My 1001 Albums Journey

Albums Rated

3.42

Average Rating

Complete

990 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1970

Favorite Decade

Folk

Favorite Genre

other

Top Origin

Wordsmith

Rater Style ?

5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

Top Styles

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Next The Sensational Alex Harvey Band	5	2.71	+2.29
The Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers	5	3.05	+1.95
Chemtrails Over The Country Club Lana Del Rey	5	3.05	+1.95
Songs Of Love And Hate Leonard Cohen	5	3.2	+1.8
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco	5	3.31	+1.69
Seventeen Seconds The Cure	5	3.37	+1.63
Debut Björk	5	3.38	+1.62
Songs Of Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen	5	3.38	+1.62
Sign 'O' The Times Prince	5	3.45	+1.55
Parachutes Coldplay	5	3.46	+1.54

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Private Dancer Tina Turner	1	3.29	-2.29
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim Frank Sinatra	1	3.27	-2.27
Very Pet Shop Boys	1	2.95	-1.95
Brutal Youth Elvis Costello	1	2.81	-1.81
Planet Rock: The Album Afrika Bambaataa	1	2.8	-1.8
Basket of Light Pentangle	1	2.76	-1.76
The Queen Is Dead The Smiths	2	3.67	-1.67
Stardust Willie Nelson	2	3.39	-1.39
Court And Spark Joni Mitchell	2	3.35	-1.35
The World is a Ghetto War	2	3.35	-1.35

Artists

Favorites

Artist	Albums	Average
Leonard Cohen	2	5

Controversial

Artist	Ratings
Elvis Costello	1, 4

5-Star Albums (20)

View Album Wall

Popular Reviews

Run-D.M.C.

Run-D.M.C. · 1 likes

4/5

While this is their debut and there are some absolute classics showing off Run and DMC's rhymes, this is the Jam Master Jay show. This set the bar for what rap could be moving forward. Lags a bit but cannot wait to revisit their second album! 4/5

4-Star Albums (26)

1-Star Albums (7)

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

All Ratings

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

4/5

Would be 5 if Rehab wasn't here. Vibed with the rest. Three songs added to my favorites.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

3/5

I remember liking this better. Too many useless songs. A few atrocious ones, including Sir Psycho Sexy and Apache Rose Peacock.

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

5/5

Six new favorites. Who knew that I'd be taken to church today by Prince? And why had it been 48 years for me to hear The Cross?!? This song could've been on my top 25 list for years now! This album builds and gets better and better. 5/5

OK Computer

Radiohead

5/5

Not a single bad song on this album, flows nicely and quite a few bangers. Second listen to this album and don't know why I don't own it

The White Album

Beatles

4/5

15 favorites but also my two least favorite Beatles songs. Makes that a 4/5.

C'est Chic

CHIC

3/5

One song added to my favs and it wasn't Le Freak. Really enjoyed Savoir Faire. Disco/Funk are not really my genes but this was pleasant enough. 3/5

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

3/5

I really wish we could do half ratings because this isn't a 3 but it's not a 4 for me either. Either way, I tried listening to this last night while cleaning. Wasn't connecting. Listened during work today: definitely a vibe. Didn't favorite anything but there really wasn't a track I disliked, either. 3.5/5

Parallel Lines

Blondie

5/5

Discovered two new liked songs and rediscovered Hanging on the Telephone. 5 favorited songs and a reminder of how powerful Debbie Harry's voice can be...5/5.

Traffic

3/5

3 new favorites but honestly, it all felt samey. That being said, really like Winwood's voice. I do like how light the album feels with the wind instruments. 3/5

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

2/5

Guitar playing was nice but her message goes right over my head. This is definitely not for me. 2/5

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

1/5

Even my love of the song Planet Rock cannot redeem this album. I definitely do not see the influence this had on anything else. The beats are boring, the raps' cadence monotonous and the lyrics were trite. Easy 1/5

The Only Ones

4/5

Finally, after what felt like forever in the blahs, this album comes around and knocks me off my feet. Like a combination of The Velvet Underground, Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd, with a little Clash thrown in. 3 new favorites but not a single tune disliked, including the three bonus tracks. 4.5/5

Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington

3/5

Couldn't find the original version on Amazon so I listened to the extended reissue. Eye opening, only lagged a little bit. Really thinking that jazz is something I enjoy but not individual pieces. 3/5

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

3/5

Sure, there are 4 bangers in a row but the rest of this one BORED me... 3/5

Skylarking

XTC

4/5

Two new favorites but really found the whole album pleasant. 4/5

Joan Armatrading

4/5

4 new favs. The better Joni Mitchell, the one I can relate to more. This album came out of nowhere and surprised me! 4.5/5

