My 1001 Albums Journey

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3.92

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1013 albums remaining

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1960

Favorite Decade

Hip-hop

Favorite Genre

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Cheerleader

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5-Star Albums

1-Star Albums

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Albums

You Love More Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
We're Only In It For The Money The Mothers Of Invention	5	2.46	+2.54
New Boots And Panties Ian Dury	5	2.69	+2.31
Good Old Boys Randy Newman	5	2.85	+2.15
Dirty Sonic Youth	5	3.11	+1.89
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones	5	3.24	+1.76
A Girl Called Dusty Dusty Springfield	5	3.33	+1.67
Fear Of A Black Planet Public Enemy	5	3.34	+1.66
Red Headed Stranger Willie Nelson	5	3.34	+1.66
Joan Armatrading Joan Armatrading	5	3.34	+1.66
Different Class Pulp	5	3.42	+1.58

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Is This It The Strokes	2	3.81	-1.81
Diamond Life Sade	2	3.46	-1.46
Led Zeppelin IV Led Zeppelin	3	4.34	-1.34
Welcome To The Pleasuredome Frankie Goes To Hollywood	2	3.12	-1.12

5-Star Albums (19)

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Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Popular Reviews

We're Only In It For The Money

The Mothers Of Invention · 2 likes

5/5

Wow. This was his typically satirical (think Mad Magazine) take on hippies and conformist non-conformity. A bit smug, but also fun. There is also a surprising amount of musique concrete and is neither as pretentious or as difficult to listen to as it could have been. Instead, it seems playful, even beautiful. Maybe as I age and become curmudgeonly, I find that Zappa is an honest reintegration of my disillusioned and idealistic selves. Anyway, this album is a keeper. Not as crass and vulgar as Joe's Garage and good.

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips · 1 likes

4/5

Walks a fine line between crazy and comprehensible

All Ratings

Tapestry

Carole King

3/5

It's a great album. Like so many other brillant artists of that time, her originality now seems cliche, probably because she influenced a generation of artists.

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

3/5

It's OK. I do appreciate that it's a new language. Not the only thing they have in common with Cocteau Twins. (They don't actually sound like Cocteau Twins, though, so if you like them, don't assume.) There is something atmospheric and beautiful about their music, but it is not really my cup of tea.

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

4/5

OK, this album slaps far harder than I remember. I listened to it a ton in the 80s and early 90s when I was a pretentious young adult trying to pretend to like difficult listening. Now, I realize how joyous the improv is. It is a great fusion of jazz and rock, just like it was probably supposed to be. Could be the shock of recognition, like seeing someone you found difficult but haven't seen for a long time. Still, I enjoyed listening to it. It also brought together impressions I have of post wwII California and the American West - the innovation and alienness that exudes from places like Nevada and the aerospace, aviation and military mixed with cultural novelties. It's somehow all wrapped up in listening to this.

Eagles

4/5

It was optimistic and good to listen to. I can see how it struck a chord with people disillusioned by the drugs sex and anarchy of the preceding post war era.

Is This It

The Strokes

2/5

Meh. Maybe it’s just because my wife was mean to me yesterday. But I don’t think so. Got bored before I finished the whole album.

Either Or

Elliott Smith

3/5

I'm not in a great mood to learn to appreciate a new style of music. This guy sounds like a whiner and a lot of the songs have a similar plaintive sound that I can sometimes like (keening), but in this case rubs me the wrong way. Didn't mind 2:45 AM. Not a huge fan.

Funeral

Arcade Fire

4/5

This was amazing. First time I listened and I’m glad I did.

We're Only In It For The Money

The Mothers Of Invention

5/5

Maxinquaye

Tricky

4/5

I just can’t

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

3/5

Interesting. Goofy. Title track is oddly timely, probably accidentally so.

Music For The Jilted Generation

The Prodigy

3/5

Meh. When they say "fuck em, and their law" it's hard to say whether this is ironic or not. I have a hard time with this earnestness and simplemindedness. Maybe I'm missing the point. It's sad post-Nazi dance music as far as I can tell. Ring ring, 1970s Berlin wants it's decadence back. I didn't choose this stuff. I have to admit, though, if you just want to zone out to something mechanical, this does the trick.

Sheet Music

10cc

4/5

Life's Too Good

The Sugarcubes

3/5

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Surprising how much great material Joni created for this album. Free Man in Paris is just one example.

Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits

4/5

You can see what he was trying to do for men in western English speaking culture. It is a great piece of work.

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

3/5

This was very pleasant music. And the theme is great.

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

4/5

Interesting. I think it was influenced by Paul's Boutique. It's a good album. Funny harsh in spots.

