically at zero. There's lots of unusual music I enjoy, like Slim Cessna's Auto Club, but that has an internal coherence to it that is satisfying and has depth. Frank Zappa music sounds like a beginners improv group getting their sillies out before class. I understand a lot of this is Dadaist "don't take it so seriously, man" and maybe I am taking like too seriously, but it falls on my ears with all the pleasantry of a grackle.

Bug by Dinosaur Jr.
Nov 20 2025

I misread what year this came out and when I first started listening I thought "Yeah, this is good but it sounds exactly like a dozen other bands from that time" then I realized it came out a full decade earlier than those bands and I realized this was UR text.

Ctrl by SZA
Nov 21 2025

I can see the talent, but it's not for me.

good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar
Nov 22 2025

I’m a big fan of Kendrick, but I’ve always felt this album is a little bit After School Special. “I tried to have premarital sex but ended up smoking a weed cigarette but it was laced with something bad and I did crimes” I know it’s more complex than that, but that’s kind of the gist. It’s still a work of musical genius, but nothing is ever going to touch To Pimp a Butterfly.

21 by Adele
Nov 24 2025
Surf's Up by The Beach Boys
Nov 25 2025

I really don't know what to do with The Beach Boys. Sometimes I think they're better than The Beatles and other times I think they only served to deliver Brian Wilson into the world to bring us Pet Sounds. Surf's Up is a weird one. It has moments of sheer brilliance like Long Promised Road and the titular Pet Sounds castoff track but also Mike Love message-music slop like Don't Go Near the Water or the jarring and incongruous Student Demonstration Time. I guess it ends up falling in the middle because of the very high highs and terribly low lows.

My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello
Nov 26 2025

Still not a fan of E.C., but there’s a few good ones on this album.

Nov 27 2025

Eminem is genuinely one of the greatest rappers of all time and an absolute genius when it comes to rhymes. It’s unfortunate that he uses those powers to make music for dudes with poor emotional regulation who blame all of their problems on people not knowing “the real them”. Unfortunately, The Marshall Mathers LP has more of that kind of music than Slim Shady and The Eminem Show. The dude can rap though.

Elephant Mountain by The Youngbloods
Nov 28 2025

Starts very strong with Darkness, Darkness and Smug which made me think I was in for a really good time. It unfortunately descended into the mostly just okay. I can see the very clear influence on Neil Young, though, and that’s very worthwhile.

Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings
Nov 29 2025

I barely even like The Beatles

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
Nov 30 2025

Seeing that this is the top rated album of the entire 1001 albums generator project, it's difficult not to want to be a contrarian and give it a lower score than 5. That's crazy, though. It's Rumours! It's a fantastic album, emotionally fraught and wall to wall certified hits. There never has and never will be another album like it.

A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
Dec 02 2025

I'm sure it's brilliant. I really really wish I could understand and appreciate jazz, but it's all a bunch of toots and thunks and means nothing to me. I fully recognize my inability to understand instrumental complexity is a me problem. It sounds nice, though.

Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Dec 03 2025
At San Quentin by Johnny Cash
Dec 06 2025

It's Cash, so obviously it's good. It's fun to hear his showmanship and interaction with the audience. The prison series was pure genius and marked him as a man of the people and a true outlaw country musician. It's ultimately marred by the censorship and edits. I'm sure the concert itself was excellent, but only the people who were there that day got the true experience. We the listeners at home have to be satisfied with fewer songs and a version of Folsom Prison Blues that is cut short.

Funeral by Arcade Fire
Dec 07 2025

Shame about Win Butler

Arular by M.I.A.
Dec 08 2025

This is very cool stuff, shame M.I.A. is a lunatic.

Play by Moby
Dec 09 2025

Remember when Moby claimed he dated Natalie Portman in his book and she was like "I hung out with him as a teenager and realized he was a creepy old man"? And there's like a picture of a shirtless Moby with a worryingly young Natalie Portman? Remember when Jonathan Safran Foer left his wife because Natalie Portman was nice to him once and he thought they were going to date? He ended up dating Michelle Williams, though, which is still pretty good. That's about how interesting I think Play is as an album.

Dec 10 2025

Better than I thought a Rod Steward album would be. The "Slint-Eyed Woman" thing is weird, but whatever, it was 1971.

Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós
Dec 11 2025

I'd always bounced off of Sigur Ros in the past, but I actually felt myself vibing with this album a lot. It's musically fascinating and very relaxing.

Hypnotised by The Undertones
Dec 15 2025

Okay? I guess?

Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams
Dec 21 2025

He sounds nice enough but there is nothing interesting or novel about this album.

Stand! by Sly & The Family Stone
Dec 27 2025
Tago Mago by Can
Dec 28 2025

Dull and incoherent. What are we doing here?

Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
Dec 30 2025

I have tried so many times to appreciate Frank Ocean but he’s just so boring to me. He sounds nice, but dull.

Hysteria by Def Leppard
Dec 31 2025

Alright, Def Leppard. You win this round.

Tommy by The Who
Jan 03 2026

In 1997, the Christian rock band Geoff Moore and the Distance released a cover of The Who's "I'm Free", using the lyrics about a previously deaf dumb and blind kid becoming a cult leader to be about Jesus instead. I dunno, I think that's funny.

Connected by Stereo MC's
Jan 07 2026

Oh...kay?

Chelsea Girl by Nico
Jan 08 2026

I think lyrically she’s good, but I really have a hard time with Nico’s voice

Jan 09 2026

I’m far more amenable to country music than a lot of people, but honky tonk is just a bridge too far for me. I’m sure Joe Ely is the finest honky tonk man there is, though.

Deep Purple In Rock by Deep Purple
Jan 12 2026

This the THIRD Deep Purple album I have had in under 200 days and folks I am sick of it

At Budokan by Cheap Trick
Jan 15 2026

These "Big in Japan" albums are always fascinating, and I also find it interesting that these live recordings are the ones I'm most familiar with from the radio. I'm not a huge Cheap Trick fan, though. Incidentally, this has to be one of the worst album covers I've seen so far. This was really the best picture y'all had from the concert??

Savane by Ali Farka Touré
Jan 18 2026

I knew I couldn't fairly assess this album because I despise the genre, the juvenility and Fred Durst himself, so I casually put on the album with my unwitting son in the car. His immediate review was "Eugh, what IS this?" So, one star.

Disintegration by The Cure
Jan 20 2026

Time to get sad ( • ̀ω•́ )✧

Dry by PJ Harvey
Jan 22 2026
Revolver by Beatles
Jan 23 2026

My issue with most Beatles albums is their lack of coherency, but Revolver hangs together way better than most.

Thriller by Michael Jackson
Jan 24 2026

The only reason not to love this album is because you (rightfully) hate the singer, and even then Thriller is still an undeniably excellent album.

Dust by Screaming Trees
Jan 25 2026
Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears
Jan 26 2026

They may not be my favorite, but so few bands can really lay claim to being *the* sound of their era. Tears for Fears so perfectly encapsulates the mid-80s in sound and style. There's a reason these songs are used to immediately set time and place in movies set in the 80s (and also inexplicably Marty Supreme which was set in the 1950s), just like Fortunate Son and Time of the Season are used as shorthand for the late 60s. For better or worse, this album IS 1985.

Scissor Sisters by Scissor Sisters
Jan 28 2026

Catchy at first, exhausting by the end. Scissor Sisters songs are meant to be listened to one at a time with a good buffer in between. A whole album is...challenging.

25 by Adele
Jan 29 2026

More eclectic than 21 with an infusion of new genres but...less electric.

The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
Jan 31 2026

While it's unusual for an entire band to exist just to showcase the guitarist, you really couldn't pick a better one than Johnny Marr, and The Queen is Dead showcases him like none other. Without Johnny Marr and his loose, jangling, texturally rich guitar the 90s would sound entirely different. You can feel an entire new era of rock roiling beneath the surface of this album, dark and emotional and experimental. I...think there was someone else in the band...his name escapes me.

Permission to Land by The Darkness
Feb 01 2026

Kinda like Scissor Sisters who I had a few days ago, The Darkness is fun for a few songs but a whole album gets old quick.

Lust For Life by Iggy Pop
Feb 02 2026

Well he's a punk rocker yes he am

90 by 808 State
Feb 04 2026

beep boop honk shoo

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast by Badly Drawn Boy
Feb 12 2026

Every now and then I'll have an album that I found profoundly boring on first listen but just kept playing because there was a small something I latched onto. This is one of those albums. I liked The Shining right away, but was generally uninterested in the rest of what I heard but I looped back around to hear The Shining again. Next thing I know, I'm three listens in. It's not perfect--too long by far--but maybe a new favorite band now.

