1001 Albums Summary

Listening statistics & highlights

Albums Rated

3.42

Average Rating

Complete

1077 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1980

Favorite Decade

Rock

Favorite Genre

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
One Nation Under A Groove Funkadelic	5	3.42	+1.58
Songs From The Big Chair Tears For Fears	5	3.74	+1.26

You Love Less Than Most

Album	You	Global	Diff
Back To Black Amy Winehouse	2	4.02	-2.02

5-Star Albums (2)

View Album Wall

Popular Reviews

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic · 1 likes

5/5

Mad genius. So much crazy that coalesces into a wild whole. The ultimate example of how LSD in the late '60s and early '70s made for better records than cocaine in the late '70s and '80s. The live version of Maggot Brain to cap it might be lifted from that (slightly better) record, but it's one of the greatest bits of guitar wankery ever put to tape, so I can't complain about it appearing twice. This record is a thrill to listen to, vibrantly alive.

All Ratings

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

4/5

The most reluctant four star score imaginable. There are so many stone classics on here, and Sir Duke into I Wish is one of the all-time one-two combos. But there's just too much bloat on the double album for me, and a bit too much in the way of pitch-wheel fusion stylings for me to put this up with the best. Still, so much great here. Legitimately great.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

Joyous hiphop that feels almost naive considering what came later. Fantastic production, and refreshing to hear lyrics that combine humour and vulnerability. Not a genre that I listen to often, but a classic in time.

War

3/5

Very carefully produced pop, but did little for me then, and even less now. Leaves me ice cold. Maybe because I can't separate the complete pillock that Bono turned out to be, maybe because this brand of pop rock just doesn't turn my crank. I have good friends whose taste I respect who dearly love this iteration of U2, but it's just not for me.

Urban Hymns

The Verve

3/5

A Britpop classic, with one of the greatest pop songs of all time. Otherwise a bit samey, though, and very of it's time.

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

2/5

Unbearable listen for me, but got an extra star because the production is slick and some of the studio players are good. Feels like a very professional but deeply insincere attempt to take a somewhat unique voice and grave-rob some Motown and Phil Spector. Dusty she ain't. Even Adele she ain't.

1999

Prince

3/5

Another technically amazing record that just doesn't tickle my fancy. Prince's joyous future-funk is all just a bit camp for my taste, and the sounds just haven't aged well to my ears. I always like his songs better when done by someone else...

Modern Life Is Rubbish

Blur

3/5

Alright, I guess. Better than Oasis, at least. Don't really get the hype, much prefer Parklife, this just comes across as a bit harsh, and the production is thin. Not for me.

Heartattack And Vine

Tom Waits

3/5

Not as wild as expected, but still, a unique voice. Really good record, but not quite four stars for me. 3.5?

Calenture

The Triffids

2/5

Not as bad as some reviews would lead you to believe, but felt simultaneously overlong and inconsequential. Maybe important from an Aussie perspective, but otherwise struggling to see why this is on the list.

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

5/5

A stone cold classic. Underestimated this one most of my life as just a typical '80s synth pop confection, but it turns out this is one of the defining records of the decade. It's near perfect, every song adds a piece to the puzzle, from the big singles to the more subtle bits. Head Over Heels is the absolute peak for me, such genius. No longer underestimated, true greats

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

5/5

Let It Be

The Replacements

4/5

Solid straight-ahead post-punk and proto-indie, with a surprising ear for melody. Feels very teen angst, though, and so an odd one to come to in my 40s. Still, a great record, and one I'll be coming back to.