My 1001 Albums Journey

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113

Albums Rated

3.43

Average Rating

10%

Complete

976 albums remaining

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311

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Taste Profile

1960

Favorite Decade

Folk

Favorite Genre

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Wordsmith

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5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
I’m a Lonesome Fugitive Merle Haggard	5	2.86	+2.14
Cloud Nine The Temptations	5	3.41	+1.59
Five Leaves Left Nick Drake	5	3.46	+1.54
Violent Femmes Violent Femmes	5	3.5	+1.5
The Gershwin Songbook Ella Fitzgerald	5	3.53	+1.47
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots The Flaming Lips	5	3.57	+1.43
Catch A Fire Bob Marley & The Wailers	5	3.63	+1.37
Ill Communication Beastie Boys	5	3.64	+1.36
L.A. Woman The Doors	5	3.66	+1.34
White Blood Cells The White Stripes	5	3.67	+1.33

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Juju Siouxsie And The Banshees	1	3.33	-2.33
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 George Michael	1	3.17	-2.17
Penthouse And Pavement Heaven 17	1	2.61	-1.61
We Are Family Sister Sledge	2	3.48	-1.48
Diamond Life Sade	2	3.44	-1.44
You Want It Darker Leonard Cohen	2	3.32	-1.32
Channel Orange Frank Ocean	2	3.32	-1.32
Femi Kuti Femi Kuti	2	3.25	-1.25
The Renaissance Q-Tip	2	3.24	-1.24
Vivid Living Colour	2	3.2	-1.2

5-Star Albums (20)

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Popular Reviews

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane · 6 likes

4/5

Coltrane is a glass of whiskey on the rocks. It’s an early evening smoke on the patio. The second I hear the opening notes I’m transported back to a dinner party with friends. The music can get chaotic and sometimes repetitive, but it’s remains woven into the fabric of our past.

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard · 4 likes

5/5

6am on a Saturday morning my grandfather would fire up his 67 ford truck. The frost on the windshield running from the engine heat blowing up through the vents. We would pull out onto the gravel road leaving the farm heading to town in search of the morning paper and bag of fresh donuts. I can still hear that crackle of an AM radio as it plays Merle Haggard. What I wouldn’t give to go back and listen to my grandpa teach me about life.

The Wall

Pink Floyd · 4 likes

5/5

The greatest rock opera of all time. One summer day of my sophomore year in high school, me and some friends went down to the city market. I had $10. I bought two cassette tapes for $5 each that would change my life. The first was Check Your Head by the Beastie Boys, the other one was Pink Floyd’s The Wall. On the way home we sparked a poorly rolled joint of Tex Mex and pushed play, nothing would ever be the same again.

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette · 1 likes

5/5

Truly groundbreaking album with some fantastic songs. I was a freshman in college when this album debuted and I had a bit of a crush on the eccentric Canadian. Re-listening to it 30 years later half the album is still fantastic while there are a few songs in which Alanis gets a little screechy and I wouldn’t consider it a first to last gem. However, I’m going to give it 5 stars for the fact that she defined a new genre of female pop rock that crossed into the main stream. I also have a nostalgia soft spot for this album.

Under Construction

Missy Elliott · 1 likes

4/5

Ground breaking album. Showed women can rap salty and talk about being human from their perspective.

1-Star Albums (3)

All Ratings

Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple

3/5

Tidal was a far superior album. Heavy Ballon’s and Cosmonauts were the two best songs on the album.

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

4/5

Edgy for the time. Probably canceled in today’s culture. Incredible talent with heavy doses of immaturity. I think Marshall probably used the music as self therapy.

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

4/5

Is This It

The Strokes

4/5

Fun album. Simple garage rock. I remember Last Nite getting radio play

Diamond Life

Sade

2/5

Just not my cup of tea

Joan Armatrading

3/5

Soulful voice. Forerunner to Tracy Chapman. The first and last two songs on the album were the best.