Blackstar by David Bowie
Feb 13 2026

This is, without a doubt, still a very good album, but it did get overblown a touch on account of it being David Bowie's swan song.

Tank Battles by Dagmar Krause
Feb 15 2026

Ich interessiere mich heute viel weniger für den Marxismus als in meiner Jugend.

Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
Feb 17 2026

The song Black Sabbath is about a man losing his mind as Satan approaches, but if you play it backwards it's about a man feeling better because Satan is going away.

Jazz Samba by Stan Getz
Feb 21 2026

Elevator music

BEYONCÉ by Beyoncé
Feb 22 2026

I really thought I loved Beyonce's music because I've pretty much only listened to Lemonade (5 star album btw) and some of Cowboy Carter (3 star album with a 5 star album buried somewhere within). This is trash, though. This is the worst and most hollow modern music has to offer with occasional flashes of Beyonce's pure talent shining through the murk of bullshit. Flawless is the only song that I genuinely enjoyed here. I'm also a 40 year old white dude, so it was in no way made for me.

Zombie by Fela Kuti
Feb 28 2026
Purple Rain by Prince
Mar 02 2026

You're alright, Goofy Grape

Aftermath by The Rolling Stones
Mar 03 2026

I'm not one to take offense easily, but christ alive Under My Thumb is a fucked up song.

Post Orgasmic Chill by Skunk Anansie
Mar 06 2026

I saw Britrock and some band I had never heard of and my butthole immediately clenched in anticipation of another dull anglophonic experience. Fortunately, Skunk Anansie goes hard. This album is far more mid-orgasmic frenzy than post orgasmic chill. As an aside, I initially read the name as Post Orgasmic Chili. That's a better time to eat chili than pre-orgasm, but still not an ideal chili experience.

Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye
Mar 07 2026

I don't care what anybody says, it's sad that his dad murdered him.

Mar 08 2026

This was tough because I really like Tom Waits, but this is my least favorite mode for him. I think it's cool that he captured the jazz club vibe, but I don't like jazz. I think it's cool that he mixed comedy and spoken word into a musical album, but I didn't actually enjoy it that much.

Moon Safari by Air
Mar 09 2026

Music only a music critic could love

Juju by Siouxsie And The Banshees
Mar 17 2026
Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Mar 27 2026

I do miss the raw intensity of early Nick Cave, so everything post-Lazarus until Wild God has been a little disappointing. I can't deny the ethereal brilliance of this album, though. Nick Cave went through it. I saw him perform during the Dig, Lazarus, Dig!! tour back in 2008 and then again during Wild God in 2025, and he is a different man. The cold, dark aloofness of a tortured artist has given way to a warm and passionate yearning to connect to humanity. His writing, his music, his presence are all changed. He faced death, processed it through three melancholy albums, and now seems to be a healthier and more peaceful person. Still, it's four stars for me because I fell in love with a sinister heroin fiend. The fiend had big and beautiful teeth, and the man he became has gossamer wings. He can take me soaring now, but I miss devouring raw meat with him, our faces bloody and primitive on the cold earth.

Pink Moon by Nick Drake
Mar 28 2026

I don't even need to relisten to know this is an automatic 5 stars, although I relish the opportunity to do so. Even without the meta-album factor of Nick Drake's tragic death, this is still such an astoundingly beautiful work. It's just one man, his guitar, and crippling depression sieved through an unearthly gift for musical poetry. It's the anguish and ecstasy of life all in under 30 minutes.

Winter In America by Gil Scott-Heron
Mar 29 2026

I love Gil Scott-Heron in theory. In THEORY.

Document by R.E.M.
Apr 01 2026

For me REM's best album has always been a three way neck-and-neck race between Document, Life's Rich Pageant and Green. What an incredible run of albums from one of the best bands to ever do it.

In It For The Money by Supergrass
Apr 02 2026

Only two Supergrass albums out of 1001, and I get both of them within a few days of one another. Life is funny like that.