Harvest

Neil Young

4/5

Started slow but love the 3 hits. Alabama and Words were nice surprises. 4/5

Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera

3/5

Is this a bloated album? Yes, of course it is. But this could've been one hell of a single album. I ended up adding around 10 songs from this to my liked list. Not a 4 in this form. 3.5/5

Moondance

Van Morrison

4/5

I've always loved the first half of this album, wishing the second half was as good. But oh what a first half.... 4/5

Peter Gabriel 3

Peter Gabriel

3/5

The first song was a horrible way to start the album but then it got better. Two absolute bangers on here

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

2/5

*Might need a relisten* Heard some Smiths before. But this just didn't connect with me. 2/5

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

1/5

Holy shit this was a slog! I kinda liked two of the songs out of 15. The rest were either forgettable or just plain garbage. 1.5/5

Debut

Björk

5/5

To be completely honest, I was simply listening to device if this would be a 4 or a 5 for me. I came to Debut late, right when Post was coming out. But I remember watching the video for Army of Me in my hotel in Madrid, realizing how fucking cool she was. I was in love. Lol. So many favorited songs on Debut and the ones that weren't are essential, to connect between the hits. The Anchor Song could possibly be my favorite Björk song at this moment. Easy 5/5

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

3/5

Still not my thing but not a single song was bad, just none stood out. Will say that I enjoyed the interplay between the piano and the drums 3/5

Basket of Light

Pentangle

1/5

Ugh... Late 60s British Hippie Folk is not my jam. I kind of knew this from a podcast that I listen to but this confirms it. Definitely not a fan of Jacqui McShee's nor Bert Jansch. 1/5

Coles Corner

Richard Hawley

3/5

This was not at all what I was expecting. Don't know what I was expecting but... Nothing stood out, could've died without hearing this but it wasn't bad, just not much to it. 3/5

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

3/5

A few standout tracks. Siouxsie Sioux is a FORCE! Her power carries this album. Gets a little samey but being that it's not super long makes it easier to get through it. 3.5/5

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

5/5

Ah, best in a while and I hadn't even heard a single song from this Cure album! 4 added to favs. 4.5/5

Sunshine Hit Me

The Bees

4/5

God, I forgot about this. Used to play this on college radio, along with Beta Band and other Astralwerks stuff. Went by The Band of Bees here. Great chill out music. 4/5

16 Lovers Lane

The Go-Betweens

3/5

*Very pleasant. Pop sensibilities. I've heard them many times but not a whole album. Deserves a deeper listen from me to pick up more in the lyrics. 3.5/5 right now for me

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

5/5

I cannot emphasize this enough: you have to be in the mood to listen. Tried to listen to this yesterday while I was frantically putting together plans for a week. Hated it. And mind you, I've owned this album since the 90s and always quite enjoyed it. Today, while doing manual labor, fantastic! So many great tales. 5/5

Nevermind

Nirvana

5/5

Purposely haven't listened to this for years. This album is still amazing. That first half is blisters. But Something in the Way may be one of my top 10 songs of all time. 5/5 easily

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

All but two songs are classics and even those are not bad. 5/5 easy

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

5/5

I must've been in the mood for this because I LOVED it. I didn't realize what a huge influence these guys were. 4 new songs on my faves. 5/5

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

4/5

I get it. It's long, it's pastiche. But the whole picture is better than parts. And that's saying something because there are some amazing songs in this album. I identify with Stevie's message here. It's as relevant today as it was then. 4.5/5

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

4/5

If an album is in a language I don't understand, the instrumentation better be good. And was this ever good! Digging it immensely. 4/5

World Clique

Deee-Lite

2/5

Groove Is in the Heart is a jam. The rest...if I was in a dance mood, mayyyyybbbbeeee. But probably not. 2/5

Dirt

Alice In Chains

3/5

The highs are really high. The lows are just mediocre, generic sludge rock. Still, not bad. 3/5

Songs Of Love And Hate

Leonard Cohen

5/5

Damn! Why did I sleep on Cohen for so long!!! This is just plain beautiful. What a songwriter! 5/5

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

3/5

Not my favorite album so far but nowhere near the worst, either. Dig three tracks enough to add them to my likes. Solid 3/5

It's Too Late to Stop Now

Van Morrison

3/5

Some songs got better, some were different but Cypress Avenue and Gloria, I feel, were ruined. I LOVE Cypress Avenue but this was too minimal, too extended, too thought over. I enjoyed hearing live Van Morrison, though. Never listened live. Another fine album but not mind blowingly special. 3/5

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

2/5

Hmmm, maybe I don't really like Costello, just some of his songs. Pump It Up is a jam, a few others caught my ears but meh. 2/5

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Odelay

Beck

4/5

The Joshua Tree

4/5

The solitary message of this album makes it a hard rate. The first 4 songs are amazing. After that, In God's Country is great, too but the rest is meh. BUT they all fit with the theme... Still going with a 4/5 instead of a 5/5 if that opening rush could've been sustained even for a couple more songs...

