My 1001 Albums Journey

Albums Rated

3.71

Average Rating

Complete

1007 albums remaining

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Taste Profile

1970

Favorite Decade

Jazz

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5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
The Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers	5	3.05	+1.95
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 George Michael	5	3.17	+1.83
School's Out Alice Cooper	5	3.2	+1.8
Bitches Brew Miles Davis	5	3.3	+1.7
Raw Power The Stooges	5	3.31	+1.69
Live At Leeds The Who	5	3.32	+1.68
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	5	3.32	+1.68
The Köln Concert Keith Jarrett	5	3.39	+1.61
Zombie Fela Kuti	5	3.47	+1.53
Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash	5	3.48	+1.52

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Electric The Cult	1	3.01	-2.01
Darkness on the Edge of Town Bruce Springsteen	2	3.41	-1.41
Amnesiac Radiohead	2	3.41	-1.41
Music for the Masses Depeche Mode	2	3.37	-1.37
Ready To Die The Notorious B.I.G.	2	3.36	-1.36
Court And Spark Joni Mitchell	2	3.35	-1.35
Astral Weeks Van Morrison	2	3.26	-1.26
The Beach Boys Today! The Beach Boys	2	3.26	-1.26
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo MC Solaar	2	3.1	-1.1

5-Star Albums (26)

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4-Star Albums (20)

1-Star Albums (1)

All Ratings

Traffic

4/5

I dig Steve Winwood's voice, and the record is remarkably clear, probably a testament to Jimmy Miller as one of rock's great producers.

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

5/5

What an incredible record!!

Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads

3/5

Side 2 is a classic. Side 1 kind of grates on me and always has for some reason. Kind of a bouncy, pedantic offering, but it's a debut, and they clearly formed a sound and style shortly after this.

Melodrama

Lorde

4/5

Surprised by how enjoyable this record was. Kind of a bit repetitive in style, but well-written

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

4/5

Monk! Not my favorite, but it's a great listen.

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

3/5

Dated. I’m sure it was fantastic in its day.

Tracy Chapman

5/5

This album came out in ‘88? Could’ve come out in 1968, could’ve come out yesterday.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

5/5

1st of an unparalleled 3-album run in rock history. Still holds up as fresh and exciting. Pales everything that tried to match it over the next 25 years.

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

4/5

Like Carole King, but seemingly less pop sensibility and a much more powerful voice. Not familiar with her work prior to this, but love it.

Blue

Joni Mitchell

3/5

I keep thinking I’m going to go through a Joni Mitchell phase and I can never do it. I get the musicianship is unparalleled. No question the vocals, the structure and the atmosphere are singular as to who the artist is. It’s just a lot of that is fingernails on a chalkboard for me and I can go forever without ever listening to it again.

Vauxhall And I

Morrissey

3/5

Is this great? This feels pretty even, with good melodies and some strong poetry. I guess that makes it better than most. Still, Morrissey.

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Hate this record for being so big when I was a teenager. Still, the recording is impeccable. The sound, the tunes, the blending of genres and the timelessness of the title track only mesmerize as they age.

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

4/5

Powerhouse, soulful and sweet.

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

5/5

One of the most influential pieces of art in the 20th Century. Resonates nearly 60 years later.

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

2/5

I want it to be that I don't like hip-hop, but as great as the catchy pop tunes are, the misogyny, the lack of humanity and baloney sandwich rags-to-riches stuff is a bore. "aspirational" hip hop I've been told is the term, but yawn.

Electric

The Cult

1/5

The inclusion of this record on this list is an abomination. I mean, 1-star for the crisp sound, but it's sterile butt-rock that AC/DC did 100x better a decade earlier.

Zombie

Fela Kuti

5/5

Transformative, exciting, relevant almost 30 years later. One of the great listens of recorded music. Want to start a party? Put this record on. Want to get inspired to fight the power that corrupts your world? Put this record on.

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

5/5

Hands down, all-timer. Influential on so many levels.

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

George Michael

5/5

Surprising on first listen. I knew the hits. They're catchy and all that, but the album has a sparse sound and vibe that - no shit - sounds like something Sinatra would've put out.

The Modern Lovers

5/5

One of the best records ever, hands down, bar none. Each song is a classic - epic in pop song format. Story behind the record is fascinating. Story behind the band is fascinating. It all fell apart for reasons out of all their control. Jonathan Richman is a national treasure.

Bummed

Happy Mondays

3/5

Fun listen. Kinda one-note, but upbeat and groove-centric. No real standout tunes, IMO.

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

2/5

Spread your good songs around an album. What's the point of leading off with your best tune, then getting worse and worse with each track? Especailly when you're already have a craptastic sounding outfit like DM. Not a fan. OK intro tune, rest is a drag. Mid at best.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

3/5

A sonic experience. Total headphones record. It's so ubiquitous a sound that it wears a little repetitive after nearly 50 years. Can't imagine what a party one of these shows would have been back in the day.

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

MC Solaar

2/5

I don't think I like hip hop the way the rest of the world does.

Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized

3/5

Repetitive. Atmospheric. Some flourish. Prefer other records of theirs.

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

2/5

Fun beats, and obviously her voice is important in the genre's ouevre, but not really my bag.

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

3/5

The production is great, but the songs aren't that interesting when it comes down to it.

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

5/5

Oh yeah, bong hit commence! 10 stars wouldn't be enough. I love listening to this record and focusing on just one part of what's playing - Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Coltrane - it doesn't matter which one, because everyone is operating on a level that transcends the whole. This record never sounds the same twice, equally thrilling and soothing.

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

2/5

Not a fan. Sounds like the 60s.

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

4/5

Listened with preconceptions, and surprised at this gem. Great sound, interesting songs. I think it was a full concept album about WW1 or something, but I enjoyed it.

The Dreaming

Kate Bush

2/5

Noisy. Don’t understand the appeal. Becomes diva-esque by the end with some lush sounds, but I don’t get this at all. A terrible sound, often-screeching.

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

3/5

Atmospheric, some brilliance and some half-assed notions. Hard to call it a great album, as it has one defining track and a couple other interesting listens. I can't imagine telling someone, "Hey! You got to listen to this record!".

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

5/5

Lots of classic pop soul stuff on this record, but some amazing gems. "Ain't No Way" is one of my favorite songs of this genre.

Sunshine Hit Me

The Bees

3/5

Kinda fun, kinda background music. Don't know how it was groundbreaking or considered such an achievement.

System Of A Down

3/5

Stylistically all over the map, yet somehow repetitive. I think this was their debut, never really listened to them. Bet they're killer live. Not sure they're more interesting than, say, Tool or Rage Against the Machine, or whomever they're lumped in with timeline and genre-wise.

Trio

Dolly Parton

3/5

You, classic supergroup, but what are we getting out of this? It's dated pop country at the end of the day.

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

5/5

Blahblahblahblahblah.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

Perfect sounding record. Side 2 is something of the best music ever recorded.

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

2/5

Help me Rhonda gets this 2 stars.

The White Room

The KLF

2/5

Not my bag.

Rage Against The Machine

4/5

Powerful blend of rock, hip hop and the punk rock ethos. Somehow every song ultimately sounds the same – a good sound of course, but the depth always feels pretty surface.

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

Psychedelic rock at it's finest. 1967 was a wild year. Not quite as impactful as AYE? or EL that followed, but as a tryptich, there isn't anyone who did what Jimi did. Took everything that happened before, crushed it up and blasted it out of an amp with explosive gusto, and re-made everything that came after.

Moving Pictures

Rush

5/5

Great record. One of the best of the 80s.

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

4/5

I dig the concept of what Zappa's doing, but it can be repetitive and kind of go nowhere for me.

Street Signs

Ozomatli

3/5

Not my bag, to be fair. A little groovy.

School's Out

Alice Cooper

5/5

A great record. Turned into a cartoon character, but the initial band was a really good one that had as much impact on 80s hair metal as anyone else.

Harvest

Neil Young

4/5

Surprisingly doesn't hold up as well as the esteem I've always held it in after not listening to it for a while. I don't know, Neil has 15 great songs and then his self-righteousness comes through on the rest.

Van Halen

5/5

Nothing really will ever top this record. One of the best ever.

Germs

3/5

Good early American hardcore stuff, but not that interesting.

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

5/5

Improv. Think about that. Improv.

Peace Sells...But Who's Buying

Megadeth

3/5

Meh. It was a hit when it came out, but it isn't Metallica.

Raw Power

The Stooges

5/5

Nothing ever really tops this. Way ahead of its time. Sounds 40 years younger than it is.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

A great record start-to-finish. Better than the Greatest Hits.

More Specials

The Specials

3/5

Yeah, I don't know. It's like Ska is kind of a dumb idea to begin with, but we can all handle 3 minute hits of dumb. Two great songs and some attitude that carry the record.

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

5/5

There's the hits on this record, and then there's the rest of the tunes that are as beautiful and impactful as anything of the era. A triumph of R&B and pop music.

Hot Fuss

The Killers

5/5

Hey man, the early aughts were weird. Turns out it was more or less the dying embers of rock as the last great period of good albums coming out. This one has hooks, riffs and solid storylines. I'm a fan and think it holds up really well.

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

5/5

Historically, it mixed the pop with the politics of the time. Groovily, it just soars musically above everything else from the time period besides Coltrane.

Dookie

Green Day

3/5

Hasn't aged well. 3 stars for the two great pop tunes. Haven't listened to it for awhile, surprised how dull it is.

The La's

4/5

Would love ot know the backstory of this band. Sounds like the singer might have been a dick. The one song shoula coulda propelled them to megastardom and it didn't. Album has some highlights other than the hit.

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

4/5

This is a good record, executed well. It's interesting, but he'll go on to do much better stuff. Waits records are best when they mix things up a bit. This one drones on too long like the stranger you pony up next to at a bar that has an interesting personality and a tall tale or two for a couple of drinks then gets annoying by the third.