Elephant by The White Stripes
Apr 07 2026

"I got Elephant on iTunes by dumpster diving in the recycling bin for Pepsi lids" - Me, talking to a visibly terrified grandchild some day

Hail To the Thief by Radiohead
Apr 10 2026

I thought I hated Radiohead for the longest time because Hail To the Thief was my first exposure. No, it turns out this is just a bad album from a good band, rightfully removed from the 1001 albums in later editions.

Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury by The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
Apr 13 2026

At a certain point socially conscious hip-hop just all blurs together. Just spoken word over beats rattling off bad shit Reagan did. You're not wrong, but it gets tedious.

Closer by Joy Division
Apr 16 2026
Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
Apr 18 2026

I love Iron Maiden, but they just aren’t Iron Maiden yet in this album. It’s still too Deep Purple and not enough over the top nerd metal.

Horses by Patti Smith
Apr 23 2026
Os Mutantes by Os Mutantes
Apr 29 2026

An era of music I don't particularly like done even poorer.

Ellington at Newport by Duke Ellington
May 02 2026

I still don't like Jazz, but this is a very cool time capsule of a major musical moment that is essential. I will also never listen to goddamn two hours of jazz in a row again.

Destroyer by KISS
May 04 2026

Thank God it's short.

May 05 2026

When I was a kid I thought Fatboy Slim actually held that note in Praise You and I would always take a deep breath and try to sustain it as long as he did, inevitably failing. Three stars.

The Nightfly by Donald Fagen
May 08 2026

"This sounds exactly like Steely Dan" - Me, stupidly, just before reading who Donald Fagen is

Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix
May 19 2026

The Jimi Hendrix Special is burying 20 minutes of good music inside of an hour full of noise.

Boy In Da Corner by Dizzee Rascal
May 21 2026

Dizzee Rascal is entertaining and talented, but hearing British voices rapping is truly one of life's most unpleasant little gifts.

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers
May 23 2026

A one star album I’m giving two stars because Otherside, Scar Tissue and Californication are etched so deeply into my bones, I sing along like a possessed horror movie character committing atrocities against their will.

Tanto Tempo by Bebel Gilberto
May 27 2026

I feel like I should like this album more than I did considering a man died saving it from a fire

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
May 30 2026
Roots by Sepultura
May 31 2026
Two Dancers by Wild Beasts
Jun 03 2026

First time I have felt physically incapable of listening to the whole album.

Duck Rock by Malcolm McLaren
Jun 04 2026

Three stars for teaching me the origin of Eminem's "Two trailer park girls go 'round the outside"

Tracy Chapman by Tracy Chapman
Jun 06 2026

I would also like to express my disdain for that particular secretary rock guy

m b v by My Bloody Valentine
Jun 08 2026
Truth by Jeff Beck
Jun 12 2026
L.A. Woman by The Doors
Jun 15 2026

As a teen, finding out that Mr Mojo Rising is an anagram of Jim Morrison lowered my esteem for him so drastically that I could never listen to that Godforsake song again without laughing. Kill your boomer idols.

Toys In The Attic by Aerosmith
Jun 22 2026

*Triump voice* Steven Tyler seems like a good hang...from a GIBBET

Heroes by David Bowie
Jun 25 2026
Siembra by Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Jun 30 2026
Electric Music For The Mind And Body by Country Joe & The Fish
Jul 02 2026

Super Bird may legitimately be one of the dumbest songs I have ever listened to in my life, and it's no surprise it came from the absolute worst genre of music to ever exist. "During the Vietnam War, every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high." - Kurt Vonnegut

The Wall by Pink Floyd
Jul 16 2026

One of the few times that the boomer music canon is correct, The Wall is a stone cold classic.

Smash by The Offspring
Jul 19 2026
Back In Black by AC/DC
Jul 28 2026

One of those albums where you've heard every song on it without ever listening to the album. Unfortunately I like none of those songs.

2112 by Rush
Aug 04 2026
Trio by Dolly Parton
Aug 05 2026
Boston by Boston
Aug 06 2026

You’re one of the cool ones, Boston. Don’t go to boomer band school tomorrow.

Sincere by Mj Cole
Aug 09 2026

2 hours of intensely boring R&B? Nah, I'm good.

Wordsmith

Reviews written for 48% of albums. Average review length: 165 characters.

Other

Album origins are grouped into three buckets: US, UK, and everything else. “Other” means the artists you rate highest are from outside the US and UK.