1999

Prince

3/5

One of the first cassette tapes I owned. The first three songs are iconic. The rest of the album doesn’t really hold up well with the passage of time. When I first saw this was going to be the album for today, I initially thought well this will be a 5 star album, but as the songs progressed the rating kept dropping. The first three songs ensure a 3 star but I could be talked into 2.5 stars.

Chelsea Girl

Nico

2/5

Really thought this album has some solid song writing with melody and lyrics, but can’t get past Nico’s dead voice. Give this album to Taylor Swift and let her redo it and I bet it would be amazing.

Vauxhall And I

Morrissey

3/5

Easy listening. Not really my style.

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

2/5

Pretty much exaggerated vibrato

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

Good samples. Long album, almost 90 mins. Holds up against time.

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

5/5

From beginning to end, every single song was great. You definitely can hear some Beatles influence in some of the songs. I really enjoyed the entire album.

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley

4/5

I liked it. I had familiarity with Jeff Buckley, but I was unaware that his dad Tim was also a singer songwriter some of his lyrics. Remind me of pig pen from the Grateful Dead. I will explore some of his other albums.

L'Eau Rouge

The Young Gods

2/5

It’s art, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it.

GREY Area

Little Simz

3/5

Surprisingly dope little album

Transformer

Lou Reed

4/5

Couple of iconic songs in Perfect Day & Wild Side. You can definitely hear the Bowie influence on the album. Some of the songs are a little drab. Not really an album I would return to and re-listen in its entirety.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

When the sun warms your eyelids and the salty breeze carries grains of sand across your face, Bob Marley is there—preaching kindness through rhythm. In a world heavy with sorrow, drop the needle on “Stir It Up” and catch a smile. This album is a rebellion set to melody, a call for unity wrapped in sweet grove of palm trees swaying, Marley reminds us that music can make us all Jamaicans for a moment—bound together by rhythm, resilience, and love.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

3/5

Chill vibes

The Wall

Pink Floyd

5/5

Tellin’ Stories

The Charlatans

2/5

Temu oasis

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

2/5

Super acquired taste for his voice. It’s not something that I would seek out.

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

Start to finish, a foundational pillar of good music

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

4/5

Ground breaking album. Showed women can rap salty and talk about being human from their perspective.

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

5/5

1994. Senior year of high school. The sound track of my life.

Low

David Bowie

3/5

It was fine

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

5/5

Moving Pictures

Rush

4/5

Seems like young people from this era got broken up into two different groups, you were either into psychedelic rock like The Grateful Dead, Doors, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Floyd or you went the way of getting drunk at parties and were more likely to listen to Rush, AC/DC, Yes, Three Dog Night. I grew up with the first group but the second group received more radio time. So of course I was familiar with half this Rush Album. I get the attraction. These are outstanding musicians making some really rocking tunes. At the end of the day I’m just not in love with Geddy Lee’s vocals. I don’t dislike it, but it’s not an album of first choice. That’s why it gets 4 stars.

Tapestry

Carole King

4/5

Handful of good songs that defined an era.

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

George Michael

1/5

Just no.

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

TV On The Radio

3/5

Interesting. Hadn’t heard of them before. Not terrible.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

4/5

The Score is one of my top 10 all time favorite albums so when Lauryn released a solo project I was eager to listen. The Miseducation is good but not great album. She definitely used this platform to express an anger on behalf of an impoverished community. Her voice talent is exceptional and the melodies, samples and beats demonstrate a superior musical talent. It’s too bad that she didn’t continue to be a prolific musical artist.

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

5/5

I heard it through the grapevine that I was feeling fine on cloud nine jamming these tasty grooves.

Fire Of Love

The Gun Club

3/5

If George Thorogood had a love child with the Sex Pistols it would sound like The Gun Club.

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

5/5

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

4/5

It’s unfortunate that Otis died in a tragic plane crash at the age of 26. Even though there were only 3 originals on this album you can hear a defining style to his approach to music. He had an impact with such a limited body of work. It would have been interesting to see how his sound evolved in the coming decades.

