My 1001 Albums Journey

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3.04

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1990

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Hip-hop

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5-Star Albums

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Achtung Baby U2	5	3.3	+1.7
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	5	3.32	+1.68
The Downward Spiral Nine Inch Nails	5	3.34	+1.66
The Band The Band	5	3.35	+1.65
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea PJ Harvey	5	3.38	+1.62
Paul's Boutique Beastie Boys	5	3.47	+1.53
Surfer Rosa Pixies	5	3.5	+1.5
Straight Outta Compton N.W.A.	5	3.51	+1.49
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Wu-Tang Clan	5	3.61	+1.39
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill	5	3.64	+1.36

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Getz/Gilberto Stan Getz	1	3.65	-2.65
Aja Steely Dan	1	3.47	-2.47
Paranoid Black Sabbath	2	4.2	-2.2
Selling England By The Pound Genesis	1	3.18	-2.18
Signing Off UB40	1	2.97	-1.97
The Doors The Doors	2	3.95	-1.95
Lazer Guided Melodies Spiritualized	1	2.92	-1.92
Vanishing Point Primal Scream	1	2.82	-1.82
Da Capo Love	1	2.81	-1.81
Ys Joanna Newsom	1	2.79	-1.79

Artists

Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
Pixies	2	5
U2	2	5

5-Star Albums (13)

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Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

Popular Reviews

Is This It

The Strokes · 1 likes

5/5

It’s hard, looking back now, to remember just how fresh and different this sounded. The world has moved on but this album is still full of the cocksure swagger of people too young to know better. I don’t feel like I can give this an objective rating. So I won’t.

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan · 1 likes

5/5

Full of swagger and energy. One of the all time greats.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds · 1 likes

5/5

Somehow I’d not listened to this album despite loving the releases either side. What a joy to spend the time with Nick and Co. I immediately wanted to listen again.

1-Star Albums (11)

Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman

All Ratings

Country Life

Roxy Music

3/5

This is clearly contemporary to ‘70s Bowie. Some wild swings artistically. Bitter-Sweet was a standout.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

2/5

A couple of great tunes (Under My Thumb, Out Of Time) in an otherwise unremarkable British ‘60s blues swamp. Going Home was a particular boring slog.

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

Hard to be mad at those folksy harmonies. Some absolute classics here (America, Mrs Robinson, Hazy Shade of Winter). I can trace a through line from Dylan to this to The Kinks ‘Village Green…’

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

4/5

Rather than feeling like a document of the time, this album still feels alive. Great storytelling and the sound of a band that all lift each other up to be better.

Is This It

The Strokes

5/5

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

3/5

A big influence on the early work of The Beatles, and all the songs here are good. The band are especially tight, and Richard’s vocals have many imitators and no equals. In the end though it was just kinda fine.

Da Capo

Love

1/5

I didn’t enjoy side A of this undoubtedly cutting edge exploration of blues rock. Opening with a harpsichord didn’t instil confidence, and my instincts were sadly accurate. Little did I know that I would look back on these tracks fondly as I slogged through the 18 minute long free-form blues jam of side B.

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

2/5

I’d heard the singles before, but never the whole album. In the End is unsurprisingly the best thing on this album. So much of this sounds like a petulant teenage tantrum, with rapping that wouldn’t be out of place on a Lonely Island parody.

Buena Vista Social Club

2/5

I remember when it seemed like the whole world was crazy for BVSC. Tours etc. I bet they were phenomenal live. Not really my thing. Especially at album length.

Kala

M.I.A.

4/5

Really feels like I should be blaring this out of the open window of my car. You could release this today and it would feel absolutely cutting edge. Paper Planes is of course the standout, but doesn’t feel out of place on the album. Truly a unique talent.

Getz/Gilberto

Stan Getz

1/5

Cool and breezy… And kinda boring. Elevator/hold music.

Beyond Skin

Nitin Sawhney

3/5

Surprising how contemporary this feels. The eastern influence has become far more prominent in music since this was released.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

5/5

Quite simply, a masterpiece.

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

Feels kind of cold. Like it’s deliberately keeping you at a distance. But as a defence mechanism. Because it’s also fragile.

Guero

Beck

4/5

Not my first choice for Beck albums, but a good time nonetheless.

The Doors

2/5

Some stand out tracks, and some boring bluesy jams. I wonder if we’d still be talking about The Doors if Morrison hadn’t died young, or if they’d just be a footnote on the ‘60s.

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

5/5

Iconic, influential, timeless

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

3/5

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. Fogerty obviously has an incredible voice, but the blues rock on display here is pretty solid.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

3/5

Some great tunes, and impressive lyrical gymnastics. Feels somewhat dated now.

Superfuzz Bigmuff

Mudhoney

4/5

The foundation of the sounds of my youth. Excellent sludgy guitars.

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

3/5

Loose collection of prior singles. Some great tunes, but didn’t really feel cohesive.

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Still sounds great!

Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized

1/5

Boring, and not in a fun way.

Roxy Music

3/5

Some great tunes and some big swings. Less cohesive than their later work but the highs are higher.

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

3/5

Not bad, but not really my thing either. Closer than I would have expected though.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

5/5

Quite simply flawless.

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Lupe Fiasco

4/5

I thought this was pretty good. Socially conscious storytelling paired with sharp production.

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

5/5

Full of swagger and energy. One of the all time greats.

Come Find Yourself

Fun Lovin' Criminals

3/5

Cool and cruisy. A great soundtrack to a summer afternoon.