Disintegration

The Cure

4/5

Great ambiance of a record. The Cure always has great songs on their albums, but they also are so aggrandizing that they start to get repetitive.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

2/5

I recognize that there's some amazing musicianship and the songwriting and style is unique. I'm not a Joni Mitchell guy.

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

I'm not a boss guy. There's like 2 songs on here that could probably rip live if it was a bar band and the singer wasn't so polished, but I don't live in Jersey and I'm not into cars.

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

2/5

Well, one killer track that undoubtedly was a template for dance music of a generation, but the rest kind of pales in comparison.

Truth

Jeff Beck

4/5

Only because it's not as consistent as Zep 1, but it came out a year ahead of it and Beck's Bolero is as hard as anything that came out of the Clapton/Page/Beck era.

Le Tigre

3/5

For 1998, it feels both derivative and cutting edge at the same time. Lots of 70s and 80s art rock/Kim Gordon influences, but also forbears the sounds of Sleater-Kinney and the like. A couple of cool tunes to throw on the DJ sets once in awhile.

Amnesiac

Radiohead

2/5

I'll give it a 2, but that's because I know people loved this record. I don't get it now. I didn't get it then. I got to see a few bands in clubs, in theaters and then arenas – and Radiohead is one of them. Amazing live band, but there's not a single track on this album that does a thing for me except want to skip over it.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

3/5

I've never listened to a Coldplay album, only a couple of snippets of hits I'd immediately judge as sounding like the 20 yr old child of U2. I was a little surprised that A) the band is 4 guys and it's always been the same 4 guys. Thought it was just that Paltrow fellow. B) This record wasn't the worst thing I'd ever heard. Almost an easy listening Arctic Monkeys.

Something Else By The Kinks

The Kinks

4/5

It's got Waterloo Sunset, one of the 5 best songs of the 60s. Ray Davies is one of the best to ever do it.

Live At Leeds

The Who

5/5

Powerhouse record of one of the hardest rocking bands ever. Yeah, they peaked in 1970, but it was a helluva peak. Pretty much every hard rock band from Sabbath to Maiden to Metallica are direct descendants of this version of the Who - not the bloated version of the 1970s.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

4/5

I'm always a little iffy on Radiohead because they were The Best Rock Band On The Planet after OK Computer, and then crapped it all away with Kid A and Amnesiac. This is post-traumatic listening with this record. It's 20 years old, but I've never really listened to it until today. Back to what made them a creative force and a sonic army few could match in their prime. A little of the electronic hangover exists, but pretty good for mid-00s.

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

4/5

Never really done a deep dive into Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, because I have preconceptions, and this doesn't change those notions. It's purportedly a concept album, but I didn't really notice the link via lyics other than it flows well. There's a handful of cool songs, and its a great sounding record. A little bloated, but that's the 70s.

On The Beach

Neil Young

4/5

Is it fair to criticize any Neil Young record for being boring? The through-line from him to alt-country, alt-rock and anything folk-related is impossible to ignore. The only complaint is the one-note sound of this album never feels like something to listen to on its own. I'd give this 4 1/2 stars if I could. 5 seems too generous, 4 seems too light. I wish I could be moved by Joni Mitchell the way this record moves me.

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

4/5

A couple of bangers on this one. Funkier than it gets credit for from anti-Southern rock folks.

Cafe Bleu

The Style Council

3/5

Wasn’t expecting the jazzy, neo-soul elements. At its best when it’s not trying to be conventional 80s new wave pop.

Real Life

Magazine

3/5

Sounds like the Buzzcocks....because apparently it's the original guy that isn't Pete Shelley. Also included a future Banshee. It's ok for the early wave of British punk, but echoes that signature Buzzcocks sound. One cool tune, but that's about it. Otherwise, probably a staple of the genre/era, but dang near 50 years later, it's somewhat unremarkable.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

5/5

Three-part harmonies as distinct and beautiful as anything Brian Wilson could conceive. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is one of the greatest songs ever written. Beautiful concept coming from some pretty wildly different musical directions coalescing into a feeling that transcends the moment.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Not a huge Nick Cave guy, but this is an epic, sprawling, engaging double album with a handful of great songs.

The xx

3/5

I've already forgotten it.

Maxinquaye

Tricky

3/5

Not that interesting, but a couple of bangers.

The Next Day

David Bowie

4/5

What's funny about classic rockers getting older is their attempts to sound "fresh" through modern sounds, which end up sounding nothing like what they used to sound like, or, really, the style they were trying to emulate in the first place. This is one of those records that probably isn't going to be on the list of great Bowie records, but it sounds interesting, and that's better than a lot of things.

Queen II

Queen

4/5

A little T Rex, a little Who, a little Beach Boys, a little Sabbath. Too bad that terrible Freddie Mercury movie got made. This was an incredible talented and inventive band who had a style all their own and had to have an amazing creative collaborative approach that should've been documented better.