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

3/5

I can appreciate a good female crooner hitting her notes in front of a live audience.

Tidal

Fiona Apple

4/5

This album has some really soulful tunes. Fiona does a good job vocally controlling the pain and anger her lyrics express. Some of the beats and bass lines hit sad and sinister. I wouldn’t look to this album on a sunny day but in the right headspace she can cater to powerful emotion.

Rubber Soul

Beatles

4/5

Not my favorite Beatles album, but the first time I dropped, Nowhere Man and Norwegian Wood came along for the journey.

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

The Kinks

3/5

In the same vein as early Pink Floyd psychedelic vibe, just not as competent.

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

4/5

Spoken word over jazz. I dig it.

The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

Second TCQ album off this list. Sweet beats.

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

4/5

Soothing vocals. Easy melodies.

Sound Affects

The Jam

3/5

Early British punk rock isn’t my jam, but there is probably no Green Day without these guys forging paths. The bassist stands out as exceptional on this album.

The Last Broadcast

Doves

3/5

Different.

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

3/5

Quirky album. Harmonies are always spot on and can carry even subpar melodies. Feel Flows is a classic. Not their best effort as a band.

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

5/5

At the turn of the century we were looking to see what the next millennium would bring. Out comes this album which gave us a futuristic back drop to electronic back beats behind whimsical melodies. The lyrics are prophetic as one day we will need those vitamins to defeat those ill intentioned machines. The profound lyrics of ‘do you realize’ has lived rent free in my head for 23 years because you really do have a beautiful face.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

4/5

Tom Petty is one of my top 10 all time artists but other than the two hits on this freshman album the rest was just Meh. I’m giving it 4 stars because those two hits would buy him the runway to make killer albums like Full Moon Fever, Wildflowers & Into the Great Wide Open.

The Rise & Fall

Madness

3/5

British fun house music. It’s what I’d expect to hear walking into a haunted ride at the Wessex county fair. Our House was a childhood staple on MTV.

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

3/5

Couple of good songs. Not really my jam.

The Infotainment Scan

The Fall

2/5

Too many UK albums of middling talent on this list

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

4/5

One of my mother’s favorite albums when I was growing up.

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

5/5

Rocking album!

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

4/5

Couple really good songs

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Pink Floyd

4/5

Psychedelia permeates the album. Heavy Syd Barrett influences. Always been a fan of Scarecrow from the relics album. Some of these songs really don’t hold up but the album would create a foundation for some of the greatest music ever created.

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

2/5

Meh. Too much milquetoast British rock on this list.

Tracy Chapman

4/5

solid song writing. Fast car is one of those songs that can transport you back 30 years to when we really did speed so fast it felt like we were drunk.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Classic

Winter In America

Gil Scott-Heron

3/5

Hard to find the album on Spotify. Ended up listening to individual songs from other sources.

Femi Kuti

2/5

Not really my thing

Clandestino

Manu Chao

3/5

I can appreciate the talent but it’s not something I’m going to seek out for my listening pleasure.

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

4/5

I actually liked this album. It reminded me a little of early Bare Naked Ladies.

Live!

Fela Kuti

4/5

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

4/5

I was never a huge Wilco fan in the early 2000s, but after listening to the entire album I get the appeal.

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Top 10 all time albums. Start to finish a masterpiece.

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

3/5

It was ok.

L.A. Woman

The Doors

5/5

One late summer night in the early 90s I put a TV on a stand at the end of my bed. From under the bed I pulled a small box with a ceramic pipe and baggie of herb. I loaded the bowl and pushed play on the VCR. The opening scene of Oliver Stone’s movie shows a young kid driving past the wreck of a Native American Chief whose death becomes a seminal moment for the man. I sparked the lighter and pulled a draw of fire through the pipe. As the car pulls away from the accident the camera sweeps away from the road high above the desert with the piano rain drops falling from the classic song Riders on the Storm. I blew the cloud of smoke over the tv screen as the title of the movie THE DOORS descended from the sky into the sand. This album is a transport to the days between innocent and indulgence.