Hearts And Bones

Paul Simon

4/5

This was great. Absolutely true that it was overshadowed by Graceland.

For Your Pleasure

Roxy Music

4/5

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

4/5

Me Against The World

2Pac

4/5

Interesting how the media samples at the start read in retrospect, post BLM, etc.

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

4/5

This album continues to slap hard. Not as great as Paul's Boutique, which keeps growing on me, but good. The line "the disrespect to women has got to be through..." still brings stinging tears to my eyes.

Heroes

David Bowie

4/5

Portrait of the artist as a young human.

Paris 1919

John Cale

4/5

Surprised that I had never heard it and how much I loved it. The sound is largely timeless. The lyrics are beautiful in a way that speaks to me. Grown up music of a quality hard to equal.

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

3/5

It' good. It strikes me that, on the one hand, it seems infantile. At the same time, it also strikes me as almost avant-garde. Specifically, the repetition of human words and vocal sounds until they become abstract and lose their meaning. The effect is evocative of Brion Gysin.

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

3/5

Liked this. Broad and interesting

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

5/5

Can’t get these songs out of my head. He is a gifted man.

Brown Sugar

D'Angelo

3/5

New Boots And Panties

Ian Dury

5/5

Incredible, ironically very commercial, professional, highly skilled work of class warfare. My hat is off to you, Ian Dury. Even long after your movement’s defeat, your courage and humour stand.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

5/5

Love it.

The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald

5/5

Safe As Milk

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

4/5

Reminds me of some Fripp league of gentlemen guitar stuff from the 80s. Interesting. Oddly spiritual. When you walk while listening to it around the city you notice things you may not have before.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

4/5

Wow, it’s really interesting to remember how angry people wear, and incredulous, at the election of George Bush the second period I remember my father, who was quite conservative, being exasperated at the lack of rationale for the war in Iran Iraq I mean. Amazing, that now, bush looks like a brilliant genius.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

4/5

Some great songwriting. Poignant. Insightful. Interesting. Pretty solid musicianship too. Impressed. Has anyone ever heard of this guy?

Fear Of A Black Planet

Public Enemy

5/5

Dookie

Green Day

3/5

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

5/5

This is a revelation. She is a flame and a razor. How did I not know about her before? Amazing.

Good Old Boys

Randy Newman

5/5

Cherokee amazing

The Modern Dance

Pere Ubu

3/5

Let's do some crimes. Yeah, let's get sushi and not pay.

A Girl Called Dusty

Dusty Springfield

5/5

Holy!!! She was one talented woman. Great album.

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

5/5

Beautiful

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

4/5

Killer blues. Acid rock. Like this. Didn’t realize the San Francisco connection. Interesting.

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

4/5

Walks a fine line between crazy and comprehensible

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

4/5

So talented. Weird, poor guy, but talented.

Ten

Pearl Jam

5/5

Dirty

Sonic Youth

5/5

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

3/5

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

4/5

Rapture

Anita Baker

4/5

Loved this more than I thought I would. This music is not my cup of tea but her - I like.

Manassas

Stephen Stills

3/5

Sadly this seemed very commercial to me. It is good. There are some really surprising slide steel sounds and the lyrics to moving around are interesting. It’s fine.

Abbey Road

Beatles

4/5

Warehouse: Songs And Stories

Hüsker Dü

3/5

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

5/5

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Surprising. Less seedy than subsequent stones work. Loved it.

Moving Pictures

Rush

5/5

Loved this album as a kid. Still great.

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boy

4/5

Quite liked this

Different Class

Pulp

5/5

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

3/5

It’s good. I wouldn’t die if I couldn’t hear it again.

Shalimar

Rahul Dev Burman

3/5

Berlin

Lou Reed

4/5

Ingenue

k.d. lang

4/5

Smash

The Offspring

4/5

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

2/5

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

5/5

The lyrics are insightful and witty. Superficially this seems like another album taking advantage of the high dynamic range possible with digital technology. Maybe, but this bears a second or third listen to get beyond the surface. When the sun goes paints a vivid picture of the roles involved in prostitution, they has a go at itself by referencing Roxanne, the song by the Police. The singer takes you where a mind would go and articulates thoughts beautifully. The whole experience is healing. What art should be. And you can dance to it.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

4/5

Very good rap for the paying masses. Probably needs a few more listens. Fun.

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

4/5

This was good.

Diamond Life

Sade

2/5

I mean, it’s OK. Boring. I guess it has an atmosphere that is sustained and very consistent. Chill to the point of vacuous. Not sure I see the point. Maybe there isn’t one.

Dirt

Alice In Chains

3/5

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

3/5

Commercial but good.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly

4/5

Dummy

Portishead