Henry's Dream

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

I thought nothing would top Murder Ballads. I'm still right but this was close. Very much in the same vein... 4.5/5

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

I've never got the love for this album. Low End Theory-love it. Midnight Marauders - love it. Love Movement-close to classic. But besides the three big songs, I feel this is overrated. 3/5

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

1/5

Frank Sinatra's voice is pleasant. That's all I have to say. 1/5

Private Dancer

Tina Turner

1/5

Two days is a row. I really cannot stand 80s pop. No disrespect to Tina but this is such tepid garbage, very tinny beats, not much bass. What's Love cannot save this from what I must do...1/5

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

2/5

I've tried for 4 days to find what I was missing with this. Is Brimful enjoyable? Sure. Poppy? Sure. But the majority of the rest of this seems like less interesting Brimful OR experiments that just didn't land with me. Solid 2/5

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

3/5

I hate how I was told how surprisingly good this was by someone on the subreddit. Made my expectations go WAY up, only to be underwhelmed. Not bad but not mind blowing. 3/5

Buena Vista Social Club

3/5

Ughhhhh, I SO wanted to like this. And I did 5 songs in. But then the rest of the album happened and it SLOWED way down... Could've been a contender. Instead, ended up with a solid 3/5

The Stranger

Billy Joel

5/5

Nothing but a 5 is possible when the first 7 tracks of a 9 song album are fire! Didn't realize this album contained so many of his greatest songs!

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

4/5

One of three Dylan albums I had already listened to the whole way through. Masters of War & It's Alright... are two of my favorites of his but I Shall Be Free is so bad. This makes this 4.5/5 round down to 4

My Generation

The Who

3/5

I had the Deluxe Edition of this at one time. I love The Who but I don't remember this album being this generic. 3 classics, a lot of fluff. 2.5/5, rounding up because of my affinity for this band.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

2/5

I tried so hard to like this but I think the addition of a choir, while complementary to Nick's voice, changed the production style and the musical direction. Added 3 songs to my favorites list, but, on a double CD, that's not much. Sorry, Nick. 2/5

Night Life

Ray Price

4/5

I was dreading this. But damn, when Ray lets loose and belts, his voice is beautiful. What a heartfelt album about losing a woman or women. Might be my biggest surprise so far. 4.5/5.

The World is a Ghetto

War

2/5

It's alright. But too slow and meandering for me. 2/5

Stardust

Willie Nelson

2/5

Another molasses slow album. Why not Red Headed Stranger?!? 2/5

Goo

Sonic Youth

3/5

3/5. Some good, some great, some horrible

Tanto Tempo

Bebel Gilberto

3/5

Remember playing this in college, mixing it in between my electronica/Indy hip hop sets and my Ñ Alternative sets. Definitely very vibey. 3/5

Out of Step

Minor Threat

3/5

*Thought I'd really like this because how much I love Fugazi. But Ian's voice permeates so much more in the dynamics of that group than with Minor Threat. Marking this one for a relisten to pick up on lyrics, which I know are extremely important. * 3/5

On The Beach

Neil Young

4/5

I've went back and forth on this one. Is it a perfect one? No, it's not. But Neil's message is loud and clear. I think what makes this a 4 for me and not a 5 is the inconsistent end.

Snivilisation

Orbital

4/5

In high school, I started getting into techno/electronica. But I was always more into downtempo or breakbeat or jungle, not trance. But I remember getting a compilation, Trance something Express 3 or 4 and Are We Here? was on there. Then I heard the shorter remix on the MTV Amp compilation and really dug it. Trance still isn't at the top for me but this can really soundtrack a morning. 4/5

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

3/5

This is a fun little album! Didn't drag, fun songs. Much better than I assumed. 3/5

Get Behind Me Satan

The White Stripes

3/5

The only White Stripes album I don't own anymore. Not that I hate it. I misplaced it. Suffered for years, looking at the empty CD case. Shouldn't have suffered so long. This isn't as great as I remembered. Some highs, some lows. Not fantastic, just average

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

3/5

That 3 song stretch in the middle is huge, along with Girls...but those four songs just balance this album out. The other songs are pretty meh. 3.5/5

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé

3/5

"Modern" R&B is really not my thing. That being said, I found some good stuff on here. Just not enough to move this above average. 3/5

I Should Coco

Supergrass

3/5

I should be more of a fan of this. My era, my basic genre, dug Alright. Not saying I didn't like it but it wasn't mind blowing. Above 3 but not yet 4. 3.5/5