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

5/5

Truly a fantastic album

Water From An Ancient Well

Abdullah Ibrahim

3/5

Decent jazz from the 80s

The Rolling Stones

3/5

The band started out as a blues cover band, but it worked.

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

3/5

Lake a fire is a good song

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

5/5

This is a wonderful album from an artist whose time was too short on earth.

The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald

5/5

Perfect for dinner or holiday parties. Such a unique and nostalgic talent.

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

3/5

Fine jazz

Faust IV

Faust

3/5

Very artistic.

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

4/5

This record came out the summer of my senior year in HS, back when you put a CD in the player and listened to it start to finish. I have fond memories of GLove’s funky beats. This was a fun one to listen.

The Score

Fugees

5/5

The first time I heard this album in the 90s I knew right away it was special. Still listening to it 30 years later.

The World is a Ghetto

War

3/5

Early 70s funk always grooves

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

2/5

Not my cup of tea. I don’t prefer singers to yell through every song.

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

2/5

Not interested in angry noise. I’m sure people love it, just not me.

Roxy Music

4/5

Early 70s British Psychedelic rock meets a bit of eclectic punk. A fairly experimental album for the time. Bit of a Temu Pink Floyd.

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

4/5

Fun album

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

4/5

Bob always puts me in a good mood

The Renaissance

Q-Tip

2/5

Not really my cup of tea

Apocalypse Dudes

Turbonegro

3/5

Norwegian punk rock sounds about how you think it sounds

Survivor

Destiny's Child

4/5

Very talented artists

Guero

Beck

4/5

Good stuff

This Is Fats Domino

Fats Domino

3/5

Traditional blues from a bygone era

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues

3/5

Interesting to hear global blues

Violent Femmes

5/5

Seminal right of passage album. One of the few albums that you discovered listening to on a Walkman while riding the bus in 8th grade while also being able to put it on years later as a freshman in college at a frat party. Kids will be discovering the violent femmes in 2050 and beyond.

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

3/5

I prefer more classical takes on these Christmas songs

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

4/5

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

3/5

I can appreciate the talent, but not something I would put on for my listening pleasure

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

3/5

I like some good Irish foot stomping but a little goes along way. Give me a pint of Guinness and a noisy pub in Dublin any old Saturday night.

Dog Man Star

Suede

2/5

No thanks.

Exit Planet Dust

The Chemical Brothers

4/5

Brought the underground rave EDM to the main stream in the mid 90s. I enjoyed their next album more back in the day, but this one set the stage. It gets a bit repetitive, but the beats are foundational to the genre.

American IV: The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

5/5

A lovely capstone to an iconic American artist.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Siamese Dream is a top 10 all time album so when Mellon Collie came out in 1995 it was highly anticipated. The double album had both hits and some swing and misses. Overall I think the album deserves 5 stars because there are at least four or five gems that stand the test of time.

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

3/5

West African Blues very own Cincinnatus.

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

1/5

Yeah, no.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

5/5

One of my mother’s favorite albums during my childhood. She passed in 2019 from pancreatic cancer. Her last concert was Elton John’s farewell tour. It will always occupy a special place anytime I hear it.

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

1/5

Temu Rush has a baby with Temu Joan jett

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

3/5

I was surprised how many samples I recognized from future songs that originated with this album. Little long and there were some gems and some stinkers.

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde

3/5

Joanna Newsom

2/5

Poetry set to renaissance tapestry. The first few minutes of each song are compelling but the repetition after minute 3 gets to be a burden. It’s certainly a creative and artistically styled album, but I wouldn’t call it good.

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

4/5

A few tunes that helped define a generation

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

3/5

Decent rap for the times

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

2/5

Pyramids is a decent song, but this wasn’t a great album.