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

3/5

Pretty good. You can clearly hear Bowie all through this. Lacks the raw energy of The Stooges, but still a decent listen.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

2/5

Some great tunes here, but it’s hard to separate from the meaningless stadium slop that Coldplay have been leaning into for the last couple of decades.

Brothers

The Black Keys

2/5

I enjoyed this, but a day later I find myself unable to recall any specific song.

m b v

My Bloody Valentine

2/5

Took me a minute to get into the vibe of this. Once I got there it was okay. I much prefer Loveless though.

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

3/5

Some of these have become the definitive rendition. All of these are good.

Stankonia

OutKast

2/5

There’s signs of brilliance, and the hits are great, but the album is four or five songs too long, and the interludes can go too. .

Heroes to Zeros

The Beta Band

3/5

A nice cruisy Saturday afternoon in the sun with a cold drink. Pleasant and unobtrusive.

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

3/5

Not all of this has aged well, but some of it has carried through. Nothing outstanding in either direction.

Moondance

Van Morrison

3/5

He’s got a hell of a voice, that’s for sure. This could have been released in 2005 and everyone would have lost their minds.

Aja

Steely Dan

1/5

This sounds like somebody asked the SNL band to make an album of the jams they perform to keep the studio audience awake during the ad breaks.

Killing Joke

2/5

This was fine. It didn’t really grab me, but I can see the long shadow that it casts.

Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys

5/5

This was great. The Beasties always have great flow. Add to that the impeccable production from the dust brothers and this is a real joy.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Somehow I’d not listened to this album despite loving the releases either side. What a joy to spend the time with Nick and Co. I immediately wanted to listen again.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

3/5

Vanishing Point

Primal Scream

1/5

Meh.

Smash

The Offspring

4/5

Can’t separate myself from this one. Still remember the first time I heard Come Out and Play. Being 16 when this dropped was the perfect age to consume it.

Doolittle

Pixies

5/5

So. Many. Great. Tunes.

Signing Off

UB40

1/5

So boring.

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

4/5

Really great. What an incredible voice. What an iconic guitar player. Even the unnecessary ‘big band’ vibe can’t ruin just how good this is.

The Yes Album

Yes

2/5

Prog rears its ugly head. Miss me with song suites and 8 minute tracks. Some decent musicianship, but it’s still a pass from me.

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

3/5

For some reason, there was a brief time in my teenage years when I was quite into this album. It was nostalgic to listen to it again. Some great songs here; including a somewhat incongruous cover of Born To Run.

Broken English

Marianne Faithfull

3/5

She has a really unique voice, but other than Lucy Jordan none of the songs were particularly notable.

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

3/5

This was, surprisingly, pretty good. Despite being a long term detractor of Fairytale of New York, I thought it was great in the context of the album.

What's That Noise?

Coldcut

2/5

Some undeniable skills on display, but it dragged on a little. Probably not helped by having to listen on YouTube.

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

3/5

Decent stadium rock, from before that was really a thing.

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

4/5

It’s a shame that Morrissey is such a cunt.

The Next Day

David Bowie

4/5

For late period Bowie this is quite listenable. Nothing of extreme high quality, but pretty good throughout.

Locust Abortion Technician

Butthole Surfers

1/5

Whoof. Too much noise and not enough music. Definitely not for me.

Fun House

The Stooges

3/5

I really liked the energy of this. Defying genre and convention to be exactly what they wanted to be.

The Band

5/5

This album was incredible. So hugely influential, bands were still trying to look and sound like this 40 years later. I hadn’t realised Counting Crows were basically a tribute act to The Band, and I like Counting Crows.

Jack Takes the Floor

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

4/5

I feel like young Bob Dylan would have loved Jack Elliott, and old Jack Elliott would have hated Bob Dylan. Some pretty strong traditional American folk music here. The foundation of so much of what has been built since.

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

3/5

This benefits from not being directly compared only to the highs of The Pixies. It’s a little bit Pixies, some Pavement, some New Pornographers, and something all its own. Vary 1994.

Joanna Newsom

1/5

I really struggled with this one. Long meandering songs, and a ‘what if Bjork bough a harp?’ aesthetic.

The Joshua Tree

5/5

This album has so many back to back to back anthems. An incredible swing.

Selling England By The Pound

Genesis

1/5

I am discovering that I really do not enjoy prog.

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Lucinda Williams

4/5

This was great. Like a slightly more country Sheryl Crow. Very enjoyable.

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

2/5

I know this set a new standard for heavy music, and it’s better than I expected, but I can definitely take it or leave it.

Diamond Life

Sade

2/5

Smooth cool and jazzy. Feels so designed to sit in the background that it draws very little attention to itself. Pleasant enough, but otherwise unremarkable.

Achtung Baby

5/5

Stone cold classic.

The Downward Spiral

Nine Inch Nails

5/5

What a fucking great album, and a wonderful excuse to spin the vinyl.

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

3/5

Rattlesnakes

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions

3/5

This was fine. Pretty good in places. Dragged a little, but enjoyable.

Protection

Massive Attack

3/5

Mostly pretty good, but nothing else reaches the heights of the title track.

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

4/5

It’s seldom a good idea to draw from the same well twice, but damn if the man in black doesn’t make it work.

Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman

John Zorn

1/5

No. Fucking. Chance.

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

2/5

This was fine, but due to the reputation I was expecting a little more.

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

2/5

Kind of reminded me of the Carpenters. Not bad, but nothing really leapt out at me.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

5/5

Tarkus

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

1/5

There was a moment somewhere in the middle of the sprawling 20 minute opening track where I thought maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. It was a fleeting moment.