Rage Against The Machine

5/5

Was waiting for an album that's all me. Here it is. Hell of an album. Miss this band. 5/5

Chore of Enchantment

Giant Sand

3/5

As a whole, this is pretty good. But with music like this, with such interesting compositions and arrangements, if you don't identify with much of the lyrics, it can leave the whole thing feeling that. That's the case here. A few songs that went on my liked list but moody just blended together. 3/5

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

3/5

Rio

Duran Duran

3/5

Two certified classics and a few other surprises. 3.5/5

Done By The Forces Of Nature

Jungle Brothers

4/5

Damn, there was so much great hip hop in the late 80s and throughout the 90s that I missed this one. Always knew the name, knew their features on others' records but this was good. Solid 4/5

Very

Pet Shop Boys

1/5

This album made me angry, for some reason. Probably Neil Tennant's voice. No songs added to my faves. Really annoyed. 1/5

Nowhere

Ride

3/5

Glad I tried this again from the beginning. It went from a 2 to a 3 because the album just has a vibe, not a collection of songs thrown together.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

5/5

I think I just love Leonard Cohen. 4.5/5

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

Okay, not Neil's voice. It's gotta be the production and it's sparser feel because I didn't hate his voice here. It seemed to blend more with the instrumentation instead of sitting on top of it. I was dreading a second PSB album in 3 days but it helped me realize why I liked this album but not Very. 3.5/5

The Modern Lovers

5/5

I think the 70s are the decade that I've explored the least. Born in the late 70s, 80s music was my youth soundtrack, hair metal and new wave, along with all the great pop. Got into hip hop in the early 90s and dived deeply. Then came Nirvana and I explored alt rock, then current indie/college rock, leading me to dive deeper into the 80s again. But all along that I became obsessed with early rock and roll and went nuts for everything 60s. But I avoided the 70s due to disco and prog, two things I wasn't interested in. All of this is a long way to say that all of my surprises have been from this decade. Add The Modern Lovers to Nick Lowe and Leonard Cohen. 4/5 Edit: started this review about halfway through. Now that I finished, it's a 5. Sometimes critics know what they're talking about

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

3/5

The J5 EP had me hooked from the start and Quality Control came out while I was still DJing in college so I was excited to listen to more than What's Golden from this but it wasn't that great. Did appreciate what was essentially a Cut Chemist track at the end, though. 3/5

Goodbye And Hello

Tim Buckley

2/5

For singer -songwriters, you have to enjoy the singer's voice and enjoy their lyrical content. Unfortunately, I enjoyed neither here. It wasn't unbearable like Pentagle was, though, so this ranks a 2/5.

Dub Housing

Pere Ubu

1/5

Yeah, thought I'd like this. Not even close. Another 1/5 banger!

Third

Portishead

3/5

The transitions between songs are very jarring. Knew I wouldn't like this as much as Dummy. I was right but there were still some good songs. 3/5

Elephant

The White Stripes

4/5

Still not White Blood Cells. As a cohesive unit, 4/5. Individually, some of the songs are not good, though.

Miriam Makeba

4/5

Another surprise! I loved this album! 4/5

Parachutes

Coldplay

5/5

Perfect first album. 5/5

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

4/5

Best Elvis Costello album so far (had 3). Close to a 5. I'd rate it 4.5/5

Suede

3/5

Passively alright. So middle of the road...3/5

The Last Of The True Believers

Nanci Griffith

2/5

Nothing exceptional. 2/5

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Very bluesy. Some fantastic songs and a few clunkers. 3.5/5

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

5/5

Damn, what a soundtrack. Solid, top to bottom. 4.5/5

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

3/5

Gets better as it goes. Some real good stuff at the end. 3.5/5

Moving Pictures

Rush

5/5

When I first started playing Rock Band, I only had heard the singles and YYZ. The album was released for the game and I loved it! As any great prog album, take it at its whole. 4.5/5

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

4/5

As individual tracks, I didn't add any of these to my faves BUT, taken as a whole, what a piece of music! And a debut! 4/5

Tracy Chapman

5/5

Damn, only knew two songs but this album blew me away. It seemed really prescient for today's times. 4.5/5

Moby Grape

4/5

This album starts so strongly but starts to fade as it goes on. Still, a solid album from a band that I have never listened to.

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

4/5

Not one of the Bruce albums I've ever listened to and none of the singles I know, either. So this was a nice pleasant first listen. 4/5

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

5/5

I actively chose not to listen to her for years. And now two albums in, I'm really digging her. 4.5/5

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

5/5

A favorite of mine for a milestone listen. The only flaw (I feel) is Poor Places. I think that song was always my stopping point because I don't recall ever hearing Reservations and it might be my favorite on this album. 5/5